Anne Pride (July 29, 1942 – April 24, 1990) was a

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

(NOW) activist and publisher. Pride, an activist against

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, began using the term " Take Back the Night" in 1977. Pride helped found one of the first

rape crisis centers in the United States Rape crisis centers in the United States, usually capitalized as Rape Crisis Center and often abbreviated as RCC, are community-based organizations affiliated with the anti-rape movement in the U.S. Rape crisis centers in other countries offer si ...

and was involved in protecting the privacy of her clients.

Career

Pride started getting involved in

feminist activism The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such i ...

in 1968. She joined the National Organization of Women (NOW) in 1969. She served as editor of ''Do It NOW'', NOW's national newsletter from 1970 to 1976. From 1975 to 1977, she was on the board of directors for NOW. As a NOW activist, in 1977 she used the term "Take Back the Night" in a memorial she read at an anti-violence rally in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Pride was a founder of KNOW, Inc., which worked to publish

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

viewpoints. In 1977, Pride became an associate of the

Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is an American nonprofit publishing organization that was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1972. The organization works to increase media democracy and strengthen independent media. Mo Basic infor ...

(WIFP). Pride helped create one of the world's first

rape crisis center Rape crisis centers (RCCs) are community-based organizations affiliated with the anti-rape movement that work to help victims of rape, sexual abuse, and sexual violence. Central to a community's rape response, RCCs provide a number of services, su ...

s, the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) in 1974. She later became part of PAAR staff, starting in 1976. In the 1980s, she was the director of PAAR. In 1980, Pride refused to give client interview notes to the defense attorney during a

trial, citing confidentiality concerns. She was found in

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

and the

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

was upheld by the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...

. The court case led to the creation of legislation in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

which would ensure confidentiality for rape victims and counselors at crisis centers.

Personal life

Pride was born as Anne Hugget on July 29, 1942. She married Edwin Kurlfink at the age of 16, but even before her separation and divorce, wanted to change her name back to Huggett, her family name. However, Pride's father didn't want his name to be associated with the women's movement. Upon her separation from Edwin in 1977, she changed her name to Pride. She and her husband had two children. and Pride was diagnosed with

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

in 1989. She died on April 24, 1990, at West Penn Hospital after fighting cancer.

Footnotes

References

1942 births 1990 deaths American feminists Activists from Pittsburgh

External links

Anne Pride, Papers of NOW Officers.
http://www.radcliffe.edu/schles Schlesinger Library] {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509153246/http://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/ , date=May 9, 2012 , Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.