HR0922

LRB094 19590 HSS 55778 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 
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State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of Betty 
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Friedan, a former citizen of Illinois and pioneer of women's 
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rights in America, who passed away on February 4, 2006; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She was born Bettye Naomi Goldstein on February 4, 
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1921, in Peoria, where she spent her childhood; she later went 
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on to graduate summa cum laude from Smith College in 1942; 
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after her graduation, she studied psychology for one year at 
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the University of California Berkeley; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She was married to Carl Friedan from 1947 until 
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1969 and was blessed with three children; as a result of her 
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pregnancy in 1952, Ms. Friedan was fired from her journalism 
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job, leading her to question the way American society treated 
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women in the workforce; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During her marriage she began to work on her first 
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book, "The Feminine Mystique", a book which many site as the 
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starting point of the modern women's rights movement; her book, 
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which was simultaneously applauded and condemned, spoke to 
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women from all walks of life and addresses what she called "the 
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problem with no name", one in which women were leading the 
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lives society expected from them, but finding themselves 
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unfulfilled; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Ms. Friedan encouraged women to follow their 
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dreams, including those of work outside the home, while at the 
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same time urging people not to turn their back on their family; 
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it was her belief, a radical belief at the time, that a woman 
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could be a wife, mother, and lead a rewarding and fulfilling 
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professional life; she went on to become an accomplished 
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author, writing such books as "The Second Stage", "It Changed 
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My Life", "Writings on the Women's Movement", and "The Fountain 
 


 






HR0922
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LRB094 19590 HSS 55778 r




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of Age"; she also helped organize the National Organization of 
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Women and served as the organization's president from 1966 to 
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1970; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Women throughout America owe a debt of gratitude 
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to Betty Friedan for her pioneering leadership in the field of 
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women's rights and her adherence to the radical idea "Women are 
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people too"; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we mourn the passing of Betty Friedan, who championed the cause 
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of women's rights and will forever be remembered as a 
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groundbreaker for the cause, and we extend our deepest sympathy 
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to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be 
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it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to her family as an expression of our sincerest 
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condolences for their loss.