Schlafley had mobilized her followers to attend many of the state conferences in order to speak out against the ERA, abortion and feminist positions generally. Her minions competed with other organized groups, primarily the National Organization for Women (NOW), to elect delegates. They succeeded in choosing about 20 percent of the two thousand delegates to the national conference, largely from the 15 states which had not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment.
Reviving the ERA got a few honorable mentions at the 2017 conference, but it wasn't at the top of anyone's agenda. There weren't any controversies to speak of, but a group of women wearing buttons saying "Every Mother is a Working Mother" spoke out loudly and frequently during Q&A at several panels. They also had their own panel on "Women, Welfare and Poverty."
The 2017 conference featured a "Sisterhood Salon" at which photos of the 1977 conference flashed across the wall and original participants were available to talk to University of Houston students. Three authors of two recently published books on the conference spoke at plenaries.
While Houston 40 was primarily an academic conference with panels, papers, and lectures, there were some more colorful associated events. Among them was a #MeToo rally and march on November 5. Roughly one hundred people gathered in a park to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and violence against women. In the background were five women dressed like "handmaidens" from The Handmaid's Tale. A short march around a few city blocks was accompanied by six members of the Houston Police and nine legal observers from the ACLU.
At the 1977 conference, the "celebrities" were three first ladies (Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford and Rosalyn Carter), plus Coretta Scott King and Maya Angelou. All except the latter acquired their status as wives. There were no important wives at Houston 40 and the accompanying events, but several elected officials made an appearance, including Phyllis Frye, a transgender municipal judge and Al Green, a ponytailed black Congressman. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the first openly lesbian mayor of a major city, was on a panel. State Senator Silvia Garcia was invited to say a few words. The conference was greeted by Renu Khator, the female president of the University of Houston, an immigrant from India.
Sarah Weddington and Sissy Farenthold closed the conference. The former was the lead attorney in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. Weddington was the youngest lawyer to argue a successful case before the Court. She showed the audience a copy of that decision autographed by all of the deciding Justices. Sissy Farenthold served in the Texas House, twice ran for Governor, and was nominated for Vice President in 1972.
Now that the activists of the 1950s-1970s are older, there are a lot of anniversaries to celebrate the social changes set in motion during those decades.
©2017 Jo Freeman for SeniorWomen.com
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