Gloria Steinem (1934-present) is an American feminist, journalist, author, and social-political activist. She gained national recognition as a leader of the "Second Wave" feminist movement in the 1960s and 1970s. On May 6th, 1970, Gloria Steinem stood before the Senate and delivered this speech, advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and seeking to dispel myths about women.
Pair “Testimony Before the Senate Hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment” with “Protest Music is as American as Apple Pie” to provide students with additional information about the injustices that women experienced and that led to the challenging of gender norms. Ask students to discuss why women were protesting during what is referred to as second-wave feminism. Do the protest songs referenced in “Protest Music is as American as Apple Pie” aptly represent why women were dissatisfied in “Testimony Before the Senate Hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment”? Why or why not?