Embedded Files
Image of Aurelia Morris in 1977 by The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/11/19/133125402.html?pageNumber=22
Aurelia Morris was born Aurelia Feldman in 1906 in Czechoslovakia prior to immigrating to the United States. By 1930, she had married her husband Robert Morris. Aurelia Morris resided in Queens, New York post-marriage as she raised a family there. Morris's 1934 U.S. citizenship petition lists her occupation as a “housewife.” Interviews conducted in the 1970s reveal her self-identified occupation as a "feminist" in the Los Angeles region where her advocacy for women rights is largely recorded.
Shift in Location between 1950-70s
REGIONAL ADVOCACY
REGIONAL ADVOCACY
Radio host for Pacifica Radio’s Los Angeles KPFK throughout the 70s
Morris conducted KPFK station interviews exploring the experiences of women from diverse backgrounds who, in many cases, highlighted the intersectional challenges they faced. Pacifica Radio’s 1977 Archives includes Morris’ interview “Growing Old Chicano” which focused on the difficulties of older Chicana’s who outlived male partners.
Image of KPFK 90.7 Radio Station logo
The discussion regarding how older women are more impacted is a significant piece as Morris, an older feminist advocate, synthesizes with the hardships of older women as they encounter issues of intersectionality through media platforms (E.g. Age, Poverty, Ethnicity).
Efforts to advocate for older women are further illustrated through Morris’ push for social benefits, on behalf of the L.A. Commission on Women, as she advocated that “homemakers be given social security credit and that retirement to be gradual.”
Court Report of Morris' participation in a court hearing, Los Angeles 1978.
Image of Aurelia Morris hosting an event in the Women's Building in Los Angeles. http://hdl.handle.net.Karras/MorrisImageLink
O.W.L and the Women's’ Building
Morris was involved in the Older Women's Liberation (OWL) and the Women's Building in Los Angeles. At the Women's’ Building, where women gathered to advocate for women rights through various forums, she both organized and hosted educational extension programs discussing feminist-related topics among local populations. Between 1976 and 1977 Morris independently hosted programs there such as “Aging as a Positive Experience” and “Mothers and Daughters.” This local advocacy by Morris not only aimed to unify women throughout the the region but also expand collective efforts in understanding the feminist cause.
NATIONAL ADVOCACY
NATIONAL ADVOCACY
Aurelia Morris’s activist efforts at the national level included her involvement in the 1977 National Women's Conference Morris was a delegate representing Santa Monica, California. Seventy-one years old at the time, she also included Older Women's Liberation as among her affiliations in NWC documents.
Image of members of the Older Women's Liberation (OWL)
INTERNATIONAL ADVOCAY
INTERNATIONAL ADVOCAY
Image of Conference setting in Mexico City, 1975
https://jwa.org/media/international-womens-year-conference-in-mexico-city
Morris also participated in the United Nations’ 1975 International Women's Year Conference in Mexico City. Feminist journalists from various countries met to discuss agenda points for the UN’s conference. As an attendee and caucus member, Morris worked to create safe space for international women journalists. She did so by participating in the discussion about strategies to effectively contribute to the feminist plea for unity and to deter voices seeking to degrade the struggle
Concluding Statement. . .
Concluding Statement. . .
Morris participated in various women rights forums throughout the 1970s in Los Angeles until her death in 1982. Morris’ advocacy for women, specifically older women, aimed to provide voice to women often marginalized in society. She is an inspiration for feminists today.
Citations
Advisory Council on Social Security (1978-1979). “Report on Public Hearings By United States”. 49. https://books.google.com/books
Ancestry Library, “Aurelia Morris,” Ancestry.com, June 29, 1982, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui- content/view/
Ancestry Library, “Eleanor Morris,” Ancestry.com, 2012, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui- content/view/
Ancestry Library, “New York, U.S., Naturalization Records 1882-1944 ,” Ancestry.com, 2012, https:// www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2499/images
Cady, Barbara. “Anatomy of a Manifesto.” June 17, 1975. Mexico City, Mexico. Audio, MPEG-4, 58:52. https://archive.org/details/pacifica_radio_archives-BC2376
City Council of Santa Monica, “City of Santa Monica City 1982 Council Meeting,” Laserfiche, April 17, 2007, https://publicdocs.smgov.net/WebLink/DocView,
Cuellar, Jose. “Growing old Chicano.” By Aurelia Morris. Pacifica Radio Archives. 1977. https:// californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A15090
Gerhard, Jane. "Judy Chicago and the practice of 1970s feminism." Feminist Studies 37, no. 3 (2011):591-618.
Karras, Maria. Archived Images: Aurelia Morris. Digital Photograph. 1976. http://hdl.handle.net/ 10020/2018m16_41a08ff5b218b15ee4fb82eca3d5d10b
National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year 1977. “American Women on the Move”. https://books.google.com/books=aurelia+morris+los
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