Florence Howe was an incredibly talented and intelligent woman. She devoted her whole life to writing books and the development of the feminist movement in New York and the USA. In her books, she described various American issues, including women’s rights, education, health care, etc. Read more on newyorka.
Howe’s incredible abilities
Howe was born in New York in 1929. Being very young, she showed high mental abilities compared to her peers. She really liked to learn and discover new things.
She revealed her incredibly high knowledge after graduating from elementary school, in particular, during the entrance exam for an elite high school. She became the only one of five other girls who managed to pass a difficult exam and enter. While getting an education, she reached new heights and success. Finally, she earned a master’s degree in the English language.
Howe’s activity as a feminist
After Howe graduated from university, she became quite a famous scholar and a feminist leader in New York. She has also started to write books. Most of her texts were autobiographical and she recounted stories about civil rights, the Vietnam War, and the women’s movement.
In parallel with the publishing issues, Howe was engaged in teaching. She has taught writing and literature at New York colleges and universities. In addition, she worked at a private college for women. She taught poor African-American girls at the Freedom School. They forced a complete reinterpretation of her teaching activities and, in general, the education system provided to both black and white women in the United States.
After a long analysis of the education system, according to which women studied in New York and other cities of the United States, Howe realized that such an education had harmful consequences in the cultural and political spheres of the country. Women’s education differed greatly from men’s education at that time. They were not given enough attention and care, which later affected their social life. Howe devoted many scientific articles to this problem, which were later published in educational and literary books and even reached the political sphere.
She covered issues of education policy, reprinted books, raised issues of race and much more. Howe talked about how women’s education functions in a completely patriarchal society in the 20th century and what global problems arise from it.
In the 1970s, Howe decided to set up her own press where she could print texts for women’s education. It was called Feminist Press and she was its director until 2000. Through her editorial office, she produced very useful and necessary materials for women such as books and training manuals. They collected new women’s studies, feminist literature, and more. In addition, via this editorial office, Howe published two magazines – Women’s Studies Quarterly and AFFILIA. It was a real breakthrough. After all, feminist magazines had never been published in New York before.
For her successful activities and contribution to the development of the feminist movement in New York and the territory of the United States, Howe received a grant that gave her the opportunity to travel to various countries with lectures on the feminist movement.
Howe lived and worked in New York until the last days of her life. She also actively fought for women’s rights, spoke against the war in Vietnam and gave lectures at various educational institutions in the city.
The heart of an outstanding activist and leader of the modern feminist movement stopped beating in 2020. She fought Parkinson’s disease for a long time but died at the age of 91.