JANET AXELROD Obituary

AXELROD, Janet Cambridge Feminist Activist Who Transformed Philanthropy, Tech Culture, and Local Libraries Janet Axelrod, 70, an activist who reimagined the process of funding social movements and planted the seeds of progressive culture within the tech industry, died at her home in Cambridge, MA on December 26, 2021. She had metastatic breast cancer, and passed away surrounded by family and close friends. Axelrod lived in Cambridge for nearly fifty years, and in that time contributed to the city's unique culture in myriad ways. She was born in New York City on November 1, 1951, to a socialist Jewish family, and was a lifelong feminist, anti-capitalist and anti-racist. She joined Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as a high schooler in New Haven, and worked to support Black Panther Party members on trial in the city. Janet attended Barnard College, where she co-founded the Barnard Center for Research on Women, was a leader in the student movement, and wrote her thesis on women in rock music. The college recently honored her with its Millicent Carey McIntosh Award for Feminism. In 1973, Janet was the first staff hire at Haymarket People's Fund, an organization which redistributed money from wealthy young people to grassroots organizations throughout New England. In 1981, Axelrod was once again a first employee, this time at Lotus, developer of the world's first digital spreadsheet. The company grew exponentially soon after her hire, and she quickly became Vice President of Human Resources. In that role she hired thousands of staff, prioritizing people from marginalized communities, and championed the fight against workplace sexual harassment, pushed Lotus to align itself with the anti-apartheid movement, developed Lotus' anti-racism-focused foundation, and ensured that Lotus was the first company in the country to guarantee equal benefits to same-sex partners. In 1986, Janet began to divide her time between Lotus and Blackside, a film production company which during her time there created Eyes on the Prize, a fourteen-part documentary widely viewed as the definitive visual history of the Civil Rights Movement. From 1999 until her death, she chaired the board of the Cambridge Public Library, leading the development of a groundbreaking $95M new addition to the system's central branch. In addition, she was a co-founder and longtime board member of South Africa Partners, and served on the boards of over a dozen other social justice organizations. For the past eleven years, Janet and seven of her close friends have made up the Brazilian-inspired drum band SheBoom. Axelrod believed strongly in building community, and had a remarkable ability to make everyone she spoke to feel deeply seen and understood. This was especially true of her children, whom Janet spoke of with deep admiration. Motherhood was a source of great pride and joy throughout her life, and she believed strongly in a woman's right to choose any and all paths, including full-time parenting. Janet is survived by her husband of thirty two years, Tim Plenk; their three adult children: Eli, Stella, and Lindiwe; her sister, Carol Axelrod; many close cousins; as well as countless friends and comrades. Janet's ashes will be scattered on Cape Cod. A Memorial will be held in the late spring, details TBD. Friends may leave tributes and memories at https://padlet.com/berkeleystreet/s546mya9v3eqbrx9 Donations in her name may be made to: Self-managed Abortion Safe and Supported (a project of Women Help Women); The Cambridge Public Library Foundation; Grassroots International; and Highlander Research and Education Center.

View the online memorial for Janet AXELROD