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About Helen Sommers:
Seattle. Attended Ellensburg IWY. Member of League of Women Voters, founding member of Seattle NOW in 1970 and its second president, member of the Democratic Party. Elected to the State House of Representatives in 1972, where she continues to serve; Financial Analyst in King County Office of Finance, 1984-95. Earlier, worked for Mobil Oil Company in Venezuela for 14 years and completed her MA in Economics at the University of Washington. Numerous awards for legislative leadership. Pro-ERA.
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| Andrews |
As a beginning, shall I address you as Representative Sommers?
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| Sommers |
Helen would be better. But if you want it for the tape, sure.
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| Andrews |
Helen is fine. Okay. As a beginning would you tell me briefly about your growing up years? Your family, community, school? And how your early life helped shape your ideas about your role as a woman in society and in the family?
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| Sommers |
Well, I grew up in a small town in New Jersey. I had two siblings. I had an older brother and I had a younger sister. I was, from a very early age, a reader. I loved to read, and I read everything I could get my hands on. And one of the things that I wanted to do, and this was probably preteen. I might have been twelve or thirteen. I decided to read the bible. I don't think I assimilated very much from the bible at that age, and I just kind of read through it, but I did read the entire bible. And because it is in so many places antifeminist, it turned me into a very young feminist. I didn't use the word "feminist" then, I didn't know what it meant. It was not in our lexicon, so to speak. But it certainly impacted my thinking.
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| Andrews |
That's fascinating. Now would you tell me why you went to Venezuela as a young woman, and about your years there, and how that experience helped shape who you are?
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| Sommers |
I was working as a clerk for an oil company, Mobil Oil Company. The firm has had, and I think still has, a large refinery on the Delaware River, which was not that many miles from where we lived. And I had finished high school. I did not have a university degree. And really we had, I would say, low expectations, low aspirations. I did well in school, but the courses that I took, the classes that I took, were typing, bookkeeping, and so on. I went and I became a clerk at the offices.
And I heard about a couple of employees who had gone to live and work in Saudi Arabia. They did send US citizens, in many cases. So I thought oh, that sounds interesting. And I made an inquiry. And I was sent to meet with a recruiter, a top level recruiter, for people who would live abroad, would go to a foreign country. I went to New York City, and he interviewed me. He talked not about Saudi Arabia, but about Caracas, Venezuela. Thank heavens. Because a world apart. And at the end of the interview− I haven't thought about this for years. I said, "Well, I'm interested in going."
And he said, "Well, why don't you."
So I went home, told my mom, she was a wonderful supporter, even though she certainly didn't want to lose a kid to a foreign country. And I went there not knowing any Spanish, or not knowing anything about what I was doing, and I stayed for fourteen years. I was married to a Cuban-Panamanian, divorced after seven or eight years.
And during the time I was there, I started taking correspondence courses from the University of Washington. I had an Indonesian coworker who introduced me to that opportunity. The first courses I took were like Spanish literature and composition, and stuff like that, because I do speak Spanish. I was more fluent then than I am now. And then I came here in the summers to go to summer school to try to finish enough credits. And then I moved here permanently.
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| Andrews |
And you majored in economics, did you not?
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| Sommers |
I did. I have a BA and an MA from the University of Washington.
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| Andrews |
And how did you happen to get into that field?
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| Sommers |
[laughs] I had a very good friend who'd taken psychology, and things like that. Sociology, psychology. I just decided that was not my preference, that was not my bent.
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| Andrews |
What were your major affiliations and networks in the 1960s and '70s? And what roles did you play in them?
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| Sommers |
Well, in the '60s, for most of the '60s, I was in Venezuela. I came here in, I think, 1968. I mean, permanently. So my friends in Caracas, Venezuela, would have been people I met through my employment, both American and Venezuelan. I think I mentioned I was married to a Cuban-Panamanian. So we had variety. I mean, we spoke Spanish as well as English, and had a lot of different friends.
Then when I came here, I knew very few people. But I had some friends that I met when I attended summer school at the UW. And I still have some of those people as friends. And then, of course, I became active in NOW [National Organization for Women].
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| Andrews |
Was NOW your first women's organization?
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| Sommers |
Yes. Well, I was a member of the League of Women Voters. I saw some of that information in what you handed me, I think. And they at that time, the leadership, were not thinking very much about the feminist movement. In fact, there was some resistance."We really don't need this," etcetera, etcetera. It was a major social change. And I can remember that a couple of us who were beginning members of NOW, we decided we should raise the issue in our different units. I was in the Montlake unit.
Because the League of Women Voters would have all-member meetings, providing significant effort and focus on major policy. And we planned, or plotted, to raise the issue of women's status and the laws, like community property law. I don't think the leadership thought we should do that. They thought it was a bit far out for the League of Women Voters. But for those of us who went to those unit meetings and suggested it, the general response was very positive. And the League held an all-member meeting, which turned out many women. I think it was a real landmark in understanding and grasp and interest.
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| Andrews |
So this was at the same time that NOW was getting started?
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| Sommers |
Yes, it was. And I don't know that I've got a date. NOW was 1970.
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| Andrews |
So were there specific events that spurred your thinking about the changing roles of women in the home and in society?
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| Sommers |
No, I think I was, early on, programmed.
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| Andrews |
What were some of the early milestones of the feminist movement in Washington state?
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| Sommers |
Well, as we organized, Zelda Boulanger was the leader. But then there were others. And I believe you have that record. We decided to go to talk to Governor Evans and ask him to provide leadership in this situation.
[The phone rings, and Representative Sommers is called to a meeting.]
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| Andrews |
This is a continuation of my interview with Representative Helen Sommers. And again, we're at her home. Today is January 27. And Helen, we left off with you telling me that you and other members of NOW had asked Governor Evans for leadership in women's issues.
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| Sommers |
We did. The very early group of NOW members decided to ask Governor Evans if we could meet with him. And he agreed. And following that, he established a women's commission. And began to look at issues and statutes and custom and opportunities for women.
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| Andrews |
And some of the first legislation, it was apparently the first time in years that there had been any legislation related to women's issues. What were some of the first issues that were addressed?
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| Sommers |
Well, before I was a member of the legislature, some of the most important issues were passed. And I think we've already touched on those. Actually, you've got them right here. The Equal Rights Amendment, state Equal Rights Amendment, was placed on the ballot by the legislature and ratified. And that was a major step.
And later, community property laws were changed. Wives did not have the right to manage their own earnings until that change was made. So that was a very important step, very significant. That was early on in the 1970s.
We also, as a state, ratified the federal Equal Rights Amendment. And that was an important step as well. We also outlawed sex discrimination in credit and in insurance. I think a major issue was recognizing the issues of the wife.
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| Andrews |
Tell me about your decision to run for office. Why did you decide to enter the political arena?
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| Sommers |
I was very active in NOW. And I think I was born a feminist. We had contact with the legislature and concern and interest in how the laws were written. And a young friend, a young man, actually, told me one time that he thought I should run for the legislature. So he pushed me to do that, and suggested that I meet with the head of the King County Democrats. And he urged me to run. They suggested that I run in a district that at that time included the Queen Anne and Magnolia areas of the city of Seattle. That area had a Republican legislator for many years. There hadn't been a Democrat run and win in that district for something like thirty years.
But I did decide to file. I was very naïve about what it took. [laughs] But determined. I doorbelled every day. My goal was to doorbell one precinct a day, seven days a week. That's hard work. This is a hilly district. Lots of steps, lots of hills. But I did it. And it clearly was the determining factor in my win. And it wasn't all that close a win. It was somewhere, 52, 53 percent. So that for an upset, first Democrat to take that district in something like thirty years, that was a significant win.
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| Andrews |
Were you also the first woman to take this district?
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| Sommers |
No, I defeated a woman, one of the few women in the legislature.
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| Andrews |
In our pre-interview phone conversation, you said that you felt that the Ellensburg conference was one of many related events that took place during this period. Since you have another meeting coming up in a few minutes, perhaps we shouldn't focus on the IWY conferences. Instead, I'd like to have you talk a little bit more about women's issues during the time that you served in the legislature, and maybe give a then and now perspective.
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| Sommers |
Well, most of the statutes, most of the laws, had already been changed, as I mentioned. But the view of women as leaders changed more slowly. The naming of women to chair major committees, leadership roles within both the House and Senate, that came slowly. It's very different now. We have a woman heading the Senate. We have a woman governor. [laughs] Our majority leader in the House is a woman. And of course we have two women senators, US senators. So the landscape is very different. And I think the picture and the ability for young women, kids, to see their opportunities, has changed dramatically.
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| Andrews |
It's very pervasive in terms of women's opportunities in all kinds of careers. But what do you see as major issues for women today? And is there anything in particular that you might be sponsoring, or might be working on now?
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| Sommers |
Well, I chair the major committee in the House; that's the appropriations committee. And I do not wish to change that. I like that position. I'm not interested in one of the leadership positions. So I'm not working for any change there, because I already have the position I want. And we have quite a few women in other major committee roles, in both House and Senate. For instance, we have a woman chairing the transportation committee in the House. Transportation committee is also a major area of expertise, knowledge, impact, the need for political savvy, and also understanding about the subject matter. But questions of leadership, and leading a large committee, and working on getting passed your bills, in our cases, the budget -- all that can be challenging to anyone. But we have women in those roles, already.
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| Andrews |
Getting back to my question about women's issues, what still remains to be done that was on the table, let's say, at the time of the Ellensburg conference?
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| Sommers |
Well, in some areas of the state, and in some areas of business, and so on, I think it still is more difficult for women. It's not something that I'm involved in and perceive. But if you look at CEOs, chief executive officers, heading major companies, you will see that there are very few women. So business is slower. Now, let's take education, higher education, presidency of our universities. We have just two cases, Eastern Washington University and Western Washington University. But the big universities are still headed by men. Now, their boards, the regents, for example, the two research universities, do include women. So that is changing slowly, but it is changing.
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| Andrews |
Well, you've seen amazing progress in the years that you've been involved. Is there anything that you would like to add that we haven't touched on?
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| Sommers |
We just don't have the same, I'm going to see if there's any other− I think our state is different from some. In fact, different from many. Across the country, I don't think you see the same change and the level of achievement that we have here. I think we are a leading state in that regard.
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| Andrews |
Could you analyze it, or do you have any opinions on why that has happened?
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| Sommers |
The state of Washington, led by the city of Seattle, is a different culture than some of the other states, which are more conservative. I don't particularly want to name any of the states, but I think we know which ones they are, where women really struggle. But the West Coast and some of the East Coast, have a different philosophy. More open. More, let me say tolerant or supportive. But those changes are coming more slowly in some other states.
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| Andrews |
But do you feel that there's general progress throughout the nation?
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| Sommers |
I do think there's progress. We have a speaker of the House, for the first time ever. Nancy Pelosi. That's a dramatic change. And she was a strong leader in winning the majority for her Democratic candidates. I understand that she raised a lot of money, and she recruited strong candidates, and led them to a win. So that's a whole different set of attributes and expertise. [laughs] And now she is speaker of the House, which is the highest ranking federal position, I believe, ever held by a woman. Good progress.
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| Andrews |
Oh, absolutely. What about the significance of women's organizations today, such as NOW, League of Women Voters?
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| Sommers |
I think as women assume these positions to which we had aspired in the past and struggled for, there's less push for those organizations. So I have, I'm still a member of NOW, and I have attended meetings from time to time. But there's not the dramatic, "We have to achieve," there's not the pressure. At least, I do not perceive it. Because I'm in a position of leadership in the state.
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| Andrews |
Well, this has been very enlightening. I know that you're in a hurry to go to another meeting, that our time is limited today. So I thank you so very much.
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| Sommers |
Well, thank you for coming back. And I appreciate this invitation.
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[End Interview.]
Afternoon of January 27, Representative Sommers telephoned Andrews with a request to add the following to the interview transcript. One of her most important priorities as a legislator has been mentoring women, encouraging and supporting them. She has worked with friends and constitutents, regarding opportunities in the legislature. Mentoring women is something that she has done throughout her career, and that she continues to do.
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