Judith Meuli

Judith Meuli (1938-2007)^[1] was an American feminist activist and scientist. She received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Minnesota, and was a research scientist at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied renal physiology.^[2] However, she was dissuaded from entering medical school because she was a woman and because she was considered too old at 30.^[2]

She cowrote The Feminization of Power (1988) with Toni Carabillo (her partner) and cowrote The Feminist Chronicles (1993) with Toni Carabillo and June Csida.^[2][3] The Feminization of Power grew out of a traveling exhibit that Meuli and Carabillo created for a twelve-city Feminization of Power campaign tour to empower women to run for office in 1988.^[2]

In 1967, Meuli cofounded the Los Angeles National Organization for Women, and in 1968 she was elected to serve for two years as its secretary.^[2] From 1971 to 1977, she served almost continuously as a member of NOW's National Board of Directors.^[2] From 1971 through 1974, she served as Chair of the National Membership Committee of NOW, instituting reforms such as central dues collection and an anniversary payment system.^[2] In 1974, she also chaired NOW's National Nominating Committee. In 1976, she was elected coordinator of NOW's Hollywood chapter.^[2] She was a co-editor of NOW Acts from 1970–73 and the National NOW Times from 1977-1985.^[4] She was also the editor of "Financing the Revolution" in 1973.^[5] She later was president of Los Angeles NOW from 1998-2000.^[6] Meuli also edited the National NOW publication "Do it NOW" with Toni Carabillo, and created with Carabillo a line of feminist jewelry that raised money for NOW and the Equal Rights Amendment campaign.^[6]

In 1969, she co-founded the Women's Heritage Corporation, a publishing company that produced the Women's Heritage Calendar and Almanac and a series of paperbacks on people such as Lucy Stone and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.^[2] In 1970, she formed a graphic arts firm with Carabillo in Los Angeles, Women's Graphic Communications, that produces and distributes books, newspapers, political buttons, and pins.^[2]

She was also a cofounder and board member of the Feminist Majority; in 1990, she designed and constructed a building in which to keep their archives and media center.^[2][4][5]

She designed many graphic images for T-shirts, buttons, etc., most famously one that combines the symbol for women with the "equals" sign across the circle, called the Brassy, one of which was given to Pope Paul VI by Betty Friedan in 1973.^[1][4][7] She made designs for Woman's Equality, Human Liberation, Sisterhood, Matriarchy Lives, Woman's Peace, Older Women's League, Equal Rights Amendment, Woman Thinker, Failure Is Impossible, NOW's Commemorative medallion, and many feminist issue pins in cloisonné enamel.^[2]

She also designed the Veteran Feminists of America pin and medal of honor, and was a member of their national board.^[5][8] They gave her their Trailblazer Award in 2006.^[8]

She suffered from multiple myeloma.^[4]

She donated some feminist historical artifacts to the Schlesinger Library.^[1][8] She is featured in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Women, and Feminists Who Changed America.^[2][5]

She died in 2007 at age 69.^[6]

References