A significant gathering of approximately 100 participants took place on Wednesday at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work, where the legacies of women activists from the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s were discussed by U-M alumnae. The event, titled “Women’s Liberation at the University of Michigan, 1968-72: Jewish and Other Identities in the Emergence of a Movement,” was organized collaboratively by the U-M Inclusive History Project and the Jewish Communal Leadership Program.
This panel represented the second installment in a series entitled “Outsiders, Insiders, Radicals, and Reformers: A History of Jews at the University of Michigan.” The series seeks to illuminate the experiences of Jewish individuals and other minority groups at the University. The discussion centered on the establishment of consciousness-raising groups on campus during the late 1960s and the intersection of Jewish identity within the broader women’s liberation movement. Panelists shared personal narratives regarding their time at the University and their contributions to the activism that defined that era.
Ellen Meeropol, an accomplished author and former nurse practitioner who graduated from the U-M School of Art and Design in 1969, emphasized the dual objectives of the women’s liberation movement during its inception. “In those early years, women’s liberation represented both an explosion of energy and the necessity of really rethinking our whole belief system,” Meeropol stated. She noted that balancing education through consciousness-raising and tangible improvements in women’s lives—including initiatives around rape prevention, access to reproductive health, childcare, and economic disparities—was vital.
The event’s moderator, Karla Goldman, who directs the Jewish Communal Leadership Program, prompted the panelists to reflect on the influence of Jewish identity within the feminist movement of the 1960s. Panelist Beth Schneider acknowledged that their focus was primarily on the pressing issues rather than their religious identity at the time. “We were not aware of ourselves as Jews,” Schneider remarked, pointing to a historical context heavily influenced by labor movements and social justice struggles.
With her background in a Jewish family, Schneider articulated how those familial discussions surrounding the Holocaust and antisemitism shaped her worldview. “They were worrying about antisemitism,” she recounted, which led her to consider issues of justice and equality when she arrived at the University in 1966. Similarly, Rayna Rapp, who joined the University in the fall of 1964, detailed her active involvement in the civil rights and anti-war demonstrations. Rapp shared her experience during “Bloody Sunday” in Montgomery, where demonstrators faced violent resistance while demanding voting rights for African Americans.
Joanne Parrent, a University alum who co-founded Detroit’s first feminist federal credit union, elaborated on the motivations that drove women to form their own advocacy group on campus, aiming to combat pervasive misogyny within leftist factions. “Unfortunately, everyone, or at least the guys, also agreed that women should make the coffee and take notes at the meeting,” Parrent shared, highlighting the challenges faced by women in these predominantly male spaces.
Rapp added to this discourse by recalling their meetings in the basement of the First United Methodist Church, where the group practiced consciousness-raising—a method fostering personal storytelling to unveil systemic issues of misogyny. “They were all over town, and it just said, ‘Women, if you’re dissatisfied with your life, want to learn about consciousness-raising, come to this meeting,’” she noted, exemplifying their outreach efforts.
Gayle Rubin, an associate professor in anthropology and women’s studies at the University, contributed additional context about the establishment of the women’s liberation group. “We were the first one that got traction and lasted more than a meeting for two,” Rubin explained, reinforcing the significance of their efforts in stimulating the women’s liberation movement on campus.
Aileen Mongkau, an engineering freshman attending the panel, reflected on the event’s message concerning community involvement in effecting change. “I think something that really stood out to me was the importance of community and how as an individual you can make a difference, but as a community you can make the biggest difference,” Mongkau articulated, summarizing her key takeaway from the discussion.
For further details, please reach out to Daily Staff Reporter Zooey Raux at zraux@umich.edu.
