Nadine Strossen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nadine Strossen
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| President of the American Civil Liberties Union | |
| In office February 1991 – October 18, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Norman Dorsen |
| Succeeded by | Susan Herman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1950 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Eli Noam
(m. 1980) |
| Education | Radcliffe College (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Nadine Strossen (born August 18, 1950) is an American lawyer and expert on law who is famous for her work protecting people's basic rights and freedoms. From 1991 to 2008, she was the president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a major organization that defends the rights of all people in the United States. She was the very first woman to lead the ACLU.
Strossen is also a professor at New York Law School, where she teaches about law and human rights. She is a member of important groups like the Council on Foreign Relations.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Nadine Strossen was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on August 18, 1950. Her family had a history of standing up for their beliefs, which inspired her from a young age.
Her grandfather on her mother's side came to the U.S. from Yugoslavia. During World War I, he was a conscientious objector, meaning he refused to fight in the war because he believed it was wrong. For this, he was treated poorly in public.
Her father, Woodrow J. Strossen, was born in Germany. During the time of Nazism, a cruel political system, he was treated unfairly because of his family background. He bravely spoke out against the Nazis and was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was later freed by American soldiers. Strossen's mother was also an activist who fought for women's rights.
Education and Finding Her Path
When Strossen was eight, her family moved to Hopkins, Minnesota. She loved reading and spent a lot of time at the public library. In high school, she was the only girl on the debate team, where she became a skilled public speaker.
In 1968, she went to Radcliffe College, which was connected to Harvard University. In college, she became very interested in feminism, the idea that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. She also believed strongly in civil libertarianism, which is the idea that the government should not have too much power over people's lives and freedoms.
Strossen graduated in 1972 and then went to Harvard Law School. She did very well in her studies and became an editor of a famous law journal. After graduating with high honors in 1975, she worked for a judge at the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Career as a Lawyer and Professor
After law school, Strossen worked as a lawyer in Minneapolis and then in New York City. In 1984, she decided to become a professor at New York Law School. She taught subjects like constitutional law, which is the study of the U.S. Constitution and the rights it gives to citizens.
In 1983, she joined the board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She quickly took on more leadership roles. In 1991, she was elected president of the ACLU, a very important job.
What is the ACLU?
The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a non-profit organization founded in 1920. Its main goal is to defend and protect the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution of the United States guarantees to everyone in the country. This includes freedom of speech, the right to privacy, and equal treatment for all people.
President of the ACLU
As president of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen became a leading voice for civil liberties in America. She was the first woman to hold this position, which was a major achievement. During her 17 years as president, she traveled all over the country, giving more than 200 speeches a year to explain the importance of protecting everyone's rights.
She stepped down as president in 2008 and was replaced by Susan Herman.
Other Work and Activities
Besides her work with the ACLU, Strossen has been involved in many other activities.
- She appeared in the 2000 movie Dirty Pictures.
- In 2001, she was a guest star in a play called The ... Monologues in Washington, D.C.
- She has written several books about freedom of speech. Her 2019 book, Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, was chosen for a special reading program at Washington University in St. Louis.
- She is a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance and the University of Austin.
Personal Life
Strossen is married to Eli Noam, who is a professor at Columbia Business School. They have been married since 1980.
Selected Books
