Jacqueline Ceballos facts for kids

Jacqueline "Jacqui" Michot Ceballos (born September 8, 1925) is an American feminist and activist. A feminist is someone who believes in equal rights for all genders. Jacqui Ceballos worked hard to make sure women had the same opportunities as men.

She used to be the president of the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She also started an organization called Veteran Feminists of America. This group helps to record the history of the second wave feminist movement. This movement was a big push for women's rights in the 1960s and 1970s.

Jacqui Ceballos was part of a famous debate in 1971 about women's roles in society. This debate was shown in the 1979 film Town Bloody Hall. She also appears in another film about feminist history called She's Beautiful When She's Angry.

Jacqui's Early Life and Inspiration

Jacqueline Michot was born in Mamou, Louisiana, on September 8, 1925. She was one of seven children. She went to school in Lafayette and studied music. She loved to sing and moved to New York City to become an opera singer.

In 1951, Jacqui married Alvaro Ceballos, a businessman from Colombia. They had four children together. In 1958, her family moved to Bogota, Colombia. There, Jacqui started the city's first opera company. It was called El Teatro Experimental de la Opera.

Later, when her marriage was ending, she read a book called The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Jacqui said this book inspired her to become an activist. An activist is someone who works to bring about social or political change. Her husband helped her start a clothing business in New York.

Becoming an Activist for Women's Rights

In 1967, Jacqui Ceballos moved back to New York City with her four children. She went to her first meeting of the National Organization for Women (NOW). NOW is a group that works for women's rights.

From 1967 to 1973, she was on the boards of NOW at both the national and local levels. She helped create a public relations committee and a speakers bureau for the organization. She also helped start the New Feminist Theater.

Leading New York NOW

In 1971, Jacqui Ceballos became the president of New York NOW. She took part in a famous public debate on April 30, 1971. The debate was called A Dialogue on Women's Liberation. She debated with well-known writers and thinkers like Norman Mailer and Germaine Greer.

This debate was filmed and later released as a documentary movie. During the debate, Jacqui Ceballos argued that women had a right and a duty to help change the world. She was upset about how women were shown in advertisements. She believed these images were not fair or respectful.

Important Roles and Campaigns

In 1971, Jacqui became NOW's Eastern Regional Director. She represented NOW at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. This is a big meeting where a political party chooses its candidate for president.

In 1974, she helped start the Women's Forum. She was the first executive director of this group. She also worked as a representative at the United Nations International Women's Conference. This was a global meeting focused on women's issues.

Jacqui Ceballos also helped create the National Women's Political Caucus. This group encourages women to get involved in politics. In 1972, she joined a campaign for Ms. magazine. The campaign supported women's health choices and freedom. It encouraged women to share their stories and take action.

In 1970, Jacqui helped Betty Friedan organize the Women's Strike for Equality. This was a large protest where women spoke out for equal rights. She also helped Friedan protest against The New York Times newspaper. They were upset because the newspaper's staff was all male.

In 1977, Jacqui Ceballos became part of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP). This is a group that works to help women communicate more. It also connects the public with media created by women.

In 2014, Jacqui Ceballos was featured in the film She's Beautiful When She's Angry. This movie tells the story of the women who started the modern women's movement.

Founding Veteran Feminists of America

In 1975, Jacqui Ceballos stepped back from general activism for a while. She started her own public relations company. This company helped advertise courses about feminism. She also started a speaker's bureau called New Feminist Talent.

In the 1980s, there was a rise in anti-feminism. This meant some people were against the ideas of feminism. Because of this, Jacqui Ceballos, along with Dorothy Senerchia, Barbara Seaman, and other early feminists, founded the Veteran Feminists of America (VFA).

The main goal of the VFA was to save the history of second-wave feminism. They also wanted to honor the women and men who were pioneers in the movement. A pioneer is someone who is among the first to do something important.

Jacqui's Personal Life

As of 2012, Jacqui Ceballos lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Her daughter, Michele, started a non-profit dance and education group there. Her husband, Alvaro, passed away at the age of 92 in Cucuta, Colombia.

See also

• List of women's rights activists