Discussion Guide

Women of ’69, Unboxed Discussion Guide

Some thoughts to provoke constructive

discourse after screening the movie

Dorothy Stein

Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………….. 1

Third Wind…………………………………………………………. 2

Politics: Are We the Change?............................... 4

Story Time………………………………………………………….. 6

Women’s Work………………………………………………….. 7

Having it All………………………………………………………… 8

The Hereafter…………………………………………………….. 9

Time Capsule…………………………………………………….. 11

Introduction

Books and movies, art in general, often invite you to absorb yourself in the specific—a central character or image—and then broaden your thinking, to generalize. Or you go in the other direction: you look at a whole

movement or era and relate it to your individual experience, feelings.

While we started out attempting a profile of a college class through the eyes of a few of its members, we soon realized we were creating a window on a whole generation—Boomers, children of the ‘60s.

1

Jane Nordli, Michelle Cherney, Barbara Smith

Third Wind

We quickly ran into a few interviewees who were just turning 65.

Every documentary is a journey of discovery, and it dawned on us that we'd opened a fascinating door—these women were approaching Old Age with different attitudes and energies from those of their parents.

And so a new thread found its way into the fabric of the movie. We called it an observed Third Wind, a surge of energy and determination, present tense.

We began by hearing about the high hopes and traditional expectations of these women as college students.

We were thrilled to relive with them the heady moments of the ‘60s, as they felt they could reinvent themselves, take long hits of Freedom, step away from past constraints and explore new paths, untried roles.

Did folks in your audience live through those times? Know people who did?

Do they have stories to share, insights to impart? Do they, as did some of our women, feel they're entering the Valley of the Shadow?

Are they feeling especially close to peers, loved ones?

2

Maureen Kelly

Notes

3

Karen Glazier

Politics: Are We the Change?

In a democracy, you're supposed to be able to change national policy if a majority of people are against it. Well, in the ‘60s a majority of Americans were against the Vietnam War. But we couldn't find a way to end it. So many of

us took to the streets in large, sometimes violent protest marches.

Remind you of the protests against the war in Iraq? The recent Women's March?

What have we learned? What kinds of calls to action can we take moving forward? How can we empower ourselves now to be sure we protect the changes we have worked so hard to accomplish?

On the other hand, it's worth noting that Hillary Clinton was also in the Class of '69, but at another school,

Wellesley. Her struggles to express herself in ways that American culture could accept aren't so different from some of the challenges our interviewees faced. Our "Unboxed" women graduated from Skidmore, a women's

college. Few single-sex schools are left.

One rationale for single-sex education was that the sexual vibes in the classroom would be distracting. Co-education would hinder concentration, as boys and girls thought about nothing but sex.

Historically, there was another, uglier reason. There weren't a lot of schools for women because there wasn't a lot

of opportunity for women. It was widely expected that most women would get married, and how smart do you have to be to keep house? [You should get some crackling answers to that question].

You might then ask: how much has that changed for you and for younger generations?

Are women still considered second-class citizens in some quarters?

4

Bailey Evans

Notes

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5

Linda Taliaferro

Story Time

It might be useful to focus on a few specific stories in the movie and relate them to the experience of folks in the audience.

You could cite the journey of Linda Taliaferro, the African-American "lyin'-lawyer," who accepted the challenge

of speaking for those who couldn't speak for themselves.

Or Diane Oltarzewski, the gentle warrior, musician, and SDS president, who never married, never wanted a child, but clearly has some regrets. Her first guitarist/lover had a "picking style" she adored.

Jane Nordli ("sex, drugs 'n rock 'n roll"), who was pregnant when she graduated, had many men pass through

her life, sang professionally, and now sings joyfully with her granddaughter.

Penny Chisholm, a tenured prof at MIT, National Medal of Science recipient, who DID regret that her career race didn't leave room for motherhood, belatedly joined what she calls "the uprising" and others might call the

Women's Movement. We loved her quote so much we inserted it twice in the movie: "Well-behaved women don't make history."

What other women's stories in the movie resonated most for you?

What became, in the aftermath of the 1960s, of the traditional wife and mother? Did she live on? Disappear? Evolve?

Some women found themselves sailing the currents of tradition: a stable marriage, children, maybe a job but nothing to seriously compete with home life. Was that you?

As a traditionalist, you might have felt totally comfortable in the ‘50s. But the ‘60s called conventional choices

into question, turned models upside down.

Were you rocked by that turbulence?

6

Penny Chisholm

Women's Work

At a time when their parents were mostly kicking back and coasting, many of these women are still making waves, surging forward. They may be nominally retired but they are far from retiring. They still want to

make a difference in the world.

Is that you? Have you felt a personal Third Wind? Do you know people like that? Are they in your audience?

What is their value, their impact? Does their activity, and sometime activism, have a downside?

What has changed for women? What has remained the same?

What still needs to be opened up, improved? Where do the gaps lie? Where do bridges need building?

What are your observations about the younger generations of women?

7

Barbara Levi

Having It All

The heady music, the rebellious spirit, suggested that you could have it all. Well, you couldn't. High hopes too often gave way to cramped dreams.

Ask your audience: what were their sacrifices? Their regrets?

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8

Anne Schroeder

The Hereafter

Of course, one side effect of living longer, with most of your consciousness intact, is that you have a longer time to contemplate death, as one woman frankly admits.

Do you think about your legacy?

What did your parents leave you? What ideals, cautions? What have you tried to pass on to your children, grandchildren, or your friends' children?

9

Jane Nordli, her daughter, and granddaughter

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10

Diane Oltarzewski

Time Capsule?

We filmmakers sure think about immortality. Will our work outlive us? Will it enlighten future generations?

What markers will YOU and your generation leave in the sands of time? How are you distinct from older friends/relatives; younger ones; contemporaries?

Was that a choice?

What are you DOING about your own legacy? Want to post on our Facebook page or website (womenof69unboxed.org)?

Are you creating some media of your own that might outlive you? Do you value pictures and video on your cell phone and take care to preserve them?

One thing that documentaries can teach us is that there are stories, inspiration, adventures, lessons in

seemingly mundane lives. But you have to dig. We did. This movie took about four years to create. We hope it makes you think and feel and value what YOU have to offer the world.

11

Jane Startz