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The Politics of Purpose

Geri Joseph and Activism in the Age of Hubert Humphrey

Learn more about Geri Joseph, the ambitious daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants who became a journalist, activist, and philanthropist, and one of the first female Jewish ambassadors in US history.

The Politics of Purpose: Geri Joseph and Female Activism in the Age of Hubert Humphrey

When Geri Joseph died in 2023 at the age of one hundred, she was largely forgotten, even in her home state of Minnesota. But over the course of her remarkable life, this ambitious daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants became a well-known journalist, activist, and philanthropist. She was also among the first female Jewish ambassadors in US history. Her astounding rise from humble origins to public prominence and political influence both reflected and reinforced major trends in modern American liberalism, Judaism, and feminism.

Speaker Bio

Professor Michael Flamm received the Welch Award for Scholarly Achievement (2022) and the Welch Meritorious Teaching Award (2012) at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he taught for twenty-five years. The author or co-author of five books and an audiobook, he served as a Fulbright Scholar and a faculty consultant to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the College Board, and the National Academy of Sciences. He was also an elected member of the executive board of the Organization of American Historians, the largest professional association dedicated to the teaching and study of U.S. history.

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