Who is Emma Long? I had to know.
"To my knowledge she has always been completely honest, and honesty means frankness which can sometimes be painful, depending on where you are standing. But you always knew exactly where Councilwoman Long stood…and sometimes it was on your neck." Cactus Pryor, Austin American-Statesman, April 13, 1969.
It was 1948. A woman in Austin could vote, but she could not serve on a jury; she could not enter into a contract; she could not bring a suit in her own name. Despite this situation, in 1948 Emma Long became the first woman city council member throughout the state. She served on the council for over 16 years; during her 1967-1969 term she was Austin's first woman Mayor Pro Tem. Personal adversities did not thwart her desire to serve in public office: the first time she ran for council, her youngest son was 6 weeks old; when she filed for her race in 1963, she was confined to a wheelchair with a broken hip.
"I came storming in" said Emma Long on her birth during a Texas Panhandle snowstorm in 1912. "The doctor had to come out in a sled to deliver me." Storming she stayed as she set firsts for women in politics, introduced civil rights ordinances in Austin, and served as an advisor for the United Nations.
No comments:
Post a Comment