Friday, May 11, 2012

First Women's Strike for Equality

From Wikipedia:


Women gathered on the streets around 5 pm (that specific time being chosen so that working women could attend) and began protesting. Methods of protesting in New York included chanting, speeches by prominent figures, including Friedan, and signs and posters reflecting their message. Estimates range that anywhere from ten to twenty thousand people, mostly women, gathered on Fifth Avenue in support. Police attempted to control the crowd and keep them on the sidewalks, but the sheer volume of people in the streets was impossible to control.[1]

Their message was clear and evident through the various methods of protest implemented in the city. Thousands of politically and satirically charged signs dotted the crowd. “Don’t iron while the strike is hot” set the stage as the movement’s famous slogan. Other slogans included: “Hardhats for Soft Broads,” “I Am Not a Barbie Doll”, “Storks Fly – Why Can’t Mothers”, “We are the 51% minority”, and “We have the right to vote for the man of our choice”. Speeches were given to ignite the crowd and to inform bystanders of their mission. Friedan spoke of the strength and ability of women to rise above their oppression. The goals were to portray their movement and ideas in a politically determined light and expose the injustices experienced by women.

In conjunction with the women in New York City, individuals and groups throughout the nation staged protests, marches, and other various forms of revolt to honor the movement. 

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