Barbara Macdonald

Barbara Anne Macdonald (nee Charles, September 11, 1913 – June 15, 2000) was an American social worker and lesbian feminist activist. She is best known for her activism against ageism. Early life and career She Barbara Charles was born in Pomona, California and grew up in La Habra, California. When she was 15, she left home and began to support herself as a domestic worker in Long Beach, California. She attended Long Beach Junior College from 1931 to 1932 and Santa Ana Junior College from 1932 to 1937. She was nearly expelled from Santa Ana Junior College for being a lesbian. She later attended University of California, Berkeley, from 1938 to 1940 where she supported herself as a stunt parachute jumper. After graduating from Berkeley, she had a job at the WPA Vallejo Housing Authority. She later attended the University of Washington from 1950 to 1953 where she received her bachelors and a masters of social work. She moved to Wenatchee, Washington, where she was a supervisor in Child Welfare Services. Macdonald would work as a social worker until she retired in 1974. Macdonald was invited to talk at many different organizations throughout her life, including universities, social worker organizations and to "lesbian and feminist audiences". She was also invited to speak on international panels at the Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) forum at the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing.