O’Connell Maureen Family History 1

Maureen O’Connell was born on July 8, 1944 in St. Louis, Ill. She was a community organizer for Save Our Cumberland Mountains from 1974-1992, and she served as Executive Director of the organization from 1992-2009. In this interview O’Connell discusses her introduction to the Civil Rights Movement while she was living in Louisville, Ky, and how her involvement in the Louisville Peace Society and other civil rights organizations influenced her career. She describes moving to Clairfield, Tennessee, in the 1970s to work with Save Our Cumberland Mountains, and she explores major themes of her organizing work, including gender roles in social movements, Women’s leadership, environmental justice, and anti-racism campaigns.