MANN, Judy 1943-2005

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born December 24, 1943, in Washington, DC; died of breast cancer July 8, 2005, in Palm Springs, CA. Journalist, activist, and author. Mann was a feminist and women's rights activist who was also a reporter and columnist for the Washington Post for three decades. After spending much of her childhood in France, where her father worked, she became fluent in the language. Returning to America to finish high school, she gained journalism experience as a teen editor and correspondent for the Northern Virginia Sun. For her higher education, she attended Barnard College for four years, but left in 1964 before earning a degree so she could spend time as an activist protesting the Vietnam War and supporting New York City rent strikes. She also participated in an organized trip to Cuba by students who defied federal law against visiting that country. Mann worked as an editor and reporter for the Washington Daily News from 1968 to 1972, then joined the staff at the Washington Post. Beginning as a city reporter and then day city editor, she earned her own column space in 1978. However, Mann's highly liberal opinions at times put her in hot water with her editors, who threatened to cancel her column. A write-in campaign by her loyal readers saved the column, though it was later relegated to the back page of the Style section. Mann also was vocal about women's rights in the office, pushing for equal pay and fairer promotion practices at the newspaper. Retiring in 2001, she split her time between her homes in the Shenandoah Valley and in Palm Springs. The winner of numerous honors for her journalism and activism, including awards from the Population Institute, the National Women's Political Caucus, and the American Association of University Women, she also earned the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood and the Myra Sadker Equity Award from American University. Mann was the author of two books: Mann for All Seasons (1990) and The Difference: Discovering the Hidden Ways We Silence Girls: Finding Alternatives that Can Give Them a Voice (1994).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, July 9, 2005, section 2, p. 10.

Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2005, p. B9.

Washington Post, July 9, 2005, p. B7.