Maura McNiel (April 11, 1921 – July 18, 2020) was an American

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 ...

whose actions paved the way for

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, modern

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, advocacy on behalf of abused women, promotion of the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

, and passage of

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

. McNiel was active for over forty years in the Dallas women's movement. She died on July 18, 2020, aged 99.

Early life

Maura McNiel was born in

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on April 11, 1921 where she learned the importance of

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from the integration of Minneapolis area schools. In 1941, she attended

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in Minneapolis. Moving to the

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

area in the early 1950s, she became active within Dallas political and feminist groups, and was instrumental in the founding of the Women's Center of Dallas (now closed). An ardent and

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feminism 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 ...

in the 1960s, McNiel joined several women's groups focused on expanding women's roles and eliminating prevalent

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s. She became a member of the

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and People for the American Way, seeking to expand her opportunities in the working world as a recent college graduate. Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, McNiel witnessed changes like

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, which motivated her to improve the rights and benefits of the

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Personal life

She married Thomas H. McNiel on February 1, 1952; they were divorced in Dallas on July 16, 1991.

Involvement in Dallas politics

McNiel became very involved in the Dallas feminist movement in the late 1960s through the 1980s. Her involvement in Women for Change, the Domestic Violence Interaction Alliance of Dallas (DVIA), and EXPLORE — a women's identity group — expanded her interest in local politics. McNiel actively lobbied in

Dallas City Hall Dallas City Hall is the seat of municipal government of the city of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is located at 1500 Marilla in the Government District of downtown Dallas. The current building, the city's fifth city hall, was completed in 19 ...

for the rights and protections of battered women, which led to the creation of the Women's Center of Dallas — a resource for local women, most notably financial assistance, legal assistance, housing, and job training to victims of

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. The Women's Center in Dallas was modeled after established organizations nationwide which acted as a means to remove battered women from troubled homes, and into a

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of their own.

Involvement in national politics

Maura McNiel also worked for the passage of the

of 1972 by speaking at local assemblies and rallies across

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, However, the amendment fell three short of the number of states needed to ratify it. McNiel participated in other campaigns that proved more successful, such as the passage of Title IX in 1972. While not providing the blanket coverage, the Equal Rights Amendment would have, Title IX did grant the rights of educational freedom for women that would have resounding repercussions, expanding into the creation of more women's sports teams and athletic

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s at the collegiate level.Austin Commission on Status of Women (June 1977). State of Texas.

Awards

*In 1978, McNiel won the

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award from the Women's Center of Dallas. *In 1984, the Women Helping Women awards were renamed "The Maura's" in honor of McNiel's contributions to the advancement of women in society. *In 1985, McNiel was nominated for admission into the

Texas Women's Hall of Fame The Texas Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1984 by the Governor's Commission on Women. The honorees are selected biennially from submissions from the public. The honorees must be either native Texans, or a resident of Texas at the time of th ...

. *In 1985, the Women's Center of Dallas renamed their annual Women Helping Women awards to the honorary Maura Women Helping Women awards.

References