In memory of our godmother, Suzi Kurtzman

If we are blessed and fortunate, we will have in our lives at least one woman who opens our eyes to feminism. Because the awareness of our place in the world isn't inborn, we need someone to light the flame for us, someone to awaken our hearts.

For me, that woman was Suzi Kurtzman. We met in an odd way; I was editor of a local newspaper, putting together a group of people who were interested in serving as an advisory board. Suzi lived in Southfield, but she worked in Farmington Hills. And she wasn't one to worry about arbitrary boundaries.

The day after the meeting, she called and asked me to lunch, one of perhaps two dozen meals we shared over the last 10 years. I got to hear Teresa Heinz Kerry speak because of Suzi. I met state legislators and made friends with many amazing women, because of Suzi.

She made me aware that the work for women's equality was nowhere close to being done. She got me interested in how much of the Michigan State Legislature's time was spent on restricting a woman's reproductive choices, and how little was spent on taking care of kids with mental health issues.

Suzi regularly reminded me how important it is for women to raise their voices, as she so often did. Over the years, I learned about her incredible activism, the work she did with Common Ground, a free clinic for troubled youth, which led to her activism for reproductive rights and work with MARAL, Michigan's leading pro-choice organization.

She gave me so much -- her time, her passion, a listening ear. But the gift I value most was her answer to one question.

We were lunching at a Japanese restaurant, and Suzi listened intently while I talked about wanting to do something different with my life. I asked whether there was a women's newspaper anywhere in the state of Michigan -- not a magazine or supplement focused on fashion or parenting, but a publication dedicated to covering legislative issues, profiling women business leaders, serving as a focal point for the scores of non-profit organizations that serve Michigan women and their families.

With a sly smile, Suzi said, simply, "No."

MichiganWomensForum.com exists because of that moment. I realized if a publication didn't exist, I could create it. And when I talk about Forum, I always tell the story just that way; it came to be because of her.

They say people come into your life for a season or a reason. And I know exactly why Suzi Kurtzman came into mine.

The godmother of MichiganWomensForum.com passed away on Jan. 21. But she will live on in her daughters, Elissa and Jennifer, her grandsons, whom she adored, in the oral history she left with Michigan State University's "Jewish Women & Feminist Activism in Metro Detroit" project, and in this Web site, and in my feminist heart.

--JH-G