I
NTERVIEW


 

Up

 

 

 

 

Fox describes the experience of being part of Rollins’ honors course on the atomic bomb (Play Audio)

    
Fox: During the conference of the atom bomb and world government, which had outstanding people participating – I.I. Robbie, one of the great nuclear scientists, and William Laurence, the science editor of the New York Times, William Douglas, the supreme court justice, and Corliss Lamont, of the World Federalist, and James Carey, head of the United Electrical Union, and other really important people were at that conference. The United Press reporter, for some reason, had to go back home, and I guess I was recommended, so I took over as the stringer for the United Press. And here I was, probably seventeen years old at the time, and it was certainly a great honor, and great experience and I think I did a good job.

(Back to Top)


Fox describes the meeting NOW officers held with the producers of Sesame Street (Play Audio)


Fox:   In about 1972 probably, NOW officers were saying we’ve got to something about Sesame Street. It doesn’t have any women role models. The only woman in it is a housewife in an apron, and all the role models are men – almost all the puppets are men. So I arranged for a meeting between Joan Ganz Cooney, and the other leaders of Sesame Street with the leaders of NOW and helped them arrive at some understandings that would lead to more inspiring roles for women.
  

                                                                                                                           (Back to Top)


 

Alli: What has been your biggest challenge in your career? (Play Audio)


Fox:  Well, there’s been so many (laughs). The biggest challenge I would say is sex discrimination every step of the way. I remember once the president of our agency said to me, “Well Muriel, you’re wonderful, we love you.” As a matter of fact, I had been made vice-president. I was the youngest vice-president at Buyer. But he said, “You know, you’ve gone as far as you can go, because senior management of these giant corporations we’ve worked with – senior management can’t relate to a woman. So it really took NOW to change the whole climate – the business climate as well as the social climate – to make it possible for the senior management to relate to women.

(Back to Top)



Fox describes her involvement with the Equal Rights movement (Play Audio)

     Fox:  We marched in Washington to extend the deadline for ratifying the ERA. And this picture – I was wearing my – we were all wearing white because the suffragists wore white – and I was wearing my daughter’s white graduation dress, which was very pretty. And I was ahead of the line, and I grabbed this young girl, which I think was seven years old, the daughter of Lynn Chaffin, a very important lawyer in the women’s movement, and I said, “Come on Brooke, let’s head the parade.” As a matter of fact, this medallion was made from that march, and it shows a woman in white dress – me – and Brooke – the little girl – leading the parade. So, I’m proud to wear that.

(Back to Top)


 

 

Zhang:  Forty-years after founding NOW. So what is your view of women’s movement and what would be your advice to young women like Jennifer and Alia, when they are going to start their career?  (Play Audio)

     Fox:  Well first of all, I would have to say we have to continue the movement. There’s a lot of work to be done, and it’s very satisfying when you get results, when you get something done. Don’t think the work has already been done. Many of the doors has already been open, but there are still a lot of closed doors and its very exciting if you can help other women through those doors and as I did, I ended up, helping myself. So, it really – it works that way so that I would certainly say get involved in the women’s movement. And, also, don’t think that you can’t have it all. You know people say oh well you can’t have a family if you want a career. That’s not true. You know I had a family, and a career, and the satisfaction with working with NOW.
 


                                                                                                                               
(Back to Top)