124 Bella Abzug
From the Vault this week features the booming voice of Bella Abzug, who may be best known not only for her relentless efforts to elevate women’s issues to a level of inclusion while in Congress from 1971-1977, but also for her trademark wide-brimmed hats.
Near the end of her Congressional term, Bella Abzug was narrowly defeated in a bid for the U.S. Senate by Daniel Patrick Moynihan…and then in 1977 ran an unsuccessful bid for mayor of New York, losing to colleague Ed Koch.
Abzug then turned her attention to women’s rights issues, and in 1977 was a featured presenter at the first National Women’s Conference in Houston. Legislation Abzug helped pass in Congress funded this conference.
Today, we’ll hear Bella Abzug from 1971, as she fields questions from National Press Club President Vern Louviere. 1971 was the first year the National Press Club was open to women. Then, we’ll speak with Ms. Susan Rubin from the Feminist Majority about Bella Abzug and other female politicians, and their impact on the political landscape. Finally, in a 1981 talk given on the campus of UCLA in 1981, Abzug reflects on her campaign for women’s rights.
From the Vault is presented as part of the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project.
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