Introduction

Mary Jane Bernard was born in 1950 in Chicago Illinois and raised in the suburbs of Park Ridge. Her parents were political activists who advocated for women and children rights, and this is believed to have influenced her interests in later life. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1973 and later earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1976.  Mary Bernard through her Hope For Women Initiative has restored hope for thousands of young women activists and community leaders (Maxwell & Shields 2018).

During my last two years in community development and advocacy, my focus has in building bridges and framework to integrate women into the community. The fact that she is a humble woman who has dedicated her life into serving African Americans itself inspired me to like her work. Later on, we partnered with her organization with a new project, and this became a new opportunity for us to work together. Although she has been a pillar, point of reference and a mentor in matters to do with advocacy, human rights, and community building. During the last two months, we have focused on projects in my neighborhood, and this has strengthened our relationship. She has shared a lot of history on how women have walked the journey into lobbying for their rights and how this has had an impact on the women. The desire to transform our communities have strengthened our relationship even more profound, and we envision to do more in the coming days.

Her Oral History

What does the second wave feminist movement mean to you?

The second wave feminist movement means a period where it became more important to think about many issues affecting women. Among the issues that were central to the women, activists and leaders included sexuality, family, reproductive rights, de facto inequalities among other issues (Maxwell & Shields 2018). The period meant so much to women in matters of domestic violence, women shelters, marital rape and engendered rape crisis centers across the united states of America. Changes in customary laws and divorce laws were also central during the period as it greatly affected women and women groups.

The period saw a lot of organization for women and other activists as they held meeting in bookshops, restaurants and through credit unions. The period meant a lot of reorganization in matters of women affairs especially because it came after the first wave of feminism (Maxwell & Shields 2018). To me, it was a period of coming out from the comfort zones to lobby for the rights of women and create a better future for women and the coming generations. It was also a period that would affect global matters and shape the world in regards to how they treated women and issues related to women.

How did people and institutions respond?

We were speaking of issues that had not been expressed in public. In fact, for us, it was the first time that we were lobbying for women to have a framework by which they could deal with issues of sexuality, family, divorce, and inequalities that were there in the society. Pioneers of the movement attracted enemies from specific individuals and other institutions that were against the changes that were being proposed. In some regions, especially those that pioneered the movement, some women were threatened, and some had issues with their families. You see in most cases; there must be people to sacrifice their comfort for others to live and enjoy a better quality of lives. In the second wave of feminism, we were ready to sacrifice our lives for the generations to come.

What about the negative reaction?

Yes, there was a negative reaction. Some women who did not believe in what we were advocating felt that we were going to the extremes. I lost a few friends that felt that I was engaging in a battle that we could not win. According to them, a change should be a natural process that comes without forcing or pushing things out. For us, the change was something that could only be found if we pushed. We felt the time was ripe and we could not be stopped.  At some point, a close friend of mine called me to request me to dissociate from the movement. She felt that I was too black to deal with such issues. Betty Friedan had ignited the fire, and it was upon us to take the mantle. For us, its something that we could not run away from because it happened to affect the majority in our population.

Have those reactions changed much? What’s the future?

The reactions have changed. Changing and enforcing changes takes time. Some groups were terming the movement as crazy, untimely and uncalled for. I felt that I could not continue to be nice with something that affected my life and that of the generations to come. It took us more than five years to change the status quo. The results were not seen in the very first years, but we were optimistic. In 1961, Women Strike for Peace had started protests in more than 60 cities in the country (Maxwell & Shields 2018). It was challenging, but it changed the situation. In as much as we felt that we were pushed, we could not relent in our struggle for better treatment of women across the country. The future is bright and promising. You see, the wave in the united states sparked it across the world. It created in us a more spirited fight, and that was making life bearable and exciting for women across the thew world. We acknowledge that it is something that we cannot overcome overnight, but the truth of the matter is that we have come from far.

What’s your view on the treatment of women?

Treatment of women today in the western world is humane and progressive. It is however unfortunate that it still wants in some parts of the world and women are still fighting for these rights. We could not be able to achieve it for the global women populations but we set the pace, we pushed the agenda forward. At the very point we left it, some other women took upon them to push the agenda further, and this contributed to the third wave. Today, it is only realistic if women take it from where it is. Consistency has to be paramount in pursuit of freedom. We are not yet there yet, but we are proud of the steps made so far. Women can vote, they can own property, talk about reproductive rights and do many more. It could not be all that it there to achieve, but the fight and push need to be picked from there. For me, I believe that we are improving the situation daily either by self-advocacy or education and legislation.

What inspired you to focus on women and the community?

Women are usually a forgotten lot in our communities. The pioneers of the second wave of feminism understood this pretty well. Failing to empower women makes our families, societies, and organizations more vulnerable and not progressive. My ideal situation is women who contribute equally to the wellbeing of the community. Such a society can only become a reality if women issues and rights are not ignored. The community, on the other hand, is very central to the progress of a nation, and I felt that this is where we could have a major impact. For me, it means creating opportunities for women through social, and economic empowerment and this is progressive.

And finally, why African American women and communities?

Precisely, most women of color felt alienated by the movement not because they were not allowed to participate in the meetings or discussion, but because during the period a large number of them were not empowered. To me, the second wave of feminism impacted white women more compared to African Americans, and my focus is to try to bridge the gap and correct this. Yes, I understand all these issues affect women, but I have chosen to focus on this group of women and communities because I can be able to relate with many of their struggles.

Analysis and Discussion

Mary Bernards life was greatly shaped after the second wave of feminism movement. Growing up in the 1960s and schooling almost around the same period meant that she was a beneficiary of some of the gains that had been made in the early years (Maxwell & Shields 2018). Her input into the second wave of feminism can be seen as not more of pioneering but taking the mantle from the pioneers of the movement.  The Educational Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) might have been effected when she graduated, but it meant that her educational choices from that moment were affected by the amendment. The principles and stance of the National Organization of Women co-founded by Betty Friedan proved influential to mary Bernard in many ways and even the attitude that she has adopted in her later life.

Most of the ideas proposed by early feminists like Friedan, Esther Peterson, and other feminists proved to be influential to the life of Mary while she was working in the community and her movement. Pioneers of the second wave of the feminist movement, although did not push for complete changes, paved the way for changes and future movements (Maxwell & Shields 2018). Women and feminists who pushed for the third movement believed that it could be achieved because they had either seen it being done or they learned of it. Women like Mary were fortunate to grow up in such a period, and therefore their experiences could be used to inspire future generations.  In echoing the words of Betty Friedan “men are not the enemy, but the fellow victims. The real enemy is women’s denigration of themselves”,(Friedan 2010). It is now clear that not allowing women to enjoy their rights is not only weakening them but even men. Men might not have foreseen these changes coming up, but women are the greatest enemies in such movements. The works by feminists like Friedan and Mary Bernard have given so much in destroying the image of the old woman, and it is now the age of new changes. Present day feminists must erase the prejudice, discrimination and the hostility towards a progressive, accommodative and inclusive society. It is not an easy process, but it is worth it mainly to the present generation of women.

Works Cited

Friedan, Betty. The feminine mystique. WW Norton & Company, 2010.

Maxwell, Angie, and Todd Shields. “Introduction: Toward a New Understanding of Second-Wave Feminism.” The Legacy of Second-Wave Feminism in American Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018. 1-18.

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