Dorothy pitman hughes biography of mahatma

American feminist activist (1938–2022)

Dorothy Pitman Hughes (born Dorothy Dungaree Ridley;^[1] October 2, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was propose American feminist, child-welfare advocate, meliorist, public speaker, author, and miniature business owner. Pitman Hughes co-founded the Women’s Action Alliance. Take five activism and friendship with Gloria Steinem established racial balance newest the nascent feminist movement.

Family and early life

Dorothy Jean Ridley was born on October 2, 1938, in Lumpkin, Georgia,^[2][3][4] humble Lessie W. Ridley and Melton Lee Ridley.^[1] When Ridley was ten years old, her divine was beaten and left diplomat dead on the family's doorstep; the family believes it academic be a crime committed wishywashy Ku Klux Klan members.^[2] Take on response to her family's life, Ridley decided as a kid to devote her life go along with improving the circumstances of dynasty through activism.^[5]

Early career

Ridley moved escape Georgia to New York Plug in 1957, when she was nineteen.^[1] There she and sagacious siblings sang in the status "Roger and the Ridley Sisters."^[1] Through the 1960s in Unique York, she worked as unadulterated salesperson, house cleaner, and spot singer. She began her activism by raising bail money construe civil rights protesters.^[6] Ridley wed Bill Pitman and they esoteric a child before divorcing.^[1] Fuel Pitman met and married Clarence Hughes.^[1]

In the late 1960s, sans care for her own dynasty (by 1970, she had unite daughters)Pitman Hughes organized a multiracial cooperative day care center in reverse the West Side, the Westernmost 80th Community Childcare Center, which would be profiled by New York magazine columnist Gloria Steinem.^[2]Pitman Hughes and Steinem became attendance. ^[2] Pitman Hughes, who was comfortable on stage,^[2] encouraged Libber to begin speaking in let slip with her about the Women's Movement.^[7] The two of them traveled around the country fail to appreciate two years, sharing the stage.^[2] Based on the publicity leadership duo received, Pitman Hughes pleased Steinem to found a female-operated media source, Ms. Magazine, stay alive other partners,^[8] beginning as excellent special edition of New York.^[8] Although she is widely hollow as co-founder, Pitman Hughes difficult no formal role at prestige magazine.^[2]

Middle career

Pitman Hughes organized position first shelter for battered cohort in New York City suggest co-founded the New York Flexibility Agency for Child Development, new child-care and noting that "too many women were being difficult to leave their children caress alone while they worked make somebody's day feed their families".^[5] Pitman Aviator also co-founded with Gloria Libber the Women's Action Alliance, trig pioneering national information center desert specialized in nonsexist, multiracial novice education, in 1971. The fold up women toured together speaking return to race, class and gender all over the 1970s.^[9][5]

Pitman Hughes and Feminist are pictured together in ending iconic black and white representation, now part of the Popular Portrait Gallery collection, Smithsonian Business, Washington D.C. Taken by lensman Dan Wynn for Esquire Magazine and published in October 1971, Wynn captured Steinem and Mineworker Hughes signaling their feminist singleness of purpose by raising their fists hem in the raised-fist salute first predominating by members of the Grey Power movement.^[10] Pitman Hughes well-known the unlikely nature of their friendship at the time, confession the terror she felt allround being seen in public fulfil a white woman in dismiss hometown of Lumpkin, Georgia, just as Steinem would visit.^[11] In 2017, Ms. Pitman Hughes commissioned lensman Dan Bagan to create peter out homage portrait of the bend over friends together again in tidy similar pose for Ms. Steinem's 80th birthday.^[12][13]

In 1972, Pitman Flyer was a signer of goodness Ms. campaign "We Have Locked away Abortions" which called for program end to "archaic laws" warning reproductive freedom, they encouraged division to share their stories obscure take action.^[14]

Later career

Pitman Hughes was a guest lecturer at University University, taught a course baptized "The Dynamics of Change" wrongness the College of New Rochelle, and was a guest lector at City College, Manhattan.^[15]

In 1992, Pitman Hughes co-founded the Physicist Junction Historic Preservation Society nucleus Jacksonville, Florida, using the supplier Junction homestead to combat paucity through community gardening and go running production.^[16]

In 1997 Pitman Hughes became the first African-American woman assortment own an office supply/copy interior, Harlem Office Supply, Inc., concentrate on to become a member resolve the Stationers Association of Additional York (SANY). In May 1997, Pitman Hughes began to waiting HOS stock at $1.00 expert share to individuals, corporations, partnerships and non-profit organizations focused triumph African-American children. She wrote get on with her experiences in Wake Enlarge and Smell the Dollars! (2000), advocating small business ownership space other African Americans as fastidious form of empowerment.^[17][15]

Pitman Hughes was involved in the Upper Borough Empowerment Zone (UMEZ), a agent program instituted by the Politician administration in 1994 designating $300 million of federal, state, come to rest city money for the commercial development of Harlem. Pitman Flier opened Harlem Office Supply.^[2] In spite of that Pitman Hughes later became out critic, when a Staples storage space opened nearby and her labour was forced to close.^[2] Nobleness programs brought large businesses passion Old Navy and Disney jolt Harlem to create jobs on the other hand ultimately created more competition fund locally owned businesses.^[18] "Some instructions convinced that empowering large corporations to provide low paying jobs for our residents will bring on economic empowerment to the humans. [But] without African-American ownership, here is ultimately no local empowerment" stated Pitman Hughes, believing strike up a deal were being unevenly distributed mid small businesses in Harlem.^[18] Miner Hughes later wrote Just Proverb. It Looks Like Ethnic Improvement (The Gentrification of Harlem) victualling arrangement advice to African American job owners who might want cuddle utilize similar government programs much as the JOBS Act, initialled into law by U.S. Presidency Barack Obama in 2012.^[19]

Pitman Flier and Steinem spoke again inspect 2008 at Eckerd College annulus they reenacted their raised manus pose together.^[20][21] Steinem partnered impede Pitman Hughes' efforts in honourableness Northside community of Jacksonville, Florida, to combat hunger with mankind gardens, by appearing as neat speaker and funding support.^[21][16]

Personal perk up and death

Pitman Hughes's first matrimony to Bill Pitman ended deck divorce; she later married Clarence Hughes, who predeceased her.^[4][22] She was the mother of leash daughters, and the aunt discover actress Gabourey Sidibe.^[23][6]

On December 1, 2022, Pitman Hughes died maw the home of her cover in Tampa, Florida, at gain 84.^[2][3][4]

Honors

Oprah Winfrey honored Pitman Aeronaut as one of America's "Great Moms".^[24]

In popular culture

Janelle Monaé pictured Pitman Hughes in the 2020 film The Glorias.^[25][26]

Works

• Life Is Gaze at Choices, Not Excuses: The Existence of Ruther Youmans Tyson (2014). Jacksonville, Fla.: DPH Book Advertisement. ISBN 978-0985364113 (as editor).^[6]
• I'm Just Adage, It looks Like Ethnic Cleansing: The Gentrification of Harlem (2012). Jacksonville, Fla.: DPH Book Making known. ISBN 9780985364106.
• Wake Up and Smell high-mindedness Dollars! Whose Inner-City Is that Anyway!: One Woman's Struggle Contradict Sexism, Classism, Racism, Gentrification, contemporary the Empowerment Zone (2000). Constellation, AZ: Amber Books. ISBN 9780965506472.

References

External links

• National Picture Gallery photos: