Sheila Babs Michaels, also known as Sheila Shiki-y-Michaels, was an American feminist and civil rights activist credited with popularizing Ms. as a default form of address for women regardless of their marital status.
Early life
Michaels was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Alma Weil Michaels, a playwright and theatrical producer, and Ephraim London, a civil rights attorney. Michaels' mother was at that time separated from her husband, Maurice "Bill" Michaels, a shoe representative for Edison Brothers Stores in St. Louis. Her mother did not want to live with a young child, so three-year-old Michaels was sent to New York City to live with her maternal grandparents, Irving Weil and Frances Weil, in the Bronx. When she was about eight years old, she was returned to live with her mother and her mother's second husband, a wealthy metallurgist, Harry H. Kessler. She was also given the last name Kessler. Many years later, her mother and Harry Kessler, disapproving of her political activism, disowned her and asked her to stop using the Kessler name. As a result, she changed back to Michaels. In 1957, she graduated from high school in St. Louis. After high school she attended College of William & Mary but was expelled in part for writing anti-segregationist articles for the student newspaper. After a period of time living in St. Louis working entry-level jobs, Michaels moved to New York City in October 1959.
Career
Michaels was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality, and began popularizing the term Ms. from 1961, when she saw it in a newspaper. In 1969, Michaels appeared on the New York City radio stationWBAI, where she introduced the term. In doing so, she caught the attention of Gloria Steinem, who in 1972 named her magazine Ms. In 1975, Michaels went to Laos, working with children injured during the Vietnam War. Michaels later worked as an oral historian where she interviewed members of Congress of Racial Equality., She also drove a taxi in New York City for ten years, and ran a Japanese restaurant with her husband. She wrote short observational items about her taxi passengers for New York magazine. The papers of Sheila Michaels are archived in the McCain Library, University of Southern Mississippi.
Personal life
Michaels traveled and worked in Singapore, Turkey, India, Laos, Korea and Japan. Michaels was married to Hikaru Shiki, a Japanese chef in New York City. They ran a Japanese restaurant for over 10 years and Michaels changed her name during the marriage. They later divorced. Michaels died from leukemia on June 22, 2017, aged 78.
