The Democratic Women's Forum presented the 2007 Eleanor Roosevelt Award to Dr. Bernice Biggs.


Bernice was multi-tasking long before the word was ever coined. An English Professor at San Francisco State University for 43 years, Bernice was also a wife, mother, grandmother, mentor, passionate advocate for the disenfranchised, stalwart community leader, and bird lover.

Bernice was president of the Democratic Women's Forum at a time when its existence was threatened. As a result of her leadership the Forum was strengthened and has continued to have an impacting presence in the political arena. Throughout her years in academia and politics Bernice has been able to successfully affect change in myriad ways, such as being a:

• Leader in establishing the Women's Studies Department at SFSU
• Founding member of Friends of the San Francisco Public Library
• Co-founder of the Humanities Club (a means for seniors to take classes as SFSU)

Bernice also started the Women's Breakfast Group to help younger faculty members learn about campus politics and how to get promoted. Born in Alliance, Nebraska, Bernice is the recipient of two Fulbright Scholarships and received her Ph.D in Speech Communications from the University of Denver. She is the proud mother of four and the doting grandmother of six.

Event photos