Florynce Kennedy

Florynce Rae Kennedy (February 11, 1916 – December 21, 2000) was a Black activist and feminist who founded the Feminist Party, which in 1972, nominated Shirley Chisholm for President.

She was one of the first Black women to graduate from Columbia University and she fought her way to get into Columbia Law and became one of the first Black women to graduate and become a lawyer. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, she led and participated in many protests including protesting at CBS headquarters, rallying against President Richard Nixon, protesting against abortion rights, and protesting at Harvard for a lack of women’s restrooms. In 1997 when she was 81 years old and after fighting many health issues, she continued on to fight a sexual harassment case against the National Urban League which was one of the biggest civil rights groups in the United States. Kennedy was a member of the National Organization of Women, or NOW. While she was a lawyer, she helped to end New York's strict abortion laws that were passed in the late 1960's. Kennedy was very engaged in protests, but she was also very influential in combining anti-racist protests as well as protests fighting sexism. She has helped protesters and activists in future generations to understand the combination of the ideas of anti-racism and women’s rights to fight for peace.