NOW Mourns Loss of Feminist Leader Judith Meuli

December 15, 2007

Judith Meuli, 69, died at her home in California after a long battle against cancer. Meuli, a woman of many talents, edited the National NOW publication "Do it NOW" for many years with her partner Toni Carabillo (who died in 1997), was president of Los Angeles NOW, created with Carabillo a line of feminist jewelry that raised money for NOW and the Equal Rights Amendment campaign, and co-authored with Carabillo and June Bundy Csida "The Feminist Chronicles," a detailed history of the modern women's movement.

"Judith was truly a long-distance runner. She did it all, from artist and author to visionary and writer, and she gave every bit of herself to the fight for equality," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "She was a determined optimist, a loyal friend, and a mentor to countless activists."

Meuli had long wished for NOW to have a permanent home, and in September she made the first six-figure donation to the new capital campaign that will make that dream a reality. She was co-founder of the Feminist Majority in 1987, has served on its board for the past 20 years, and was profiled in the September issue of Ms. Magazine. She recently donated a treasure trove of feminist history to the Schlesinger Library at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute, which also houses NOW's papers.

Meuli is survived by her partner Stephanie Palmer and a wide circle of friends in NOW and the Feminist Majority.