[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE FEMINIST MAJORITY FOUNDATION AND MS. MAGAZINE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 3, 2002

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a leader in the 
movement to establish equality for women in the United States--the 
Feminist Majority Foundation.
  Co-founded by Peg Yorkin and Eleanor Smeal, the Feminist Majority 
Foundation has been instrumental in the fight to create gender 
equality, eradicate domestic violence and promote feminist women and 
men as they seek elected office across the country.
  Yorkin's involvement with feminist causes can be traced back to 1977, 
when she was elected as a delegate from California to the National 
Women's Conference. In 1986, she worked with Eleanor Smeal, then the 
president of the National Organization for Women to produce NOW's 20th 
Anniversary show, and in 1987, the two joined to found the Feminist 
Majority Foundation.
  Nineteen ninety-one was a banner year for the Feminist Majority, 
which received a historic $10 million gift to ensure a legacy of 
empowerment for young women. The first endowment made was a drive to 
make the so-called abortion pill RU-486 available to women.
  That year also saw sexual harassment propelled to new heights as 
Clarence Thomas was vetted for a spot on the U.S. Supreme Court. 
Testimony by Anita Hill, coupled with the Senate's treatment of her and 
her allegations of sexual harassment, prompted the Feminist Majority to 
open the Sexual Harassment Hotline to provide information and help to 
harassment victims.
  The groundbreaking efforts of the Feminist Majority continued, and in 
2001 the organization bought a building in Beverly Hills to house the 
Foundation and its new enterprise--the editorial offices of Ms. 
Magazine, which the Feminist Majority acquired in January 2002.
  On Sunday, October 6, 2002, the Feminist Majority Foundation will 
open its new offices. Although the organization's location may have 
changed, it and Ms. Magazine's commitment remains the same--to advance 
the women's equality cause in the United States.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this remarkable 
foundation.

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