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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to commend the life and legacy of Betty
4Friedan and the impact she made on human rights; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Betty Friedan was born in Peoria on February 4,
61921; she graduated as valedictorian of Peoria High School in
71938 and then graduated with highest honors from Smith College
8in 1942; she spent a year on a graduate fellowship at the
9University of California Berkeley to train as a psychologist
10and then received the honor of a second fellowship from the
11university, the first to be awarded to a psychologist or a
12woman; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 1963, Betty Friedan's study of the lives of
14women in the post World War Two era was published in the
15historic nonfiction book, The Feminine Mystique; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Betty Friedan was a trailblazer in launching the
17modern women's rights movement by identifying "the problem
18that has no name" in her book, The Feminine Mystique, which
19became one of the most influential books of the 1900s; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In 1966, Betty Friedan helped found the National
21Organization of Women (NOW), an organization advocating for

 

 

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1equality that became the largest feminist organization in the
2United States; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Betty Friedan helped form NOW's original purpose
4statement codifying the aim of the organization to "take
5action to bring women into full participation in the
6mainstream of American society now, exercising all the
7privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal
8partnership with men."; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Betty Friedan advocated for many historical
10advancements, including the creation of the Equal Employment
11Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the initial barring of gender
12discrimination in employment, and the expansion of
13discrimination protections to include race, color, religion,
14and/or national origin; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Throughout her life, Betty Friedan continued to
16publish many groundbreaking books, including It Changed My
17Life: Writings on the Women's Movement, The Second Stage, The
18Fountain of Age, Beyond Gender: The New Politics of Work and
19Family, and Life So Far: A Memoir; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Betty Friedan played an integral role in the
21women's movement by changing the way the United States views
22gender roles; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Betty Friedan dedicated her life to the
2advancement of rights for women as well as for children,
3working families, and the elderly; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In 2006, Betty Friedan passed away on her
5birthday at the age of 85; and
 
6    WHEREAS, People across the country are celebrating what
7would have been Betty Friedan's 100th birthday on February 4,
82021; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
10HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11we commend the life and legacy of Betty Friedan.