Greenwich Village Street Named For Pioneering Feminist

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Part of a Greenwich Village street was named for Bella Abzug, the pioneering feminist who served as New York congresswoman and paved a path for other women in politics.

Abzug was an outspoken and larger-than-life political figure, who attracted media attention both at home in New York City and throughout the country.

The corner of Bank Street and Greenwich Avenue was officially co-named as "Congresswoman Bella S. Abzug Way" on Thursday afternoon, in a ceremony with public officials and Abzug's relatives and former neighbors. The intersection is near Abzug's longtime home at 31 Bank St., where she and her family lived and the congresswoman worked and met with local constituents.

"Bella was truly ahead of her time, championing issues like gay and civil rights well before many of her peers," City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said at the co-naming on Thursday. "Those issues are still very much relevant today, and I am delighted that her legacy will live on forever at the corner she called home with her family, friends and constituents."

Abzug started her career by opening a law office in the city in 1947, where she practiced civil rights and labor law.

Abzug was elected to represent Greenwich Village and other neighborhoods on the West Side in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1971. During her time office, Abzug championed women's rights, labor rights and gay rights, among other issues. She was one of the first public officials to call for President Richard Nixon's impeachment. Abzug also introduced the first federal legislation to protect gay Americans' civil rights.

"Let’s be honest about it: She did not knock politely on the door," Geraldine Ferraro, the first female vice presidential candidate of a major party, told the New York Times. "She took the hinges off of it....If there never had been a Bella Abzug, there never would have been a Gerry Ferraro."

Abzug died in 1988 at the age of 77.

Image credit: William Alatriste / New York City Council