Barbara Macdonald

Barbara Anne Macdonald (nee Charles, September 11, 1913 – June 15, 2000) was an American social worker, lesbian feminist and ageism activist.[1] Macdonald believed that ageism was a "central feminist issue" and made it the core of her activism.[2] At the time, she was a "lone voice" fighting against and talking about ageism.[2] Macdonald felt that ageism divided women and that the stigma of aging became a trap.[3] In addition, Macdonald felt that defining women by their familial roles was the central contributor to ageism.[4] She felt that older women tend to be seen as caretakers and mother-figures instead of as individuals.[5] Macdonald used her anger to fuel her activism and through her anger; she identified many aspects of age-related issues that affect older women, such as poverty, physical challenges caused by age, violence against older women, and health issues, all of which she felt were not adequately addressed by younger feminists.[6] Macdonald's book Look Me in the Eye: Old Women, Aging and Ageism inspired the formation of the group Old Lesbians Organizing for Change.[7][8]

Barbara Anne Macdonald
Born
Barbara Anne Charles

September 11, 1913
Pomona, California, U.S.
DiedJune 15, 2000(2000-06-15) (aged 86)
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley, University of Washington
OccupationSocial Worker
Known forFeminist activism, especially relating to ageism

Biography

Macdonald was born in Pomona, California and grew up in La Habra, California.[1] When she was 15, she left home and began to support herself as a domestic worker in Long Beach, California.[1]

She attended Long Beach Junior College from 1931-1932 and Santa Ana Junior College from 1932-1937.[1] She was nearly expelled from Santa Ana Junior College for being a lesbian.[1] She later attended University of California, Berkeley, from 1938-1940 where she supported herself as a stunt parachute jumper.[1] She had a brief marriage to John Macdonald in 1941, where she received her last name.[9]

After graduating from Berkeley, she had a job at the WPA Vallejo Housing Authority.[9] She later attended the University of Washington from 1950-1953 where she received her bachelors and a masters of social work.[9] She moved to Wenatchee, Washington and had a job as a supervisor in Child Welfare Services.[9] Macdonald would work as a social worker for most of her adult life.[4]

Macdonald began to think differently about aging in the late 1970s. When she was at a march in New England in 1978, she began to fall behind. The marshal of the parade noted her age and told her to move to another part of the line because she couldn't keep up. The incident taught Macdonald that pride in strength is false pride because as people age, they become weaker.[10] Macdonald decided not to feel shame at being physically weak and instead realized that she needed to fight against ageism.[11]

In 1974, she retired as a social worker and during that same year, she met her partner, Cynthia Rich who was teaching a feminist workshop that Macdonald attended.[9] Rich and Macdonald would be together for twenty-six years.[9]

In 1983, Macdonald and Rich published Look Me in the Eye: Women, Aging and Ageism.[12] The book was considered "extremely rare" by May Sarton and called "courageous" by Robin Morgan.[13] Old Lesbians Organizing for Change was founded in 1987 with their initial meeting inspired by the publication of the book.[7]

In 1985, Macdonald gave a pivotal speech at a national Women's Studies conference, where she continued to express her idea that ageism is an important feminist issue where old women are denied humanity and are reduced to stereotypes.[14] She had fought for four years prior to get her speech realized at the conference and for the organizers to include the topic of aging.[13]

Macdonald was invited to talk at many different organizations throughout her life, including universities, social worker organizations and to "lesbian and feminist audiences."[8] She was also invited to speak on international panels at the Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) forum at the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing.[8] Many of Macdonald's "finest speeches never made their way into print, and many of her best speeches and articles were never collected in a book."[4]

Macdonald suffered from "debilitating memory loss" in the last four years of her life.[4] She died of Alzheimer's disease on June 15, 2000.[9]

Bibliography
  • Macdonald, Barbara; Rich, Cynthia (1983). Look Me in the Eye: Old Women, Aging and Ageism. Spinsters Ink Books. ISBN 978-1883523404.
  • Macdonald, Barbara (1986). "Outside the Sisterhood: Ageism in Women's Studies". In Alexander, Jo (ed.). Women and Aging: An Anthology by Women. Carvallis, Oregon: Calyx Books. ISBN 978-0934971003.
  • Macdonald, Barbara (2000). "Politics of Aging: I'm Not Your Mother". In Plott, Michele; Umanski, Lauri (eds.). Making Sense of Women's Lives: An Introduction to Women's Studies. Lanham, Maryland: Collegiate Press. pp. 438–442. ISBN 9780939693535.
  • Macdonald, Barbara (2003). "The Politics of Aging". In Robin Morgan (ed.). Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium. New York City, New York: Washington Square Press. ISBN 0-7434-6627-6.
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References
  1. "Barbara Macdonald papers, 1979-2003". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. Weil, Lise (February 2007). "Remembering Barbara Macdonald". Trivia (5). Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  3. White, Aaronette M.; Martin, Vera C. (2010). "Gay, Gray, and a Place to Stay: Living It Up and Out in an RV". In White, Aaronette M. (ed.). African Americans Doing Feminism: Putting Theory in to Everyday Practice. Albany, New York: State University of New York. p. 120. ISBN 9781438431413.
  4. Weil, Lise (2000). "In the Service of Truth: Remembering Barbara Macdonald". Lesbian Review of Books. 7 (2): 18. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  5. Copper, Baba (1990). "The View from Over the Hill". In Allen, Jeffner (ed.). Lesbian Philosophies and Cultures: Issues in Philosophical Historiography. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. pp. 230. ISBN 978-0791403839.
  6. Swallow, Jean (1986). "Both Feet in Life: Interviews with Barbara Macdonald and Cynthia Rich". In Alexander, Jo (ed.). Women and Aging: An Anthology by Women. Corvallis, Oregon: Calyx, Inc. pp. 193–203. ISBN 9780934971003.
  7. "Old Lesbians Organizing for Change Records". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  8. Morgan, Robin (2003). Sisterhood is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium. Washington Square Press. pp. 160. ISBN 9780743466271.
  9. "Rich, Cynthia. Papers of Cynthia Rich and Barbara Macdonald, 1893-2004: A Finding Aid". Harvard University Library. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  10. Karpf, Anne (2014). How to Age. New York: Picador. p. 169. ISBN 9781250058980.
  11. Woodward, Kathleen (2009). Statistical Panic: Cultural Politics and Poetis of the Emotions. Duke University Press Books. pp. 76–77. ISBN 9780822392316.
  12. Lipscomb, Valerie Barnes; Rich, Cynthia (2006). "'We Need a Theoretical Base': Cynthia Rich, Women's Studies, and Ageism: An Interview". NWSA Journal. 18 (1): 3–12. doi:10.1353/nwsa.2006.0013.
  13. Marshall, Leni (2006). "Aging: A Feminist Issue". NWSA Journal. 18 (1): vii–xii. doi:10.1353/nwsa.2006.0014.
  14. Calasanti, Toni M.; Slevin, Kathleen F. (2001). Gender, Social Inequalities and Aging. Lanham, Maryland: AltaMira Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780759101852.
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