Women USA

Red neon text over white image of the United States with blue background.

Women USA was a grassroots women’s rights organization created in 1980 by Bella Abzug that advocated equality, women’s rights, and—what some might now call—ecofeminism. Abzug, also known as “Battling Bella,” was a pioneering Jewish feminist and political leader and one of the first women to earn a law degree from Columbia University. Prior to founding Women USA, Abzug was one of the United States’ first Congress members to support gay rights, helping to introduce the Equality Act of 1974 as well as helping to start the Women Strike for Peace (WSP) movement in the 1960s in opposition to the nuclear arms race.

In 1977, President Carter appointed Abzug to head the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year, leading to her later co-chair position for the National Advisory Committee for Women. In 1979, after openly criticizing the economic policies of the Carter administration, Abzug was fired, causing tension between the Carter administration and the feminist movement. Abzug went on to co-found Women USA the next year. Women USA eventually led to a successor program called WEDO (Women’s Environment and Development Organization) in 1990, and the first World Women’s Congress for a Healthy Planet in 1991.