Peg Yorkin

Peg Yorkin (born 1927) is an American feminist activist.[2][3]

Peg Yorkin
Born1927 (age 93–94)
OccupationChair of the Feminist Majority Foundation
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1984)​
[1]
ChildrenNicole Yorkin and David Yorkin
AwardsWomen of Courage Award 1993

Early life

Yorkin grew up in New York City.[3] An only child, born to a Catholic father and Jewish mother, she described her family household as "genteel poverty". Her father's alcoholism negated his career as a cinematographer for legendary filmmaker D.W. Griffith and forced the family to live "on the kindness of my mother's relatives." Yorkin was raised in neither religion and described herself as "no believer". "The religions are patriarchal. I don't believe in any of them, or a God, or a Goddess."[4] She went to Barnard College, had a brief acting stint and an early marriage that lasted two years. Yorkin married Bud Yorkin from 1954 until their divorce in 1984.[1]

Later life

In 1991, she made a $10-million endowment and gift to the Feminist Majority Foundation (which she was a cofounder and is the chair of[5]) and the Fund for the Feminist Majority, a sister organization that she co-founded in 1987.[3] The first program of the endowment was to help make RU 486 or another anti-progestin available to women.[6]

She spoke at the Feminist Expo 2000 at the Baltimore Convention Center,[7] and has also produced live theater in Los Angeles.[5]

Criticism

She was criticized by Bitch magazine for saying in 2009, in regard to Roman Polanski, “My personal thoughts are let the guy go. It’s bad a person was raped. But that was so many years ago. The guy has been through so much in his life. It’s crazy to arrest him now. Let it go. The government could spend its money on other things.”[8]

Awards

She received the Women of Courage Award in 1993.[9][10]

Personal life

Yorkin married TV producer Bud Yorkin in 1954; they divorced in 1986.[3] They have two children (Nicole and David), both are TV writers. She has four grandchildren.[5]

References
  1. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bud-yorkin-dead-all-family-753188
  2. Love, Barbara J. (2006), "Yorkin, Peg", in Love, Barbara J. (ed.), Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, p. 503.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Preview.
  3. Hendrix, Kathleen (October 4, 1991). "Peg Yorkin was the housewife of the '50s. Now, she's an activist with clout and money: $10-Million Woman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  4. https://articles.latimes.com/1991-10-04/news/vw-3462_1_bud-yorkin
  5. "Peg Yorkin". Feminist Majority. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  6. "History of the Feminist Majority Foundation: 1991". Feminist Majority Foundation. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  7. Ikenberg, Tamara (March 31, 2000). "Pulling out the feminist yardstick". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  8. Kahan, Rachel (October 7, 2009). "Douchebag Decree: Peg Yorkin, Traitor to Womanity". Bitch. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  9. "Awards Retrospective". Women in Film. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  10. Galbraith, Jane (June 14, 1993). "Pfeiffer Spices Up Award Show: Award: Women in Film honoree targets story lines that sell women's bodies. But she also praises leaders who improved women's career opportunities". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
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