HR0922 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0922 LRB094 19590 HSS 55778 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of Betty Friedan, a former citizen of Illinois and pioneer of women's rights in America, who passed away on February 4, 2006; and

WHEREAS, She was born Bettye Naomi Goldstein on February 4, 1921, in Peoria, where she spent her childhood; she later went on to graduate summa cum laude from Smith College in 1942; after her graduation, she studied psychology for one year at the University of California Berkeley; and

WHEREAS, She was married to Carl Friedan from 1947 until 1969 and was blessed with three children; as a result of her pregnancy in 1952, Ms. Friedan was fired from her journalism job, leading her to question the way American society treated women in the workforce; and

WHEREAS, During her marriage she began to work on her first book, "The Feminine Mystique", a book which many site as the starting point of the modern women's rights movement; her book, which was simultaneously applauded and condemned, spoke to women from all walks of life and addresses what she called "the problem with no name", one in which women were leading the lives society expected from them, but finding themselves unfulfilled; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Friedan encouraged women to follow their dreams, including those of work outside the home, while at the same time urging people not to turn their back on their family; it was her belief, a radical belief at the time, that a woman could be a wife, mother, and lead a rewarding and fulfilling professional life; she went on to become an accomplished author, writing such books as "The Second Stage", "It Changed My Life", "Writings on the Women's Movement", and "The Fountain of Age"; she also helped organize the National Organization of Women and served as the organization's president from 1966 to 1970; and

WHEREAS, Women throughout America owe a debt of gratitude to Betty Friedan for her pioneering leadership in the field of women's rights and her adherence to the radical idea "Women are people too"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Betty Friedan, who championed the cause of women's rights and will forever be remembered as a groundbreaker for the cause, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to her family as an expression of our sincerest condolences for their loss.