Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011) video
This video (click on the link above for the ~18 min. long video) from the NY Times discusses the intersection of politics, education, feminism, motherhood, and law school in the life of Geraldine Ferraro. She was the first woman to run on a presidential ticket, as the Democratic nominee for vice president with presidential nominee Walter Mondale in 1984 (against Ronald Reagan). As an assistant district attorney, Ferraro worked with rape, child abuse, and domestic violence victims in the Special Victims Bureau. Her life ties in well with the discussions we have had in Women's Studies about struggles regarding leaving the home to enter the workforce and the importance of education for women (higher education particularly) and the opportunities it brings.
I knew about Geraldine Ferraro before her death this weekend (she was born in my hometown), but I found this video to be very interesting and closely related to our coursework.
Amy, this post is so relevant to the reading that we'll be discussing in tomorrow's class! I am happy that you posted it because, although I was familiar with the name, I did not know about the life of Geraldine Ferraro, which seems embarrassing after watching this clip and finding out what a revolutionary woman she was in her time! Geraldine Ferraro provides a powerful example of a woman who balanced work and family. I really appreciated the way that Ferraro's mother stressed the importance of education. Also, as a Law & Order SVU enthusiast, it was really cool to find out the real life history of the bureau and how much of its roots were in Ferraro! It was great to learn about this inspiring woman through this clip.
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