Feminist Conversations is a new feature at Feminists For Choice. We’re interviewing feminist activists to find out what they’re up to in their neck of the woods. Today the spotlight is on Malinda Briggs, a pro-choice advocate from Tucson, Arizona. Malinda graduated from the U of A with a BA in English and writing, and from the University of Montana with an MFA in Creative Writing. She worked in advertising and direct mail for over thirty years. Music has played an important part in Malinda’s life: her minor was in voice, and I she has sung in various choirs, and “in the day,” she used to play guitar and sing. Malinda has been a role model for me, personally, as I have gotten more involved with my local Planned Parenthood chapter. It was a pleasure to meet up with her to talk about what feminist activism means to her.

When did I first call myself a feminist, and what influenced that decision?
When I was a girl I watched the Dick van Dyke Show, The Desi and Lucy Show, the Lone Ranger and later, Bonanza. In the family comedy shows the wives had to rummage through their husband’s pants pockets to take extra cash. After they spent the money (always on a hat or dress) they had to sneak the purchase into the house and pretend that it wasn’t new. I didn’t really know why, but even at the young age I hated that idea. In the westerns I watched the woman didn’t do much but scream during emergencies, and of course, once the main character fell in love with her she was killed in a run-away buckboard accident or died of some disease. Well, that didn’t seem like fun either.

Then, when I was in high school (about 1963), I read a magazine article by Betty Friedan and did a report on it. That was an “aha” moment for me. After I read the Friedan article I became sensitized to the roles and status of women around me. Women who divorced were stigmatized and dependent on alimony. I was interested in architecture but it was steered toward teaching. Strangely, I under-rated the rewards of teaching because I didn’t want to do what women were “supposed to do”. When I was in high school I knew women who worked and women who were strictly homemakers and mothers. At that stage in my life, working seemed far more interesting to me and I wanted the freedom that having my own income would provide. [Read more...]