User:SDFeminist2.0/Removing Sexism and Racism from Primary School Readers in the United States

rename Removing Sexism and Racism from Primary School Readers in the United States|San Diego County National Organization for Women's Education Task Force 1969 - 1975|improving clarity and specificity

During the 1970s in America, the Second Wave of feminism made great strides towards equality for women. Men and women across America worked to improve the status of women in many areas, including how girls and women were portrayed in the primary school readers used by young children. Until this time, the textbooks given to beginning and early readers were full of sexist and racist language and scenarios, which negatively affected the children's concepts of themselves, and what boys and girls were capable of doing. Efforts to revise the readers were happening at the same time and via different methods. National level change happened due to the Women's Educational Equity Act of 1972.

Soon after it's formation, the National Organization for Women called for a nationwide action to review primary school readers for sexist and racist content and to have new, more inclusive, standards created for the content of textbooks. (8)

In San Diego, California, the San Diego County Chapter of the National Organization for Women organized an Education Task Force to document problem areas in the primary school readers and to agitate for new readers in the classrooms. This is a brief timeline of their efforts:

In 1969, Anne (Radlow) Ewing attended a lecture by Aileen Hernandez, soon to be President of the National Organization for Women, about sexism in primary school readers.(1)

In 1970, Anne Ewing joined San Diego County Chapter of NOW and volunteers to be on the Education Task Force.(1)(2)

In 1973, Anne Ewing became chair of California NOW's Education Task Force.(2)

In 1973 - 1974, Anne Ewing creates a standard questionnaire for evaluating sexism in primary readers. At least 24 California NOW chapters use it to evaluate the readers used locally.(7)(8) Anne Ewing coordinated the Southern California chapters and Nancy Ward, a school librarian in Berkeley, coordinated the Northern California chapters. (1)(3)

In 1973, Sheila (Moramarco) Sobell and Pat McCormick, from San Diego County NOW's Education Task Force, compiled a slide show called "The Girl and the Primary Reader" that clearly demonstrated sexist stereotyping in children's books. This was an important tool to help the general public to understand the powerfully sexist messages in books aimed at very early readers, and the influence these messages would have on children's developing self-identities.(4)

From 1973 - 1975, Many women and men contributed to this effort including: Peggy Budd, Elizabeth Burr, Susan Dunn, Allana Elovson, Norma Farquhar, Lilian Halsema, Robert W. Holden, Pat McCormick, Anne (Radlow) Ewing, Sheila (Moramarco) Sobel, Jean Stern, Victoria Torres, and Juli (or Julie) Weber among others.(5)

On May 3, 1973, California State Senator James Mills, a Democrat from San Diego, introduced California State Senate Bill 1285 which stated that instruction in the social sciences will include the role and contributions of women and other minorities with a particular emphasis on portraying the roles of these groups in contemporary society. The bill was signed by the governor, and chaptered as number 764, on September 25, 1973.(7)

In 1974, the Task Force found obvious sexism in primary school readers used in California in their final report, "Sexism in California Readers". These findings were presented to the California State Board of Education, and California NOW requested that the Board consider removing the old readers and replacing them with readers free of sexist and racist language and situations. The California State Board of Education voted down this request.(2) When California NOW threatened to sue over the issue, the California State Board of Education reversed its decision.(1)

As of 2013, the California Education Code, Section 60040, reads: "When adopting instructional materials for use in the schools, governing boards shall include only instructional materials which, in their determination, accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society, including:  (a) The contributions of both men and women in all types of roles, including professional, vocational, and executive roles."(6)

(1) Recollection by Anne Ewing to Joan T. Casale, 2007. (2) Love, Barbara J. "Feminists Who Changed America:  1963-1975". Urbana and Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 2006, pg 138-139. (3) Love, Barbara J. "Feminists Who Changed America:  1963-1975". Urbana and Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 2006, pg 478. (4) Coburn, Jennifer. "The HERSTORY of San Diego County National Organization for Women -- Twenty-Five Years of Feminism 1970-1995". San Diego, San Diego County NOW, 1995, pg 10. (5) San Diego State University, Library and Information Access, Special Collections and University Archives. (6) www.leginfo.ca.gov (7) Online posting. California Senate Office of Research. http://192.234.213.35/clerkarchive/ (8) Online posting. National Organization for Women. http://www.now.org/history/past_presidents.html

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