Tomorrow we host the first ever So:Women Conference; a day-long event to celebrate powerful women, and to empower and inspire greatness in others. Possibly one of the most powerful and inspirational women, is Eleanor Roosevelt, and because of how inspirational she was and is for women everywhere, your SU wanted to share her amazing life with you all. Enjoy.
Tomorrow we host the first ever So:Women Conference; a day-long event to celebrate powerful women, and to empower and inspire greatness in others. Possibly one of the most powerful and inspirational women, is Eleanor Roosevelt, and because of how inspirational she was and is for women everywhere, your SU wanted to share her amazing life with you all. Enjoy.
Eleanor Roosevelt, possibly one of the most outspoken and influential women of the 20th Century, was born in New York City on October 11, 1884. In 1905, she married Franklin D. Roosevelt, who became President of the United States in 1933. After having six children, Roosevelt became active in public service during World War 1, working for the American Red Cross.
Upon FDR's inauguration, Eleanor Roosevelt became the First Lady of the United States. Not content to stay in the background and handle domestic matters, she showed the world that the first lady was an important part of American politics.
Roosevelt set out to redefine the position, and in the process she became, according to her biographer Cook, "the most controversial First Lady in United States history". With her husband's strong support, she continued with the active business and speaking agenda she had begun before becoming First Lady, in an era when few married women had careers.
She gave press conferences and spoke out for human rights, children's causes and women's issues, working on behalf of the League of Women Voters. She even had her own newspaper column, "My Day." She also focused on helping the country's poor, stood against racial discrimination and, during World War II, travelled abroad to visit U.S. troops.
From 1945 to 1953, after her husband’s death, Eleanor served as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and became chair of the UN's Human Rights Commission. As a member of the Human Rights Commission, she helped to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an effort that she considered to be her greatest achievement. President John F. Kennedy also appointed Eleanor chair of the Commission on the Status of Women, a report which documents substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and makes specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave and affordable childcare.
Eleanor died of cancer on November 7, 1962, at the age of 78. A revolutionary first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most outspoken women to live in the White House. While she's had her share of critics, most agree that she was a great humanitarian who dedicated much of her life to fighting for political and social change.