GSU Library Research Guides: Feminist Action Alliance History Project: S

Schapiro, Beth

Interviewee: Beth Schapiro
Interviewer: Dana Von Tilborg
Date of interview: October 11, 1995

Interviewee: Beth Schapiro
Interviewer: Tiffany Gray
Date of interview: October 13, 2023

The October 11, 1995 and October 13, 2023 transcripts may be viewed in the Reading Room only after July 1, 2024. Copies may not be requested.

Biography:
Beth Susan Schapiro (1949-), strategic consultant, feminist and social activist, obtained degrees from the University of Maryland (1971, B.S. in education) and Emory University (1977; 1979, M.A.; Ph.D., in political science). From 1971-1979, she taught in both public and private schools and colleges. From 1979-1981, she was a Senior Planner in the Georgia Office of Planning and Budget and, from 1981-1984, she served as Executive Director of Research Atlanta. In 1984, Schapiro founded Beth Schapiro & Associates, a political and public affairs consulting firm. After 30 years at the helm of what had become The Schapiro Group, she closed her strategic consulting firm in 2014.
Beth enjoyed a career that combined her passions for politics, research, public policy, and making this world a better place for all. She is particularly proud of having guided the political campaigns of numerous elected officials who broke barriers of gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or some combination of the above. Her research over the years contributed to our collective understanding of many of the most challenging issues facing us, including children and youth, civic engagement, transportation, education, poverty and human services, health care, and civil and human rights for all. Her work spanned all sectors – government, academia, corporate, and, particularly, the nonprofit sector.
An engaged civic leader, Beth is a graduate of Leadership America, Leadership Atlanta, and the Regional Leadership Institute. She held leadership positions in several Georgia and national organizations including the Feminist Action Alliance, Inc., ERA Georgia, Inc. (formerly Georgia Council for the ERA), the Georgia Women's Political Caucus, and Women Business Owners, Inc. She was a founding board member of the Atlanta Women’s Fund (precursor to the Atlanta Women’s Foundation) and continues to serve on its Alumnae Board. A member of International Women’s Forum Georgia, Beth is also a former member of the Leadership Atlanta Board of Trustees, Civic League for Regional Atlanta Advisory Board, Emory University Board of Visitors, and Atlanta Rotary.
Selected as a “Woman of Excellence” by Business To Business, Beth is also an inductee into the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers and an alumna of Outstanding Atlanta. Other honors include receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and being named the Georgia State University Women’s Collection “SHERO of the Year” and Georgia Equality’s “Queen of the Political Jungle”.

Abstract, October 11, 1995:
Schapiro begins by recounting her childhood and youth in Richmond, Virginia. She believes that she inherited her activism from her parents who were very involved in various Jewish organizations. After the rape of a family member in 1973, Schapiro states that she became aware of the need for action to protect women's rights, and she joined the Georgia Women’s Political Caucus, and then the Feminist Action Alliance. Schapiro discusses the differences between the National Organization for Women and the Feminist Action Alliance, as well as various other groups, such as the League of Women Voters and Georgians for the ERA. She considers the changing face of women’s activism and how, as the early participants age, they take on more passive, but still extremely important roles as patrons of issues, through groups such as the Atlanta Women’s Fund. Schapiro considers a lack of “common interests and common backgrounds” as being one of the main problems for the Women’s Movement and cites conflicts of interests with civil rights groups and lesbians as examples. She feels that the Movement has resulted in great benefits for women, including their access to professions and sports that were previously closed to them.