Women's Forum Oral History Collection Interview Index

Anne Singer Franklin was born in 1943 in Columbus, Ohio. While growing up, her mother was active in the League of Women Voters. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 1965 with a degree in social administration, now more commonly called social work. She worked for various social service organizations and departments, including the North Carolina Fund. Later, Franklin earned a certificate in landscape architecture from George Washington University and ran large-scale special events, such as the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival. Franklin has served three terms on the Raleigh City Council. She became involved in gender activism and the ERA movement during George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, when she attended a conference about how women could be involved in the electoral process. Franklin joined the Women’s Political Caucus and lobbied in the North Carolina General Assembly for the ERA. She traveled to areas around the state, such as Catawba County, helping get politicians elected who supported the ERA. She worked with the North Carolina Center for Women in Public Service to help get more women involved in public service, such as serving on county commissions. During the ratification movement, Franklin joined a book club with other women to read the important feminist texts of the time. At the time of the interview, that book club was still meeting.