If you look at the cover picture of the VFA NYC Gala Photo Album on the left, you will see a moment in an apartment which took place on Tuesday, November 14, 2006. This was a wonderful small morning party which focused on the book, Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975 by honoring the editors, the advisory board, researchers and outreach committee. It was the last of six events of the weekend.
On the far left is Jacqui Ceballos, President of the VFA. She was a NOW leader 1967-1973, a delegate United Nations IWY Convention in Mexico City 1975, NOW's representative to the National Democratic Convention 1972 and a dozen more remarkable highlights over a lifetime of active feminism. In the center is Barbara Seaman, advocate of women's health, author and recognized by Science Magazine as " The Founder of the Women's Health Movement." Her books include The Doctors' Case Against the Pill, Free and Female, Women and the Crisis in Sex Hormones and For Women only: Your Guide to Health Empowerment. On the right is Kate Millett, artist, lecturer, writer and architect of the Women's Movement with her pivotal book, Sexual Politics. Painter, sculptor, photographer. I remember the day that her book, Sita arrived at my bookstore as we displayed it with reverence.
If you look behind these three muse, you will see a fool who appears to be jumping up and down. That may be the case on some level but I know that I am so overwhelmed with the weekend, the women, this event in particular, that my very being is dissolving. (Could it be Scotty beaming me up?)
The day before I was in a room with over 200 of these luminaries and I am still unable to distill my thoughts about the celebration which was an all day, four event gala at Barnard. I suppose it is simply larger than my imagination can fathom ~ and that rarely happens. Maybe it is because of the magic of being 58 which means that I am old enough to know what life was like for American women before these changemakers began their work and that I am young enough to have missed being a part of the point of origination.
These are the women who stood in the intersection of female/male life with a compass and moved the plumb line for me, for you, for all. These are the women I saw in the New York Times, on TV and at Houston, Beijing and South Africa. These are my books on crowded dusty treasure-shelves come to life, walking and, in some cases, knowing my name. They are not supposed to know my name and it was all too much.
After I had been at this breakfast for about an hour, Barbara Love walked towards me and said that she would like to introduce someone to me. I put out my hand to meet hers and choked up almost unable to speak. "I most certainly know who you are. I have read all of your books and love you so much." It was Kate Millett who, you can be sure, I was watching all the day before with great deference and esteem.
That was it for me. I collected my purse and coat. I sought out a friend and said, "This is like cheesecake and if I have one more bite I will be sick. I have to go." And with that I left to wander the streets of SOHO for a couple of hours.
Yeah! Pictures of Gloria! She is my ultimate shero! Have you met her? Can you introduce me? Then I can live and die happy!
Posted by: Heather | November 26, 2006 at 10:21 PM