Jennifer_Abod
Jennifer Abod
American feminist activist, musician and journalist
Jennifer Abod (born 1946) is an American feminist activist, musician, journalist, and filmmaker.
Jennifer Abod is the sister of feminist activist Susan Abod.[1] She obtained her Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University, her Master of Science from Southern Connecticut State University, and her Ph.D. Intercultural Media Education from Union Institute and University.[2]
Abod was a co-founder and the singer of the New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Band Papa Don't Lay that Shit on Me[3] from 1970 until 1976. The highly political band played, once, in front of the White House during a women's liberation march, and at Niantic State Prison, where Erica Huggins was imprisoned. The group also recorded with the Chicago Women's Liberation Rock Band.[2] Her voice was described as "a deep blue voice she could have taken to Hollywood," by Naomi Weisstein.[1]
In 1972, Ms. published "Feminist Rock: No More Balls and Chains," which Abod contributed to, along with Virginia Blaisdell and Naomi Weisstein. She also co-wrote "The Liberation of Lydia," the first feminist radio soap opera in 1970. She was a radio broadcaster for 19 years and was the first woman in Connecticut to host a nightly AM talk radio program, "The Jennifer Abod Show," which ran from 1977 until 1980.[2] In 1985, Abod became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP).[4] WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media.
Abod would go on to co-found Women's Health Advocates, and along with Esta Soler and Laura Ponsor Sporazzi, she interviewed women in drug treatment programs in the Northeast. This program evaluated the treatment of women in these facilities, and were published in a report, "The ABC's of Drug Treatment for Women," in 1976. In 1988 she formed her own production company, Profile Productions, which produced and distributed media relating to feminist activists and cultural workers. Her first documentary was released in 2002, titled "The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde."[2]
Abod's personal archive is in the collection of the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College.[2]
| Year | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Edge of Each Others Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde[5] | This film is a tribute to the legacy of politics and poetry left behind by Audre Lorde. Footage from the four-day Boston conference "I Am Your Sisters" is included along with intercuts of interviews with organizers/scholars Jacqui Alexander and Angela Bowen. It expresses an passion of activism that is lifelong and joyous. |
| 2007 | Look us in the Eye: The Old Women's Project[6] | Cynthia Rich, Mannie Garza, and Janice Keaffaber are the 3 founders of The Old Women's Project. They decided to focus on combating ageism after 10 years of political activism together. The film shows their many techniques against the contempt and invisibility that old women experience every day. |
| 2016 | The Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen[7] | Angela Bowen is a colored girl in inner city Boston during the time of the Jim Crow laws. While running a dance school, she makes a discovery which leads her to desire a different life in a new city and discover her true identity. Her decisions and strategies for survival are influenced by challenges presented to her that deal with race, class, gender, age, and sexuality. |
| 2017 | Nice Chinese Girls Don't: Kitty Tsui[8] | Kitty Tsui is a Chinese American artist, activist, writer, poet, and body builder. This film focuses on her life as an immigrant amidst the anti-Vietnam war protests in the 1970s and her life now. |
- Rachel Blau DuPlessis; Ann Snitow (March 2007). The Feminist Memoir Project: Voices from Women's Liberation. Rutgers University Press. p. 361. ISBN 978-0-8135-3973-7. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Barbara J. Love (2006). Feminists who changed America, 1963-1975. University of Illinois Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- "About Jennifer Abod – Jennifer Abod". Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- "Associates | The Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press". www.wifp.org. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- "WOMEN MAKE MOVIES | The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde". www.wmm.com. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- "Look Us In The Eye: The Old Women's Project". terranova.org. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- "WOMEN MAKE MOVIES | The Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen". www.wmm.com. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- "Nice Chinese Girls Don't: Kitty Tsui – Jennifer Abod". Retrieved 2019-02-19.