Bette Vidina (1940-)

Bette Vidina was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in a northwest area of the city. Her parents were both immigrants as children, her father from Germany and her mother from Austria. She attended Amenson High School and graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 1977. She joined NOW in 1969 and has remained a NOW member for the rest of her life. Early in her activist life she was arrested by the Chicago Police when she and some colleagues were “skulking” – Illegally posting fliers on telephone poles in the middle of the night. Undaunted she served as Membership Chairperson for Chicago NOW and participated in its Credit Project, an effort to secure credit cards for women at a time when they were denied credit. At one time she offered her house for use by Jane, the abortion services network, to perform abortions which were illegal at the time. A feminist for life she also participated in rallies for the ERA.