Draft:Ellen Bravo

Ellen Bravo

Upbringing/Beginnings:

Ellen Leslie Bravo (born March 25th, 1944, in Cleveland) is a labor activist and award-winning writer. Before becoming the director of 9to5, the National Association of Working Women (NAWW) and the founder of Family Values @ Work, Bravo attended Cornell University, Cambridge University, and McGill University. Bravo is also married to Larry Miller, a union and community activist who has been a member of a total of eight different local unions. After moving to Milwaukee in 1981, Bravo’s impactful and extensive work became a reality. In 1982, a mere year after she moved, Bravo founded the Milwaukee chapter of 9to5 with Kitty Barber, Anne Devitt, and Jocelyn May. Established in 1973 in Boston by Ellen Cassedy and Karen Nussbaum, 9to5 aims to improve the lives of women in workplaces through the promotion of ideas such as equal pay, affirmative action, and more women being placed in important or higher positions. As of now, 9to5 has won and advocated for numerous national policies: the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The organization is still advocating for change and advancement. In Wisconsin, Bravo worked on numerous projects and created change in her local community. For instance, with the help of former Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton, she contributed and helped lead the Economic Sufficiency Task Force of the Wisconsin Women = Prosperity project. By 1993, Bravo had become the national executive director of 9to5.

9to5 Career:

As the executive director, Bravo was able to specifically highlight sexual harassment in the workplace and shed light on the mistreatment of employers by their workers. She, with the aid of Ellen Cassedy, also co-authored and published “The 9to5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment: Candid Advice from 9to5, the National Association of Working Women.” Furthermore, two years into her role as the executive director of 9to5, Bravo also acted as a representative for the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women (in Beijing). Bravo also served on the Commission on Leave (which was arranged by Congress to help measure the impact of the Family and Medical Leave Act) as well as numerous other state and federal committees.

Later Career:

Even after her work at 9to5, Bravo continued her efforts as an activist. She wrote three non-fiction books, including “Taking on the Big Boys,” “Why Feminism is Good for Families,” and “Business and the Nation.” She also wrote two novels: “Standing Up: Tales of Struggle” and “Again and Again.” Her work expanded in 2004 when she became the executive director of Family Values @ Work, advocating for family leave and paid sick days. Generally, Family Values at Work creates state groups that work together for policies benefiting families at work. Bravo has also shared her knowledge with others by teaching master-level classes on women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).

Awards:

As a culmination of all her hard work, Bravo has received multiple awards: the Ford Foundation Visionary Award, the Francis Perkins “Intelligence and Courage” Award, and the Woman of Vision Award. She has created a long-lasting legacy and made an impact on labor standards and equality.

Sources:

https://9to5.org/about-9to5/ https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/9to5/ https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS5704#:~:text=Bravo%20attended%20Cornell%20University%2C%20Cambridge,9to5%20Milwaukee%20chapter%20in%201982. https://online-infobase-com.westminster.idm.oclc.org/HRC/Search/Details/2?articleId=163316&q=ellen%20bravo https://ellenbravo.com/ https://womeninwisconsin.org/profile/ellen-bravo/