Honorary Degree Recipient and Commencement Speaker
Smeal is perhaps best known for her advocacy of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970s and 1980s and was instrumental in creating one of the most significant grass-roots lobbying efforts in American history. The efforts to pass the ERA sparked women on both sides of the debate to recognize the importance of women’s political participation, a lesson that has reverberated ever since. Smeal was the first to identify and define the “gender gap” – the difference in the way men and women vote – and popularize its usage in election and polling analyses as a measure of the influence of women voters.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University who also holds a Master of Arts degree in political science and public administration from the University of Florida, Smeal joined NOW in 1970 and served as president from 1977 to 1982 and again from 1985 to 1987. She led the first national abortion rights march, which drew more than 100,000 activists to Washington, D.C., and has also played a key role in organizing other landmark marches including the March for Women’s Lives in 2004, which drew over 1.1 million to our nation’s capital. Smeal worked to advance such issues as women’s health and reproductive rights, women’s health clinic security, violence against women, affirmative action and equity in financial matters. She also called attention to the plight of women under the rule of the Taliban when she led a campaign to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
After leaving NOW, Smeal saw a need for a new feminist organization that combined research, educational outreach and political action. The result was the FMF, which has been especially effective in connecting young women with feminism. The organization has also become the publisher of Ms. Magazine, ensuring its continuity as a forum for feminist news and thought.
As one of the major leaders of the modern day feminist movement, Smeal has organized numerous events around and given speeches on the concepts of feminism, equality and human rights. She has also appeared frequently on television and radio and testified before Congress on women’s issues. She had the foresight to identify problems requiring attention, the skill to frame plans for taking action and the energy to travel around the nation and the world, adding visibility and credibility to countless marches, rallies and protests reflecting her unwavering commitment to creating a fairer, better world for all.
Over the years, she has participated in programs offered by the Eagleton Institute’s Center for American Women and Politics as well as a number of Douglass Campus programs.
Media Contact: Steve Manas
732-932-7084, ext. 612
E-mail: smanas@ur.rutgers.edu