Dear Friend, Who is Crystal Eastman? I'm a bit embarrassed to say that's the question I asked when I first heard about this House Party PANYS is hosting on May 1st in New York City. A quick online search revealed that Eastman was a powerful force in the women's suffrage movement, a pivotal figure in the protection of individual liberties and workers' rights, and a committed organizer for the early peace movement. Her expansive legacy is still being felt to this day. |
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Born in Massachusetts and raised in Canandaigua, NY, Eastman had by 1916 attained a B.A. from Vassar, a master's in sociology from Columbia, and a law degree from New York University. After school, she worked on investigating labor conditions in Pittsburgh and agitating for safe workplaces, eventually helping to write the nation's first workers compensation laws in New York State. A socialist reformer in the age of industrialization and worker exploitation, Eastman co-edited The Liberator, a radical magazine with her brother, Max. As a radical proponent for women's rights, Eastman organized for the passage of the 19th amendment, co-authored the original Equal Rights Amendment, supported reproductive rights for women, and espoused the ideas that women deserved economic independence and that society should recognize and compensate domestic labor as essential work - ideas which would lay the foundation for the second-wave feminist movement decades later. Eastman was also a committed peace activist and outspoken in her opposition to World War I. She joined Jane Addams and Lillian Wald in founding the Woman’s Peace Party (later WILPF) in 1915. Eastman also became a co-founder of the National Civil Liberties Bureau - now the ACLU - to protect the rights of conscientious objectors to military service. |
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In a eulogy written for The Nation, contemporary Freda Kirchney celebrated Eastman's outsized legacy. “When she spoke to people—whether it was to a small committee or a swarming crowd—hearts beat faster. She was for thousands a symbol of what the free woman might be.” |
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Knowing all this, I'm excited to hear that Peace Action New York State will explore Crystal Eastman's amazing life and legacy with an evening of conversation on May 1st in NYC with author, historian, and longtime peace activist Blanche Wiesen Cook, a Distinguished Professor of History and Women's Studies at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center. Blanche will be there to discuss the re-release of her collection of the writings of Crystal Eastman, Crystal Eastman: On Women & Revolution, which brings together nearly seventy essays, addresses, and magazine articles by Eastman, with an introduction by Professor Cook. Will you join us next week in NYC to learn more about the life and impact of Crystal Eastman? PANYS will host this event at the lovely apartment of one of our generous supporters on the Upper West Side (in the mid-70's) of Manhattan. Wine and light refreshments will be served. All proceeds from ticket sales for this event will benefit Peace Action New York State and our advocacy work. (RSVP for the exact address!) |
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I hope you can join us for a lively evening of conversation, camaraderie, and to learn more about the life and legacy of an incredible woman who has made such a massive impact. Please RSVP at the link above to join us! |
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| Warmly, Ashleigh Crowther Peace Action New York State |
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About | Blanche Wiesen Cook |
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| Blanche Wiesen Cook is a Distinguished Professor of History and Women's Studies at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center. Professor Cook is the author of numerous books and has edited and contributed to many anthologies. Her definitive three-volume biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol I The Early Years 1884 – 1933; Vol II The Defining Years 1933- 1938; Vol III The War Years and After 1939 -1962, published by Viking, was called “monumental and inspirational…[a] grand biography” by the New York Times Book Review. Other books include Crystal Eastman: On Women and Revolution (Oxford University Press) and The Declassified Eisenhower (Doubleday). She is a longtime peace activist and was a co-founder and officer of the Conference on Peace Research in History (CPRH) and a senior editor of the Garland Library on War and Peace, a 328-volume reprint collection (1971). She currently serves on the Board of Peace Action Fund of New York State. |
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About | Crystal Eastman: On Women & Revolution |
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| Crystal Eastman: On Women & Revolution is a collection of essays, addresses, and magazine articles by the early-twentieth-century attorney and activist, Crystal Eastman. Edited by acclaimed historian Blanche Wiesen Cook, the collection illuminates her militant views on feminism, suffrage, pacifism, and socialism. First published by Oxford University Press in 1978, the collection will be re-released this year. |
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Contributions to Peace Action New York State (PANYS) are not tax deductible. We are a 501(c)(4) membership organization that uses lobbying and direct action to demand U.S. foreign policy that promotes diplomacy and human needs, and to challenge militarism at home and abroad. Peace Action New York State is a state chapter of Peace Action, the nation's largest grassroots peace advocacy organization. Learn more at www.panys.org. Peace Action New York State Church Street Station, P.O. Box 3357 New York, NY 10008-3357 |
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