Biographical/Background Information

• Born in Detroit, Michigan
• Grew up in Northwest and Downtown Detroit
• Family was semi-religious
• Grew up attending Shaarey Zedek with her grandmother, and later Temple Beth El with her parents where she was confirmed
• Married at age 19 (took husband’s last name, becoming Susan Rogin)
• Gave birth to first child at age 20
• Dropped husband’s last name after her father passed away

Education

• Sunday school at Shaarey Zedek
• Mumford High School in Detroit
• Oakland University, earned a degree in human resources in 1977 at age 40

Career

• Ran Common Ground, a free health clinic for troubled youth
• Director of MARAL, pro-choice Michigan
• Worked for governor’s office to keep abortion safe, legal, and available to all women
• Director of community affairs for the Michigan Women’s Coalition

Issues/Activism

• Growing up cared about issues important to her parents: equality, diversity, and integration
• Involved in election of first African American to Detroit Board of Education (Remus Robinson, served 1955-1970)
• In high school she became aware of Judaism as a male-dominated religion that discriminated against women
• Collaborated with Dr. John Dorsey to begin Common Ground
• In charge of running Common Ground
• Abortion became a central issue due in large part to her work with young women at the clinic
• Active in Birmingham city politics
• Worked on elections for state representatives from her district
• Involved in American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Membership Chair on the first ACLU board in Detroit
• Served on ACLU state board
• Language was another key issue: the way it was used to discriminate and the way women were addressed as if they were appendages of their husbands
• Bothered by sexism among self-proclaimed liberal men
• Instrumental in Michigan Women’s Assembly; formed caucus from state ACLU members to attend the Assembly
• Was concerned with subsidized housing, especially as it pertained to women
• In conjunction with her human resources degree at Oakland University she did an internship and worked on subsidized housing for women in Detroit
• Served on board of MARAL
• Director of MARAL (1982-1983)
• Director of Community Affairs for Michigan Women’s Coalition
• Worked on first child support guidelines for the state of Michigan
• Lifelong member of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)

Quotes

• “They [her parents] were Jewish but it was not how they defined themselves.”
• Her mother was a devoted fan of Ms. Magazine, “It was her bible. It said all of the things that she thought, and all of the things that she hadn’t thought of but wished she had.”
• “We’re talking about two individuals here. Are you honoring them as governor and appendage?”
• “Language carries the message of the culture”
• “Kids growing up now, I think it’s great that they take it all [the gains of the movement] for granted. That’s why we did it.”
• “Our first job is ourself.”

Susan Kurtzman (Rogin) – Interview Summary

Interview conducted on 2 January 2008

• Born in Detroit, Michigan.

• Tightly knit, semi-religious family, grew up celebrating the High Holy Days.

• Grew up in Northwest and Downtown Detroit, in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.

• Went to Sunday school at Shaarey Zedek with her grandmother.

• Parents were “avant garde,” celebrated the cultural, historical, and traditional aspects of Judaism, but did not believe in the practice of organized religion. They saw Judaism as constrictive and insular.

• “They [her parents] were Jewish but it was not how they defined themselves.”

• While growing up equality and diversity were important issues in her house. Her parents were very active in politics. Remembers doing phone-banking from the kitchen table as a kid. Her parents’ primary goal was integration. Also remembers being involved in the election to get the first African American on the Detroit Board of Education (Remus Robinson, won his seat in 1955 and held it until 1970).

• At age ten her parents joined temple Beth El, where she was later confirmed.

• Attended Mumford High School in Detroit.

• Has always connected to the history of Judaism more than the religious aspect.

• Early in high school she realized Judaism was male-dominated and women were second-class citizens.

• Married at the age of 19 and gave birth to her first child at 20, saw herself as a mother and a wife.

• Shortly thereafter she moved to Grand Rapids for two years with her family, where she affiliated herself with a temple in order to meet other Jewish people in the area.

• Family then moved to Birmingham, Michigan.

• Collaborated with Dr. John Dorsey in the formation of Common Ground, a free medical clinic for troubled youth. Was put in charge of the clinic by Dorsey who was her children’s pediatrician.

• Working at the clinic made abortion a central issue for her, the fact that they were not legal or available at this time led her to the feminist movement.

• Through the mid-to-late ’70s she was active in Birmingham city politics and worked on elections for Bill Milliken as well as other campaigns for state representatives from her district.

• Became involved in the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and served as the membership chair on the first ACLU board in Detroit. She also sat on the ACLU state board.

• During this time she was not involved in organized women’s organizations.

• Her mother (Betty Kurtzman) was a devoted fan of Ms. Magazine, “it was her bible. It said all of the things that she thought, and all of the things that she hadn’t thought of but wished she had.”

• Language was another important issue (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Husband’s name). “We’re talking about two individuals here. Are you honoring them as governor and appendage?”

• The sexism she was witnessing among self-proclaimed liberal men in politics helped her realize that she needed to be an organized feminist person.

• Was instrumental in the Michigan Women’s Assembly; she formed a caucus from state ACLU members to attend this assembly of representatives from women’s organizations all over the state. At the Assembly she met and collaborated with NOW members.

• In 1977 after she left the clinic she went back to school and got a degree in human resources from Oakland University at the age of 40.

• Concerned with issues of subsidized housing, especially pertaining to women. Worked on subsidized housing for women in Detroit.

• Invited to be on the board of MARAL, the main pro-choice organization in Michigan. Served as the director of MARAL for 1982 and 1983.

• Left MARAL due to lack of funding and poor treatment.

• Found a job with governor’s office that involved keeping abortion safe, legal, and available to all women.

• Director of Community Affairs for the Michigan Women’s Coalition, traveled the state speaking with girls and women about important issues such as domestic abuse

• Worked on the first child support guidelines for the state of Michigan.

• Role models: Betty Kurtzman (her mother), Millie Jeffery, Helen Milliken.

• “Language carries the message of the culture.”

• Lifelong member of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).

• Has always identified as Jewish, and has been vocal in organizations in her Jewish identity.

• Definition of Feminism: equality.

• Influential books: The Women’s Room, by Marilyn French, and Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong.

• Experienced tensions between heterosexual and homosexual feminists.

• Did not note tensions between Jewish and non-Jewish feminists.

• Hates all of the divisions and caucuses created by third-wave feminists.

• “Kids growing up now, I think it’s great that they take it all for granted. That’s why we did it.”

• “[If we lost abortion] we would go to war.”

• “Our first job is ourself.”

Audio 1 (mp3)
Audio 2 (mp3)