The Quixote Center is a social justice group in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...
founded by Catholic priest
William R. Callahan and
Dolores C. "Dolly" Pomerleau in 1976.
History
The Quixote Center achieved prominence in its support of the ideals of the
Sandinista
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
government of Nicaragua in the 1980s. The Center raised more than $100 million in humanitarian aid for the Nicaraguan people. Although the Center did not officially take sides during the revolution in Nicaragua, its work was described by
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
as "intensely political" and the aid it sent went largely to assist victims of the Contra War. A leader at the Center described U.S. efforts in Nicaragua as a "policy of terrorism." Some critics accused the Center of following a
Marxist agenda and the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
investigated allegations that Quixote Center had smuggled guns, but no charges were brought and leaders of the Center described the allegations as politically motivated.
The Center has actively opposed the death penalty.
Former New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio
Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the office of New Yor ...
worked for the Center in 1988.
Support for the Equal Rights Amendment
In the 1970s and early 1980s, many activists affiliated with the Quixote Center supported the ratification of the
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men an ...
including Sister
Maureen Fiedler.
See also
*
Catholics Act for Choice
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...
*
Donna Quinn
*
Margaret Traxler
*
Marjorie Tuite
References
External links
* {{Official website
The Quixote Center Recordsat Marquette University
"Guide to the Harriette Lane Baggett Papers"Collection of Harriette Lane Baggett's papers from her activism in Catholic feminist organizations housed in the University of Dayton's U.S. Catholic Special Collection
Organizations based in Maryland
Catholic lay organisations
Equal Rights Amendment activists
Catholic feminism