Archived Radio Show

April 14, 2025

Original Radio Show  ID:
WSA250414

Listen to the Show on the Mp3 Player below

Duration 57 minutes

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Featuring

Click the Name to access the Segment below

1. Commentary by Elaine B. Holtz,  Host of Women's Spaces 

2. Elaine Rock, Author of new biography, Dusty Roads: Meet the Hidden Figure Who Really Ignited the Women’s Movement

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1. Commentary by our Host, Elaine B. Holtz.  Elaine opens the program celebrating her improved vision after cataract surgery, delighting in the return of her reading ability. She's joined by friend and author Elaine Rock, who completed a biography on Dusty Roads (Barbara “Dusty” Roads), a former flight attendant who fought against sexist airline industry policies in the 1950s and 60s. Dusty’s activism and legacy are praised as a vital contribution to women’s rights. Elaine Rock was on Women's Spaces with Dusty Roads on March 6, 2017.

Elaine also pays tribute to the late Gloria Faye Robinson, a respected activist and co-founder of Petaluma Blacks for Community Development, who passed away at age 83. She recounts Gloria’s impact on education and civic life and encourages listeners to honor her legacy by donating to related causes.

The show reflects on the beauty of life, the wonder of human innovation like airplanes, and the contradictions of using such advancements for war. Elaine laments societal priorities, such as censorship and militarism, over addressing human needs like hunger and education.

She announces local activist events, including an upcoming march and a League for Women Voters Zoom session on running for public office, urging civic engagement, especially from women. See Announcements. She emphasizes the importance of learning history through her recurring segment “Our History is Our Strength,” highlighting the courage of historical women figures.

Elaine closes with a preview of a new segment, Men’s Spaces, to celebrate and include positive contributions from men. Throughout, her tone is heartfelt and reflective, focused on unity, peace, education, and empowerment, especially for women and marginalized communities.

2. Conversation with our Guest Elaine Rock:
In this interview on Women’s Spaces, host Elaine B. Holtz speaks with author Elaine Rock about her debut biography, Dusty Roads: Meet the Hidden Figure Who Really Ignited the Women’s Movement. Rock recounts her journey from teaching history and women's rights in the 1970s to breaking gender barriers in the male-dominated tech industry. After stepping away from her career to care for her ailing husband, Rock found new purpose in writing—encouraged by him and inspired by her mother’s feminist influence.
Her turning point came when she met Dusty Roads and her partner Jean Montague at the Sonoma County YMCA. Rock describes an almost spiritual moment of connection with Dusty, a former flight attendant and little-known activist who fought discriminatory airline policies that forced women to retire at 32 or forgo wearing glasses or pants. Dusty’s strong Midwest values of fairness and justice led her to union activism, lobbying for the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and filing the very first sexual discrimination complaint with the newly formed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1968.

Dusty's courage and leadership significantly contributed to the women’s movement, influencing the formation of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Rock emphasizes the importance of preserving this hidden history, noting how young women today are often shocked by the past struggles for workplace equality. Despite ongoing setbacks in gender equity and EEOC backlogs, Dusty’s story remains a beacon of resilience.

Rock hopes her book educates and empowers future generations and shares Dusty’s parting advice: “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” Her biography is available online, and she continues speaking publicly to promote awareness of women's rights history and Dusty’s enduring legacy.

2. About our Guest:   Elaine Rock is a a former history teacher and technology executive turned author. Her recently released book Dusty Roads: Meet the Hidden Figure Who Really Ignited the Women’s Movement, is a powerful biography shining a light on a little-known women’s rights trailblazer and airline stewardess. Even Gloria Steinem has stated, “Dusty started it all.” Elaine’s passion is uncovering the hidden stories of women and men whose persistence and resilience helped shape history. Elaine appeared in the PBS American Experience documentary Fly with Me, which explores the history of Flight Attendants, and is active in several writers and national women’s organizations.

Guest Links: 

Elaine Rock's website:,https://elainerock.com/

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Elaine Rock was a Guest on Women's Spaces with Dusty Roads on March 6, 2017. Click on the Button link below:

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Our History Is Our Strength

Check out important dates to remember in Herstory at the National Women's History Alliance, where the date descriptions were sourced unless otherwise indicated.

Special thank you to the National Women’s History Alliance for making women’s history alive. Shout out to Co-Founder and Retiring Executive Director, Molly McGregor who will be on the show when we celebrate Women’s History Month in March for making the fabulous list of Women in History where I get most of the info I present in this Herstory segment.

Herstory Events:

April 19, 1977 – Fifteen women in the House of Representatives formed the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues.

Herstory Birthdays:

April 13, 1919 (1995) – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, outspoken atheist behind the 1962 Supreme Court’s 8-1 ruling that organized Bible reading in public schools was unconstitutional, in 1995 kidnapped and later murdered by a former employee.

April 15, 1894 (1937) – Bessie Smith, began career about 1902, learned country blues from Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, made 160 recordings, billed as the “Empress of the Blues,” career declined by 1931 amidst economic depression and the advent of radio.

April 19, 1806 (1889) – Sarah Bagley, prominent labor leader in New England during the 1840s, she was an advocate of shorter workdays for factory workers and mechanics, and campaigned to make ten hours of labor per day the maximum in Massachusetts.

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Announcements  

Monday, April 21, 2025 11 AM # repeats 11 PM PT, the show will be feature our guests Charlie Toledo and MaDonna Feather Cruz of the Suscol Intertribal Council, recognized as leaders on Human Rights for Indigenous peoples.  Radio KBBF 89.1 FM, North SF Bay or live streaming at https://kbbf.org/live

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Wednesday, April 21, 2025 Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County issues new weekly list of events and links to community non-profit organizations. It includes ongoing peace and human rights rallies and protests: PJC website www.pjcsoco.org

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Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 10 AM PT, the show will be a repeat or our 4/21/25 show that features Charlie Toledo and MaDonna Feather Cruz of the Suscol Intertribal Council, recognized as leaders on Human Rights for Indigenous peoples.,  Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca   

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Monday, April 28, 2025, 6:00 to 7:30 PM, The Ins & Outs of Running for Elected Office, League for Women Voters - Sonoma County, Zoom Meeting, Must Register - Click Here. 

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League for Women Voters - Sonoma County lists Events and Blackouts Protesting Corporations Against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). See their website at  https://www.lwvsonoma.org/

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Ongoing:

Every Wednesday the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County issues new weekly list of events and links to community non-profit organizations. It includes ongoing peace and human rights rallies and protests: PJC website www.pjcsoco.org

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Take action every day - Calendar: https://indivisiblesoco.org/calendar/

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The North Bay Organizing Project - Rapid Response Project

https://www.northbayop.org/nbrrn

Music Selections

The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced - Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 5/24/2021

The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Women's Wax Works) - www.alixdobkin.com