[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO JOELLE DOBROW--28TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WOMAN OF THE YEAR

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2019

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History 
Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and 
sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to 
outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional 
District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Joelle Dobrow 
of the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
   After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles in 
1970 with a bachelor's degree in film and television, Ms. Dobrow became 
a pioneering activist in Hollywood. At a time when women simply didn't 
have opportunities to produce and direct films, Joelle and five other 
female directors set out to make a change. The ``Original Six,'' as 
they've come to be known, decided to get organized in the fight against 
sexism and together, they formed the first Women's Steering Committee 
of the Directors Guild of America. Decades before the Me Too movement 
forced a Hollywood reckoning, Dobrow and the Original Six spearheaded 
the first entertainment industry lawsuits against feature films studios 
for discrimination against women and ethnic minorities.
   Ms. Dobrow and the Original Six received the recognition for their 
important activism efforts with the recent book Liberating Hollywood 
and upcoming documentary This Changes Everything, which features Joelle 
along with Meryl Streep and Geena Davis as feminist crusaders in 
Hollywood.
   Joelle's groundbreaking leadership is apparent in her television 
career as the first woman Producer/Director for the bay area television 
station KTEH, and later, the first woman Associate Director/Stage 
Manager at KABC-TV in Los Angeles. She continued to have an 
accomplished career as a television producer and director, including 
working for Noticiero Estudiantil--for which she won an Emmy--and Good 
Morning America among many others. She also helped produce live events 
such as TV Goes to the Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Remembers the 
Blacklist.
   Fifteen years ago, Ms. Dobrow founded the Edendale Library Friends 
Society (ELFS) in her neighborhood of Echo Park and has since led the 
organization as President. Joelle and the ELFS serve as a vital bridge 
between the Los Angeles Public Library, elected officials, Echo Park 
Neighborhood Council, other nearby non-profit organizations, and the 
local community. In addition to her volunteer service with ELFS, Joelle 
also served on the successful Yes on Measure L campaign, a measure 
which permanently increased library funding for the City of Los 
Angeles.
   In 2013, Ms. Dobrow received an Executive Master of Arts in Arts 
Management from Claremont Graduate University. She was recently the 
recipient of the Drucker Women in Leadership Fellowship, the Ahmanson 
Fellowship, and an Altrusa Richardson grant.
   I ask all Members to join me in honoring this exceptional, well-
respected woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Joelle 
Dobrow.

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