1970s INCREASING INCLUSION

All together now

Feminist activism exploded in tandem with the civil rights movement of the ’60s and ’70s. Across the globe, women pushed for equal pay and access to opportunities that would eventually become constitutional rights.

1971 Drivers of change

Gloria Steinem is a journalist and activist who emerged in the 1960s and remains vocal to this day. Writing for New York Magazine in 1969, she published a piece titled “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation,” which launched her to the forefront of the feminist movement. She co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and the Women’s Action Alliance in 1971.

"Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It’s about making life more fair for women everywhere. It’s not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It’s about baking a new pie." — Gloria Steinem

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11625

President Nixon signed Executive Order 11625, coordinating a national program for minority-owned businesses.

Pride, defined

Homosexuality was considered a crime in the United States until the 1960s. Gay people in the workforce were subject to termination or even arrest because of sexual orientation. The Stonewall riots of 1969 began when New York City police raided a gay club in Greenwich Village, sparking a riot that led to six days of protest and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement of the ’70s. The first Gay Pride Week took place in New York City a year later, commemorating the riots and LGBTQ activists finding their voices.

1978 Drivers of change

In January 1978, Harvey Milk became the first openly gay official elected to office in California. He worked to defeat Proposition 6, a law that would have banned gay and lesbian teachers from working in public schools. Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated on November 27, 1978.

"History will not be kind to Richard Nixon, but on the subject of supplier diversity and minority business development, it was Richard Nixon who reached out to Corporate America and said we need to give Blacks and other minorities a piece of the American pie." — Ralph G. Moore, Founder and President, Ralph G. Moore & Associates

President Nixon sits at his desk with Equal Employment Opportunities Commission Chairman William H. Brown III, Counselor Arthur F. Burns and Special Assistant Robert Brown. Nixon signed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in 1972.

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AP Photo/Carlos Rene Perez
Gary Fong/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
White House Photo Office

Course: Introduction to Supplier Diversity