Cathey W. Steinberg oral history interview, March 21 and 28, 1997

Interviewed by Janet Paulk. Steinberg begins by describing her childhood in rural Pennsylvania and her relationship with her family. She goes on to describe her transition from Northern Jewish girl to a married woman living in the South. Steinberg explains how she became involved in Georgia politics, specifically how her campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives in 1977 was very much a grass-roots effort, and because she was a woman in this predominantly male field, how she became inextricably linked with women’s issues, and was called “Cathey Steinem,” by some of the men in the Georgia Assembly. She says her foray into public office was not a deliberate pursuit but rather something that was suggested to her by a friend. In office, Steinberg was instrumental in helping to change language regarding rape victims. The Rape Bill of 1977 helped to put Steinberg and women’s issues on the map in Georgia and also propelled her into working for the Equal Rights Amendment: She was the primary sponsor of the ERA in the Georgia legislature. She explains that because she was the popular face of women’s issues in Georgia, she became referred to as the “ERA lady.” Steinberg discusses some of the organizations that helped to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment including the Feminist Action Alliance, Georgia Women’s Political Caucus, NOW and People of Faith for the ERA. She also recounts some of the interpersonal conflicts amongst women in the different organizations both at the state and national level. Steinberg openly discusses both the accomplishments and the obstacles of the Women’s Movement and how even her own personal involvement and her public persona as the “ERA lady” became somewhat problematic when she was looking for a job outside of the legislature. She also stresses the importance of women continuing to influence, write and address public policy issues, particularly those concerning women.