Feminist Majority Foundation
 | |
| Formation | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Eleanor Smeal Peg Yorkin Katherine Spillar Toni Carabillo Judith Meuli |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | Women's equality,reproductive health,and non-violence |
| Headquarters | Arlington County,Virginia,U.S. |
President | Eleanor Smeal |
Chair of the Board | Peg Yorkin |
Executive Director | Katherine Spillar |
| Subsidiaries | Ms.magazine |
| Website | feminist.org |
TheFeminist Majority Foundation(FMF) is an Americannon-profit organizationheadquartered inArlington County, Virginia,whose stated mission is to advancenon-violenceand women's power, equality, and economic development.[1]The name Feminist Majority comes from a 1986Newsweek/Galluppublic opinion pollin which 56 percent ofAmericanwomen self-identified asfeminists.President and one of the founders,Eleanor Smeal,chose the name to reflect the results of the poll, implying that the majority of women are feminists.
History and structure
[edit]The FMF—anIRS501(c)(3)tax deductible,non-profit organization—is a research and education organization and the publisher ofMs.magazine. Founded in 1987 byEleanor Smeal,Peg Yorkin,Katherine Spillar,Toni Carabillo,andJudith Meuli,it has offices inWashington, D.C.,andLos Angeles, California.Its chair is Peg Yorkin.[2]
FMF became the publisher ofMs.in 2001,[3]supporting the magazine in becoming anon-profit organization.Co-founded in 1972 by political activist and feministGloria Steinem,Ms.is awomen's magazineowned and produced by women that publishes articles on the conditions of women in the United States and abroad.[4]
The FMF has several campaigns and programs that deal withWomen's HealthandReproductive Rightsdomestically and abroad, including:
- National Clinic Access Project
- Campaign for Women's Health
- Mifepristone
- Feminist Campus (Choices Campus Leadership Program)
- Global Reproductive Rights Campaign
- Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls[5]
- Emergency Contraception Initiative
- National Center for Women and Policing
- Education Equity Program
- Rock for Choice[6]
History
[edit]During 1989-92, the FMF conducted theFeminization of Powercampaign,[7]recruiting an unprecedented number of women to run forpublic office,resulting in doubling women's representation in theUnited States Congressin 1992 (theYear of the Woman). In 1992, FMF helped to secure support for the IowaEqual Rights Amendmentand, in 1996, it helped to counter an anti-(reverse)discrimination ballot measure in California.
In 2004, the Feminist Majority was one of five principal organizers of the "March for Women's Lives",which brought more than 1.15 million women and men to Washington, D.C., in support of reproductive rights.[8]In 2006, FMF failed to overturn an anti-discriminationballot measurein Michigan (theMichigan Civil Rights Initiative,which passed in 2006 and was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2014[9]) and to pass aballot initiativein South Dakota torepeala state abortion ban. On March 23 and 24 of 2013, FMF hosted its 9th Annual National Young Feminist Leadership conference inArlington, Virginia,with speakers such asDolores Huerta(President, Dolores Huerta Foundation/Co-Founder United Farm Workers/Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom), Morgane Richardson (Founder of Refuse The Silence),Monica Simpson(Executive Director, Sister Song), Ivanna Gonzalez (Who Needs Feminism?).[10]
Despite its declared support of non-violence, the FMF endorsed the war in Afghanistan with the justification that it would help to protect and liberate Afghan women,[11]a position which was criticized by American politicianTom Haydenin 2011.[12]
Legislative initiatives
[edit]The Feminist Majority has also been a leader in legislative victories for women includingamendingtheCivil Rights Act of 1991to provide for monetary damages to women who win sexual harassment and sex discrimination lawsuits in court; winning passage of theFamily and Medical Leave Act of 1993;theViolence Against Women Actand theFreedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act,in 1994; passing theDomestic Violence Offender Gun Ban,in 1996; restoringTitle IX,in 1988, and then successfully defending Title IX against theBush administration's attempts to discourage discrimination against men, in 2003, among other victories.[citation needed][13]The Feminist Majority continues advocating for U.S.ratificationof, both, theUnited NationsWomen's Rights TreatyCEDAW,theConvention to End all forms of Discrimination Against Women) and theInternational Criminal Court.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"Mission and principles".feminist.org.Feminist Majority Foundation.
- ^"Peg Yorkin (profile)".feminist.org.Feminist Majority Foundation.
- ^Farmer, Rebecca (November 12, 2001)."Ms. Magazine and Feminist Majority Foundation Join Forces".National NOW Times.National Organization for Women.Archived fromthe originalon June 4, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 22,2016.
- ^Smeal, Eleanor;Steinem, Gloria(Spring 2002)."Dear Reader".Ms.:1. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-10-18.Retrieved2016-09-22.
- ^Mann, Judy (July 9, 1999)."The Grinding Terror of the Taliban".The Washington Post.Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2016.RetrievedJuly 6,2017.
- ^Neely, Kim (March 1993)."The fight for the right to choose".Rolling Stone.Vol. 652, no. 22.
- ^Leyva, Ric (October 14, 1987)."Former Now President Kicks Off".Associated Press.RetrievedMarch 11,2014.
- ^Clock, Michele; Wilgoren, Debbi; Woodlee, Yolanda (April 25, 2004)."Abortion Rights Advocates Flood D.C".The Washington Post.
- ^Adler, Jonathan (April 22, 2014)."Supreme Court upholds Michigan civil rights initiative".The Washington Post.
- ^"National Young Feminist Leadership Conference (2013 NYFLC)".feministcampus.org.Feminist Majority Foundation. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-09-23.Retrieved2014-03-11.
- ^Sheehi, Stephen (2011).Islamophobia: The Ideological Campaign Against Muslims.Clarity Press. p. 113.ISBN9780932863676.
- ^Hayden, Tom (25 May 2011)."Pentagon Enlists Feminists for War Aims".The Huffington Post.Retrieved16 May2016.
- ^"Speakers".now.org.National Organization for Women.2015. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-26.
External links
[edit]- Feminist Majority Foundation online
- Feminist Majority
- Choices Campus Leadership Program
- Ms. Magazine
- National Center for Women and PolicingArchived2020-06-14 at theWayback Machine
- Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls
- "Overview of the Feminist Majority Foundation",FMF Campus Program.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
