Born: May 23, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York
Known for: feminism, humanitarianism, civil rights activism
Aileen Hernandez is a lifelong activist for civil rights and women’s rights. She was one of the founding officers of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966.
Personal Roots
Aileen Clarke Hernandez, whose parents were Jamaican, was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She studied political science and sociology at Howard University in Washington D.C. It was there she began to work as an activist to fight against racism and sexism. She later moved to California and received a master’s degree from California State University at Los Angeles. She has traveled widely in the course of her work for human rights and liberty.
Equal Opportunities
During the 1960s, Aileen Hernandez was the only woman appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to the government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She resigned from the EEOC because of frustration with the agency’s inability or refusal to actually enforce laws against sex discrimination. She started her own consulting firm, which works with government, corporate, and nonprofit organizations.
Working with NOW
While women's equality was getting more government attention, activists discussed the need for a private women’s rights organization. In 1966, a group of pioneering feminists founded NOW. Aileen Hernandez was elected NOW’s first Executive Vice-President. In 1970, she became the second national president of NOW, after Betty Friedan.
While Aileen Hernandez led the organization, NOW worked on behalf of women in the workplace to gain equal pay and better handling of discrimination complaints. NOW activists demonstrated in several states, threatened to sue the U.S. Secretary of Labor and organized the Women’s Strike for Equality.
Other Organizations
Aileen Hernandez has been a leader on multiple political issues, including housing, the environment, labor, education and health care. She co-founded Black Women Organized for Action in 1973. She has also worked with Black Women Stirring the Waters, the California Women’s Agenda, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and the California Division of Fair Employment Practices.
Aileen Hernandez has won multiple awards for her humanitarian efforts. In 2005, she was part of a group of 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.