- Mavis Leno
-
Mavis Leno Born September 5, 1946
San Francisco, California, U.S.Nationality American Spouse Jay Leno (1980 – present) Mavis Elizabeth Nicholson Leno (born September 5, 1946;[1] San Francisco, California) is an American philanthropist, feminist and the wife of talk show host Jay Leno.[2] They have been married since 1980 and have no children.[3]
A leading feminist in California,[4] as well as in the United States and internationally, she keeps a low profile in comparison to her husband, choosing instead to work behind the scenes of the non-profit, politically-charged groups she supports and runs.[5]
She has been the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation's Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan since 1997.[2] In 1999, she and her husband, Jay Leno, donated $100,000 to the organization, to further the cause of educating the public about the plight of Afghan women under the Taliban.[6]
The organization successfully protested the construction of an oil pipeline through Afghanistan, which could potentially have brought in billions of dollars to the Taliban.[7][8]
According to Melissa Rossi,[9] Mavis Leno was a driving force in changing the opinion of U.S. President Bill Clinton and the executives of the now defunct oil company Unocal Corporation concerning the Taliban, after Leno had shed light on the group's heinous treatment of women.[9]
References
- ^ CA Births 1905-1995
- ^ a b "Mavis Leno: Lives of Afghan Women". CNN.com. November 9, 2001. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/COMMUNITY/11/09/leno.cnna/.
- ^ "Jay Leno". Who's Who in America. Marquis. http://www.whoswhoinamerica.com/jay_leno/talk_show_host_comedian_writer/occ28/5463136.
- ^ "About Campaign". Feminist Majority Foundation. http://feminist.org/afghan/aboutcampaign.asp.
- ^ "Hollywood's Latest Cause: Can A Pack Of Celebrities Save Afghanistan's Women?". Newsweek. December 6, 1999. http://www.newsweek.com/id/90455/output/print.
- ^ "So Many Causes, So Little Time.". Newsweek. February 21, 2000. http://www.newsweek.com/id/82834.
- ^ Sylvester, Sherri (November 21, 2001). "Jay and Mavis Leno Stay Active in War Effort". CNN Showbiz Today. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/showbiz.today/featured.story/0111/21.html.
- ^ Mills, Kimberly (April 10, 2002). "Mavis Leno voice for silenced women". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/65822_millscol10.shtml.
- ^ a b Rossi, Melissa L. (2003). What Every American Should Know About the Rest of the World: Your Guide to Today's Hot Spots, Hot Shots and Incendiary Issues. Plume. ISBN 0452284058.
Categories:- 1946 births
- Living people
- American feminists
- People from San Francisco, California
- American philanthropists
- American activist stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
