I have probably been writing about women and politics in some form or another since I was born.
That's me – born and raised in New York City, prior to WWII.
Born into a working class family where mom stayed at home and dad went to work.
The culture in our home and neighborhood was that boys got educated and girls got married. I guess I was fighting the prevalent culture from the cradle because I could never see why that was so great.
Marriage was deemed to be THE major achievement for girls and education was not important. College was not seen as necessary for girls – who were expected to finish high school, get a job and work until they got married.
And girls who did go to college? They were encouraged to find someone there to marry. [The Mrs. degree as it was called.]
Not many, including the female high school teachers and college professors, encouraged females to pursue careers except in Education.
My mother decreed I was to be a secretary or some other office worker but after a few weeks in high school she saw my books, asked why I was taking French and I told her I was in the academic track. She told me it was a waste of time – but never said another word about my choice.
My father was a covert supporter of my decision. He was an avid NYT crossword puzzle doer [in ink] and he and I did that puzzle as it sat each day on our kitchen table.
I made it through high school with great grades but was told that there was not a cent to be spent on any college education for me. Unhappily, I went to a local college and lived at home when many friends went off to a teacher’s college in upstate New York.
Phew! Good thing! Much as I had wanted to go away, I got such a better education by staying in the city and going to Queens College – now a part of CUNY.
As much as I loved NYC, I got hooked on psychology, took some extra psychology courses at night, applied to Graduate School and away I went to Boston.
And Boston, in the 1960s, was an amazing city in terms of anti-war and pro-women activism.
I found my calling among new friends – and from that point on, psychology, feminism, civil rights, antiwar activism and politics became an integral part of my life…and it has stayed that way.
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This is part [not sure where it fits yet] of the e-book I am writing about women, religion and politics.
If you want to read a chapter [as the book nears finishing] click the link right below.
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