We, Programmers: A Chronicle of Coders from Ada to AI

9

Judith Allen

This story hits very close to home for me. It is the story of the first binary electronic computer that I ever laid my eyes and fingers upon. It is also the fascinating, uplifting, and sometimes disturbing story of Judy Allen, a young feminist who became a programmer in the late ’50s.

Of her feminism, she writes:

“[We] did the work for our daughters and granddaughters, and all of womankind. We showed up, wearing our lipstick, our power suits and high-heeled shoes, with all our superior skills, knowledge, and experience, and the added qualification of insight and intuition—which we honored—and respect for human relationships over profit. We demanded equal pay, and dignity, and demanded laws be passed. We demonstrated in the streets ...