National Interviews

Recorded in Houston, Texas during the National Women’s Conference November 18-21, 1977, these interviews reflect perspectives from across the country, including some of the 1,440 delegates elected at the state conferences. The collection includes approximately 550 participants’ views on issues important to women and reactions to the conference itself. The voices document the diversity sought at the conference and include interviews across the social and political spectrum.

Click on any name to read or listen to their interview. As digital preservation works continues, more interviews will be added.

Ernie Attwell	Houston, Texas African-American business owner
Cathy Banner	Organizer for the ERA America Benefit Supporter of women’s rights
Dorothy Barker	Texas Christian Democrat Anti-ERA Views on same-sex lifestyles
Lois Black	Syracuse, New York Psychologist and Director of Affirmative Action, Syracuse University
Barbara Bornstein	Social worker from New Jersey Married with two young sons Reproductive health issues
Margaritte Boye	Washington state Pharmacist
Mavis Brady	US Virgin Islands Educator
Wilma Brady	Educator Representing the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is
Teresa Tellez Brown	Hawaii Mexican-American Active in NOW and the Women’s Equity Action League (WEAL) Former aid worker and science/technology program adviser in South American countries
Patricia Hill Burnett	Michigan Artist Served as President, Michigan chapter of NOW and served on national board of NOW
Gwendolyn Carey	Social worker from Houston 29 years old Pro-ERA
Mary Margaret Carney	Indiana Involved in the Indiana women’s movement Women’s equity education in education and honor societies for educators
Irene Carr	Union/labor issues
Joleen Cate	Washington, delegate’s assistant Native American, age 28 Evergreen State College student
Alicia M. Payan Cedillos	Chicana caucus member
Judy Christianson	California Substance abuse educator
Jean Marshall Crawford Clarke	Virginia Delegate Lawyer
Lydia Cruz	New Jersey Delegate Puerto Rican
Anne Culhane	New Jersey Delegate Puerto Rican
Alice Eckelhawk	Native American Minority activist
Rene Epstein	Daughter inspired activism
Hedy Ferreria	Massachusetts Alternate delegate Union organizer
Nancy Cusick Fox	Washington, DC Artist and instructor
Franciscan Priest	New Jersey Worked to help prostitutes in New York City Pro-women’s rights and reproductive freedom, with the exception of abortion
Dorothy Franklin	South Carolina Delegate NAACP
Carol Gaddy	Little Rock, Arkansas Feminist Official observer with the Arkansas delegation Worked in employment agencies
Dottie Geare	Virginia Community college counselor Rural women issues
Ruth Bader Ginsburg	Supreme Court Justice
Lucy Gonzalez	California Military wife Filipino activist
Carol Greenspan	Missouri Professor of Chemistry and Medicine Conservatism in the South
Larry Hatteberg	Kansas Reporter Male observor
Betty Hickey	Nebraska Psychologist Mental health care
Eva Lee	Nuclear physicist Volunteer at conference
Jean Maack	Illinois Biochemist
Elise MacBride	Nebraska Engineer Emigrated to U.S. from Ireland at age 2
Rose Marie McDuff	California Delegate African-American minister
Sandra Murphy	Fort Wayne, Indiana A feminist and member of the organization Fort Wayne Feminists Co-director, Women’s Studies Program at Purdue University
Kathy Parker	Phoenix, Arizona Previously opened a women’s center in the Australian Outback Long-term feminist activist
Viola Peterson	Michigan Supporter of Native American rights Commissioner of Michigan Commission on Indian Affairs Partly pro-plan
Theola Petteway	Texas Social worker Women’s and African-American organizations
Christine Nestrase (with Laura Polla Scanlon)	New York Activist for working class women
Joan Neuwirth	New Jersey delegate 47 years old Civil Servant Feminist
Otoria O’Rear	Lexington, Kentucky African-American Civil rights and women’s rights activist
Linda Ragsdale	Illinois Pro-ERA Social worker
Amy Raskin	Houston, Texas High school student Volunteer at the Conference
Bea Rodriguez	Kansas Mother of eight Chicana activist
Nancy Sablan	Guam Delegate Pro-women’s rights/anti-feminist label
Keith Sanborn	Wichita, Kansas Husband of Kansas delegate Helped organize Kansas state level conference
Ann Savage	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma A feminist delegate who opposes the conservative attitude of the overall delegation Homemaker and President of the Oklahoma League of Women Voters
Laura Polla Scanlon (with Christine Nestrase)	New York President of the National Congress of Neighborhood Women Representing working class women’s issues
Betty Bone Schiess	New York Chaplain at Syracuse University Episcopal priest, one of the first to be ordained in US
Paula Seddon	Illinois (Chicago) Amtrak driver, age 32 Union member
Meri M. Smith	Business and Professional Women’s Club Activist
Jean Stapleton	California Commissioner, International Women’s Year Actress, most notably as Edith Bunker on “All in the Family”
Laurie Steiner	Alabama Doctoral student in Houston
Judy Stietly	Pennsylvania Physical therapist Enlisted in the Army
Joanne B. Thomas	From Salt Lake City, Utah Mormon Radio Show Host
Irene Tinker	Professor Women and Gender Studies
Mollie Tremain	Therapist Mother of 6 Earning PhD
Grace Ware	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania African-American social worker and consultant and PhD student Education, health, and the unequal treatment of white and black communities