Sunday, March 27, 2011

In memoriam: A look back at the life of Geraldine Ferraro


Geraldine Anne Ferraro, the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party, passed Saturday after a 12 year battle with multiple myeloma. The fereious women's right supporter first started her career in the House of Representatives, representing New York's 9th Congressional District (Queens) for three 2 year terms from 1978 - 1982.

After rumblings that it was time for a woman to be on a major party ticket, Walter Mondale selected Ferraro to be his Vice-Presidential candidate in the summer of 1984. With her nominiation, she became not only the first woman to run on a major party national ticket in the United States but also the first Italian American.


"We've chosen the path to equality, don't let them turn us around." — Geraldine Ferraro

After the loss of the election, Ferrano ran unsuccessfully for the Senate and then went on to accept an ambassorship to the United Nations Commission to Human Rights. During that time she also wrote to best selling books, Ferraro: My Story and  Changing History: Women, Power and Politics. 
Until her death, was an avid supporter for women rights and equality in our political arena. She was 75.

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