Lynette Long

Lynette Long is an advocate for women's rights. She is currently the chair of the Miami Beach Women's Commission and previously served on the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women. She is president and founder, of the not-for-profit Equal Visibility Everywhere. She is also the founder and chair of The Florida Women's Historical Marker Initiative. Her primary work is increasing the visibility of women in United States symbols and icons. A former university professor, Long has published more than 30 books and dozens of articles in trade and professional journals, including over a dozen books in mathematics for students from elementary school through high school. Long coined the phrase "latchkey children" with her husband Thomas Long and wrote a ground-breaking book on the subject, The ''Handbook for Latchkey Children and Their Working Parents''. Long is a feminist and contributor to the feminist movement in the United States.

Early life and education

Lynette Long was born Lynette Nava on April 23,1948 in the Bronx, New York. Her father, Giovanna Nava, was an Italian immigrant arriving in the United States at six years old. Her mother, Margaret Greene, was of German and English origin, and could trace her father's ancestry all the way back to the Mayflower. Lynette attended elementary and middle school in the South Bronx and high school in Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. Upon high school graduation, she attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where she received a bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree.

Equal Visibility Everywhere

Long is the founder and president of Equal Visibility Everywhere, a not-for-profit that focuses on researching the under-representation of women on our nation's currency, stamps, statues, monuments and memorials, street names, and historical markers. Long was the first person to bring national attention to the fact that there was not a single woman represented on our nation's paper currency. As a result of her ground-breaking work and the efforts of other feminist groups, the Treasury Department promised to feature women on United States paper currency. In 2010, her research brought national attention to the fact that only nine of the one hundred statues in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol honor women. Long was instrumental in securing authorization for a statue of Amelia Earhart in the United States Capitol. Long was also instrumental in the removal of the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith from the United States Capitol. Smith represented Florida and was replaced with a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune. Long has focused awareness around the country on the general lack of female statuary which has led to an increase in the number of statues of women nationwide.
Long is spearheading the Florida Women's Historical Marker Initiative which is an effort to increase the number of Florida State Historical Markers honoring women. At the time of her initial research in 2017, only six of the 950 markers in the State of Florida specifically honored women. Since 2017, Long has successfully applied for and found funding for numerous Florida State Historical Markers honoring women including, Miami Founder Julia Tuttle, Miami Beach Preservationist Barbara Baer Capitman, Aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Doctor Eleanor Galt Simmons, and Seminole Chief Betty Mae Tiger Jumper. In 2024 Long wrote and championed legislation which would require the State of Florida to honor 100 additional women with historical markers in the next decade. In 2025, Long unveiled a Florida Historical Marker honoring Marathon Swimmer, Diana Nyad. The objective of the Florida Women's Historical Marker Initiative is to put one Florida Historical Marker honoring a noteworthy woman in each of Florida's 67 counties.

Latchkey children

Long is responsible for coining the term "latchkey kid" and bringing to national attention the hidden plight of latchkey children. A former elementary and middle school principal, Long noticed her students wearing house keys on chains around their necks. She interviewed these students and found that they were often lonely or afraid during the time they spent alone at home after school. These initial conversations led to exhaustive research including hundreds of interviews with latchkey children, their parents, and former latchkey children. The culmination of her work was published in The Handbook for Latchkey Children and Their Working Parents and On My Own: The Kids' Self-Care

Mathematics education

Long has published over 20 math books for elementary, middle, and high school students. Her books have been translated into Spanish and Indonesian. She has designed mathematics laboratories, written mathematics curricula, designed math games, and published articles on mathematics education in professional journals. She is the founder of Color Math Pink, an award-winning website designed to improve girls’ math achievement.

Museum curator

Lynette Long has curated numerous museum exhibits in partnership with various organizations in Miami Beach, Florida. The exhibits included "The Legacy Couple's Project: 400+ Years of LGBTQ Love," sponsored by Miami Beach Pride, "Women Who Made a Difference" and "Unfinished Business" commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage in the United States sponsored by the Miami Design Preservation League, “Women Who Made a Difference,” sponsored by the Miami Design Preservation League and the Miami Beach Commission for Women and “Ten Women Superstars Who Performed on Miami Beach,” sponsored by the Miami Beach Commission for Women and the Miami Design Preservation League,. Long curated "Ten Exemplary Women" which highlighted the accomplishments on ten five by five feet posters. Many of these exhibits were displayed on Ocean Drive where hundreds of thousands of people had an opportunity to view each of them.

Personal life

When she is not traveling, Long lives in Miami Beach, Florida. She is the mother of two children, Seth and Sarah, and four grandchildren, James, Oliver, Sienna, and Eleanor.

Publications

Books

Long, L., Painless Algebra,, Kaplan Publishers, 2020
Long, L., Fractions Diagnostic Test, Fill in the Gaps Publishers, 2020
Long, L., Painless Geometry,, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 2018
Long, L., Painless Algebra,, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 2016
Long, L., Painless Algebra,, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 2011
Long, L., Painless Geometry,, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 2009
Long, L., Painless Algebra,, Barron's Publishers, New York City, 2006
Long, L., Algebra Sin Dolor: Painless Algebra, Spanish Edition, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge NY, 2005
Long, L., Math Smarts, Tips, Tricks, and Secrets for Making Math More Fun! American Girl Library, Middleton, WI, 2004
Long, L., Wacky Word Problems, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2005
Long, L., Great Graphing and Sensational Statistics, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2004
Long, L., Delightful Decimals and Perfect Percents, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2002
Long, L., Groovy Geometry, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2003
Long, L., Measurement Mania, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2001
Long, L., Fabulous Fractions, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2001
Long, L., Dazzling Division, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2000
Long, L., Marvelous Multiplication, Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun! John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2000
Long, L., Painless Geometry, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 2001
Long, L., Painless Algebra, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 1998
Long, L., One Dollar: My First Book About Money, Barron's Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, 1998
Long, L., Domino, 1,2,3, Franklin Watts Ltd, London, England, 1998
Long, L., Dealing with Addition, Charlesbridge Publishers, Boston, MA, 1998
Long, L. and Teresa Mlawer, Sumemos Con El Domino, Spanish Edition, Charlesbridge Publishers, Boston, MA, 1997
Long, L., Domino Addition, Charlesbridge Publishers, Boston, MA, 1996
Long, L. & Hershberger, E., One Year to a College Degree, Huntington House Publishers, Louisiana, 1992
Long, L., Understanding/Responding: A Communication Manual for Nurses, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Boston, 1992
Long, L., On My Own: The Kids Guide to Self-Care, Acropolis Publishers, Washington, DC., 1984
Long, L. & Long, T., The Handbook for Latchkey Children and Their Parents, Arbor House, New York, 1983
Long, L., Paradise, L., & Long, T., Questioning: Skills for the Helping Process, Wadsworth, Monterey, CA, 1981
Long, L. & Prophit, P., Understanding/ Responding: Human Relations Development for Nurses, Wadsworth, Monterey, CA, 1981
Long, L., Listening-Responding: Human Relations Training for Teachers, Brooks/Cole Publishers, CA, 1978