Women's Rights Activist Speaks
FIRST IN THE NEWS... IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH... U-W-F INVITED WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST GLORIA STEINEM TO SPEAK ON THE ISSUES FACING THE NEW GENERATION OF WOMEN. NAUTILUS NEWS REPORTER TRACY THORNTON TELLS US WHAT STEINEM HAD TO SAY.
MS. STEINEM SPOKE TO A CROWD OF OVER 600 PEOPLE AT THE NEW WORLD LANDING IN PENSACOLA ABOUT IMMEDIATE AND FUTURE ISSUES FACING THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT. SHE BEGAN THE EVENING BY CONGRATULATING EVERYONE WHO CAME TO THE EVENT, STATING THAT DESPITE ALL THE CONTROVERSY IN PENSACOLA SURROUNDING ABORTION AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS SHE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT.
Gloria Steinem - Women's Activist
"I think its about supporting each other's hopes. The good news about being human is that we are adaptable and the bad news is that we're adaptable, so we need to create a community of support for the ideas of equality and justice and respect."
THE CROWD WAS A MIXTURE OF THE YOUNG AND OLD, SUPPORTERS OF THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND NON-SUPPORTERS OF THE MOVEMENT, AND OLD-SCHOOL ACTIVISTS AND NEW-SCHOOL ACTIVISTS.
Kirsten Brown-Sanders and daughter Sarah
"I just want her to know that women are strong and that even though we live in the deep south, I want her to know that she can do anything she wants, whether it's to be the president or an astronaut."
Sharron Cunningham
"I'm a liberal thinker so I feel like she is going to have some really interesting things to say, and some very thought provoking ideas."
MS. STEINEM ALSO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT ONCE AGAIN COMING TOGETHER AND WORKING TOWARDS THEIR GOALS. MS. STEINEM SAID THAT BOTH MOVEMENTS HAD TO WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER TO REACH THEIR GOALS.
"Any movement that is going to have a lasting impact has to be around for at least a century. This one is only about 30 years old so we have a ways to go."
MEMBERS OF THE JOHN C. PACE SYMPOSIUM HOPED THAT BY BRINGING MS. STEINEM TO U-W-F STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WILL LEARN AND BE ABLE TO ACCEPT THE IDEAS OF OTHERS LIKE MS. STEINEM IN OUR EVER CHANGING, CONTROVERSIAL WORLD. REPORTING FOR NAUTILUS NEWS... I'M TRACY THORNTON.
