Beatrice Cossey
By Bojun Chen
Early Life
Beatrice Abel Cossey was an African American feminist who started her career during the 1960s. Beatrice was born on July 25, 1934, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Earl Abel and Nadine McMillan Abel. In 1961, she married Arthur Cossey, a laboratory technician born in 1935. They maintained their marriage for 13 years. In September of 1969, Beatrice returned to the University of Santa Clara as a third year Human Relations student.
Black Feminist Model
In 1969, Beatrice was elected by unanimous vote for a second term as president of the Palo Alto Business and Professional Women’s Club (BPW), an organization that promotes the implementation of gender equality laws, such as anti-sexual discrimination laws in business. Beatrice described the BPW as: “not a social club. It’s [sic] full purpose is to develop the executive woman in leadership and as an individual.” Beatrice became the first Black woman in the U.S. to hold such an office in a predominantly white club.
"I am the club president, and I just happen to be black also....
I don't go to club conventions without one other minority member."
- Beatrice Cossey as the president of the Palo Alto Business and Professional Women's Club (1969)
Activism in 1970s
In 1970, Beatrice joined the Women’s Re-entry Into Education Program (WREP) at De Anza College as a coordinator to help women, particularly minority and low-income women, return to school. With special orientation classes, peer counseling, and tutoring, women participating in the WREP program would acquire skills and improve their abilities in academic learning, parent-child growth, and building communities.
Beatrice also coordinated the Educational Disadvantaged Women & Child Development Programs at De Anza College, a program that established the Child Development Center to assist mothers, confined by limited resources, with child-care, education, and time to bolster the WREP program. Beatrice indicated that the Child Development Center was not “a child-care of babysitting convenience,” but committed to offering comprehensive education to children from 3-5 years of age.
"I definitely would work for other women. I would encourage them to run because I feel that what is missing in politics is the humanism of women."
- Beatrice Cossey (1971)
In November of 1977, as the board member of the Northern California branch of the California Federation of Black Leadership, Beatrice attended the third annual statewide conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles to explore issues related to education, housing, law, health, religion, and medicine.
In 1977, Beatrice was elected to represent the state of California as the delegate of Sunnyvale at the 1977 National Women’s Conference.
Fun Fact
Beatrice Cossey was a medical technologist for 10 years and worked at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Hospital.
Bibliography
"Black Leaders Meet in S.F." Sun Reporter, Oct 27, 1977, pp. 14. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/black-leaders-meet-s-f/docview/370704198/se-2?accountid=14509.
Cossey, Beatrice. “Concepts of the Women's Re-Entry Educational Program. Continuing Education Programs
for Women: Educational Growth and Personal Development, De Anza Community College”,
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED092805.
Conference on the Educational and Occupational Needs of Black Women, December 16-17, 1975, pp10.
https://books.google.com/books?
id=FJ9aCSAgo2EC&lpg=PA77&dq=beatrice%20cossey%20women%20reentrey&hl=zh-
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California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/122456:1141?
tid=&pid=&queryId=819e4617e012269ff7e2e0ab8a39ce14&_phsrc=lwV23&_phstart=successSource
Diana Mara Henry, cover image,
https://www.dianamarahenry.com/wotm/Story_behind_the_photo.html
Fuetsch, Michele. "Women focus their attention on political equality". The Peninsula Times Tribune, Aug 26, 1971,
Page 11, (Palo Alto, California), https://www.newspapers.com/image/840313365/?
terms=beatrice%20cossey&match=1
Obituary, 2019, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/thestate/name/beatrice-cossey-obituary?id=9544569
Pixa, Bea. "Beatrice Fights A Quiet Fight". The San Francisco Examiner (1902-2007), Aug 29, 1969, pp. 18. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/august-29-1969-page-18-56/docview/2197236168/se-2?
"Then and Now: De Anza college, La Voz News turns 50". LaVoz News, September 25, 2017,
https://lavozdeanza.com/news/2017/09/25/then-and-now-de-anza-college-la-voz-news-turns-50/