Addie Wyatt

This chapter explores the long trajectory of Addie Wyatt’s activism and leadership in the organized labor movement and women’s movement, both before and after the 1977 National Women’s Conference. Wyatt, an African American female labor leader and civil rights activist, was appointed to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year and brought to the conference decades of activism on behalf of working women and women of color. For Addie Wyatt, consciousness raising, organizing, and forming coalitions were all essential steps in building sustainable social movements and positive change. The 1977 National Women’s Conference was one such step, intended as a space for consciousness raising, deliberation and debate on the pathways to free women from discrimination and improve the experiences and outcomes of their lives. Following the conference, Wyatt continued to push for women’s rights through political and labor organizing