A Woman to Know: Sheila Michaels
Wow, wonderful. 'Ms.' is me! — Sheila Michaels
(image via Wikimedia)
People had been using the honorific 'Ms.' since the early 1900s, but it was Sheila — a civil rights activist, feminist writer, restauranteur and later, even a taxi driver — who brought the honorific to prominence in the 1960s.
In a passionate radio interview, she first suggested her fellow women activists adopt 'Ms.' as a symbol of respect for themselves. From there, it grew in popularity, even ending up the title of Gloria Steinem's famous feminist magazine.
"I think it was this powerful feeling that I didn't want to be any man's piece of property," she told a reporter . years later.
Add to your library list:
Acts of Gaeity (Sara Warner)
The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Women's Social Activism (edited by Holly J. Cammon)
Read more:
Explaining the origins of 'Ms.' (The New York Times)
Missing piece of puzzle in story of 'Ms.' (Japan Times)
Sheila Michaels, who brought 'Ms.' to prominence (The New York Times)
The New York Times says 'Ms.' (Ms. Magazine)
Sheila Michaels, who helped give women the option of 'Ms.' (The Washington Post)
Feminist turned the term into a symbol (The Guardian)
Hear more:
Mississippi Civil Rights Oral History (USM Libraries)
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