When Amy Richards graduated from Barnard College in 1992, she did not know that her summer project would be the beginning of her career as a feminist activist, writer, and organizer. After she organized Freedom Summer ’92, a cross-country voter registration drive, Richards went on to cofound the Third Wave Foundation, a national organization for young feminist activists between the ages of 15 and 30.
For a decade, Richards led the Third Wave Foundation as it grew from a small grassroots organization into a national institution. She became a spokesperson and leading voice for young feminist issues, which launched her on the lecture circuit and brought her invitations to appear in videos, books, and on the O’Reilly Factor, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and CNN. Richards has received recognition of her accomplishments from many sources, including the American Association of University Women, which chose her as a 2004 Woman of Distinction, and Women’s eNews, which selected her in 2003 as one of the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century.”
Richards currently works as a lecturer, writer, and consultant. She has consulted to Gloria Steinem on her writing and political commitments and to the Columbia School of Public Health on the long-term negative health consequences of welfare reform. She is also the voice behind “Ask Amy,” the online advice column she launched at feminist.com in 1995.
Richards serves on the boards and advisory committees of Ms. Magazine, the Sadie Nash Leadership Program, and Planned Parenthood of New York City. Her publications include Opting In: Having a Child Without Losing Yourself, as well as Manifesta and Grassroots, both of which she coauthored with Jennifer Baumgardner. Together, Richards and Baumgardner also created Soapbox Inc: Speakers Who Speak Out, a lecture agency.
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