Peg Yorkin (April 16, 1927 – June 25, 2023) was an American feminist activist, philanthropist, and fundraiser. She served as cofounder and chair of the

Feminist Majority Foundation The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, whose stated mission is to advance non-violence and women's power, equality, and economic development. The name Feminist Majority com ...

Early life

Yorkin was born Peggy Diem on April 16, 1927, in New York City, where she also grew up. An only child of a Catholic father and Jewish mother, Yorkin was raised in neither religion and described herself as "no believer". "The religions are patriarchal. I don't believe in any of them, or a God, or a Goddess." She described her family circumstances as "genteel poverty". Her father's alcoholism negated his career as a cinematographer for legendary filmmaker

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

and forced the family to live "on the kindness of my mother's relatives." She went to

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, had a brief acting stint and an early marriage that lasted two years.

Career

In 1991, she made a endowment and gift to the

(of which she was a cofounder and chair) and the Fund for the Feminist Majority, a sister organization that she co-founded in 1987. The first program of the endowment was to help make RU 486 or another anti-progestin available to women. Yorkin received the Women of Courage Award in 1993. Yorkin spoke at the Feminist Expo 2000 at the

Baltimore Convention Center The Baltimore Convention Center is a convention and exhibition hall located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The center is a municipal building owned and operated by the City of Baltimore. The facility was constructed in two separate phases: th ...

, and also produced live theater in Los Angeles. Yorkin was criticized by ''

Bitch Bitch may refer to: * A female dog or other canine * Bitch (slang), a vulgar slur for a human female Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television * ''The Bitch'' (film), a 1979 film starring Joan Collins * ''Bitc ...

'' magazine for saying in 2009, in regard to

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

, "My personal thoughts are let the guy go. It’s bad a person was raped. But that was so many years ago. The guy has been through so much in his life. It’s crazy to arrest him now. Let it go. The government could spend its money on other things."

Personal life

Yorkin was married to

Bud Yorkin Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Yorkin was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents. He earned a deg ...

from 1954 until their divorce in 1984. They had two children,

Nicole Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Euro ...

and

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, both TV writers. She had four grandchildren. Yorkin had dementia. She died in her home in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

on June 23, 2023, at the age of 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorkin, Peg 1927 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews Activists from New York City American feminists Barnard College alumni Jewish feminists 21st-century American philanthropists 21st-century women philanthropists 20th-century women philanthropists 20th-century American philanthropists American women philanthropists American philanthropists People with dementia Women in California politics