What Bella Abzug Means Today
Thursday, December 20 2007
by Frank Stasio and Susan Davis
For many feminists, New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug, in her signature hat with her fist in the air, was an icon of political success. Bella got things done and she never wavered, even if it meant losing her House seat or a special appointment from the President. Authors Mary Thom and Suzanne Braun Levine have compiled an oral history of Bella Abzug, who died in 1998. Their book is called "Bella Abzug" and includes the prosaic subtitle, "How One Tough Broad from the Bronx Fought Jim Crow and Joe McCarthy, Pissed Off Jimmy Carter, Battled for the Rights of Women and Workers, Rallied Against War and for the Planet and Shook Up Politics Along the Way" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux/2007). The authors join host Frank Stasio to discuss Bella Abzug's life and work. Jean Fox O'Barr, professor of education at Duke University, and Lisa Levenstein, professor of women's history at UNC-G join the conversation to consider the future of feminism and how Bella Abzug's legacy does or doesn't resonate with young women today.
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