Hold a Job, Chromosomes, Bella Abzug

“The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes.” - Bella Abzug, three-term U.S. Congresswoman from New York, known both for the unconventional contents of her cranium and her penchant for placing ladylike chapeaux on it.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 55.

Not the Time, Feminists, Sidelines, Fignt On, Eleanor Smeal, Kathy Spillar

"This is not the time for feminists to sit on the sidelines. We must fight on. We have come too far and worked too hard to go back now.

"This is a call to action. If you have the ability, desire and drive to volunteer for your favorite feminist cause or organization, the time to do so is now. Clinics need escorts; nonprofits need volunteer researchers, event organizers, administrators, lawyers, artists, designers, computer techies and fundraisers. Everyone and every skill count. We all need your passion, encouragement, skills, commitment, financial support—big or small." Eleanor Smeal, Kathy Spillar, Ms. Magazine, from the special election issue's and blog's "This is a Call to Action".

Establishment, Little Men, Bella Abzug

"The establishment is made up of little men, very frightened." - Bella Abzug (Though there are a few great men, very brave, Bella may've had it on the mark, for the most part)

Found at Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/bellaabzug388346.html.

Stood Up, Right Thing, Women, Children, State Sen. Katrina Shealy

“I stood up for the right thing. I stood up for women. I stood up for children. I stood up for South Carolina.” - State Sen. Katrina Shealy (R) after losing her reelction bid in June; she was one of three Republican “Sister Senators” who, along with two Democratic women, blocked a full abortion ban in South Carolina in 2023 – none of the three made it through their primaries.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2024, page 6.

Never Normalize, Tyranny, Patriarchy, Color, Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson

“We can never normalize the ending of democracy. We can never normalize the tyranny of the way that these people in positions of power are operating due to white supremacy and … the patriarchy. That is what we’re up against.” - Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D), On being expelled from the Legislature by the House’s Republican supermajority for joining a chant with gun violence protesters in the capitol in late March, following a mass shooting at a Nashville School three days prior. Found in Ms. Magazine page 6, Summer 2023.

“It might have to do with the color of our skin.” - Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson (d), answering why she was spared from expulsion from the Legislature while Reps. Pearson and Justin Jones (D) were not. Found in Ms. Magazine page 6, Summer 2023.

Make Life a Little Better, Meaningful Life, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that's what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one's community." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Person of Color, Identify, Kamala Harris, Respect, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

“As a person of color, as a Black woman who is in this position … standing before you, … what you just read out to me is repulsive. … No one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify. … Only she can speak to her experience. … It’s insulting for anybody, … and she is the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, and we have to put some respect on her name, period.” - White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when told by a reporter that former President Donald Trump had just accused Harris of “turn[ing] Black”.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2024, page 6.