Jan BenDor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 (age 78–79) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Social worker |
| Years active | 1971-present |
Jan BenDor (born 1946) is awomen's rights activist based in theAnn Arbor area ofMichigan in theUnited States. Known as the "Founding Mother of the Rape Crisis Center movement in Michigan," she was named to theMichigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1991.[1]
BenDor was born in 1946. She received a Master of Social Work from theUniversity of Michigan and is currentlyABD in the University of Michigan's psychology doctoral program.[2]
BenDor was active at the Women's Crisis Center of Ann Arbor. The Center was a non-profit phone counseling service run for and by women of the community. In addition to telephone support for any problems women had, the Center had information about community resource, events, and support groups. BenDor contributed to two known publications related to the Crisis Center.Freedom from Rape is an underground newspaper with information about area rape statistics,rape myths, and how community and law enforcement impact rape culture.[3]How to Organize a Women's Crisis-Service Center is both a description of the genesis of the Women's Crisis Center of Ann Arbor and a guide for developing a center.[4][5]
In the early 1970s, BenDor worked as part of theanti-rape movement to change Michigan State law related to sexual assault. The Michigan Women's Task Force on Rape, established in 1973, had as its main goals to "de-sexualize" the crime of rape and to move burden of proof from the victim to the accused.[6] Michigan's Criminal Sexual Conduct Statute (Public Act No. 266) was approved on August 12, 1974, and went into effect on April 1, 1975.
In 1989, theNational Organization for Women declared a boycott ofDomino's Pizza ownerTom Monaghan's support of anti-abortion legislation in the state of Michigan and his cancellation of events to be held atDomino's Farms in Ann Arbor. The group also cited Monaghan's right wing activities in Central America, discriminatory hiring practices, and anti-union stance as reasons for the boycott.[7] The Coalition to Boycott Domino's Pizza, or as it later became known, included members of NOW, Ann Arbor Coalition to Defend Abortion Right,Industrial Workers of the World, Latin American Solidarity Committee, among others.[8] BenDor, as president of the Ann Arbor chapter of NOW, led the boycott.[1] The Detroit chapter of theNAACP followed in 1990 with a call for a similar boycott of the chain because of Monaghan's lack of response to the Operation Fair Share Program, which promoted the hiring of blacks.[9]
As the Operations Manager for theEastern Michigan University Career Services Center, BenDor was involved in theUnited Auto Workers-Technical Office Professionals Local 1976 in the 1980s and early 1990s, serving as vice president of the local.[2]
BenDor is a founding member of the Michigan Election Reform Alliance (MERA).[10] Its mission is to ensure "the realization of election processes that consistently uphold the principles of democracy to ensure the confidence of voters and maximize representation of all citizens of the United States of America." She is currently the statewide coordinator and grants chair.
BenDor served for over a decade as Trustee, Planning Commissioner, and Deputy Township Clerk forPittsfield Charter Township, where she worked in support ofgreen space preservation, establishment of long term plans for the maintenance of public services, restrictions onpredatory lending,election reform, and promotion ofvoter registration.[2]
Between 2007 and 2010, BenDor took action to preserve a 77-acre parcel of agricultural land inSuperior Township, Michigan, where she lives.[11][12] The land had attracted interest fromdevelopers, who hoped torezone it and open a privately operatedsewage-treatment system on it with the intention of serving a planned 236-homesubdivision.[11] BenDor helped to organize opposition to a proposedsettlement between the developers and the township, although in 2010 the township agreed to a settlement.[11] She expressed opposition to the decision, which she felt invited future litigation and constituted "bailing out" the developers.[11]
BenDor is the election specialist for theDearborn-based political advocacy groupMichigan Rising, and which in April 2012 targetedMichigan GovernorRick Snyder forrecall.[13] In a press release she referred to Snyder as "bad for Michigan" and accused him of harming the state's children by removing thousands of them fromfood aid, diminishing the School Aid Fund by $400 million, and reducing school payments.[13]
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BenDor currently lives inYpsilanti, Michigan with her husband, with whom she has two sons. In 2011, she completed a certificate in Digital Video Production atWashtenaw Community College. She currently works as a producer at QED Video. BenDor has worked as an adjunct instructor at theEastern Michigan University School of Social Work. She continues to be an active supporter of women's rights and local government.
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