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Polly Brooks Simpson oral history interview, October 21, 1996

 Item — othertype: Oral History

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Dana Van Tilborg. Simpson talks about her childhood around Georgia, and recounts that her grandmother, a “classic steel magnolia,” was a very important influence in her later work with the Women’s Movement. Simpson believes that her active involvement in the Women’s Movement began through her experiences at the Unitarian Church, which strongly emphasized the importance of human rights and “human potential.” She states that it was through one of her church’s women’s groups that plans for a “women’s fair” were developed, and that A Women’s Place was a natural progression from that fair. Simpson discusses the successes of A Women’s Place -- most notably in bringing women and women’s groups together, and in creating and editing the Creative Loafing insert, Femme (later Atlanta Woman). She also talks about the organization’s problems, including lack of financial support, and the personal burden of time and energy that was required to keep A Woman’s Place going. Simpson ends by discussing the Women’s Movement and how it has benefited younger generations -- particularly in the field of sports. She also discusses the problems of the Women’s Movement, citing its non-inclusiveness as a major fault, particularly in relation to lesbians and black women.

Dates

  • Creation: October 21, 1996

Creator

Restriction on Access

Oral history available for research in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room.

Biographical Note

Polly Brooks Simpson, civic activist and businesswoman, was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1939. After graduating from high school in Sparta, GA, she attended Agnes Scott College (1957-1958) and earned a psychology degree (B.A., 1962) from Georgia State University. She later received a master’s degree in social work from Atlanta University (1978). Simpson has been involved in the Georgia Council on Child Abuse since 1979, serving as board president for two terms. In 1988, the Council named its Polly B. Simpson Distinguished Service Award after her, and she became its first recipient. She also organized and chaired Georgia Voices for Children (1989-1990), an advocacy group whose efforts resulted in the change of state child abuse laws. Other organizations that Simpson has been active with are the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse (1989-1995), Georgians for Children (1991-), and the Fulton County Child Abuse Protocol Committee (1995-). In 1996, Simpson opened Vermillion, an Atlanta gallery. She married Charlie Simpson in 1960 and has two daughters. In 1980. Simpson and others developed A Woman's Place, a clearinghouse for women's resources as well as an organization for women. The organization began producing a newsletter, A Woman's Place, in 1981. In September 1983 the first issue of Femme was produced, which was issued as an insert to Atlanta's Creative Loafing newspaper. When A Woman's Place closed its offices on September 30, 1983, the Georgia Women's Consortium, a statewide alliance of 32 organizations, took over the clearinghouse concept of the older organization. Simpson continued to co-edit Femme, and when the name was changed to Atlanta Woman in December 1983, she remained as co-editor.

Extent

2 item(s) (transcript (26 pages) audio)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

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