Vice President of the National Organization for Women Rosemary Dempsey outlined the history of the women's movement since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in a speech last night, placing strong emphasis on the continued need for support today against the "ungodly radical right."
Speaking to a crowd of about 30 women and five men, Dempsey delivered a speech titled "A Woman's Place is in the House (And the Senate)" held in the Rockefeller Center.
Dempsey opened with a short video that briefly summarized the methods employed by NOW to put more women in Congress and enact legislation. She then went on to describe the political atmosphere and her own experiences as a "radical feminist" throughout the past few decades.
"The late '60s was a very scary time for the status quo, and the women's movement was just beginning to pick up steam," Dempsey said. "The potential of the women's movement ... could affect every power relationship you can think of. So there was a severe backlash from the right."
Dempsey addressed the efforts of conservative politicians to repress the women's movement.
"If you look at the agenda of this 104th Congress, you see a pattern of deregulation," Dempsey said. "We don't hear about fairness anymore in Congress, we only hear about all these groups that want 'special rights.'"
She referred to radical conservative Rush Limbaugh as a "hate monger" and spoke of Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich "called poor women who had children 'alligators' and said they would be better off in foster homes ... He said Congress was too 'femcentric.' What does that word mean?" she asked.
Dempsey emphasized the progress made by the women's movement, but also stressed the need for further action.
"Congress is still under 10 percent women. One third of these are women of color ... and many are from poorer socioeconomic situations," Dempsey said.
She strongly encouraged the students present at the speech to become involved in politics and the women's movement.
"Voting can make a huge difference in how we go into the 21st century... Take over the future of this country, because if you don't take it over, somebody else will, and that's your future," she said.
A graduate of the College of New Rochelle in 1967, Dempsey spent 10 years as a social worker and an active member of the women's movement. During that time, she married and had two children.
"My entire future for the most part was bound ... by my sex," she said. Dempsey then attended Rutgers Law School.
Student reaction to the speech was generally positive.
Zoe Langsten '97 said, "I thought it was really powerful, informative, and personal."
The presentation was followed by a workshop in which Dempsey encouraged students to share their interest in politics and create their own movements and groups on campus.
