Activists

A Lifetime Defending Reproductive Rights: Kate Michelman Tells Her Story

Bill Thompson
Photo by John Mathew Smith

Reproductive rights have never been a more volatile and divisive issue than they are right now.

After the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade decision many states have enacted, or restored, strict anti-abortion laws. It’s become a major campaign issue in the 2024 presidential contest.

And much of this was forecast nearly 20 years ago by Kate Michelman, the longtime head of NARAL, the pro-choice organization founded by feminist icon Betty Friedan.

Get your copy of Kate Michelman’s book

Michelman retired from NARAL in 2004, and two years later published a memoir, called With Liberty and Justice For All.I had the chance to speak with her when she was on a book tour.

So here now, from 2006, Kate Michelman.

Kate Michelman is now 82. NARAL is now known as Reproductive Freedom for All.

MADD Fpunder Candy Lightner On Death and Grieving/

Bill Thompson
Candy Lightner

Until 1980, drunk drivers in the U.S. frequently got little more than a slap on the wrist.

On May 3,1980 a 13-year-old girl named Cari Lightner was walking to a church carnival when a drunk driver hit and killed her.

Cari’s mother, a 34-year-old woman named Candy Lightner, was appalled to learn that the repeat offender who was behind the wheel probably would face little consequence for the death he caused.

Cari Lightner

In her anger and grief, Candy Lightner formed a group which she dubbed Mothers Against Drunk Driving, often referred to simply as MADD. And it quickly grew into a powerful grassroots campaign to force states to stiffen the penalties for drunk or impaired driving.

MADD is perhaps the single biggest reason why you now need to be at least 21 to drink legally in every state. MADD claims it has cut drunk driving in half since its founding.

Get your copy of Candy Lightner’s book

But there was trouble inside MADD. In 1985, Lightner was forced out, after tangling with the organization over what she saw as its increasing focus on bureaucracy.

But candy maintained her work as a victims advocate, and in 1990 she wrote a book about grief and death, called Giving Sorrow Words

So here now, from 1990, Candy Lightner.

Candy Lightner is now 78. She owns her own company, and serves as president of the non-profit We SAve Lives.

Marianne Williamson’s Prophetic Insights: A Woman’s Worth

Bill Thompson
Photo by Gage Skidmore

The entry of Vice President Kamala Harris into the 2024 presidential race has energized and invigorated millions of American women.

Could it be the culmination of a societal shift that some people saw coming thirty or more years ago?

In 1993 author, speaker, and political candidate Marianne Williamson wrote about the changing landscape of American society in a book called A Woman’s Worth, in which she sought to clarify the critical role women could, and should, play in driving the betterment of our world.

Get your copy of Marianne Williamson’s book

It was the first of several conversations I had with her over the coming years. So here now, from 1993, Marianne Williamson.

Newsweek once named Marianne Williamson one of the 50 most influential Baby Boomers.

She turned 72 earlier this month. She lives in Washington DC.

Andrea Dworkin: Championing Women’s Rights

Bill Thompson

The feminist movement that was born in the 1960s had many faces, and many voices. One of the most prominent was a writer and activist whose first book in 1974 catapulted her to prominence.

Andrea Dworkin was an early voice speaking out about violence against women, especially sexual violence. Dworkin is today best known for her analysis of pornography and prostitution.

Get your copy of Andrea Dworkin’s book

Dworkin co-founded the organization Women Against Pornography, and was frequently and widely quoted in the media and in other writers’ books.

And she was a dedicated believer in the power of books and reading.

I met her in 2002 when she wrote what turned out to be her last book, a memoir called Heartbreak.

So here now, from 2002, Andrtea Dworkin.

Andrea Dworkin died in 2005. She was 58.

Erin Brockovich: The Power of Persistence/

Bill Thompson
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In 1993, a single mother with no legal training, no experikence as an attorney, helped bring a major corporation to its knees.

Erin Brockovich joined attorney Ed Masry in suing Pacific Gas & Electric, which was accused of poisoning the water supply in a small California town called Hinkley.

Soon, Hollywood heard about the story, and it was turned into a major Motion Picture in 2000, starring Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich.

Get your copy of Erin Brockovich’s book

In 2001, Brockovich wrote a book about her experience. That’s when I met her.

So here, from 2001, Erin Brockovich.

Erin Brockovich will be 64 next month.

She’s president of Brockovich Research & Consulting. And she is a consultant for law firms in New York and Australia.

SE Cupp Rights Back As Liberal Media Take Down Christianity

Bill Thompson
Photo by Gage Skidmore

The liberal media hates Christianity. How many times have you heard commentators on the right saying that or something similar?

But is it true? Is there a war on Christianity? And is that war led by the liberal media?

Get your copy of S E Cupp’s book

Well-known columnist and commentator SE Cupp says, yes. At least she said that in 2010 when she wrote a book called Losing Our Religion – and I think a distance of 14 years hasn’t really blunted the arguments she makes, whether you agree with her or not.

So here now from 2010 SE Cupp.

Tom Hayden: From Freedom Rider to Chicago Seven

Bill Thompson

The political turbulence of the 1960s has been well documented. and one name that appears prominently in that story is Tom Hayden.

One of the founders of the Students For a Democratic Society, Hayden was also a Freedom Rider in the south, fighting for civil rights, but also became one of the leading young voices against the Vietnam War.

Chicago Seven in 1970. Photo by Don Casper

In the historically tumultuous 1968, Hayden was among several high profile demonstrators at the notorious Democratic National Convention in Chicago. They were eventually brought to trial and became known as The Chicago Seven. Abby Hoffman and Jerry Rubin were also among them

Hayden was also married for many years to another high-profile anti-war activist, actress Jane Fonda.

In subsequent years, Hayden entered politics. He was elected to the California State Assembly and the California State Senate.

And in 1988, some 20 years after the Chicago Seven experience, Hayden wrote a memoir called Reunion. That’s when I met him.

So here now, from 1988, Tom Hayden.

Tom Hayden died in 2016. He was 76.

Empowering the Visually Impaired: Rose Resnick’s Legacy

Bill Thompson

Rose Resnick was a talented and successful concert pianist. She also played at clubs, and performed on the radio in the 1930s. She was also a music teacher.

And she was blind. Resnick, who was born in 1906, lost her sight from glaucoma as a child.

Over the rest of her life Resnick became a powerful advocate for the blind. She established the California League of the Handicapped, as well as other organizations for the visually imp[aired.

I met her in 1988.when we talked about her book Dare to Dream. So here now, from 1988, Rose Resnick.

Rose Resnick died in 2006, at the age of 99.

Unplugging the Grid: Dr. Helen Caldicott’s Battle Against Nuclear Power

Bill Thompson

Do you know where your electricity comes from? Currently about 20% of America’s electricity is generated through nuclear power.

But activists like Dr. Helen Caldicott say that percentage should be zero.

For decades, the Australian-born doctor, who founded Physicians for Social Responsibility, has been lobbying hard against nuclear power. And nuclear weapons, as well.

And she has been a strong advocate for environmental issues generally, and for women’s rights.

When I interviewed her in 2006, it was for her book Nuclear Power is Not The Answer.

So here now, from 2006, Dr Helen Caldicott.

Dr. Helen Caldicott is 85 now. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC named her one of the most influential women of the 20th century.0

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Revolutionizing Femininity: Germaine Greer’s Pioneering Ideas

Bill Thompson

In the early 1970s many women had two books on their shelves: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan and The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer.

That was the then-31-year-old’s first book and virtually overnight turned her into an international celebrity A leader of the feminist movement

Her ideas about femininity, Male-female relationships, and marriage You find those things For millions of readers

In the years that followed Greer was a prolific writer of essays and books Many of those essays were collected in a 1987 volume which she entitled The Madwoman’s Underclothes. And that’s when I had a chance to spend a few minutes with this iconic figure.

So here now, from 1987, Germaine Greer

Today, January 29, is Germaine Greer’s 85th birthday. She divides her time between England and Australia .

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