Bella Abzug is a prominent New York public figure of the 20th century. She was a leader of the women’s movement, a talented lawyer and a phenomenal politician. Her activities made a great impact on the history of New York and the United States. Read more on newyorka.
How did Bella Abzug become a feminist?
The desire to fight for women’s rights appeared in Bella’s early childhood. Abzug was born in 1920 in the city of New York in a family of Jewish origin. According to the traditions, she attended the local synagogue throughout her childhood, and it was there that she began to think about the inequality of women’s and men’s rights. In particular, Abzug was constantly annoyed by the fact that all women in the synagogue were always sent to the last benches. Also, her father died when she was 13, and she noticed that women were also not allowed to recite Kaddish in the synagogue. In Judaism, Kaddish was intended for the prayer of the sons of the dead parents. But, since Bella’s father had no sons, she decided to break the tradition. After her father’s funeral, Abzug had been going to the synagogue for a whole year to recite the Kaddish. At that moment, she was born as a feminist.
In addition, Abzug had strong leadership skills. At school, she was the class president and she always won contests and competitions. At a young age, she skillfully worked with the cash register in her father’s store in New York. After graduating from school, she continued to reveal her leadership. She entered the university, became the president of the student council, and also constantly participated in the American student union. She successfully graduated from the university and obtained a law specialty.
Career and achievements in the feminist movement in New York
After Abzug graduated from university with honors, she was accepted to the New York bar association with great pleasure. This happened despite the fact that in the second half of the 20th century, women were rarely admitted to legal practice. But she was truly talented, a born leader who always achieved her goal.
Abzug also worked in one of the New York law firms. There she dealt with issues on:
- labor law
- rights of tenants
- civil liberties rights.
Abzug had liberal views, she actively spoke and fought for equal rights for women and men and was also an opponent of the war in Vietnam. She advocated an end to war and mobilization.
Abzug was also an active participant in the movement called Women for Peace, opposed Nixon, and also fought against anti-American activities.
In addition to all this, Abzug actively supported the LGBT community and defended their rights. In particular, she was the first to submit a federal bill on gay rights.
Abzug was an active public person all her life. Her contribution to the development of civil rights in the United States could not go unnoticed. She participated in the anti-nuclear movement, the peace movement, organized women’s rallies and much more. She was involved in the creation of the National Women’s Political Group. In addition to getting a greater political influence on the women’s movement, she became a candidate for the United States Congress from New York. In the 1970s, she managed to win an election and for many years she campaigned for women’s rights and spoke against the war in the US Congress. She also tried to get into the Senate and even ran for mayor of New York.
Furthermore, Abzug was the founder and leader of several feminist organizations in the New York area. She was the organizer of many events devoted to the fight and protection of women’s rights and interests.
She made a great contribution to US politics as a feminist and an ardent anti-war activist. Her heart stopped beating in 1998. Abzug passed away at the age of 77 in New York after complications from heart surgery.
