Jeanne Sorg, Mayor, Ambler Borough. (Credit: submitted photo)
As we close out this Women’s History Month, I am reminded that not all groundbreaking women make the history books. We are starting to see some women receive the credit they were denied with works like “Hidden Figures” — telling the story of the African American women mathematicians who were crucial to the US’s exploration of space — and books like “Code Girls,” that reveal the story of the women code breakers of World War II, but it took a very long time for these stories to be told.
There are still many stories of courageous, intelligent and groundbreaking women that haven’t been shared. This is the story of one of those women. It is also a story I have told before, so if you have already heard it, please don’t give away the ending.
The year was 1975. It was a time of leisure suits and disco fever. The Vietnam War was ending, eight-track tapes were about to revolutionize music, the Apple I computer wouldn’t be released for another year, and Elton John hit number one with Philadelphia Freedom.
It was also a year of change for women. The Bionic Woman was beating The Six Million Dollar Man in TV ratings, Time named “The American Women” People of the Year, and lawyers like Ruth Bader Ginsburg were fighting in courts for gender fairness in the workforce.
Since then, there have been a lot of strides in the history of women and gender equality in this country. However, in 1975 we were still very much engaged in a great struggle for equal treatment under the law.
For me and my family, the fight for gender equality was very personal. In 1974, Sorg v. Reserve Mining Co. had been filed by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The claim was gender discrimination in the mine's refusal to hire Mrs. Bernice Sorg. The mining company felt confident they would prevail. After all, no woman had ever been hired as a miner in the taconite mines of the Iron Range (and for goodness sake, they didn't even have women's restrooms).
But the tides were changing. in early 1975, the mine had to admit defeat. For the first time ever, a woman was hired as a permanent miner in the taconite mines. This opened the proverbial floodgate for many more women.
This was the first time Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act had been used successfully in US history to gain equality for women in hiring.
If you hadn’t already guessed, the Sorg in Sorg v. Reserve Mining Co. was my mother. I’m not going to say everything was just “peachy keen” once the mine started hiring women. I refer you to “North Country,” starring Charlize Theron, to get a peek at life as a woman who took a job from a man. But for my mom, she was able to provide for her three daughters. Much later, she would become mayor of that small mining town called Babbitt in Minnesota. For the trivia lovers: In 2014, she and I even overlapped one year as mayors.
You won’t find this story in a simple Google search.
However, you will find my mother’s story in me and how I approach public service. You will find it when I fight for those denied equal opportunities. You will find it as I stand on the side of children, families and working people. You will find it when I use my platform to combat racism, xenophobia, classism, sexism, homophobia, hate speech and religious intolerance.
To do otherwise would be to not honor her sacrifices.
I’m guessing there are amazing women’s history stories in many other families out there. I encourage you to unearth your own family’s history. You might find your own unsung history makers.
Signed,
Jeanne Sorg
Mayor, Ambler Borough
