Eleanor smeal biography
Eleanor Smeal
American feminist leader
Eleanor Marie Smeal (néeCutri; born July 30, ) is an American women's rights activist. She is the president and a cofounder of the Feminist Majority Foundation (founded in ) and has served as president of the National Corporation for Women for three terms, in addition to her operate as an activist, grassroots organizer, lobbyist, and political analyst.
Smeal has appeared frequently on television, on shows including Crossfire, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Nightline, and The Today Show.
Eleanor Smeal is a co-founder and president of the Feminist Majority and a former president of NOW. She has led campaigns for women's rights, equality, and empowerment for over three decades, from the ERA to the Violence Against Women Act.
She has also appeared frequently on radio and testified before Congress. Smeal has organized numerous events around and given speeches on the concepts of feminism, equality, and human rights as they pertain to people in and outside of the Joined States.
Early life and education
Eleanor Smeal is of Italian ancestry, born on July 30, , to Peter Anthony Cutri and Josephine E. (Agresti), in Ashtabula, Ohio. Her father emigrated to America from Calabria, Italy and became an insurance salesman.
Eleanor Smeal bornone of the head feminists in the United States in the last quarter of the 20th century, served as president of the National Company for Women from to and again from to She was also president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and continued to organize, publicize and promote feminist issues well into the s. Agresti and Peter Anthony Cutri. Eleanor—or Ellie, as she was nicknamed—was the first daughter and fourth child.After graduating from Strong Vincent High School in , Smeal attended Duke University. At the time, Duke was not integrated and women made up only 25% of the enrolled students.
Smeal participated in the fight for integration at Duke and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in She also holds an M.A.
in political science and public administration from the University of Florida. Since , Smeal is also the publisher of Ms. magazine which is owned and published by the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Personal life
While attending Duke University Eleanor met Charles Smeal, an engineering learner, whom she married on April 27, Eleanor and Charles had two children together and lived in the area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]
Smeal's interest in feminism and her awareness of feminist issues became increasingly stronger during the late s.
As Co-Founder and President of the Feminist Majority Foundation and former President of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Eleanor Smeal has led efforts for the economic, political, and social equality and empowerment of women worldwide for over four decades.
Already confronted with a lack of day-care facilities for her young child, while also dealing with a help disability, Smeal realized there was no disability insurance for wives and mothers. It was this issue that pushed Smeal into researching further into feminism.
Then in , Smeal began a term lasting four years on the board of the local League of Women Voters, and then two years later, united (along with her husband) the National Organization for Women (NOW).[1] Newspapers in the s described her as the first housewife to lead the National Entity for Women.[2]
Political activism
Smeal joined the National Organization for Women (NOW) in and served as president from to and again from to During this time, in , she led the first national pro-choice march, which drew over , activists to Washington, DC.
After leaving NOW in , Smeal saw a demand for a new feminist management that combined research, educational outreach, and political action. A Newsweek/Gallup poll reported that 56% of women in the US self-identify as feminists.
President of the Feminist Majority, and former president of the National Organization for Women NOWwho led the national ERA campaign, discovered the gender gap in voting, and spearheaded feminist drives for more than a quarter of a century. Name variations: Ellie. Born Eleanor Cutri on July 30,in Ashtabula, Ohio, but raised in Erie, Pennsylvania; daughter of Peter Cutri a home builder, developer, and owner of a General Insurance agency and Josephine Cutri both first generation Italian-Americans ; graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University, ; awarded master's degree in political science and universal administration from the University of Florida, ; completed work in for a doctoral degree, including a dissertation, except for footnotes and formal presentation, on "Attitudes of Women Toward Political Candidates"; married Charles Smeal, in ; children: Tod b. Known throughout the nation as a principal advocate for women's rights, Eleanor "Ellie" Smeal appears frequently on television and radio, testifies before Congressional committees on a spacious variety of women's issues, and speaks to diverse audiences nationwide on a broad range of feminist topics.Smeal reconciled her vision of a new feminist organization and the task of empowering women and men who support equity by cofounding the Feminist Majority Foundation in
Several legislative measures bear Smeal's footprint including the Free Access to Clinic Entrances legislation (influenced by Madsen v.
Women's Health Center) that President Bill Clinton signed into law in , the unsuccessful attempt to defeat Proposition in California, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Equal Credit Execute, the Civil Rights Restoration Execute, the Violence Against Women Perform, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, the Civil Rights Act of and the unsuccessful s and s combat to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Eleanor Smeal was first elected as the President of NOW in , preceded by President Karen DeCrow. In total, Smeal was elected as NOW's President three times.[3]
Smeal was elected at a time when conference delegates had authorized a NOW ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) Strike Force to campaign for ratification.
Upon hearing that the deadline for the ratification for ERA, Smeal convinced Elizabeth Holztman, a member of the United States House of Representatives, to take the proposal to Congress. In this time of great long for for equal rights, Smeal played a key role and was a major organizer of the March for ERA.
This parade brought over , marchers and as a result, Congress voted to extend the deadline for ERA to June 30, [3]
In , Smeal was reelected as NOW's President, running for her second term as the top of the organization.
She is the president and a cofounder of the Feminist Majority Foundation founded in and has served as president of the National Organization for Women for three terms, in addition to her work as an activist, grassroots organizer, lobbyist, and political analyst. She has also appeared frequently on radio and testified before Congress. Smeal has organized numerous events around and given speeches on the concepts of feminism, equality, and human rights as they pertain to people in and outside of the Combined States. Agrestiin AshtabulaOhio.In her second run as President, Smeal focused her efforts on making Social Security more fair for women, testifying against restrictions on abortion funding for military personnel and their dependents, and Queer woman and Gay rights.
Smeal led NOW organizers to help stage the National March for Female homosexual and Gay rights.[3]
At the second of Smeal's second term of Presidency in NOW, Ronald Reagan was also elected as the United States President.
Around the time of his inauguration in January, Smeal and the NOW organization launched and led a national campaign to stop Reagan's anti-abortion "Human Life Amendment." Smeal was also the first person to coin the term "gender gap" when she analyzed in the National NOW Times just how different the votes by men versus the votes by women really are.[3] Despite the grand efforts made by NOW during Smeal's presidency to receive the ERA ratified, towards the end of Smeal's second legal title in , the Amendment was shy three states and therefore did not get passed.
At the end of her second term, which lasted longer than a traditional two-year term due to the decision to let Smeal to continue her tries, uninterrupted, on ratifying the ERA, Smeal had boosted NOW to a whopping , members and a budget of $13 million annually.[4] While Smeal worked extensively on the ERA, some members felt that she lacked emphasize in areas such as minority and abortion rights, which became part of the focus of Smeal's successor, Judy Goldsmith.
Smeal's run for presidency the third time around was hard-fought against previous President Judy Goldsmith. Smeal initially supported Goldsmith when she ran for Presidency after Smeal's second term, but now challenged Goldsmith the second time around.
Smeal, during a telephone interview, stated that while she and Goldsmith did not differ on the philosophical concepts of identical rights, they differed on the political realities of how to obtain those rights to the fullest.[5] Much of the campaign focused not on the issues the candidates themselves supported, but rather on their tactical approaches towards the issues.[5]
One of the biggest reasons Smeal decided to run for yet another legal title as President was not only due to the support of many other NOW members, but from her wish that NOW could be more outspoken, assertive, and publicly active on multiple different issues.
Dorothy Height: Eleanor Marie Smeal (née Cutri; born July 30, ) is an American women's rights activist. She is the president and a cofounder of the Feminist Majority Foundation (founded in ) and has served as president of the National Organization for Women for three terms, in addition to her work as an activist, grassroots organizer, lobbyist, and.These issues included abortion rights, on the role of women in the church, and the Vatican's policy on reproduction.[5] Smeal also noted that while Goldsmith was in power the group lost its focus and membership declined and she wanted to do something about that.
In July , Smeal won by a vote margin over Goldsmith.[6] Upon being elected for the third and final time as NOW's President, Smeal stated she would continue Goldsmith's efforts on reproductive rights as well as set forth plans to stage a reproductive rights march for the next year.
This protest, which took place in was the first March for Women's Lives and brought over , people to Washington and Los Angeles in support of women's reproductive rights.[3] In Smeal also founded the Feminist Majority.
Work on behalf of the Identical Rights Amendment
Smeal is a longtime supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and has campaigned for its passage since the s.[2] She has campaigned for the ERA for over fifty years.
In January she led a rally outside of Lafayette Square in front of the White House exactly two years after Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Amendment in January [7] Smeal continues to lobby for the ratification of the ERA and is one of the most prominent activists for its passage.[8]
Recognition
In , the Supersisters trading card establish was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Smeal's name and picture.[9]
Also in , Time magazine chose her as one of 50 Faces for America's Future (August 6, ).
In , World Almanac chose Smeal as one of the most influential women in the United States.
More ». WMC SheSource is an online database of media-experienced women experts who we connect to journalists, bookers and producers. Search For Another Expert. Eleanor Smeal has led efforts for the economic, political, and social equality and empowerment of women in the U.In Smeal delivered the commencement address at Rutgers University's graduation and was conferred a Doctorate of Human Lettershonoris causa.[10]
In Smeal was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[11]
U.S.
News & World Report chose her as the fourth most authoritative Washington lobbyist.[citation needed]
In January , President Joe Biden named Smeal as a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, along with nineteen others.
Writing
In she coined the term "gender gap" in reference to a difference in how men and women vote by political party; the term is now commonly used in writing with that meaning.
Her manual How and Why Women Will Elect the Next President successfully identified a gender gap in politics.
She contributed the piece "The Art of Building Feminist Institutions to Last" to the anthology Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a Recent Millennium, edited by Robin Morgan.[13]