Zelda Nordlinger

Zelda Kingoff Norldinger (1932 – 18 March 2008) was an American feminist and women's rights activist coordinator for the National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter in Virginia during the 1960s.

Early life Zelda K. Norldinger was born in South Carolina in 1932 to parents Joseph and Alice Kingoff. She moved to Richmond Virginia in 1947. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1950 and Marjorie Webster Jr. College in 1952. After attending the Sally Thomkins School of Practical Nursing, Nordlinger graduated in 1984 from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Career Zelda Kingoff Nordlinger, influenced by Betty Friedan's influential book, The Feminine Mystique, launched into efforts which would organize and empower women in the Richmond area in the late 1960s. Nordlinger hoped to congregate with local women to discuss women's concerns, goals, and experiences by forming a discussion group. (NOW is a nationwide women's activist organization which focuses on attaining equality for women by ending discriminatory policies which restrict women's rights, including female reproductive rights, vocational and financial opportunities, political representation and status, and societal stigmatization. )

With the addition of new women from the ERA in 1974, this chapter changed for the better. This new group of women worked on procedure and organization and became a success. The combination of these two groups of women led Richmond's NOW chapter to work towards higher goals and a broader movement for women.

Zelda actively led and participated in NOW's activist efforts; predominantly in the fight for reproductive rights, legislative protection for victims of rape, sexual discrimination, the desegregation of local establishments, and the desegregation of employment ads in Richmond periodicals. Her advocacy on behalf of women grew throughout the next three decades, gaining her notoriety and the opportunity to become more involved in the movement. She served a position on the National Organization of Women's legislative task force on rape, the State Board, and eventually became the State Coordinator for the group in 1975. She also collaborated with groups including the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, the Virginia Foundation for Women, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Women's Lobby of Virginia. Nordlinger was also involved in the National Women's Political Caucus. This collection of over five-hundred personal articles was left to educational institutions throughout the region including Virginia Commonwealth University, the College of William and Mary, and The Library of Virginia.

Publications Zelda wrote "A Decade of Change for Women, Where Do We Go From Here," which was based on the many accomplishment of women over the decade from 1970 to 1980. Some of these accomplishments include: in 1970: The United States Senate holds the first Equal Rights Amendment hearing since 1956. In 1971: New York City bans sex discrimination in public accommodations. In 1972: Sally Priesand is ordained at the first female rabbi. In 1973: the Supreme Court legalized abortion. In 1974: the Supreme Court outlaws mandatory maternity leave for teachers, and women being admitted into the Merchant Marine Academy. In 1975: The Supreme Court outlaws automatic exclusion of women from jury duty. In 1976: NASA accepted Women for astronaut training for the first time. In 1978: More women than men enter college for the first time in American history. And in 1979: the Supreme Court ruled that a minor has the constitutional right to have an abortion.

Personal life Zelda Nordlinger was married to Martin Stanford Nordlinger throughout her later life and had four children: Samuel Andrew Markel II, Debra Margaret Markel, Joanne Nordlinger, and Sharon "Romy" Nordlinger. She was also the grandmother to seven grandchildren.