Lois Frankel: “It is an honor to be with you today. First of all, I want to celebrate Jeannette Rankin also as being the first woman in…”

“It is an honor to be with you today. First of all, I want to celebrate Jeannette Rankin also as being the first woman in Congress. Today I am going to talk about someone who was my role model, one of my favorites, Bella Abzug. Bella Abzug was a leading liberal activist and politician. She lived from 1920 to 1998, and was especially known for her work with women's rights. After graduating from Columbia University Law School, she became involved in the antinuclear and peace movements. In the 1960s, she helped organize the Women Strike for Peace and the National Women's Political Caucus. I just want to say that I feel like that is how I got my start in political activism, was in the antiwar marches in the 1960s at Boston University. Mrs. Abzug won a seat in the United States House of Representatives, where she advocated for women's rights and withdrawal from the Vietnam war. And even after leaving office, she continued to work on many causes, including the establishment of the Women's Environment and Development Organization. Incidentally, I know we have a lot of Harvard lawyers in this Congress, but she was rejected because of her gender. But kudos to Columbia because they got her. She was known for her hats and her big voice, and she really left a mark for many of us. Representative Brooks, I am happy to be with you here today.…”