Sheila Michaels facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sheila Michaels
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| Born |
Sheila Babs Michaels
May 8, 1939 |
| Died | June 22, 2017 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Sheila Kessler Sheila Shiki-y-Michaels |
| Occupation | Feminist |
| Years active | mid-1950s to mid-1960s |
| Known for | Popularized the term Ms. |
| Family | Meyer London (granduncle) Harriet Fraad (cousin) Rosalyn Baxandall (cousin) |
Sheila Babs Michaels (born May 8, 1939 – died June 22, 2017) was an American activist. She worked for women's rights and civil rights. She is famous for helping to make the title "Ms." popular. This title is used for women no matter if they are married or not. She was also known as Sheila Shiki-y-Michaels.
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Sheila Michaels' Early Life
Sheila Michaels was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother was Alma Weil Michaels, a writer and producer for plays. Her father was Ephraim London, a lawyer who worked for civil rights.
When Sheila was three years old, she went to live with her grandparents in New York City. Her mother did not want to raise a young child at that time. Around age eight, Sheila moved back with her mother and her mother's second husband, Harry H. Kessler. She also started using the last name Kessler.
Later, her mother and Harry Kessler did not like her political work. They asked her to stop using the Kessler name. So, Sheila changed her last name back to Michaels.
In 1957, Sheila finished high school in St. Louis. She then went to the College of William & Mary. She was asked to leave the college partly because she wrote articles against segregation for the school newspaper. Segregation was when people of different races were kept separate. After working in St. Louis for a while, Michaels moved to New York City in 1959.
Sheila Michaels' Work and Activism
Sheila Michaels was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality. This group worked for equal rights for all people.
How "Ms." Became Popular
In 1961, Sheila Michaels saw a mailing label that looked like a mistake. It had "Ms." on it. She thought it would be a good title for women. She wanted a title that did not show if a woman was married or not. The titles "Miss" and "Mrs." came from "Mistress." But "Mistress" had a different meaning now.
At first, people did not pay attention to her idea. In 1969, during a radio interview, Michaels suggested using "Ms." again. A friend of Gloria Steinem heard the interview. This friend suggested "Ms." as the name for a new magazine.
The magazine, called Ms., came out in January 1972. Because of the magazine, the title "Ms." quickly became very common.
Other Work and Contributions
In 1975, Michaels went to Laos. She helped children who were hurt during the Vietnam War.
She also worked as an oral historian. This means she interviewed people to record their stories. She interviewed members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). For ten years, she also drove a taxi in New York City. She even ran a Japanese restaurant with her husband. She wrote short stories about her taxi passengers for New York magazine.
Sheila Michaels' important papers are kept at the McCain Library at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Sheila Michaels' Personal Life
Sheila Michaels traveled and worked in many countries. These included Singapore, Turkey, India, Laos, Korea, and Japan. She was married to Hikaru Shiki, a Japanese chef. They ran a Japanese restaurant together for more than 10 years. During their marriage, Sheila changed her name to Sheila Shiki-y-Michaels. They later divorced.
Sheila Michaels died on June 22, 2017, when she was 78 years old. She died from leukemia, a type of cancer. Her granduncle was Meyer London, who was a U.S. Representative. Her cousins were Rosalyn Baxandall and Harriet Fraad.
See also
In Spanish: Sheila Michaels para niños
