Olga Madar, Address from the Inauguration of President James Brickley, 1975

Title

Olga Madar, Address from the Inauguration of President James Brickley, 1975

Files

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Description

Olga M. Madar (May 17, 1915 – May 16, 1996) was the first woman to serve on the United Auto Workers (UAW) International Executive Board. In 1938, she graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in physical education. In 1941, she joined the UAW Local 50 while working at Ford’s Willow Run bomber plant. According to Doug Fraser, former UAW president, Madar “was a trailblazer in the struggle for equal rights,” fighting to end racial discrimination and a champion of women’s rights. In this address prior to the inauguration of university president James Brickley, Madar details her attempt to navigate the “confusing” socio-political landscape of the 1970’s, and the role of minorities and women within that landscape. Madar condemns the gender wage gap, and lauds EMU for its placement of value on the education of women. Madar also addresses the possible threat to universities like EMU by a steadily growing number of community colleges, expressing her view that large universities need to begin paying more attention to low-income community members. A Q&A session follows the speech.

Speech Date

10-2-1975

Keywords

Olga Madar, International Auto Workers, James Brickley, community colleges, wage gap, teacher education, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Labor Movement, Workers Education Program, Detroit, Eastern Michigan University, Womens’ Liberation Movement

Permission To Use:

Permission to Use - Permission to quote from this speech should be requested from the University Archives ( lib_archives@emich.edu).​

Olga Madar, Address from the Inauguration of President James Brickley, 1975

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