Margaret Miller Curtis oral history interview, October 25, 1995

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: Curtis, M_19951025

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

Interviewed by Dana Van Tilborg: Curtis describes her childhood in Florida and ascribes her strong feminist activism to her mother, whom she characterizes as a woman, "who had a hard life, but she's always conquered every obstacle." Curtis won the Lewis (teaching) scholarship and went to college at Florida State University, where she became involved with the campus newspaper and her features won a national prize. Curtis recalls moving to Georgia in 1973, and becoming involved with the Women's Movement by writing letters to newspapers about the ERA. She describes the women's issues that most concerned her, including domestic violence, economic autonomy, and discrimination. Curtis was involved in a number of organizations, including the Council on Battered Women, the League of Women Voters, the AAUW [American Association of University Women], and she was the President of the People of Faith for the ERA in Georgia. She describes her affiliation with these and other organizations in detail. She also describes how she felt about some of the major leaders of the Women's Movement in Georgia and the accomplishments of the Movement.

Dates

Creation: October 25, 1995

Creator

Curtis, Margaret Miller, 1935- (Interviewee, Person)

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research. Please contact Special Collections and Archives about accessing this oral history.

Biographical Note

Margaret Miller Curtis, born in Marianna, Florida in 1935, earned a bachelor's degree in education from Florida State University and taught elementary school in Florida and Ohio. In 1973 she moved to Georgia and became active in the Women's Movement, expressing her Christian faith in her activism for women's rights. During the 1970's and 1980's she functioned as a writer, lobbyist, and fund-raiser for a number of organizations: She has been chair of the Speaker's Bureau for ERA Georgia, Inc. (1979-1980), president of People of Faith for the ERA in Georgia (1980-1982), and on the board of directors for the Council on Battered Women (1975, 1986-88). She has also traveled and spoken extensively at religious and community meetings throughout Georgia, advocating for the ratification of the ERA. Curtis "specialized" in newspaper publicity and letter writing and has had over 500 of her letters to the editor published, in addition to those she authored for others. Many of these letters, which she continues to write, address the ERA and other women's issues. Her cartoons and creative writings, some of which have also been published, reflect her activism and interest in these issues.