In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution (54 page)

Rarely in history have women been able to set aside their other concerns and political causes, their divisions of class, race, religion, ethnicity, their geographic boundaries and personal attachments, in order to wage a united struggle, so revolutionary in its implications, against their basic, common oppression. Indeed, a full century passed between the struggle for suffrage and what is often called the second wave. But when such a coming-together takes place, when the vision is clear and the sisterhood is powerful, mountains are moved and the human landscape is changed forever. Of course it is wildly unrealistic to speak in one voice for half the human race, yet that is what feminism always attempts to do, and must do, and that is what Women’s Liberation did do, with astounding success, in our time.

Acknowledgments

Susan Kamil of the Dial Press suggested that I write this memoir, and never lost her enthusiasm for it during five years of labor. Frances Goldin of the Frances Goldin Literary Agency brought the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime in political activism to bear on the pages at every step. Lillian Lent, Joyce Johnson, Linda Steinman, and Beth Rashbaum applied their consummate skills to early and late drafts.

I owe a large debt to the hastily penciled notes, typed chronicles, diary fragments, and mimeographed broadsides in private archives as yet undeposited in a research library collection. Barbara Mehrhof, Marilyn Webb, Florence Rush, Jane Alpert, Becky Taber, Karen Sauvigne, Pat Lynden, and Dorchen Leidholdt hauled out their cardboard cartons from the top of the closet and generously allowed me to keep them on an extended loan. Anne Koedt provided an invaluable cache of early position papers and magazine clippings. Sharon Frost, Liz O’Sullivan, Betsy Warrior, Naomi Weisstein, Lilia Melani, Mary Ann Manhart, and Alison Owings sent me pertinent folders.

I tape-recorded more than two hundred leading activists across the country in order to capture their stories and voices. These interviews, ranging from one to three hours, were transcribed with care by Terese Brown, who additionally served as my cheerleader, sounding board, and reality check.

Several historians and biographers have examined related aspects of
the women’s movement. I benefitted from warm collegial exchanges with Karla Jay, Rosalyn Baxandall, Judith Hennessee, Carolyn Heilbrun, Sydney Ladensohn Stern, Mary Thom, Amy Kesselman, and Barbara Winslow.

A big thanks to the Saturday Night Women’s Supper Club and the gang at
echonyc.com
for the very fine dinners and voluble laughter, the system upgrades and tech support, and the marathon poker games that gave me a new sobriquet, Queen of the Lows. Above all, I am grateful to the activists of Women’s Liberation for giving me a life that makes me proud.

Source Notes

1. The Founders

1
Origins of the Seneca Falls Convention: Eleanor Flexner,
Century of Struggle
(Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard, 1959) Chapter 5.

2
History of SNCC: Clayborne Carson,
In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981).

3
Mary King and Casey Hayden in SNCC: Mary King,
Freedom Song
(New York: William Morrow, 1987).

4
Unsigned position paper: King, Appendix 2.

5
Carmichael, “What is the position”: King, p. 452.

6
“A Kind of Memo”: King, Appendix 3.

7
SDS, “Heather Booth and I”: Author’s interview with Marilyn Webb, New York, Oct. 23, 1994.

8
In
Liberation:
King, p. 468.

9
Women in the left were gathering: Sara Evans,
Personal Politics
(New York: Vintage, 1980).

10
Robin Morgan: Author’s interview with Robin Morgan, New York, Sept. 22, 1994.

11
Women’s liberation workshop in Ann Arbor, “Freedom Now” resolution: Kirkpatrick Sale,
SDS
(New York: Vintage, 1974) p. 362; Evans, p. 191.

12
National Conference for the New Politics: Evans, pp. 196–199; author’s interview with Jo Freeman, Brooklyn, Oct. 14, 1994.

13
Meeting at Jo Freeman’s: Freeman.

14
“We talked incessantly”: Naomi Weisstein transcript (mimeo), November 1987, for Peg Strobel, in author’s possession.

15
Voice of the Women’s Liberation Movement:
Freeman.

16
Pam Allen, “I can organize …”: Author’s phone interview with Chude Pam Allen, San Francisco, Nov. 16, 1994.

17
“free space”: Pamela Allen,
Free Space: A Perspective on the Small Group in Women’s Liberation
(New York: Times Change Press, 1970).

18
Regional SDS meeting, Princeton: author’s interview with Allen; author’s interview with Bev Grant, New York, Dec. 24, 1998; author’s interview with Anne Koedt, New York, Jan. 24, 1995.

19
“Nothing could have stopped me”: Anne Koedt letter to author, Jan. 22, 1999.

20
Parents in Danish resistance: Author’s interview with Koedt.

21
First meeting in New York: Author’s interview with Allen.

22
Something called male chauvinism: Author’s interview with Kathie Amatniek Sarachild, New York, Jan. 2, 1995.

23
“Kathie and I”: Author’s interview with Carol Hanisch, Port Ewen, N.Y., Nov. 29, 1994.

24
“I vaguely knew”: Author’s interview with Anne Forer, Tucson, Ariz., by phone, March 15, 1995.

25
“called it consciousness-raising …”: Forer.

26
Action at Jeannette Rankin Brigade march on Washington: Amy Swerdlow,
Women Strike for Peace
(Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1993) pp. 135–41;
Notes from the First Year
, June 1968 (mimeo), in author’s possession; Sarachild; Hanisch; author’s interview with Koedt; author’s interview with Rosalyn Baxandall, New York, Oct. 10, 1994.

27
On the train ride home: Sarachild; Koedt; author’s interview with Gerda Lerner, Madison, Wis., by phone, April 13, 1996.

28
“So we met at my apartment …”: Baxandall.

29
Chicago statement from left perspective: “Towards a Radical Movement,” second draft (mimeo), April 1968, files of Barbara Mehrhof.

30
Naomi Weisstein wanted to storm …: Weisstein interview for Peg Strobel. 25 “The women in that early group …”: Freeman.

31
Koedt speech at Free University: Anne Koedt, “Women in the Radical Movement,”
Notes from the First Year
.

32
Firestone speech at abortion rally: Shulamith Firestone, “On Abortion,”
Notes from the First Year
.

33
Landmark essay: Anne Koedt, “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm,”
Notes from the First Year
. Expanded version in Koedt, Levine, Rapone, eds.,
Radical Feminism
(New York: Quadrangle Books, 1973).

34
“into a tizzy …”: Author’s interview with Koedt.

35
“sent us a nice note …”: Author’s interview with Koedt.

36
SCUM Manifesto: Excerpted in Robin Morgan, ed.,
Sisterhood Is Powerful
(New York: Vintage, 1970).

37
Ti-Grace Atkinson and NOW: Martha Weinman Lear, “The Second Feminist Wave,”
The New York Times Magazine
, March 10, 1968; Marcia Cohen,
The Sisterhood
(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988) pp. 155–167; author’s interview with Dolores Alexander, New York, Oct. 18, 1994; author’s interview with Jacqui Ceballos, New York, Dec. 7, 1994.

38
Roxanne Dunbar’s story: Author’s interview with Roxanne Dunbar, San Jose, Calif., by phone, Dec. 8, 1994. See also Roxanne Dunbar, “Outlaw Woman,” in DuPlessis and Snitow, eds.,
The Feminist Memoir Project
(New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998).

39
Dana Densmore’s story: author’s interview with Dana Densmore, Santa Fe, N.M., by phone, March 29, 1995. See also Dana Densmore, “A Year of Living Dangerously,” in DuPlessis and Snitow.

40
Betsy Warrior’s story: author’s interview with Betsy Warrior, Cambridge, Mass., July 12, 1998.

41
Webb organizes for Sandy Springs: Webb.

42
“Hi all …”: Undated letter (mimeo) in files of Marilyn Webb.

43
Two key SDS women: Files of Marilyn Webb.

44
Dohrn on women: Naomi Jaffe and Bernardine Dohrn, “The Look Is You” (mimeo) in files of Anne Koedt.

45
Brown and Jones, “Toward a Female Liberation Movement,” (mimeo) 1968: in author’s possession; reprinted in Leslie B. Tanner, ed.,
Voices from Women’s Liberation
(New York: Signet, 1970).

46
“us against the world …”: Hanisch.

47
“I’d never heard of Valerie Solanas …”: Webb.

48
Sunday’s anguished session: Reel-to-reel tape and transcript in files of Marilyn Webb. See also Alice Echols,
Daring to Be Bad
(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1989) Appendix A.

2. An Independent Movement

1
“I’d always watched the contest”: Author’s interview with Carol Hanisch, Port Ewen, N.Y., Nov. 29, 1994.

2
“Atlantic City and Chicago”: Author’s interview with Robin Morgan, New York, Sept. 22, 1994.

3
“It said ‘women reporters only’ …”: Author’s interview with Lindsy Van Gelder, Miami by phone, Dec. 24, 1994.

4
“It was a gorgeous day”: Author’s interview with Jacqui Ceballos, New York, Dec. 7, 1994.

5
“I wrote those lyrics!”: Author’s interview with Bev Grant, New York, Dec. 24, 1998. 38 “Martin, my husband …”: Author’s interview with Alix Kates Shulman, New York, Oct. 11, 1994.

6
By one P.M.…: Charlotte Curtis, “Miss America Pageant Is Picketed by 100 Women,”
The New York Times
, Sept. 8, 1968; video of Miss America Protest, Museum of Television & Radio, New York.

7
“I came up from D.C.”: Charlotte Bunch,
Passionate Politics
(New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1987) p. 6.

8
“They were alternating …”: Leah Fritz,
Dreamers & Dealers
(Boston: Beacon Press, 1979), p. 24.

9
Amatniek and Hanisch unfurled their banner: Author’s interview with Kathie Amatniek Sarachild, New York, Jan. 2, 1995; Hanisch.

10
Stink bombs: Grant; author’s interview with Peggy Dobbins, Atlanta by phone, Dec. 4, 1998.

11
Carol Hanisch excoriated: Carol Hanisch, “A Critique of the Miss America Protest,” Firestone and Koedt, eds.,
Notes from the Second Year
, 1970.

12
“Oddball women, rebels!”: Author’s interview with Irene Peslikis, New York, Sept. 23, 1994.

13
Artist Pat Mainardi’s paper: Pat Mainardi, “The Politics of Housework,”
Notes from the Second Year
.