George McGovern ran in the 1972 presidential campaign and I signed on enthusiastically to work on his campaign. It was my first introduction to real politics. We put up street signs, and we were yelled at and chased away from not a few doors by George Wallace fans. It was exhilarating, and I was hooked!
Over the next two years, five friends and I started the Pittsburgh branch of the Women's Political Caucus (WPC). The WPC was unique because it was about political action around issues, not political party identification. We interviewed candidates, made endorsements, and left the impression that we were a huge organization, which we weren't!
An early member was a public health nurse named Barbara Hafer. She worked in an industrial region southeast of Pittsburgh. The poverty, abuse, and malnutrition she witnessed radicalized her into action. Barbara became the first Executive Director of Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (1974), founded the Mon Yough/Allegheny County Rape Crisis Center (1975), and was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (1975). Barbara Hafer was elected the first female Allegheny County Commissioner and then elected as Pennsylvania Auditor General and later Pennsylvania Treasurer. Those early days helping women advance interests in politics and community organizations were heady.
The local staff for Congressman John Heinz approached me about working with them. I was excited but also apprehensive. After all, I had worked for McGovern, a Democrat, and John Heinz was a Republican Congressman. We had strong women in both political parties in the Women's Political Caucus. I knew how important it was not to let party labels divide us. I was interviewed and got the job with the understanding that I would move from Congressional staff to campaign staff during campaign season. Campaigning was my passion, and this was a dream come true. I could work on issues and then campaign to get our candidate elected.
John Heinz introduced "The Rape Prevention and Control Act of 1973." I organized my first event at the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association). We collected a panel of local leaders to talk about the shortage of services for rape victims. We showed the movie "A Case of Rape" at the event. This movie (T.V. movie, 1974) was the first full-length movie that dealt with this subject. Of course, one of the panelists was my friend Barb Hafer!
As campaign season came, I learned about recruiting volunteers, managing phone banks, staging candidate events - all the nuts and bolts of campaigns. This experience was critical in the next chapter of my professional life.
Like many couples, my husband and I grew apart, and we divorced. I remarried, and with my new husband and my two daughters, we moved to the west coast of Florida to start a new chapter. The girls spent summers and many holidays with their father, but they lived with us during the school year. While there were few opportunities for them to attend political events in which I was involved, there was no question they were learning a lot. They met some influential women too, all good role models.
I had the honor of being elected and serving as the President of the Pennsylvania Women's Political Caucus during my time in the state. We stopped in Philadelphia for the state convention when we relocated to Florida. I learned that the Florida WPC convention would be held in Miami that spring. The 1982 deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was fast approaching, and Florida was one of three targeted states. I decided to go to the Miami convention to see how I could help.
The language of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is quite simple – "Equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on the basis of sex." It was first introduced in 1923 by Alice Paul, one of the leaders fighting for women's suffrage. In 1972, the amendment was passed by both houses of Congress and sent to the states for ratification.
ERAmerica was a coalition of 80 organizations that led the campaign. I knew the ERAmerica political director, Joan McLean, from my days with the Pennsylvania Caucus. (Joan McLean was a force in our family for years. She was a mentor to my older daughter when she went to college in Washington, D.C., and attended my younger daughter's wedding years later.)
As we talked, I learned that ERAmerica did not have staff working in Florida. I made the pitch to work for them, and they hired me! I knew my first task was to learn about Florida, so I spent hours perusing the Florida Almanac, learning geography, economics, history, and political boundaries. I needed to become familiar with local and state political leaders and whether they were pro- or anti-ERA. I talked with many women leaders – state elected officials, business owners, and philanthropists. After every conversation, I had a list of ten or more I "had" to talk to recommendations of more people. It was beautiful and so indicative of the possibilities of women's equality.
We helped recruit candidates and train their volunteers. I worked with candidates in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. I worked with groups of women in those cities and Tallahassee, the State capital. There was such a sense of shared purpose, knowing that if we lost this battle, it might well mean the amendment would go down. We supported both men and women, but only those who were genuinely pro-ERA. We supported both Republicans and Democrats, incumbents and newcomers. Part of my job was to assess candidate viability. These assessments were long before polling became an industry, so I looked to the women in the local communities and the ERAmerica staff for knowledge and guidance.
Unfortunately, after the election and vigorous lobbying, there were not enough votes in the Florida Senate to pass the ratification measure. However, the effort was not in vain. The ERA campaign provided a rich training ground for women to rise into public service and political careers. Many remarkable women, such as Pat Frank and Betty Castor from Tampa, came out of that movement and had exemplary careers.
By the end of the ERA campaign, our family had moved to Miami. The girls were in school. My husband (a planner) was working with a development company. I was once again looking for a job. One of the ERAmerica leaders contacted me and asked if I would manage John Anderson's presidential campaign in Florida. He was a third-party candidate, and it was definitely a very long shot to victory. Still, it took advantage of my campaign skills. That was a very short-term assignment.
I met a partner in one of Miami's prominent law firms during that time. He asked me if I wanted to manage their lawyer recruitment and training program, and I hesitated. I knew nothing about that world, but I'm my mother's daughter, so I did what she would do. I dove into new and uncharted waters.
Written by Dixie Swenson.
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