Author/activist coming to UAB to tell tales of her revolt

Author Lynn Povich will give a free, public lecture on women in the workforce — exploring what has changed and what has not.
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Photo: Christian Steiner

Award-winning journalist and women’s rights pioneer Lynn Povich will give a free, public lecture at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 at the Hill University Center Alumni Auditorium, 1400 University Blvd.

Povich worked as a secretary in the Paris bureau of Newsweek magazine and rose through the ranks to become a reporter in the magazine’s New York office. In 1970, she was among 46 women who sued the magazine for “systematic discrimination,” the first group of women to launch such a suit. Five years later, Povich was appointed Newsweek’s first woman senior editor.

Povich recently penned a book about that landmark case, “The Good Girls Revolt.” In it, she gives her account of the groundbreaking battle for equality. During her talk at UAB, Povich will discuss the Newsweek lawsuit, as well as address the role of young women in the workforce today.

After Newsweek, Povich went on to serve as editor-in-chief of Working Woman magazine and East Coast managing editor for MSNBC.com. She also oversaw Internet content for NBC News, as well as MSNBC Cable programs and personalities. In 2005, she edited a book of columns by her father, famed Washington Post sports writer Shirley Povich, called “All Those Mornings…At the Post.” Today, Povich serves on the advisory boards of the International Women’s Media Foundation and the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.

“The Good Girls Revolt” will be available for purchase and signing by the author at the event. The lecture is sponsored by the UAB Commission on the Status of Women, the UAB Department of Government, The Women’s Network (TWN) and Alabama Booksmith.