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Jan. 10-Jan. 16, 2020
‘AN UNSTOPPABLE TRAILBLAZER’
Center for the Women of New York founder Ann Jawin, a Douglaston resident, dies at 97
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Ann Juliano Jawin, a Douglaston
resident and founder of
the Center for the Women of
New York, died on Dec. 31. She
was 97 years old.
News of Jawin’s death came
less than a month after she celebrated
the grand opening of a
brand-new women’s center in
Fort Totten. Members of the
community expressed condolences
for the pioneer who dedicated
her life to women’s equality
and empowerment.
“I am saddened to learn
of the passing of Ann Jawin,
founder of the Center for the
Women of NY. Ann was an
outspoken activist who, for decades,
devotedly dedicated herself
to improving the lives of all
women throughout the city of
New York,” said Councilman
Paul Vallone on Twitter.
Born in 1922, Jawin was the
youngest of seven children in
an Italian-American family.
Her parents came from Sicily
and settled in Brooklyn in modern
day Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The educator and activist
was a staunch advocate for the
second wave of women’s liberation
in the 1970s. In 1979, she
authored “A Woman’s Guide
to Career Preparation: Scholarships,
Grants, and Loans,”
which taught women about
financial independence and
Ann Jawin at the opening of the Fort Totten women’s center in December. Photo by Dean Moses
equal workplace opportunity.
She joined the National Organization
for Women (NOW)
and served as the chair of the
Task Force for Education and
Employment. In 1987, Jawin
established the Center for the
Women of New York (CWNY),
which illuminated the importance
of pay equity, reproductive
rights and the elimination
of sex trafficking. Throughout
the years, the Center also
taught the history of the women’s
movement.
“Ann was a tenacious and
unstoppable trailblazer who
devoted her life to empowering
women and never took no
for an answer. Just last month,
she succeeded in her 16-year legal
battle with the city to open
CWNY’s beautiful new facility
in Fort Totten, which is the
only building completely dedicated
to full equality for women
between the New York metropolitan
area and Seneca Falls.
This new building will ensure
that Ann’s unparalleled service
and dedication to women’s
rights will be remembered by
our community for generations
to come,” read a statement from
the Jefferson Democratic Club.
In December 2019, Jawin
celebrated the opening of the
CWNY building at 207 Totten
Ave. Prior to the facility’s
establishment, CWNY operated
out of another building
in Fort Totten before the city
kicked them out. A legal battle
between the two parties
resulted in a deal, in which
the city gave the organization
the opportunity to restore
and use another historic
building.
“The new building will allow
the Center to expand its
function with corresponding
opportunities to reach many
more women,” said Jawin.
“The renovation of this beautiful
historic building will allow
not only a ‘home’ for the Center
but also permit space for a wider
variety of programs.”
Jawin intended to use the
new facility for multiple purposes
including a women’s history
and culture museum, career
exploration and training and a
conference center. The conference
center would allow likeminded
organizations to come
together and find solutions for
long-standing women’s issues.
Jawin is survived by her
children Ronald and Paul
Jawin and grandchildren Alixandra,
Rachel, Erica and
Tom Jawin. A funeral was
held on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the
Unitarian Church at Shelter
Rock in Manhasset.
Vol. 29 No. 2 40 total pages
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