Tribute to Del Martin
Here’s the start of a recent post from the Elder Abuse Prevention Blog:
“When you add our society’s propensity toward violence with ageism and sexism, you have a dangerous situation.”Del Martin, 1995
Theflags at San Francisco’s City Hall flew at half-mast on August 28 inmemory of Del Martin, a pioneering figure in the fight for the rightsof women, lesbians, survivors of domestic violence, and the elderly.Her seminal book Battered Wives,published in 1976 and updated in 1981 (Volcano Press), has beenacclaimed as the first to explore domestic violence in the UnitedStates. In it, Del made the case that domestic violence wasn’t groundedin interpersonal dynamics but rather, in historical attitudes towardwomen, economy inequalities, and inadequacies in the legal and socialservice systems. Just two months before her death at the age of 87, shewas still making history. She and her partner, Phyllis Lyon, were thefirst gay couple to be “remarried” when the California Supreme Courtdeclared marriage for same-sex couples a fundamental right. Theirearlier marriage, along with thousands of others, was nullified fouryears ago.
In the mid 1990s I interviewed Del for nexus,a publication for affiliates of the National Committee for thePrevention of Elder Abuse. At the time, she was serving on the AdvisoryCommittee for the San Francisco Consortium for Elder Abuse’s“Developing Services for Older Battered Women,” a pilot project fundedby the Administration on Aging (DHHS) to explore the link between elderabuse and domestic violence. Her insights and advice are as relevant toour field today as they were when we spoke 13 years ago.
Domestic Violence Activist Speaks out on Elder Abuse
Thedomestic violence movement has always been a grass roots, self helpmovement. In the early days, many feminists who had given up on thesystem got involved. To a great extent, it was women who had leftabusive relationships who ran the shelters and led the movement. At onepoint, we even had an underground railroad to send women who wereleaving abusive relationships to other states with other identities.Some women would go from state to state to get away from abusive men.Just leaving a relationship doesn’t mean a woman is free.
Read more: http://preventelderabuse.blogspot.com/