Sonia Pressman Fuentes, pioneering EEOC lawyer, co-founder of NOW, and a leading voice of second-wave feminism, has died at 97. Born in Berlin in May 1928, she and her family fled Nazi Germany in 1933, eventually settling in New York. She grew up in the Bronx in the Catskills and graduated valedictorian of Monticello High School. She went on to [...]
As Women's History Month begins, we are thrilled to share some extraordinary news: Marcy Syms has made a transformational gift to endow the ERA Project, which will now be known as the Marcy Syms Equality Initiative, housed permanently at NYU Law's Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center. This is a landmark moment — not just for our organization, but for the broader [...]
It's not often that we hear about the projects of Graduate Interns in their work of documenting the stories of Second Wave feminists. We wanted to share this with our readers and encourage the younger generation to continue this important work for future generations. Processing the Denise C. Jones Papers Contributed by Kemisa Kassa, Bingham Center Graduate Intern When I [...]
"Liberation," a new play written by Bess Wohl and directed by Whitney White, presented by Roundabout Theatre Company in the month of November 2025, is described as a "sharp and witty memory play." Liberation Summary A young woman struggling in her role as a feminist and a mother looks back on the life of her own mother for guidance. Attempting [...]
On January 2, President Biden honored former NOW President Eleanor Smeal with the Presidential Citizens Medal--the nation’s second highest civilian honors—for “defining the movement for women’s rights.”
The Women’s Revolution: How We Changed Your Life, by Muriel Fox Published June 2024 A comprehensive, indexed memoir about the Second Wave women’s movement by the cofounder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Muriel Fox offers rare, firsthand stories of 29 women and one man, including Betty Freidan, but also many who have not previously been recognized for their [...]
[This piece was created by Jared Meade on behalf of the Museum of Public Relations in honor of Women's History Month.] The Feminist Trailblazer: How Muriel Fox Used Public Relations to Change the World By Jared Meade 03/13/2024 With the power of public relations in their hands, practitioners can change the world. It might appear like a lofty claim, but [...]
The 2024 Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray Quarter is the 11th coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was a poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest. Pauli Murray was a founder of NOW, is credited by Betty Friedan with the idea of creating a national women's rights organization. and is regarded as one of the most [...]
We decry rape at all times, and especially as an instrument of war as it was practiced by the terrorist organization, Hamas, on October 7. VFA opposes all discrimination, gender based violence and all crimes against humanity.