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Stories & Articles by Sonia

Articles and Stories by Sonia Pressman Fuentes

Sonia’s submission to the book Mother Knows Better - Sense and Nonsense from American Moms by Patti Murphy is one of over two hundred momisms in the book.
Sonia’s article about the travails of The Forward after Superstorm Sandy appeared in Der Bay (Vol. XXIII, No. II, Mar.-Apr. 2013, p. 12).
NOW (National Organization for Women) Founder Sonia Fuentes Gives Back To Education
"A heart-healthy diet is easier to adhere to than it may seem, especially with plenty of grocery and restaurant choices in Sarasota," December 7, 2012. (To see this article, which first first appeared on the Sarasota News Leader Web site, once the large picture appears, scroll down to the article.)
“A Journey of Discovery,” Sonia’s article about her September 2011 week’s trip to Germany exploring Jewish life in Germany, published in two parts.
- Part I: March-April issue of Outlook: Canada’s Progressive Jewish Magazine, pp. 22 through 24.
- Part II: May-June issue of Outlook: Canada’s Progressive Jewish Magazine, pp. 24 through 26.
"Finding My Identity as a Feminist" - This article appeared in the online magazine, Identity, on September 21, 2011.
"My Story" - This article appeared in HavaMag, Issue 4, August, 2011.
- To access the article:
  - Click on the arrow to the right until it takes you to the Table of Contents on the left.
  - Click on the first item in the Table of Contents, which is the article about Sonia, on page 10.
  - When you come to the article, double click on each page to make the type readable.
"First Woman: Sonia Pressman Fuentes," appeared at the end of July 2011 in Ms. JD, an e-zine for women law students and lawyers.
“Judging Our Future: Supreme Women Move Up,” about the increasing percent of women judges on the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts, went online in the Café section of On the Issues e-zine on December 21, 2010. In February of 2012, the article was added to the featured news & comments section of the website of Cornell University’s Avon Global Center for Women and Justice.
"Advancing Rights: 1964 Marks the Beginning of a New Era" - This article was published in On The Issues Magazine, Café section, on August 25, 2010, in celebration of Women’s Equity Day, the 90th anniversary of suffrage, August 26, 2010.
"Sonia Pressman Fuentes on Pregnancy Leave, Parental Care Leave, and the Law" - Sonia explains the law on leave and benefits in connection with pregnancy, delivery, and post-delivery on scitable.com, a website for women in science. (2010)
"My Life After Divorce" - Sonia discusses her life after divorce for a “Divorce and Women’s Success” series. (2010)
"A Negative Experience, A Positive Outcome" - The lucky day Fuentes was fired. (2009)
"First Wedding at the Fontainebleau," an unpublished anecdote, November 23, 2008.
"Fun With Yiddish" - Sonia starts a Yiddish club in Sarasota, FL. (2007)
"My Fortuitous Escape from the Holocaust and My Life Thereafter" - This article is published on a Web site called "Women and the Holocaust." (2006)
“A Love Letter to Ostuni” (2005)
"My Visit to Piltz" - A sequel to "A Visit to Piltz." (2005)
"Three-hour Tour Turns Unforgettable" - This article, by Fuentes, recalling the saga of her trip to the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford estates in Ft. Myers, FL, appeared in The East County Observer, a newspaper in East Manatee and Sarasota Counties, Florida, January 16, 2003.
"I Lucky Everything: The Story of a Real `Miss Saigon'" - Along with a manicure, a reminder of how immigrants revitalize our nation. (2002)
"A Visit to Piltz" - This article is about Fuentes' August 2001 journey to her parents' birthplace, a village called Piltz in Poland. (2001)
"How I Built a Life in Retirement" - Sonia had a difficult time adjusting to retirement, and then she entered the best years of her life. (2000)
"How I Published My Memoir: A Lawyer-Feminist's Story" - This is the story of the six years Fuentes spent in researching, writing, publishing and marketing her memoir and making the transition from being a lawyer to a writer and public speaker. (Also see: "How I Got Published in South Africa) (2000)
"A Seder in Shanghai" - Fuentes participates in a seder in a most unlikely city, Shanghai, China. This piece appeared previously in JoyZine and on Harry Leichter's website. (1999)
"HUD Goes to the Moscow Trade Show" - This article was originally published in Sparks 28. March - April, 1999. (1999)
Breast Cancer and Ruptured/Leaking Breast Implants - The story of Fuentes' experience with breast cancer. (1998)
- "Surviving Cancer"
- "What To Do with Aging Breast Implants" by Linda Searing
- "Ruptured Breast Implants"
- Fuentes’ video on icarevillage.com
- Fuentes’ interview about her breast cancer
"Three Legendary Feminists" - This article is about Fuentes' most memorable encounters with Alice Paul, the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, and Catherine East. (1998)
- Introduction
- Alice Paul
- Pauli Murray
- Catherine East
“Representing Women,” a 17-page article, originally published in Frontiers, a Journal of Women Studies (Vol. 18, No.3, Nov. 3, 1997), by the Washington State University Press, is available by emailing Sonia at spfuentes@comcast.net and asking her to email it to you or by purchasing it at jstor.org. This was Sonia’s first published article about women’s rights.
"House of History" - A history of the Sewall-Belmont House, one of the oldest houses on Capitol Hill, is the story of the current headquarters of the National Woman's Party. (1996)
"Magnolias" - A Washington, DC, love story. (1996)
"Family Past Unfolds Like Detective Story" - Research Leads to Ship's Records, a Movie and Snapshots. (1995)

Sonia Pressman Fuentes

Three Legendary Feminists

Introduction

This article was first published as "Three United States Feminists--A Personal Tribute," Jewish Affairs 53.1 (Johannesburg, South Africa, 1998): 37.

Click on the feminists' names to read more about them.

As a founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the first woman attorney in the General Counsel's Office at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), I knew and worked with many feminists, all of whom were extraordinary people. But three stand out in my pantheon of heroes -- Alice Paul, the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, and Catherine East.

Pauli Murray Like any three women, they differed in many ways. Alice Paul operated on both the national and international fronts and she did so through organizations that she founded. She is the most well-known of the three through her founding of the National Woman's Party (NWP), her role in securing suffrage, and her drafting of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the US Constitution. Pauli Murray's ancestors were a microcosm of this country, and she herself wore an astonishing number of hats, both inside and outside the federal government. Catherine East's accomplishments were made largely through her pivotal positions in the federal government. Of the three, only Catherine had children; Pauli had a brief early marriage, and Alice never married.

Catherine East But these women had significant characteristics in common. All three lived in the years from 1885-1996 -- significant years for women's rights -- all were well-educated, and all lived to be 75 or older. Each had a single-minded devotion to women's rights and devoted a lifetime to that cause. Each operated in her own sphere, but their lives intersected with each other and with mine. All three were heavily involved in behind-the-scenes activities to secure the inclusion of the amendment prohibiting sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Act that, as amended, prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability by employers, unions, and employment agencies. I was deeply involved in articulating and implementing that Act, and that's how I came to know them.