Born: 1944, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Brenda Feigen Fasteau
After earning a degree in math from Vassar College in 1966, American feminist Brenda Feigen attended Harvard Law School, where she faced intense sexism as one of only 32 women in her class of 565 students. Shortly after marrying a fellow student in 1968, the couple began calling for the Harvard Club of New York to allow women to join. Although the board voted to reject the proposal, Feigen and her new husband launched a class action lawsuit, and the board eventually reversed their decision five years later, in 1973.
In 1970, Feigen was elected National Legislative Vice President for the National Organization for Women (NOW). In this role, she coordinated Senate testimony for the Equal Rights Amendment. Although the ERA passed the Senate, it ultimately failed to be ratified by the necessary number of states. In 1972, Feigen, Gloria Steinem and Catherine Samuels started The Women’s Action Alliance to provide resources to help fight sexism and sex discrimination. Steinem’s idea for an Alliance newsletter would eventually become the foundation for Ms. Magazine. Also in 1972, Feigen and Ruth Bader Ginsburg co-directed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)’s new Women’s Rights Project, increasing oversight for sex classifications under the Equal Protection Act.
In 1974, Feigen left the ACLU to start a law practice with her husband, Marc Feigen Fasteau, called Fasteau and Feigen. That year, the couple represented Gary Ackerman, a father who wanted paternity leave in New York City, in the case Ackerman v. Board of Education. She took a leave of absence to run for the New York State Senate in 1978, but was unsuccessful.
In 1982, Feigen started working at the William Morris Agency as a business affairs attorney, eventually becoming a motion picture agent. This later led to her producing a film, Navy Seals, in 1990. Feigen published a memoir in 2000, Not One of the Boys: Living Life as a Feminist. She started the Feigen Law Group in 2001, handling a range of legal areas.