Bella Abzug

Do You Know Me? - December 1983

Bella Abzug
December 01, 1983— San Diego, California
Forum for Women State Legislators
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In a mock American Express ad created at a 1983 Center for American Women and Politics conference, Congresswoman Bella Abzug tells how she helped secure equal credit for women.

Do you know me? Well, American Express did not know me. Because when I was in the Congress of the United States and I applied for an American Express card, they said I couldn't get one unless my husband signed for it.

So I called up Martin, my husband, and I said, “What do you believe? You love me because American Express doesn’t and they want you to sign for my card.”

He said, “I love you, Bella. I wouldn't trade you even for Joe Namath. But American Express is gonna have to give you their own card and I'm gonna fight with you until we do.”

And so, in the Congress the United States we passed the Credit Law in which we were able to get women to get their own credit. And so, I didn't know whether I should really get American Express card, but I decided I would so I could tell this story.

So now I have an American Express card so I can tell the story that women fought for their own credit so American Express had to give in. So carry an American Express card as a symbol of women’s rights to credit.

Speech taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTjIuhY12tY.