I think of the summer of 1970. August 26th. The 50th anniversary of the 19th
Amendment. I remember running into Kate Stimpson up here. I asked her if she
was going to march in the parade down 5th Avenue. I remember her startled reply:
"Are you going to march?" obviously alarmed that someone of my advanced years

would be up to it.

I was 44.

Kate told me that a number of Barnard faculty would be marching too, and to look
for them by the Plaza fountain near the abortion placards. I said I'd bring signs we
could wear around our necks -- to free hands for pocketbooks. I got big Barnard
blue paper plates and hung them on ribbons. I painted "Academic Equality" on

them -- with red nail polish.

In the huge crowds I never found the Barnard troops. But I found a few feminists
from Burlington Industries led by my friend Letitia Baldrige, a very new officer of

the company. They happily wore my signs for the march.

Off we went, heckled by men along the route. A couple of times, men I knew called

out, "Elly, what are you doing?"