Voran, Beverly

Metadata

Abstract

An oral history with Beverly Voran, a political activist, self-proclaimed feminist, and active supporter of the ongoing fight against domestic violence. This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Project for California State University, Fullerton. Specifically, this interview details Voran’s upbringing on a farm in Kansas and her family dynamic as a youth; her educational background in microbiology and psychology; involvement with the Antiwar Movement and the Civil Rights Movement, including her collegiate experience working on a leftist underground newspaper for Civil Rights; the formation of the Southern California Coalition on Battered Women; the relationship between Voran and the former Los Angeles councilwoman Pat Russell; the early days and development of women’s shelters in the Los Angeles area; her efforts to gain legislation and funding in Washington D.C., which came to fruition with the opening of an Office of Domestic Violence in the White House and the passing of the Domestic Violence Protection Act; her work at the Rose of Sharon women’s shelter; the importance of female involvement in politics as a means to take control of their own lives; and her overarching goal of empowering women by whatever means possible. *Audio is restricted.