Ellen Bravo

Ellen Bravo is a labor activist and writer known for her work advocating for improved labor standards and equality.

Early life and education

Bravo was born in 1944,[1]: 69  and grew up in Cleveland.[2] Bravo attended Cornell University where she studied Greek and Latin, study she continued at Cambridge University.[2] She then moved to Canada where she studied at McGill University.[3][2]

Career

Bravo taught for a period at St. Mary’s College and then moved into clerical work,[2] which she saw as a way to support her time spent as a social activist.[4]

In 1982, Bravo founded the Milwaukee chapter of 9to5.[4] with Kitty Barber, Anne Devitt, and Jocelyn May.[5] In Wisconsin, Bravo worked on numerous projects and created change in her local community. For instance, with the help of former Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton, she contributed and helped lead the Economic Sufficiency Task Force of the Wisconsin Women = Prosperity project.[6]

By 1993, Bravo had become the national executive director of 9to5.[7] As the executive director, Bravo highlighted sexual harassment in the workplace[8] and shed light on the mistreatment of employers by their workers.Two years into her role as the executive director of 9to5, Bravo also acted as a representative for the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women (in Beijing). Bravo also served on the Commission on Leave, which was arranged by Congress to help measure the impact of the Family and Medical Leave Act.[6] She has spoken about issues facing people in the workspace to the House of Representatives (United States)[9] and the United States Congress.[10]

Her work expanded in 2004 when she became the executive director of Family Values @ Work, where her work includes tracking the promotions of women in male-dominated jobs.[11]

Honors and awards

Bravo received the Ford Foundation Visionary Award in 2011,[12] the Francis Perkins Award for “Intelligence and Courage” in 2011,[13] and the Legacy Award from the Ms. Foundation in 2014[14]

Selected publications

• Bravo, Ellen; Cassedy, Ellen (1992). The 9 to 5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-57576-4.
• Bravo, Ellen (1995). The Job/Family Challenge. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-04723-0.[15]
• Bravo, Ellen (2007). Taking on the big boys, or, Why feminism is good for families, business, and the nation. New York: Feminist Press at the City University of New York. ISBN 978-1-55861-545-8. OCLC 70830976.[16]
• Bravo, Ellen (2015). Again and again. Berkeley, CA: She Writes Press. ISBN 978-1-63152-939-9.
• Bravo, Ellen; Miller, Larry (2022). Standing up: Tales of Struggle. Hard Ball Press. ISBN 9781734493894.[17]

References

1. Mackoff, Barbara; Wenet, Gary Alan (2001). The inner work of leaders : leadership as a habit of mind. Internet Archive. New York : AMACOM. ISBN 978-0-8144-0590-1.
2. Genasci, Lisa (1995-06-01). "She Learned About the 9-to-5 Grind the Hard Way : Feminism: Activist Ellen Bravo studied classics at Cambridge before on-the-job experience turned her into an advocate for workers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
3. Page, Amanda (2017-08-08). "Bravo, Ellen Leslie b. March 25th, 1944". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
4. Bonavoglia, Angela (2001-03-07). "Women's groups stick to the bread-and-butter issues". Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
5. "9to5". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
6. "Ellen Bravo". Wisconsin Women Making History. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
7. Genasci, Lisa (1995-06-04). "9to5's leader is on job all the time". Daily Times-Advocate; Escondido, California. pp. [1], [2]. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
8. "Working women in 9to5 tackle issues 20 years". Dayton Daily News; Dayton, Ohio. 1993-06-11. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
9. Committee on Education and the Workforce (2003-03-12). H.R. 1119, THE FAMILY TIME FLEXIBILITY ACT. Government Publishing Office.
10. Congressional Committee (2007-06-14). IMPORTING SUCCESS: WHY WORK-FAMILY POLICIES FROM ABROAD MAKE ECONOMIC SENSE FOR THE UNITED STATES. Government Publishing Office.
11. Luscomb, Belinda (2018-01-15). Women are getting male harassers' jobs, but don't call it a coup. Time. pp. 13–14.
12. "Twelve social change visionaries are honored by the Ford Foundation". Ford Foundation. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
13. "Awards & Honorees". Frances Perkins Center. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
14. "Women of Vision Gala Celebrates Ms. Foundation's 40th Anniversary and Gloria Steinem's 80th Birthday" (PDF). 2014.
15. Review of The Job/Family Challenge
    • Cummins, H.J. (1995-08-12). "Read This". Newsday (Suffolk Edition); Melville, New York. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
16. Review of Taking on the big boys
    • Burk, Martha (2007-05-03). "Women's pay disparity won't go away". Carlsbad Current-Argus; Carlsbad, New Mexico. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
17. Review of Standing up
    • Falk, Terrence (2022-04-25). "Milwaukee activists pen fictional account of struggle for workers' rights • Wisconsin Examiner". Wisconsin Examiner. Retrieved 2024-09-12.