Barbara Ehrenreich's college training was in the area of
science, specifically lab research that led to a PhD in cell biology. Through this
training, she learned to be inquisitive and discovered that she could learn about any
topic if she applied herself to the learning process.
As a
life-long avid reader, she also gravitated to writing as a means of sharing what she had
learned. When she became attracted to and involved with various "activist" movements -
women's health issues, health care for the poor, etc. - she found writing about what she
had learned and experienced a natural way to inform others about her
concerns.
Ehrenreich
states:
People sometimes ask how one can be an objective
journalist as well as an activist, but most of the writing I have done has been of the
opinionated variety anyway. Besides, I can’t imagine getting involved in a problem as a
journalist and not wanting to do something about it, whether that means marching,
picketing, leafleting, or helping build an organization for social change. Besides, a
lot of my inspiration as a journalist comes from what I experience as an activist -- the
people I meet on union picket lines, for
example.
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