Born: 3 August 1905, United States
Died: 22 April 1995
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Older women have often banded together for a variety of reasons, not least in the context of activism. Some have formed organizations specifically to fight for older folks, like Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn. A long-time social activist for various causes, she was forced into retirement at 65 in 1970 after 25 years working with the United Presbyterian Church in New York City. None too happy about the age discrimination, she began meeting with other retirees about social issues, which led to the formation of the Consultation of Older and Younger Adults for Social Change. The press gave her group a catchier name—the Gray Panthers, in reference to the militant civil rights Black Panthers organization.
From a church basement in Philadelphia, Kuhn and others fought age discrimination and other injustices. She published Get Out There and Do Something About Injustice in 1972 and Maggie Kuhn on Aging in 1977. In 1973, they joined with the Retired Professional Action Group and launched a study of nursing homes, resulting in 1977’s Nursing Homes: A Citizens’ Action Guide. Kuhn warned that, “doctors prey on the infirmities of the old.” The Gray Panthers routinely fought against the common negative depictions of older people in media and problems with the U.S. healthcare systems, and in support of Social Security benefits and the LGBTQI+ communities, as well as federal housing support, reduced military spending, and environmentalism. Kuhn also published her autobiography, No Stone Unturned, in 1991. She remained active with the Gray Panthers well into her 80s, passing away in 1995 at age 89.