Rose Nader (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: روز نادر) (February 7, 1906 – January 20, 2006; born Rose Bouziane) was a Lebanese-American activist in her hometown of

Winsted, Connecticut Winsted is a census-designated place and an incorporated city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the town of Winchester. The population of Winsted was 7,712 at the 2010 census, out of 11,242 in the entire town of Win ...

. She was the mother of U.S. activist, consumer advocate, and frequent third-party candidate

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

, professor

Laura Nader Laura Nader (born February 16, 1930) is an American anthropologist. She has been a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley since 1960. She was the first woman to receive a tenure-track position in the department. She i ...

, community advocate

Shafeek Nader Shafeek Nader ( ar, شفيق نادر 1926–1986) was the first son of Rose Nader, and older brother of Ralph Nader, Laura Nader and Claire Nader. He was a community advocate and the principal founder of Northwestern Connecticut Community Colle ...

, and social scientist

Claire Nader Claire Nader (born July 18, 1928) is an American social scientist and a sister of Ralph, Laura, and Shafeek Nader.Annie BirdsongRalph Nader's Childhood Roots, Green Party of Ohio Biography She is a graduate of Smith College and holds a Ph.D. in p ...

Biography

Rose Bouziane was born in

Zahlé Zahlé ( ar, زَحْلة) is the capital and the largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli and the fourth largest taking the whole urban area (t ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. She taught high school French and

, as the first woman teacher to teach outside of her hometown, before she married Nathra Nader in 1925. They immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and soon settled in

. At home, Rose Nader grew her own vegetables and refused to serve

processed food Convenience food, also called tertiary processed food, is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) to optimise ease of consumption. Such food is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily por ...

. She also limited or banned certain foods due to her worries about

carcinogens A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substan ...

. In 1955, she confronted U.S. Senator

Prescott Bush Prescott Sheldon Bush (May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was an American banker as a Wall Street executive investment banker, he represented Connecticut in the from 1952 of the Bush family, he was the father of former Vice President and Pre ...

over a catastrophic flood in Winsted and convinced him to work on a dry-dam proposal that was later completed. Nader also fought for better

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

standards in Winsted. and advocated building a community center for children. She volunteered in

Peace Action Peace Action is a peace organization whose focus is on preventing the deployment of nuclear weapons in space, thwarting weapons sales to countries with human rights violations, and promoting a new United States foreign policy based on common sec ...

and Co-op America. Nader's first son,

, died in 1986. Nader worked as the president of the Shafeek Nader Trust for the Community Interest. Rose Nader has received inquiries over the years about how she raised her "outstanding children," including

and

. As a parent, she emphasized encouraging her children to use their imaginations. In 1991, she published a healthy-food cook book, ''It Happened in the Kitchen: Recipes for Food and Thought'' ()''.'' The book was inspired by

Lebanese cuisine Lebanese cuisine is the culinary traditions and practices originating from Lebanon. It includes an abundance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten, it ...

and includes wisdom from her husband. The proceeds from the book went towards the Shafeek Nader Trust. To promote the book, she appeared on the '' Donahue Show'' and the ''Home Show''. Nader died in her home at the age of 99 (15 days short of her 100th birthday) on January 20, 2006 from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. Soon after, a memorial was held and her son Ralph was among those who addressed the gathering. In reference to her as a mother, he called her "our anchor, compass and vision." Her family announced plans to donate 100 red rosebushes to the community and residents of Winsted in memory of her 100 years of life.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nader, Rose 1906 births 2006 deaths Lebanese emigrants to the United States People from Winsted, Connecticut Ralph Nader Activists from Connecticut People from Zahle