Patricia Ireland is an American activist and former president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), where she advocated for women's rights, including equal pay, reproductive rights, and ending violence against women. Her tireless work and dedication to gender equality continue to inspire new generations of activists. Ireland's legacy reminds us of the importance of fighting for social justice and the rights of marginalized groups, showing that one person's dedication can create lasting change in society.

"Is a woman raped every three minutes or every six minutes? It is far too much, whatever it is."



"Most of us see Justice O'Connor as something of an icon, although we do not agree with all of her decisions."



"The opposition has moved from a blaming the victim to blaming the victim's advocate's statistics. Irrespective of what the numbers are, it's far too many."



"We always knew when we took on the issue of violence against women that somehow our opposition would come after us."



"I don't think you lead by pessimism and cynicism. I think you lead by optimism and enthusiasm and energy."



"We have to stop this violence. We have to make the political nature of the violence clear, that the violence we experience in our own homes is not a personal family matter, it's a public and political problem. It's a way that women are kept in line, kept in our places."



"They plan to ride into the White House on the Sweet Talk Express. Well, think again. Bush and Cheney are not compassionate conservatives. They are ruthless reactionaries."



"When I started law school I was shocked to learn that our legal system traditionally had the man as the head and master of the family. As late as the '70s and '80s when we were fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment, states like Louisiana still had a head and master law."



"I want to organize so that women see ourselves as people who are entitled to power, entitled to leadership."



"More than 10,000 ballots in Miami-Dade County have been rejected by some machine without any opportunity for a human being to take a look. That is just not right."



"My answer to those who oppose my appointment as CEO is that this is really a decision of the YWCA. They want to strengthen their grassroots to advocate on behalf of women's and children's empowerment and ending racism."



"Stewardesses are still paid so little that in many cases, new hires qualify for food stamps."



"Some of us may just, in one-on-one conversations with our family, with our friends, over the back fence with our neighbors, talk about the reality of our lives and realize that we're not alone, that we have a right to be physically safe and emotionally safe in our own homes."



"I want to reach young women and to get them involved in the mission of the YWCA, economic empowerment of women and girls, and ending racism."

