THE PEORIA MYSTIQUE:
A HOMETOWN STORY
by Barbara Mantz Drake
As the nation changed, Peoria was always an influence on the work of Betty Friedan.
HISTORIANS SAY BETTY FRIEDAN IS
AMONG THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN
ever t o have lived a nd her classic. The Feminine
on those she considered t o be sensible "real women"—as opposed t o
her "radical Eastern chic" counterparts.
W h e n I i n t e r v i e w e d Betty Friedan (she changed the spelling o f
a m o n g the most i m p o r t a n t books
her first name early i n her career) i n 1999,1 asked w h a t she t o o k f r o m
ever w r i t t e n . So w h e n the m o t h e r o f f e m i n i s m
Peoria. H e r response was p o w e r f u l : "A certain rootedness. A sense o f
credits her h o m e t o w n for m u c h o f w h a t she
solidarity. The p o w e r o f c o m m u n i t y . A can-do s p i r i t . . . I f there was a
became, I take some pride. It's a m o n g the rea-
p r o b l e m , y o u c o u l d organize i n the c o m m u n i t y t o deal w i t h the p r o b -
sons I've w o r k e d the last few years t o spread
lem." I can make a p r e t t y g o o d argument that i f she hadn't believed i n
Betty Friedan's story i n her h o m e t o w n .
the p o w e r o f people w o r k i n g together t o change things, she w o u l d n ' t
Mystique,
Not
that
Bettye
Goldstein's
time i n
Peoria was always happy. I t wasn't. Here was
have b o t h e r e d t o l a u n c h the m o v e m e n t that changed things for w o m e n
here and across the land.
where she learned h o w b i t t e r l y d i s c r i m i n a t i o n
"Much that I am IS
Peoria."
—Betty Friedan, as
quoted In the New
York Times, May 21,
1976
60
h u r t s . Here was where her father, H a r r y G o l d -
ROOTED IN PEORIA
stein, forced her mother, M i r i a m H o r w i t z , t o
Betty Friedan's h o m e t o w n story begins w i t h her b i r t h o n February 4,
quit the newspaper j o b she loved a n d become
1921, b u t the city had been shaping her f u t u r e well before that. H e r
a housewife. H e r mother's resulting u n h a p -
father fled Eastern Europe as a teen t o escape the p o g r o m s and w o r k e d
piness p r o m p t e d the c h i l d t o pray, " W h e n I
his way t o Peoria, where he set u p a street-corner stand selling b u t -
g r o w up, I w a n t a w o r k t o do." B u t here she
tons, an endeavor that m o r p h e d i n t o t h e highly successful G o l d s t e i n
also made friends for life, r e t u r n i n g f r o m t i m e
Jewelers. H a r r y was an independent t h i n k e r w h o c o u l d n o t have been
to t i m e w h e n she w a n t e d t o t r y o u t her ideas
surprised that his oldest child became one as well; according t o sister
InterBusiness Issues - February 2016
A m y , he directed his toughest questions t o Betty w h e n the f a m i l y dis-
" I t was miserable being 'different' i n Peoria," Friedan w r o t e . But i t
was also at Peoria H i g h School that she h o n e d her creative and w r i t i n g
cussed politics a r o u n d the d i n n e r table.
Betty's m o t h e r was t h e daughter o f an aspiring rabbi w h o ' d fled
skills; came under the influence o f t o p - n o t c h history and philosophy
Hungary, also t o escape t h e pogroms; he w e n t o n t o graduate f r o m
teachers w h o encouraged students t o argue about the l o o m i n g war, fas-
medical school and become Peoria County's first health commissioner.
cism and c o m m u n i s m ; and became d r a w n t o the labor m o v e m e n t and
M i r i a m H o r w i t z finished Bradley University's two-year p r o g r a m , t h e n
issues o f class.
began w r i t i n g for one o f The Journal Star's predecessor papers. Friedan's
Fortunately, an antidote t o her misery a r r i v e d i n the f o r m o f n e w
autobiography. Life So Far, largely blames her mother's misery for the
friends, H a r r i e t 'Vance most i m p o r t a n t l y . They w o u l d r e m a i n best
bitter, screaming fights that shook their h o m e at 1011 W . F a r m i n g t o n
friends for life, going o f f together t o S m i t h College a n d sharing an
Road. (It is still there, across f r o m Bradley Park.)
a p a r t m e n t w h i l e w o r k i n g i n N e w York C i t y d u r i n g W o r l d W a r I I . Later,
Yet m u c h o f her c h i l d h o o d was h a p p y She recalled h i k i n g , sled-
H a r r i e t l e d a t o r c h l i g h t parade here i n s u p p o r t o f t h e Equal Rights
d i n g , b i k i n g , playing girl detective w i t h friends i n the park and b o r r o w -
A m e n d m e n t . A s a delegate t o t h e Illinois C o n s t i t u t i o n a l C o n v e n t i o n ,
i n g books f r o m the l i b r a r y — s i x at a t i m e , Dad's l i m i t . N o t surprisingly,
John Parkhurst, the m a n H a r r i e t m a r r i e d , s u p p o r t e d its equal rights
Bettye's creative and rebellious sides emerged early. She p e r f o r m e d at
provisions. D e l i v e r i n g a eulogy at Harriet's funeral, Betty declared, "She
Peoria Players, w r o t e a play and loved hanging o u t at the theater. A t
made me p r o u d t o be f r o m Peoria." That's p o w e r f u l influence.
W h i t t i e r Grade School, she f o u n d e d The Baddy Baddy C l u b , i n defiance
of the school's "goody-goodies" and a substitute teacher she didn't like.
National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 with Gloria
Steinem, Rep. Bella Abzug and Rep. Shirley Chisholm
I n j u n i o r high, she w o n an essay contest o n " W h y I A m P r o u d To Be an
A m e r i c a n " and was rewarded w i t h a pat o n the head by Congressman
Everett D i r k s e n . She said b o t h parents encouraged her t o w r i t e , and her
dad kept her w r i t i n g s i n his safe.
CREATIVE
ASPIRATIONS
It does n o t d i m i n i s h the p o w e r o f f a m i l y t o assert that Peoria's real
influence o n Betty Friedan can best be seen i n her h i g h school years.
I t was at Peoria H i g h that she felt discrimination's sting for the first
t i m e , w h e n her friends d r o p p e d her because she was Jewish. They were
flocking
t o h i g h school sororities that w o u l d n ' t a d m i t Jews, m u c h as the
Peoria C o u n t r y C l u b refused t o accept her father. A t the t i m e , the club
d i d n o t a d m i t Jewish m e n , o r w o m e n o f any faith.
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InterBusiness Issues - February 2016
W i t h Parl<hurst, Betty w r o t e a c o l u m n
employees' u n i o n head refused t o act o n her b e h a l f telling her
for the school newspaper. W i t h other friends,
it was her fault f o r getting pregnant. So i t must have been a
she started a literary magazine called
sweet v i c t o r y some t w o decades later w h e n the U.S. Supreme
Tide.
I n her autobiography, she recalls having n o
C o u r t — p u s h e d i n large part by the feminist m o v e m e n t she
t r o u b l e getting m o n e y f r o m Peoria merchants
l a u n c h e d — r u l e d that employers c o u l d n o t dismiss pregnant
t o launch the p u b l i c a t i o n , one o f the examples
w o m e n as l o n g as they were able to w o r k . N o r c o u l d they re-
she cites o f the power o f people w o r k i n g t o -
fuse t o hire m o t h e r s o f preschoolers unless they also refused
gether t o change things. I find t w o o f her a r t i -
t o hire fathers o f preschoolers.
cles prophetic. O n e compares female students
Bea Grasshopper a n d A d a A u n t . Bea "saunt e r e d " i n t o class w h i l e p u t t i n g o n her makeup,
t h e n w a l k e d sexily t o her chair. A d a (Betty's
alter ego; she was a school valedictorian) was
a serious student; she got an A i n class a n d
ended u p as a secretary, w h i l e Bea m a r r i e d
the professor and l i v e d a h i g h - f l y i n g life! The
other article, entitled " I A m Paper," argues that
a simple sheet of paper has enormous powers,
for i t is t h e carrier o f news a n d h i s t o r y a n d
ideas. Pretending t o be a sheet o f paper, Betty
w r o t e , " I a m t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g i n the
w o r l d . I rule the w o r l d . "
Friedan said she didn't set o u t t o start a r e v o l u t i o n — i t just
happened—and she t o l d me she couldn't possibly have predicted
"the incredible i m p a c t " o f The Feminine
Mystique.
She began w r i t i n g
i t i n 1958, w h i l e l i v i n g i n suburban N e w York C i t y and d o i n g freelance
w r i t i n g for women's magazines. The b o o k grew o u t o f a survey o f her S m i t h College classmates
for their 15th r e u n i o n . W i t h the exception o f a "zestful" small n u m b e r using their education i n
interesting careers, she f o u n d the significant m a j o r i t y t o be an unhappy b u n c h . Eighty percent
said their greatest regret was n o t p l a n n i n g t o l i n k their education t o a profession. The b o o k
asserted that w o m e n had a p r o b l e m , "a p r o b l e m that had no name," b u t reflected their need for
a life spent d o i n g more t h a n cleaning ovens and m a k i n g sandwiches t o feel fulfilled. D i d n ' t men?
It's h a r d n o w t o perceive h o w r e v o l u t i o n a r y that assertion was, o r w h y i t p r o v o k e d so m u c h
controversy. But for every m i d d l e - A m e r i c a n w o m a n inspired by her w o r d s , there seemed t o be
another w o m a n — o r m a n — w h o accused her of t r y i n g t o destroy the family.
Even i n her h o m e t o w n , she said she felt like a pariah i n those p o s t - p u b l i c a t i o n early years.
Nearly 80 years later, it's easy to conclude
W h e n she r e t u r n e d t o Peoria for a h i g h school r e u n i o n shortly after the b o o k came o u t i n
the obvious: that someone w h o saw h o w
1963, she said she was treated rudely. H e r brother, H a r r y Goldstein, C o h e n F u r n i t u r e Co. b o a r d
society rewarded pretty w o m e n a n d penal-
c h a i r m a n , t o o k his kids o u t o f t o w n t o avoid having t o explain her, she said. She stayed w i t h the
ized smart ones, a n d t h o u g h t w r i t i n g r u l e d
physician. Bob Easton and his family. He'd been her first b o y f r i e n d and became another lifelong
the w o r l d , w o u l d go o n t o w r i t e a b o o k that
Peoria f r i e n d .
helped change h o w w o m e n are perceived and
treated. But she t o l d a reporter for the Peoria
THE CHANGING
H i g h paper that b e c o m i n g a w r i t e r was her
A t r i p t o Peoria 13 years later signified h o w m u c h things had changed. W o m e n greeted her
second choice; she w a n t e d t o be a psychiatrist.
at t h e a i r p o r t h o l d i n g handmade signs reading "Peoria - H o m e o f Betty Friedan." O b v i o u s l y
Regardless, her mission was clear, according
delighted, she said this about her h o m e t o w n t o the New York Times reporter covering her visit:
TIMES
to classmate a n d g o o d f r i e n d D o u g P a l m e r
H e t o l d author Daniel H o r o w i t z that a teenage
Betty had said t o h i m , " I w a n t to do s o m e t h i n g
w i t h m y l i f e . . . I w a n t success and fame."
PIONEERING A REVOLUTION
Betty d i d excel i n w r i t i n g at S m i t h
College,
e d i t i n g the student paper, w i n n i n g a literary
prize and starting a critique o f professors and
courses. A n unhappy stint at Cal Berkeley i n
pursuit o f a master's degree i n psychology
ended w i t h a decision t o j o i n friends i n N e w
York C i t y and pursue a w r i t i n g career She was
able t o launch i t at Federated Press because
o f her talent, b u t also because W o r l d W a r
I I required a l o t o f m e n . W h e n the soldiers
r e t u r n e d , the result was predictable and c o m monplace: she was let go.
Six years later,
after
she'd m e t
and m a r r i e d C a r l
Friedan,
it
hap-
pened
again. The
labor
paper
employed
fired
her
she
that
her
when
became
pregnant
with
her second c h i l d .
(She
went o n to
have
three.) The
peoriannagazines.com
63
"It's a conservative small city, b u t i t comprises
the essence o f the best i n A m e r i c a and some
of the w o r s t . L o o k i n g back, the strength that
I have comes f r o m here." Brother H a r r y t o l d
the reporter, " I wasn't very happy w i t h her i n
those [early] years. She was a cross I had t o
bear... M a y b e Betty hasn't changed, b u t society has m o v e d o n . People aren't laughing any
m o r e o r criticizing."
Three years ago, I called H a r r y n o w l i v ing i n C a l i f o r n i a , t o invite h i m to Peoria's 50th
anniversary celebration o f the p u b l i c a t i o n o f
The Feminine
Mystique.
W h i l e he c o u l d n o t
attend, he said he was happy their h o m e t o w n
was d o i n g this and he'd come t o respect the
w o r k his sister d i d . " O f t e n , she was way out
f r o n t , a lonely place t o be," he w r o t e . She may
have been " b l o o d i e d " b u t she was never defeated " i n her passionate zeal t o make a posi-
FRIEDAN SAID SHE DIDN'T SET OUT
tive difference."
So w h a t changed? W o m e n
changed—
TO START A REVOLUTION—IT JUST
and so d i d the c o u n t r y O f course, i t t o o k
more
than
the p u b l i c a t i o n o f one b o o k
(Friedan w e n t o n to w r i t e six) t o p r o m p t those
HAPPENED—AND SHE COULDN'T POSSIBLY
changes. I t t o o k passage o f the C i v i l Rights
HAVE PREDICTED "THE INCREDIBLE IMPACT"
A c t o f 1964, w h i c h o u t l a w e d d i s c r i m i n a t i o n
OF THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE
on the basis o f gender as w e l l as race. I t t o o k
the w o r k o f t h e N a t i o n a l O r g a n i z a t i o n f o r
W o m e n ( N O W ) , w h i c h Friedan c o f o u n d e d
w h e n the federal agency i m p l e m e n t i n g that
act started exempting w o m e n f r o m enforcem e n t activities. I t t o o k demonstrations a n d
speeches i n cities across the country. I t t o o k
a series o f Supreme C o u r t rulings establishing equality under the law and legislation like
Title I X , w h i c h requires schools p r o v i d i n g
sports programs for boys t o provide t h e m for
girls as well. A n d i t took m a n y other changes,
some i n Friedan's h o m e t o w n . W o m e n here
have taken o n executive positions at Caterpillar Inc., t h e hospitals, t h e medical school,
Bradley U n i v e r s i t y a n d the newspaper
that
w o u l d have been unimaginable i n 1963. The
results aren't perfect, b u t the changes have
been dramatic.
Some
examples:
A LASTING
LEGACY
A s the n a t i o n changed, Peoria c o n t i n u e d t o influence the w o r k o f Betty
Friedan. I t had a role i n her highly p u b l i c i z e d split w i t h G l o r i a Steinem
over her efforts t o take N O W i n a d i r e c t i o n Friedan's
autobiography
calls "anti-male, a n t i - m o t h e r h o o d , a n t i - f e m i n i s m a n d increasingly p r o lesbian." A n d t h e n she explained, " I come f r o m Peoria, Illinois, after all."
She f u r t h e r credited Peoria w i t h p u t t i n g her i n a p o s i t i o n t o understand
the lives o f "real" w o m e n and t o reach t h e m w h e n others c o u l d n o t . H e r
autobiography asserts, " I had a sense o f h o w t o speak t o all w o m e n , n o t
just a little radical chic g r o u p . I had lived m y adult life i n N e w York, b u t
there was strength, I guess, i n c o m i n g f r o m Peoria."
The
1960
census
A n d w h a t concerned "real" women? Ensuring that their aspirations
showed just 7.2 percent o f physicians were
d i d n o t h a r m their famiUes, she said. That required addressing basic is-
w o m e n ; by 2010, 32.3 percent were. O n l y 1.5
sues, such as sharing household responsibilities w i t h one's spouse, paid
percent o f state t r i a l c o u r t judges were female
parental leave and access t o c h i l d care. She t o l d me the nation's failure
i n 1960; by 2010, that n u m b e r had reached
to establish a p r o g r a m t o ensure availability o f h i g h - q u a l i t y c h i l d care t o
25 percent. I n 1960, less t h a n 28 percent o f
w o r k i n g parents was the biggest d i s a p p o i n t m e n t o f her career—bigger
w o m e n w i t h c h i l d r e n under 18 were i n the
t h a n the failure t o pass the ERA. I t h i n k that says a l o t about Betty Friedan.
labor force; i n 2010, 65 percent were. The
I suspect some o f the credit for believing she k n e w w h a t concerned
changes i n college degrees awarded are even
"real" w o m e n goes t o the Peoria w o m e n — a n d
m o r e dramatic. W o m e n made u p 30.5 per-
Friedan picked o n her visits home. Brother H a r r y agrees. "These gather-
cent o f bachelor's degrees awarded i n 1960
ings and the thoughts and responses u n d o u b t e d l y i m p a c t e d her t h i n k i n g
and 57 percent i n 2010, less t h a n one percent
as she was w o r k i n g o n a b o o k or a lecture," he t o l d me. O n this basis alone,
of dental degrees vs. nearly 46 percent, a n d
Peoria played a part i n changing the w o r l d . i B i
men—whose
brains
5.5 percent o f medical degrees c o m p a r e d t o
48.2 percent. Given those n u m b e r s , I have
to believe w e w i l l see even greater equity i n
career
representation—and
leadership—in
the next census.
64
InterBusiness Issues - February 2016
Barbara Drake is the retired editorial page editor of The lournal Star and
member of the Betty Friedan Hometown Tribute committee, which seeks to
honor Friedan in her hometown through education. Learn more about her—and
Friedan—at
bradley.edu/bettyfriedantribute.