The 1970s was an impactful decade for women’s striving for equality in the United States. Beyond the news headlines of ERA, NOW, and Roe vs. Wade, more women entered the workforce, enrolled in colleges, and took the spotlight in business, politics, and professional sports. The topic of gender discrimination was in the forefront, and with it, strong and diverse viewpoints on the path forward. Minnesota was no exception, and this collection represents some of the views and ways of life for women in this tumultuous decade.
February 28, 1978 - MPR’s Dan Olson interviews Phyllis Kahn, Minnesota state representative, about concerns on juvenile prostitution.
March 8, 1978 - MPR’s Rachel Kranz presents report on the history and experiences of women in the labor movement.
March 9, 1978 - Angela Davis, black activist and professor of women's studies at San Francisco State College, speaking at Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota. Davis’s address is titled "The Sixties: A Revolution."
March 14, 1978 - Author and poet Abigail McCarthy lectures on Jane Grey Swisshelm, the 19th Century St. Cloud newspaper editor and pioneering radical Minnesota feminist. McCarthy spoke recently at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul.
May 19, 1978 - MPR’s Kate Williams reports on Arvonne Fraser, director of Women in Development’s Division at AID, speaking at Women’s Network meeting in Minnesota.
May 21, 1978 - MPR’s Rich Dietman reports on drug treatment programs focused specifically to support women.
May 25, 1978 - MPR’s Dale Connelly reports on enrollment numbers of women in post-secondary education.
May 30, 1978 - Eudora Welty, noted Southern novelist, talks about her unique style of writing, her early career as a photographer, and reads portions of her favorite short story. Program also presents an address by Welty at University of North Dakota Writers Conference.
June 10, 1978 - MPR’s Kate Williams talks with Minneapolis poet Jerri Alexander, who shares poetry from her book "Hurt Comes and Goes: Poetry of a Black American Woman."
July 20, 1978 - MPR’s John Merli interviews state official on non-mandatory guidelines in opening various state positions to women.