The Spirit of Women

In 1977, over 20,000 women, men, and children--2,000 as elected delegates--attended the first National Women's Conference held in Houston, Texas, to vote on a 26-resolution National Plan of Action to present to Congress. Cynthia Salzman Mondell and Allen Mondell's The Spirit of Women celebrates the 25th anniversary of the convention through interviews with attendees, archival footage, and television news coverage of the media frenzy it sparked. From the triumphant Olympics-style entrance of the torch-bearer to the commanding attendance of three former First Ladies (Rosalyn Carter, Lady Bird Johnson, and Betty Ford), and the sometimes bristling guidance of presiding officer Bella Abzug, this was an historically important summit. Offering a rousing glimpse into an era of unbridled optimism, highlights here include grueling all-night caucuses, a resolution in favor of lesbian rights, and challenges by minority women over the conference leaders' attempts to draw up a set of core issues for all women. The film doesn't shy away from the lowlights either--whether in the form of the unflappable Phyllis Schlafly, National Chairwoman to Stop ERA, or the near breakdown in parliamentary procedure over contentious issues on the floor. The participants interviewed here (including Betty Friedan, Ann Richards, and Abzug) also express more than a little chagrin over the disappointments that were to follow the convention (for example, the Carter administration ignored most of the resolutions and the hard-fought Equal Rights Amendment missed ratification by three state votes). The Spirit of Women provides moving testimony to the complexity of the many social, racial, and gender issues that continue to be relevant today. Recommended for all women's studies collections and larger collections elsewhere. Aud: H, C, P. (A. Cantú)