Faye Wattleton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Faye Wattleton
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Wattleton in 2009
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| President of ... | |
| In office 1978–1992 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alyce Faye Wattleton
8 July 1943 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | Ohio State University (BA) Columbia University (MS) |
| Occupation | Feminist activist Author and news commentator Registered nurse |
Faye Wattleton (born Alyce Faye Wattleton on July 8, 1943) is an American activist who works for women's health rights. She was the first African American and the youngest person to become president of ... Federation of America. She was also the first woman to lead the organization since its founder, Margaret Sanger.
Today, she is a co-founder and director at EeroQ, a company that works with quantum computing. She is most known for her work in family planning and women's health.
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Early Life and Family
Faye Wattleton was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1943. She was the only child of a construction worker and a seamstress. Her mother was also a minister for the Church of God.
Because of her mother's work as a minister, her family traveled a lot. Wattleton saw how her mother's powerful speeches affected people. For eight years, she lived with relatives and friends while her parents were away for work. Wattleton believes her mother's faith, which taught not to judge others, deeply influenced her future work.
Education and Nursing Career
College and First Jobs
At just 16 years old, Faye Wattleton started college at Ohio State University. She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1964. After graduating, she taught at a nursing school in Dayton, Ohio, for two years. She also worked at a children's hospital in Columbus. There, she cared for children who were sick or not well-cared for.
Master's Degree
Wattleton received a full scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York. She was interested in helping babies born with health problems. Her master's thesis was about a special test to screen pregnant mothers for health issues. This helped doctors treat newborns right away. In 1967, she graduated with a Master of Science degree in maternal and infant care. She also became a certified nurse-midwife, a nurse trained to help with childbirth.
Working for Women's Health
Experiences in New York and Ohio
While studying for her master's degree, Wattleton worked as an intern at a hospital in Harlem. She saw many women with serious health problems because they lacked safe medical care. This experience showed her the challenges of unwanted pregnancies.
After graduating, she returned to Ohio. She became a manager for maternal and child health programs in Dayton. She noticed that many pregnant women were not getting any medical care before giving birth. Wattleton pushed for neighborhood health clinics like the ones she had seen in New York. Soon, a new clinic opened in Dayton. Wattleton and another nurse treated patients there.
