1
8
6
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0dbd8da52a54e04036383f11047639d1
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Activism
Subject
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Activism, 2016
Rights
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Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Description
An account of the resource
<p align="center">The Origins and Impact of the National Organization for Women</p>
<p>NOW emerged in 1966 in response to the need of a national organization to address discrimination against women. The National Organization for Women emerged shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were experiencing a time in which African Americans were fighting for equality through the use of different groups and organizations. Seeing the progress they were achieving, the organizers of NOW knew if they were going to have a fighting chance for equality they would need to achieve it through government legislation. NOW had approximately 300 members at the time of their first conference in 1966. There were many women responsible for the creation of NOW but one of the leading founders was Betty Friedan. She was the first president of NOW and held that title until 1970. Equality in the workplace and violence against women were just a couple of issues addressed by the organization. There have been many organizations created in the history of the United States to fight for the rights of women but none have been as instrumental as the National Organization for Women in achieving the goals of equality.</p>
<p>Over time, NOW addressed diversity by addressing inequalities experienced by women of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered women. Once NOW was formed, women in cities across the U.S formed local chapters. At the national level, liberal feminism shaped the agenda utilizing lobbying for government legislation. Liberal feminists believe in the power and authority of individuals utilizing their rights to obtain equality. Radical feminists influenced local chapter’s strategies for gaining equality through challenging existing institutions and policies rather than following a political process.</p>
<p>Betty Friedan drafted a statement of purpose for the organization, outlining issues that led to reforms pursued by the organization. “NOW’s 1966 Statement of Purpose focused on equal rights and equal opportunities for women, with a vision of “bringing women into full participation in the mainstream of American society…exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”<a title="">[1]</a> This organization was the first official organization for women in the second wave of the women’s movement. The organization is dedicated to women in their fight for full participation into American society. Friedan was not only a dedicated activist for women’s rights but an accomplished author and an educated woman who graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not become a public figure until her book, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> was published. Friedan was prompted to write her book after realizing her discontentment with suburban lifestyle. She was an educated woman not using her intellectual capabilities. She knew there had to be more women like her and so she started surveying her neighbors and old college classmates which led her to writing, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em>. In <em>Women’s Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People, </em>Suzanne O’Dea Schenken writes, “<em>The Feminine Mystique </em>helped launch the modern feminist movement in the United States by exposing the haunting sense of dissatisfaction many women felt and by portraying the experience as one that many women shared.”<a title="">[2]</a> Friedan’s encouragement helped push the issue of women’s equality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights. Although liberal feminism shaped NOW at the national level, radical feminists were prominent in local chapters, including the Memphis Chapter, and gave voice to women’s issues that had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>In 1970, the Memphis chapter of the National Organization for Women was established. Memphis has always had a mixed history of activism within the city. In looking at the Memphis NOW, one historian describes the Memphis Chapter as “a feminist organization that was simultaneously liberal and radical in a ‘sleepy little river town’.”<a title="">[3]</a> The Memphis Chapter of NOW organized around the need for women’s pay equality (especially in male-dominated fields) and concerns over sexual violence against women. By 1975, Memphis activists referred to their city as “the rape capital of the nation,” and strongly advocated against rape and domestic violence. Activists demanded public and political attention to the too-often private issue of rape. They employed radical feminist strategies, included organizing a march around the thirteen-block perimeter of Overton Park in midtown Memphis.” <a title="">[4]</a> These activists used strategies popular with radical feminism.</p>
<p>Many feminists agreed that their ultimate objective was to gain equality for women in all aspects of life, although the tactics used by different chapters of NOW did not always mirror one another. The Now chapter of Memphis produced a document stating that tactics would require imagination. “Tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers.”<a title="">[5]</a> Activists believed that these collective actions would result in a reaction from those who opposed women’s equality. The document outlined which tactics should and should not be used by the organization.</p>
<p>During the 1973 NOW national conference titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em>, a publication was circulated that outlined the strategies and policies that the group wanted to address.”<a title="">[6]</a> With the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, feminist activists saw a major victory, giving women the right to explore their sexuality and leaving their long time patriarchal bondage that had been passed down through the centuries. Looking at <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> in section 7 page 15 titled Reproduction; NOW is clear as to what things women should have uninhibited access to such as; all forms of birth control, and abortions to anyone that is requesting such services. Further down in the document titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> page 19 section 11 titled Criminal Justice<a title="">[7]</a>, NOW outlines how rape will not be tolerated, nor will it be ignored by authorities. Also, victims will not be shamed or ridiculed. This is later carried out in a resolution during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference<a title=""><sup><sup>[8]</sup></sup></a> held in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Memphis local chapter of NOW supported these initiatives. Memphis NOW chapter member, Juanita and the word “carried”, indicating the chapter members’ approval of a resolution on sexual violence passed during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW conference held in Memphis.</p>
<p>NOW lobbied for sexual freedom. The members of NOW believed that all women regardless of race or sexuality had the right to express themselves freely. Part of this issue was certain birth control methods including abortion. They paid close attention to issues limiting reproductive choice, including abortion. The members of NOW were known for being pro-choice. They believed that abortion was a tool that not only allowed for women to freely express themselves sexually but also protect themselves from the effects of being a victim of rape. However, birth control and abortion had not always been available to women. They did this by appealing to the Supreme Court and boycotting pharmaceutical companies. NOW members had “discussed the possibility of boycotting the company that produces RU 486 if it continues to balk at the selling of the abortion pill in the United States.”<a title="">[9]</a> Boycotts such as this showed the world just how serious the women in America were about having the right to choose what was done to their bodies. Women were becoming sexually liberated, but to become truly free from the old patriarchal society, women also needed financially independence, the security of a fair wage, equality in the workplaces free from harassment and threat of retaliation. </p>
<p> During NOW’s national conference in 1973, held in Houston, Texas, the 2<sup>nd</sup> item on the agenda titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> was economic equality which was broken down in sub points A-O. NOW saw how extremely important financial freedom was to women. This was reiterated a year later in the papers from the1974 Southern Regional Conference held in Memphis in resolution 7<a title=""><sup><sup>[10]</sup></sup></a>. This was addressing the fact that women held the lowest paying position and normally were the first to be fired or laid off. Both nationally and locally NOW advocated for paid equality.</p>
<p>Advocates today are still working on the same issues from the 1970s prevalent in the United States. Issues such as equal pay for women is one of the platforms that Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is using, as well as actresses from television and the silver screen. Also recently, the untested rape kits that sat in the Memphis police department show a lack of importance of sexual assaults. These are issues that are still being debated in 2016 that were being first brought into the national spotlight by NOW in 1966. Even though the battles for the equality of women are still being waged locally and nationally, progress has been made, but the war is not over. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Works Cited<br /><br />Primary Sources</p>
<p>“Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
<p>Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference Manual of Policies and Resolutions. </em>Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />“Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />Secondary Sources</p>
<p>Gilmore, Stephanie. 2003. "The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal </em>(2003):94-117.</p>
<p>Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a>Tiffany K. Wayne, and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Stephanie Gilmore."The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal</em>, 2003. 94.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> “Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference manual of policies and resolutions. Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Judy Hustala. Resolution #7. <em>Southern Regional NOW Conference</em>. October 20, 1974. Memphis.</p>
</div>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
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Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Statement of Purpose
Subject
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National Organization for Women's Statement of Purpose
Description
An account of the resource
This document is the Statement of Purpose for the National Organization for Women. This document was drafted by Betty Friedan, the first president of the National Organization for Women. The purpose of this document is to outline the reason behind the establishment in the National Organization for Women and what the organization hopes to accomplish. It explains ‘how the time has come for a new movement toward true equality for all women in America, and toward a fully equal partnership of the sexes, as part of the world-wide revolution of human rights now taking place within and beyond our national borders.’ It also entails the status of women since the end of World War II. It states its purpose to ‘take action and bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.’ It speaks on the declining position of women since the 50’s and 60’s and gives statistical evidence of the work placement of the percentage of women working outside the home as well as the unequal pay of women compared to men. The organization drafted this Statement of Purpose in 1966 and plans to utilize the organization to give women a voice which to speak on their behalf.
Creator
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Betty Friedan, National Organization for Women
Source
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Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5
Publisher
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The University of Memphis Libraries
Date
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October 29, 1966
Rights
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Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Activism
Spring 2016
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/15376/archive/files/9f4c3f8edc3963e98dd72c15b19b5ce8.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=ZEDuQVY9q6qd7AU5OnP7UUoX830otHFio2l69Pty4UiHGFb9370I8DOOrTzWLExrytrWKIWstkLWYdkOIr8ejjjYNP6GgOfg9bAVk6qqMvNiDqcxZ5kZX7c6S9M43dNYpxX0pA6OoyLUaCqJlK8L6KBzvGcj-WaX52QYPzVNHA29uZmFxTugJ4HZbTpPGi94LpFx1meLsoeTUHUoyJOTGngRnMhv4YmUAUNBPe3BVniONEB7OG-ILeo25oY0dDY0YxYGK-7tZX9ZUcrI4wdkybuARInPXs6u3sI9yLlfodH57PJ3B89AgWLDaB93a0w2kc0EFnB1PTHiWDt0jiQdBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
b083303960bc272f346cb9249f3f9f3f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Activism
Subject
The topic of the resource
Activism, 2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Description
An account of the resource
<p align="center">The Origins and Impact of the National Organization for Women</p>
<p>NOW emerged in 1966 in response to the need of a national organization to address discrimination against women. The National Organization for Women emerged shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were experiencing a time in which African Americans were fighting for equality through the use of different groups and organizations. Seeing the progress they were achieving, the organizers of NOW knew if they were going to have a fighting chance for equality they would need to achieve it through government legislation. NOW had approximately 300 members at the time of their first conference in 1966. There were many women responsible for the creation of NOW but one of the leading founders was Betty Friedan. She was the first president of NOW and held that title until 1970. Equality in the workplace and violence against women were just a couple of issues addressed by the organization. There have been many organizations created in the history of the United States to fight for the rights of women but none have been as instrumental as the National Organization for Women in achieving the goals of equality.</p>
<p>Over time, NOW addressed diversity by addressing inequalities experienced by women of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered women. Once NOW was formed, women in cities across the U.S formed local chapters. At the national level, liberal feminism shaped the agenda utilizing lobbying for government legislation. Liberal feminists believe in the power and authority of individuals utilizing their rights to obtain equality. Radical feminists influenced local chapter’s strategies for gaining equality through challenging existing institutions and policies rather than following a political process.</p>
<p>Betty Friedan drafted a statement of purpose for the organization, outlining issues that led to reforms pursued by the organization. “NOW’s 1966 Statement of Purpose focused on equal rights and equal opportunities for women, with a vision of “bringing women into full participation in the mainstream of American society…exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”<a title="">[1]</a> This organization was the first official organization for women in the second wave of the women’s movement. The organization is dedicated to women in their fight for full participation into American society. Friedan was not only a dedicated activist for women’s rights but an accomplished author and an educated woman who graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not become a public figure until her book, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> was published. Friedan was prompted to write her book after realizing her discontentment with suburban lifestyle. She was an educated woman not using her intellectual capabilities. She knew there had to be more women like her and so she started surveying her neighbors and old college classmates which led her to writing, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em>. In <em>Women’s Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People, </em>Suzanne O’Dea Schenken writes, “<em>The Feminine Mystique </em>helped launch the modern feminist movement in the United States by exposing the haunting sense of dissatisfaction many women felt and by portraying the experience as one that many women shared.”<a title="">[2]</a> Friedan’s encouragement helped push the issue of women’s equality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights. Although liberal feminism shaped NOW at the national level, radical feminists were prominent in local chapters, including the Memphis Chapter, and gave voice to women’s issues that had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>In 1970, the Memphis chapter of the National Organization for Women was established. Memphis has always had a mixed history of activism within the city. In looking at the Memphis NOW, one historian describes the Memphis Chapter as “a feminist organization that was simultaneously liberal and radical in a ‘sleepy little river town’.”<a title="">[3]</a> The Memphis Chapter of NOW organized around the need for women’s pay equality (especially in male-dominated fields) and concerns over sexual violence against women. By 1975, Memphis activists referred to their city as “the rape capital of the nation,” and strongly advocated against rape and domestic violence. Activists demanded public and political attention to the too-often private issue of rape. They employed radical feminist strategies, included organizing a march around the thirteen-block perimeter of Overton Park in midtown Memphis.” <a title="">[4]</a> These activists used strategies popular with radical feminism.</p>
<p>Many feminists agreed that their ultimate objective was to gain equality for women in all aspects of life, although the tactics used by different chapters of NOW did not always mirror one another. The Now chapter of Memphis produced a document stating that tactics would require imagination. “Tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers.”<a title="">[5]</a> Activists believed that these collective actions would result in a reaction from those who opposed women’s equality. The document outlined which tactics should and should not be used by the organization.</p>
<p>During the 1973 NOW national conference titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em>, a publication was circulated that outlined the strategies and policies that the group wanted to address.”<a title="">[6]</a> With the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, feminist activists saw a major victory, giving women the right to explore their sexuality and leaving their long time patriarchal bondage that had been passed down through the centuries. Looking at <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> in section 7 page 15 titled Reproduction; NOW is clear as to what things women should have uninhibited access to such as; all forms of birth control, and abortions to anyone that is requesting such services. Further down in the document titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> page 19 section 11 titled Criminal Justice<a title="">[7]</a>, NOW outlines how rape will not be tolerated, nor will it be ignored by authorities. Also, victims will not be shamed or ridiculed. This is later carried out in a resolution during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference<a title=""><sup><sup>[8]</sup></sup></a> held in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Memphis local chapter of NOW supported these initiatives. Memphis NOW chapter member, Juanita and the word “carried”, indicating the chapter members’ approval of a resolution on sexual violence passed during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW conference held in Memphis.</p>
<p>NOW lobbied for sexual freedom. The members of NOW believed that all women regardless of race or sexuality had the right to express themselves freely. Part of this issue was certain birth control methods including abortion. They paid close attention to issues limiting reproductive choice, including abortion. The members of NOW were known for being pro-choice. They believed that abortion was a tool that not only allowed for women to freely express themselves sexually but also protect themselves from the effects of being a victim of rape. However, birth control and abortion had not always been available to women. They did this by appealing to the Supreme Court and boycotting pharmaceutical companies. NOW members had “discussed the possibility of boycotting the company that produces RU 486 if it continues to balk at the selling of the abortion pill in the United States.”<a title="">[9]</a> Boycotts such as this showed the world just how serious the women in America were about having the right to choose what was done to their bodies. Women were becoming sexually liberated, but to become truly free from the old patriarchal society, women also needed financially independence, the security of a fair wage, equality in the workplaces free from harassment and threat of retaliation. </p>
<p> During NOW’s national conference in 1973, held in Houston, Texas, the 2<sup>nd</sup> item on the agenda titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> was economic equality which was broken down in sub points A-O. NOW saw how extremely important financial freedom was to women. This was reiterated a year later in the papers from the1974 Southern Regional Conference held in Memphis in resolution 7<a title=""><sup><sup>[10]</sup></sup></a>. This was addressing the fact that women held the lowest paying position and normally were the first to be fired or laid off. Both nationally and locally NOW advocated for paid equality.</p>
<p>Advocates today are still working on the same issues from the 1970s prevalent in the United States. Issues such as equal pay for women is one of the platforms that Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is using, as well as actresses from television and the silver screen. Also recently, the untested rape kits that sat in the Memphis police department show a lack of importance of sexual assaults. These are issues that are still being debated in 2016 that were being first brought into the national spotlight by NOW in 1966. Even though the battles for the equality of women are still being waged locally and nationally, progress has been made, but the war is not over. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Works Cited<br /><br />Primary Sources</p>
<p>“Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
<p>Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference Manual of Policies and Resolutions. </em>Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />“Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />Secondary Sources</p>
<p>Gilmore, Stephanie. 2003. "The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal </em>(2003):94-117.</p>
<p>Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a>Tiffany K. Wayne, and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Stephanie Gilmore."The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal</em>, 2003. 94.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> “Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference manual of policies and resolutions. Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Judy Hustala. Resolution #7. <em>Southern Regional NOW Conference</em>. October 20, 1974. Memphis.</p>
</div>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Resolution from 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference
Subject
The topic of the resource
Activism
Description
An account of the resource
The document entitled Resolutions from the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference which was held in Memphis, Tennessee in October. The same concerns and issues that was being discussed national was also being advocated at the local level. Though the national and local levels of NOW have the same general focus on the rights of American women, the local chapters like the Memphis chapter founded in 1970 tailored their advocating to the needs of the communities there lived in. This document show the difference or concentrated local NOW chapters efforts were toward advancing women’s rights. In Resolution #3 from the document shows that sexual assaults and violence toward all women must be addressed and will not be tolerated. In Resolution #7 the subject of job security is being address by Judy Hustala. Both of these issues where of great concern and importance for all women or all races and marital status. Being able to provide for their family, with the protection from sexual and physical abuse was the first and foremost issue concerning women during the Women’s Movement.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
NOW Memphis Chapter
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
University of Memphis Libraries
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
October 20, 1974
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
MSS 66 National Organization for Women Memphis Chapter, Box 1
Activism
Spring 2016
-
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913aad57fce43f8675e4b58e5858c400
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Activism
Subject
The topic of the resource
Activism, 2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Description
An account of the resource
<p align="center">The Origins and Impact of the National Organization for Women</p>
<p>NOW emerged in 1966 in response to the need of a national organization to address discrimination against women. The National Organization for Women emerged shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were experiencing a time in which African Americans were fighting for equality through the use of different groups and organizations. Seeing the progress they were achieving, the organizers of NOW knew if they were going to have a fighting chance for equality they would need to achieve it through government legislation. NOW had approximately 300 members at the time of their first conference in 1966. There were many women responsible for the creation of NOW but one of the leading founders was Betty Friedan. She was the first president of NOW and held that title until 1970. Equality in the workplace and violence against women were just a couple of issues addressed by the organization. There have been many organizations created in the history of the United States to fight for the rights of women but none have been as instrumental as the National Organization for Women in achieving the goals of equality.</p>
<p>Over time, NOW addressed diversity by addressing inequalities experienced by women of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered women. Once NOW was formed, women in cities across the U.S formed local chapters. At the national level, liberal feminism shaped the agenda utilizing lobbying for government legislation. Liberal feminists believe in the power and authority of individuals utilizing their rights to obtain equality. Radical feminists influenced local chapter’s strategies for gaining equality through challenging existing institutions and policies rather than following a political process.</p>
<p>Betty Friedan drafted a statement of purpose for the organization, outlining issues that led to reforms pursued by the organization. “NOW’s 1966 Statement of Purpose focused on equal rights and equal opportunities for women, with a vision of “bringing women into full participation in the mainstream of American society…exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”<a title="">[1]</a> This organization was the first official organization for women in the second wave of the women’s movement. The organization is dedicated to women in their fight for full participation into American society. Friedan was not only a dedicated activist for women’s rights but an accomplished author and an educated woman who graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not become a public figure until her book, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> was published. Friedan was prompted to write her book after realizing her discontentment with suburban lifestyle. She was an educated woman not using her intellectual capabilities. She knew there had to be more women like her and so she started surveying her neighbors and old college classmates which led her to writing, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em>. In <em>Women’s Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People, </em>Suzanne O’Dea Schenken writes, “<em>The Feminine Mystique </em>helped launch the modern feminist movement in the United States by exposing the haunting sense of dissatisfaction many women felt and by portraying the experience as one that many women shared.”<a title="">[2]</a> Friedan’s encouragement helped push the issue of women’s equality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights. Although liberal feminism shaped NOW at the national level, radical feminists were prominent in local chapters, including the Memphis Chapter, and gave voice to women’s issues that had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>In 1970, the Memphis chapter of the National Organization for Women was established. Memphis has always had a mixed history of activism within the city. In looking at the Memphis NOW, one historian describes the Memphis Chapter as “a feminist organization that was simultaneously liberal and radical in a ‘sleepy little river town’.”<a title="">[3]</a> The Memphis Chapter of NOW organized around the need for women’s pay equality (especially in male-dominated fields) and concerns over sexual violence against women. By 1975, Memphis activists referred to their city as “the rape capital of the nation,” and strongly advocated against rape and domestic violence. Activists demanded public and political attention to the too-often private issue of rape. They employed radical feminist strategies, included organizing a march around the thirteen-block perimeter of Overton Park in midtown Memphis.” <a title="">[4]</a> These activists used strategies popular with radical feminism.</p>
<p>Many feminists agreed that their ultimate objective was to gain equality for women in all aspects of life, although the tactics used by different chapters of NOW did not always mirror one another. The Now chapter of Memphis produced a document stating that tactics would require imagination. “Tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers.”<a title="">[5]</a> Activists believed that these collective actions would result in a reaction from those who opposed women’s equality. The document outlined which tactics should and should not be used by the organization.</p>
<p>During the 1973 NOW national conference titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em>, a publication was circulated that outlined the strategies and policies that the group wanted to address.”<a title="">[6]</a> With the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, feminist activists saw a major victory, giving women the right to explore their sexuality and leaving their long time patriarchal bondage that had been passed down through the centuries. Looking at <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> in section 7 page 15 titled Reproduction; NOW is clear as to what things women should have uninhibited access to such as; all forms of birth control, and abortions to anyone that is requesting such services. Further down in the document titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> page 19 section 11 titled Criminal Justice<a title="">[7]</a>, NOW outlines how rape will not be tolerated, nor will it be ignored by authorities. Also, victims will not be shamed or ridiculed. This is later carried out in a resolution during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference<a title=""><sup><sup>[8]</sup></sup></a> held in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Memphis local chapter of NOW supported these initiatives. Memphis NOW chapter member, Juanita and the word “carried”, indicating the chapter members’ approval of a resolution on sexual violence passed during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW conference held in Memphis.</p>
<p>NOW lobbied for sexual freedom. The members of NOW believed that all women regardless of race or sexuality had the right to express themselves freely. Part of this issue was certain birth control methods including abortion. They paid close attention to issues limiting reproductive choice, including abortion. The members of NOW were known for being pro-choice. They believed that abortion was a tool that not only allowed for women to freely express themselves sexually but also protect themselves from the effects of being a victim of rape. However, birth control and abortion had not always been available to women. They did this by appealing to the Supreme Court and boycotting pharmaceutical companies. NOW members had “discussed the possibility of boycotting the company that produces RU 486 if it continues to balk at the selling of the abortion pill in the United States.”<a title="">[9]</a> Boycotts such as this showed the world just how serious the women in America were about having the right to choose what was done to their bodies. Women were becoming sexually liberated, but to become truly free from the old patriarchal society, women also needed financially independence, the security of a fair wage, equality in the workplaces free from harassment and threat of retaliation. </p>
<p> During NOW’s national conference in 1973, held in Houston, Texas, the 2<sup>nd</sup> item on the agenda titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> was economic equality which was broken down in sub points A-O. NOW saw how extremely important financial freedom was to women. This was reiterated a year later in the papers from the1974 Southern Regional Conference held in Memphis in resolution 7<a title=""><sup><sup>[10]</sup></sup></a>. This was addressing the fact that women held the lowest paying position and normally were the first to be fired or laid off. Both nationally and locally NOW advocated for paid equality.</p>
<p>Advocates today are still working on the same issues from the 1970s prevalent in the United States. Issues such as equal pay for women is one of the platforms that Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is using, as well as actresses from television and the silver screen. Also recently, the untested rape kits that sat in the Memphis police department show a lack of importance of sexual assaults. These are issues that are still being debated in 2016 that were being first brought into the national spotlight by NOW in 1966. Even though the battles for the equality of women are still being waged locally and nationally, progress has been made, but the war is not over. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Works Cited<br /><br />Primary Sources</p>
<p>“Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
<p>Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference Manual of Policies and Resolutions. </em>Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />“Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />Secondary Sources</p>
<p>Gilmore, Stephanie. 2003. "The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal </em>(2003):94-117.</p>
<p>Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a>Tiffany K. Wayne, and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Stephanie Gilmore."The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal</em>, 2003. 94.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> “Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference manual of policies and resolutions. Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Judy Hustala. Resolution #7. <em>Southern Regional NOW Conference</em>. October 20, 1974. Memphis.</p>
</div>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Betty Friedan
Subject
The topic of the resource
Photograph of Betty Friedan, women's equality, strike
Description
An account of the resource
This is a photograph taken of Betty Friedan on March 23, 1970. She is displaying equality for women buttons at the organizations national convention in Chicago. This photograph was taken in the last year of Friedan’s presidency for the National Organization of Women. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not get cast into the public eye until her book, The Feminine Mystique was published in 1963. The Feminine Mystique was a result of interviews Friedan had conducted with her old college classmates. Her results were that even though women had husbands, homes, children, and material assets they were experiencing a level of discontentment amongst themselves. This issue became known as “the problem that has no name.” This problem referenced women not having the opportunities to utilize their intellectual capabilities. Through The Feminine Mystique, Friedan was able to give encouragement to women who felt the same way and her and push the issue of women’s inequality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights.
Creator
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United States International Telephoto
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5
Publisher
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The University of Memphis Libraries
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
March 23, 1970
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Activism
Spring 2016
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/15376/archive/files/083d7c6cba1462f8e8b3ddaf801d424c.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=hC5DFjoa7iu8ol2eyol%7Ez4atx6HoS7DFx1Q46VKN4O3B9uG15ch5mQKzazUQpgPmj1DEpbrin7nBoHS0p0U8xb7FoDvWm8wRAXvwmbCajPgJaWawhQkU3D1kud-39vdM6LphNkHpyqCeCaslJmO9DNSJnQRjVsVhMi-PT%7E-JK5EfBSUzq9E0Ny1fs1j8m5fU5W8CttXZK3lPdytWG7xPo9MXS7bd2OQyVAF9-EYyKwWImZsIRnp4UicXYukiY1i3OObWSEvMO5rmUhdNoC0a57B4vd-bqqCvTgYCZ6ZuuSMUdcmlskvgP6rJbqDu5n4M%7EgEHrSZT8HSjTk4jA8Jb1w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
24b69484c884a880225c37121500140e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Activism
Subject
The topic of the resource
Activism, 2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Description
An account of the resource
<p align="center">The Origins and Impact of the National Organization for Women</p>
<p>NOW emerged in 1966 in response to the need of a national organization to address discrimination against women. The National Organization for Women emerged shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were experiencing a time in which African Americans were fighting for equality through the use of different groups and organizations. Seeing the progress they were achieving, the organizers of NOW knew if they were going to have a fighting chance for equality they would need to achieve it through government legislation. NOW had approximately 300 members at the time of their first conference in 1966. There were many women responsible for the creation of NOW but one of the leading founders was Betty Friedan. She was the first president of NOW and held that title until 1970. Equality in the workplace and violence against women were just a couple of issues addressed by the organization. There have been many organizations created in the history of the United States to fight for the rights of women but none have been as instrumental as the National Organization for Women in achieving the goals of equality.</p>
<p>Over time, NOW addressed diversity by addressing inequalities experienced by women of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered women. Once NOW was formed, women in cities across the U.S formed local chapters. At the national level, liberal feminism shaped the agenda utilizing lobbying for government legislation. Liberal feminists believe in the power and authority of individuals utilizing their rights to obtain equality. Radical feminists influenced local chapter’s strategies for gaining equality through challenging existing institutions and policies rather than following a political process.</p>
<p>Betty Friedan drafted a statement of purpose for the organization, outlining issues that led to reforms pursued by the organization. “NOW’s 1966 Statement of Purpose focused on equal rights and equal opportunities for women, with a vision of “bringing women into full participation in the mainstream of American society…exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”<a title="">[1]</a> This organization was the first official organization for women in the second wave of the women’s movement. The organization is dedicated to women in their fight for full participation into American society. Friedan was not only a dedicated activist for women’s rights but an accomplished author and an educated woman who graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not become a public figure until her book, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> was published. Friedan was prompted to write her book after realizing her discontentment with suburban lifestyle. She was an educated woman not using her intellectual capabilities. She knew there had to be more women like her and so she started surveying her neighbors and old college classmates which led her to writing, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em>. In <em>Women’s Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People, </em>Suzanne O’Dea Schenken writes, “<em>The Feminine Mystique </em>helped launch the modern feminist movement in the United States by exposing the haunting sense of dissatisfaction many women felt and by portraying the experience as one that many women shared.”<a title="">[2]</a> Friedan’s encouragement helped push the issue of women’s equality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights. Although liberal feminism shaped NOW at the national level, radical feminists were prominent in local chapters, including the Memphis Chapter, and gave voice to women’s issues that had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>In 1970, the Memphis chapter of the National Organization for Women was established. Memphis has always had a mixed history of activism within the city. In looking at the Memphis NOW, one historian describes the Memphis Chapter as “a feminist organization that was simultaneously liberal and radical in a ‘sleepy little river town’.”<a title="">[3]</a> The Memphis Chapter of NOW organized around the need for women’s pay equality (especially in male-dominated fields) and concerns over sexual violence against women. By 1975, Memphis activists referred to their city as “the rape capital of the nation,” and strongly advocated against rape and domestic violence. Activists demanded public and political attention to the too-often private issue of rape. They employed radical feminist strategies, included organizing a march around the thirteen-block perimeter of Overton Park in midtown Memphis.” <a title="">[4]</a> These activists used strategies popular with radical feminism.</p>
<p>Many feminists agreed that their ultimate objective was to gain equality for women in all aspects of life, although the tactics used by different chapters of NOW did not always mirror one another. The Now chapter of Memphis produced a document stating that tactics would require imagination. “Tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers.”<a title="">[5]</a> Activists believed that these collective actions would result in a reaction from those who opposed women’s equality. The document outlined which tactics should and should not be used by the organization.</p>
<p>During the 1973 NOW national conference titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em>, a publication was circulated that outlined the strategies and policies that the group wanted to address.”<a title="">[6]</a> With the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, feminist activists saw a major victory, giving women the right to explore their sexuality and leaving their long time patriarchal bondage that had been passed down through the centuries. Looking at <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> in section 7 page 15 titled Reproduction; NOW is clear as to what things women should have uninhibited access to such as; all forms of birth control, and abortions to anyone that is requesting such services. Further down in the document titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> page 19 section 11 titled Criminal Justice<a title="">[7]</a>, NOW outlines how rape will not be tolerated, nor will it be ignored by authorities. Also, victims will not be shamed or ridiculed. This is later carried out in a resolution during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference<a title=""><sup><sup>[8]</sup></sup></a> held in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Memphis local chapter of NOW supported these initiatives. Memphis NOW chapter member, Juanita and the word “carried”, indicating the chapter members’ approval of a resolution on sexual violence passed during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW conference held in Memphis.</p>
<p>NOW lobbied for sexual freedom. The members of NOW believed that all women regardless of race or sexuality had the right to express themselves freely. Part of this issue was certain birth control methods including abortion. They paid close attention to issues limiting reproductive choice, including abortion. The members of NOW were known for being pro-choice. They believed that abortion was a tool that not only allowed for women to freely express themselves sexually but also protect themselves from the effects of being a victim of rape. However, birth control and abortion had not always been available to women. They did this by appealing to the Supreme Court and boycotting pharmaceutical companies. NOW members had “discussed the possibility of boycotting the company that produces RU 486 if it continues to balk at the selling of the abortion pill in the United States.”<a title="">[9]</a> Boycotts such as this showed the world just how serious the women in America were about having the right to choose what was done to their bodies. Women were becoming sexually liberated, but to become truly free from the old patriarchal society, women also needed financially independence, the security of a fair wage, equality in the workplaces free from harassment and threat of retaliation. </p>
<p> During NOW’s national conference in 1973, held in Houston, Texas, the 2<sup>nd</sup> item on the agenda titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> was economic equality which was broken down in sub points A-O. NOW saw how extremely important financial freedom was to women. This was reiterated a year later in the papers from the1974 Southern Regional Conference held in Memphis in resolution 7<a title=""><sup><sup>[10]</sup></sup></a>. This was addressing the fact that women held the lowest paying position and normally were the first to be fired or laid off. Both nationally and locally NOW advocated for paid equality.</p>
<p>Advocates today are still working on the same issues from the 1970s prevalent in the United States. Issues such as equal pay for women is one of the platforms that Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is using, as well as actresses from television and the silver screen. Also recently, the untested rape kits that sat in the Memphis police department show a lack of importance of sexual assaults. These are issues that are still being debated in 2016 that were being first brought into the national spotlight by NOW in 1966. Even though the battles for the equality of women are still being waged locally and nationally, progress has been made, but the war is not over. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Works Cited<br /><br />Primary Sources</p>
<p>“Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
<p>Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference Manual of Policies and Resolutions. </em>Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />“Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />Secondary Sources</p>
<p>Gilmore, Stephanie. 2003. "The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal </em>(2003):94-117.</p>
<p>Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a>Tiffany K. Wayne, and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Stephanie Gilmore."The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal</em>, 2003. 94.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> “Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference manual of policies and resolutions. Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Judy Hustala. Resolution #7. <em>Southern Regional NOW Conference</em>. October 20, 1974. Memphis.</p>
</div>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Future is NOW
Subject
The topic of the resource
Issues facing the rights of women
Description
An account of the resource
The 1973 National Conference itinerary entitled The Future is NOW. Is a 23 page document that the origination printed to address the most important issues challenging the progress of the rights of women in the United States. These issues include equality in the areas of economics, education, and the political arena. It also advocates against war and violence, domestic abuse and rape, and limited access to birth control and medical attention. This document shows the activism that took place at the national level, and would evenly work its way into the state and local levels. The two sections used for this project was section 2 titled Economic Equality. This section address the importance for women to be able to earn a fair and equal wage in harassment free workplace and have the ability for women to either prove extra income for a household, or o be the primary bread winner. The second section is a resolution to combat and to bring the issue of rape and violence against women out of the shadows and into the forefront of national conversation. Advocating against rape was showing the world that women were taking control of their bodies, building esteem and building self-worth. These two resolutions are the means for women to take control of their lives becoming independent, and self-efficacy.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
National Organization for Women
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
University of Memphis Libraries
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
MSS 66 National Organization For Women Memphis Chapter, Box 1
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Activism
Spring 2016
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/15376/archive/files/b4286f6101eb7c3feadceac13e25d0f8.jpg?Expires=1712793600&Signature=rLcyiHDCRUp5O8efGNjcbxjvzWJU6e4XTldD%7EGeNhHTT-P92eQ7FiiK5ZhpJd0JXHxfuI4u5t1eWUjKqp0XBLXWOy6qjXXJYeOOJki3nUJ0XYN5N0FGycorkFsj-SYCqBiCH2IPNrN4TLO78gOYWt0jnM8bUSrGey4jpIYeKhskSx9hxeej9zA6RldURucWpVz52O%7EAbgBJzukJ9ovqOJ8oA%7ETU6tDVc0n7mQdujrbc4os0Wi8Z%7EHSfyPUptiEKvf3L8TEqrgxCzpV8oMoVh%7E-anx724GdQqENw-3jfC-cBvKeEb9CEMUeyFTPZ9CoZA1FbVWAA3iKIo8rw7q5cvzQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
e9d655434874b5c51e298f4de930a0d1
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Title
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Activism
Subject
The topic of the resource
Activism, 2016
Rights
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Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Description
An account of the resource
<p align="center">The Origins and Impact of the National Organization for Women</p>
<p>NOW emerged in 1966 in response to the need of a national organization to address discrimination against women. The National Organization for Women emerged shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were experiencing a time in which African Americans were fighting for equality through the use of different groups and organizations. Seeing the progress they were achieving, the organizers of NOW knew if they were going to have a fighting chance for equality they would need to achieve it through government legislation. NOW had approximately 300 members at the time of their first conference in 1966. There were many women responsible for the creation of NOW but one of the leading founders was Betty Friedan. She was the first president of NOW and held that title until 1970. Equality in the workplace and violence against women were just a couple of issues addressed by the organization. There have been many organizations created in the history of the United States to fight for the rights of women but none have been as instrumental as the National Organization for Women in achieving the goals of equality.</p>
<p>Over time, NOW addressed diversity by addressing inequalities experienced by women of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered women. Once NOW was formed, women in cities across the U.S formed local chapters. At the national level, liberal feminism shaped the agenda utilizing lobbying for government legislation. Liberal feminists believe in the power and authority of individuals utilizing their rights to obtain equality. Radical feminists influenced local chapter’s strategies for gaining equality through challenging existing institutions and policies rather than following a political process.</p>
<p>Betty Friedan drafted a statement of purpose for the organization, outlining issues that led to reforms pursued by the organization. “NOW’s 1966 Statement of Purpose focused on equal rights and equal opportunities for women, with a vision of “bringing women into full participation in the mainstream of American society…exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”<a title="">[1]</a> This organization was the first official organization for women in the second wave of the women’s movement. The organization is dedicated to women in their fight for full participation into American society. Friedan was not only a dedicated activist for women’s rights but an accomplished author and an educated woman who graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not become a public figure until her book, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> was published. Friedan was prompted to write her book after realizing her discontentment with suburban lifestyle. She was an educated woman not using her intellectual capabilities. She knew there had to be more women like her and so she started surveying her neighbors and old college classmates which led her to writing, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em>. In <em>Women’s Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People, </em>Suzanne O’Dea Schenken writes, “<em>The Feminine Mystique </em>helped launch the modern feminist movement in the United States by exposing the haunting sense of dissatisfaction many women felt and by portraying the experience as one that many women shared.”<a title="">[2]</a> Friedan’s encouragement helped push the issue of women’s equality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights. Although liberal feminism shaped NOW at the national level, radical feminists were prominent in local chapters, including the Memphis Chapter, and gave voice to women’s issues that had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>In 1970, the Memphis chapter of the National Organization for Women was established. Memphis has always had a mixed history of activism within the city. In looking at the Memphis NOW, one historian describes the Memphis Chapter as “a feminist organization that was simultaneously liberal and radical in a ‘sleepy little river town’.”<a title="">[3]</a> The Memphis Chapter of NOW organized around the need for women’s pay equality (especially in male-dominated fields) and concerns over sexual violence against women. By 1975, Memphis activists referred to their city as “the rape capital of the nation,” and strongly advocated against rape and domestic violence. Activists demanded public and political attention to the too-often private issue of rape. They employed radical feminist strategies, included organizing a march around the thirteen-block perimeter of Overton Park in midtown Memphis.” <a title="">[4]</a> These activists used strategies popular with radical feminism.</p>
<p>Many feminists agreed that their ultimate objective was to gain equality for women in all aspects of life, although the tactics used by different chapters of NOW did not always mirror one another. The Now chapter of Memphis produced a document stating that tactics would require imagination. “Tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers.”<a title="">[5]</a> Activists believed that these collective actions would result in a reaction from those who opposed women’s equality. The document outlined which tactics should and should not be used by the organization.</p>
<p>During the 1973 NOW national conference titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em>, a publication was circulated that outlined the strategies and policies that the group wanted to address.”<a title="">[6]</a> With the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, feminist activists saw a major victory, giving women the right to explore their sexuality and leaving their long time patriarchal bondage that had been passed down through the centuries. Looking at <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> in section 7 page 15 titled Reproduction; NOW is clear as to what things women should have uninhibited access to such as; all forms of birth control, and abortions to anyone that is requesting such services. Further down in the document titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> page 19 section 11 titled Criminal Justice<a title="">[7]</a>, NOW outlines how rape will not be tolerated, nor will it be ignored by authorities. Also, victims will not be shamed or ridiculed. This is later carried out in a resolution during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference<a title=""><sup><sup>[8]</sup></sup></a> held in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Memphis local chapter of NOW supported these initiatives. Memphis NOW chapter member, Juanita and the word “carried”, indicating the chapter members’ approval of a resolution on sexual violence passed during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW conference held in Memphis.</p>
<p>NOW lobbied for sexual freedom. The members of NOW believed that all women regardless of race or sexuality had the right to express themselves freely. Part of this issue was certain birth control methods including abortion. They paid close attention to issues limiting reproductive choice, including abortion. The members of NOW were known for being pro-choice. They believed that abortion was a tool that not only allowed for women to freely express themselves sexually but also protect themselves from the effects of being a victim of rape. However, birth control and abortion had not always been available to women. They did this by appealing to the Supreme Court and boycotting pharmaceutical companies. NOW members had “discussed the possibility of boycotting the company that produces RU 486 if it continues to balk at the selling of the abortion pill in the United States.”<a title="">[9]</a> Boycotts such as this showed the world just how serious the women in America were about having the right to choose what was done to their bodies. Women were becoming sexually liberated, but to become truly free from the old patriarchal society, women also needed financially independence, the security of a fair wage, equality in the workplaces free from harassment and threat of retaliation. </p>
<p> During NOW’s national conference in 1973, held in Houston, Texas, the 2<sup>nd</sup> item on the agenda titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> was economic equality which was broken down in sub points A-O. NOW saw how extremely important financial freedom was to women. This was reiterated a year later in the papers from the1974 Southern Regional Conference held in Memphis in resolution 7<a title=""><sup><sup>[10]</sup></sup></a>. This was addressing the fact that women held the lowest paying position and normally were the first to be fired or laid off. Both nationally and locally NOW advocated for paid equality.</p>
<p>Advocates today are still working on the same issues from the 1970s prevalent in the United States. Issues such as equal pay for women is one of the platforms that Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is using, as well as actresses from television and the silver screen. Also recently, the untested rape kits that sat in the Memphis police department show a lack of importance of sexual assaults. These are issues that are still being debated in 2016 that were being first brought into the national spotlight by NOW in 1966. Even though the battles for the equality of women are still being waged locally and nationally, progress has been made, but the war is not over. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Works Cited<br /><br />Primary Sources</p>
<p>“Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
<p>Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference Manual of Policies and Resolutions. </em>Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />“Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />Secondary Sources</p>
<p>Gilmore, Stephanie. 2003. "The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal </em>(2003):94-117.</p>
<p>Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a>Tiffany K. Wayne, and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Stephanie Gilmore."The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal</em>, 2003. 94.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> “Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference manual of policies and resolutions. Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Judy Hustala. Resolution #7. <em>Southern Regional NOW Conference</em>. October 20, 1974. Memphis.</p>
</div>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tactics
Subject
The topic of the resource
Tactics used and encouraged by the National Organization for Women
Description
An account of the resource
This is a primary source used by the National Organization for Women in the Memphis Chapter. This document outlines tactics that will benefit the organization. It entails what tactics to use as well as what tactics should not be used. It states that these tactics will help build the organization and that tactics require imagination. When stating that the tactics would require imagination, I believe this providing room for radical ideas. It can be seen as the Memphis chapter of NOW giving their activists permission to think outside liberal ideals. It also states that tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers and that they are used in order to get the enemy to react and then yourself. Radical feminism was prominent in the Memphis chapter of NOW although the National organization was mostly liberal. Tactics expressed in this document were used in radical protests that gave the activists of Memphis a voice they had not had before. The eighth tactic listed in the document states, “keep pressure on in a campaign. A new action every week. Pick new fights; keep on top of the issues. The risk of co-optation grows more from losing the initiative than it does from “impurity”.” This statement confirms the appearance of radical feminism in the Memphis chapter of NOW.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Betty Friedan
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The University of Memphis Libraries
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Activism
Spring 2016
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/15376/archive/files/3b78ff738091cf8b352e97aec6aa073e.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=FYawkhwKnNg-hISHs67W726kfOwxgEc5PZ6AcJ1sbHp2fjUDVIQqyvCk-30NWkormVcQQTS0GFbnvTJjrGoDuFXtC-o72iJsdOWVRth%7Er%7Eo0wnD4Vhx55Oar7X6vB94D4pe61SK8zawGNPBRk-kv5XT2XuzJ1Oq7S4p7iLxGc3EFHvvxqHmU5XADrcawPAf5FXWK13zPZilywTnPoJ2waJnjz48neDJsM70sy3nwTBwehglQCMFzFB0EOc1ECbUOfxLizwZD2EOqRMzFzzjJKBO7ghVZ6hQPS1U0dP1AITRo4f010zdbA49DDuWvjCfipIHdivx087qilmTB8yhB-w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
d1a98aed32284f02f08d05c2c0a96c0c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Activism
Subject
The topic of the resource
Activism, 2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Description
An account of the resource
<p align="center">The Origins and Impact of the National Organization for Women</p>
<p>NOW emerged in 1966 in response to the need of a national organization to address discrimination against women. The National Organization for Women emerged shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were experiencing a time in which African Americans were fighting for equality through the use of different groups and organizations. Seeing the progress they were achieving, the organizers of NOW knew if they were going to have a fighting chance for equality they would need to achieve it through government legislation. NOW had approximately 300 members at the time of their first conference in 1966. There were many women responsible for the creation of NOW but one of the leading founders was Betty Friedan. She was the first president of NOW and held that title until 1970. Equality in the workplace and violence against women were just a couple of issues addressed by the organization. There have been many organizations created in the history of the United States to fight for the rights of women but none have been as instrumental as the National Organization for Women in achieving the goals of equality.</p>
<p>Over time, NOW addressed diversity by addressing inequalities experienced by women of color, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered women. Once NOW was formed, women in cities across the U.S formed local chapters. At the national level, liberal feminism shaped the agenda utilizing lobbying for government legislation. Liberal feminists believe in the power and authority of individuals utilizing their rights to obtain equality. Radical feminists influenced local chapter’s strategies for gaining equality through challenging existing institutions and policies rather than following a political process.</p>
<p>Betty Friedan drafted a statement of purpose for the organization, outlining issues that led to reforms pursued by the organization. “NOW’s 1966 Statement of Purpose focused on equal rights and equal opportunities for women, with a vision of “bringing women into full participation in the mainstream of American society…exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”<a title="">[1]</a> This organization was the first official organization for women in the second wave of the women’s movement. The organization is dedicated to women in their fight for full participation into American society. Friedan was not only a dedicated activist for women’s rights but an accomplished author and an educated woman who graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not become a public figure until her book, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> was published. Friedan was prompted to write her book after realizing her discontentment with suburban lifestyle. She was an educated woman not using her intellectual capabilities. She knew there had to be more women like her and so she started surveying her neighbors and old college classmates which led her to writing, <em>The Feminine Mystique</em>. In <em>Women’s Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People, </em>Suzanne O’Dea Schenken writes, “<em>The Feminine Mystique </em>helped launch the modern feminist movement in the United States by exposing the haunting sense of dissatisfaction many women felt and by portraying the experience as one that many women shared.”<a title="">[2]</a> Friedan’s encouragement helped push the issue of women’s equality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights. Although liberal feminism shaped NOW at the national level, radical feminists were prominent in local chapters, including the Memphis Chapter, and gave voice to women’s issues that had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>In 1970, the Memphis chapter of the National Organization for Women was established. Memphis has always had a mixed history of activism within the city. In looking at the Memphis NOW, one historian describes the Memphis Chapter as “a feminist organization that was simultaneously liberal and radical in a ‘sleepy little river town’.”<a title="">[3]</a> The Memphis Chapter of NOW organized around the need for women’s pay equality (especially in male-dominated fields) and concerns over sexual violence against women. By 1975, Memphis activists referred to their city as “the rape capital of the nation,” and strongly advocated against rape and domestic violence. Activists demanded public and political attention to the too-often private issue of rape. They employed radical feminist strategies, included organizing a march around the thirteen-block perimeter of Overton Park in midtown Memphis.” <a title="">[4]</a> These activists used strategies popular with radical feminism.</p>
<p>Many feminists agreed that their ultimate objective was to gain equality for women in all aspects of life, although the tactics used by different chapters of NOW did not always mirror one another. The Now chapter of Memphis produced a document stating that tactics would require imagination. “Tactics from a mass-based organization should flow from the principle that what you have is numbers.”<a title="">[5]</a> Activists believed that these collective actions would result in a reaction from those who opposed women’s equality. The document outlined which tactics should and should not be used by the organization.</p>
<p>During the 1973 NOW national conference titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em>, a publication was circulated that outlined the strategies and policies that the group wanted to address.”<a title="">[6]</a> With the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, feminist activists saw a major victory, giving women the right to explore their sexuality and leaving their long time patriarchal bondage that had been passed down through the centuries. Looking at <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> in section 7 page 15 titled Reproduction; NOW is clear as to what things women should have uninhibited access to such as; all forms of birth control, and abortions to anyone that is requesting such services. Further down in the document titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> page 19 section 11 titled Criminal Justice<a title="">[7]</a>, NOW outlines how rape will not be tolerated, nor will it be ignored by authorities. Also, victims will not be shamed or ridiculed. This is later carried out in a resolution during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference<a title=""><sup><sup>[8]</sup></sup></a> held in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Memphis local chapter of NOW supported these initiatives. Memphis NOW chapter member, Juanita and the word “carried”, indicating the chapter members’ approval of a resolution on sexual violence passed during the 1974 Southern Regional NOW conference held in Memphis.</p>
<p>NOW lobbied for sexual freedom. The members of NOW believed that all women regardless of race or sexuality had the right to express themselves freely. Part of this issue was certain birth control methods including abortion. They paid close attention to issues limiting reproductive choice, including abortion. The members of NOW were known for being pro-choice. They believed that abortion was a tool that not only allowed for women to freely express themselves sexually but also protect themselves from the effects of being a victim of rape. However, birth control and abortion had not always been available to women. They did this by appealing to the Supreme Court and boycotting pharmaceutical companies. NOW members had “discussed the possibility of boycotting the company that produces RU 486 if it continues to balk at the selling of the abortion pill in the United States.”<a title="">[9]</a> Boycotts such as this showed the world just how serious the women in America were about having the right to choose what was done to their bodies. Women were becoming sexually liberated, but to become truly free from the old patriarchal society, women also needed financially independence, the security of a fair wage, equality in the workplaces free from harassment and threat of retaliation. </p>
<p> During NOW’s national conference in 1973, held in Houston, Texas, the 2<sup>nd</sup> item on the agenda titled <em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW</em> was economic equality which was broken down in sub points A-O. NOW saw how extremely important financial freedom was to women. This was reiterated a year later in the papers from the1974 Southern Regional Conference held in Memphis in resolution 7<a title=""><sup><sup>[10]</sup></sup></a>. This was addressing the fact that women held the lowest paying position and normally were the first to be fired or laid off. Both nationally and locally NOW advocated for paid equality.</p>
<p>Advocates today are still working on the same issues from the 1970s prevalent in the United States. Issues such as equal pay for women is one of the platforms that Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is using, as well as actresses from television and the silver screen. Also recently, the untested rape kits that sat in the Memphis police department show a lack of importance of sexual assaults. These are issues that are still being debated in 2016 that were being first brought into the national spotlight by NOW in 1966. Even though the battles for the equality of women are still being waged locally and nationally, progress has been made, but the war is not over. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Works Cited<br /><br />Primary Sources</p>
<p>“Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
<p>Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference Manual of Policies and Resolutions. </em>Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />“Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5. Available at Mcwherter Library, Special Collections.<br /><br />Secondary Sources</p>
<p>Gilmore, Stephanie. 2003. "The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal </em>(2003):94-117.</p>
<p>Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a>Tiffany K. Wayne, and Lois W. Banner. 2014. <em>Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People</em>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2014.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Stephanie Gilmore."The Dynamics of Second-Wave Feminist Activism in Memphis, 1971-1982: Rethinking the Liberal/Radical Divide." <em>NWSA Journal</em>, 2003. 94.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> “Tactics”, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Revolution: Tomorrow is NOW Pre-Conference manual of policies and resolutions. Massachusetts. 1973. National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Hustala, Judy. Resolution #7. Southern Regional NOW Conference. October 20, 1974. Memphis Chapter. Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. MSS 66. Box #1 of 5.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> “Ama and Now for Abortion Pill”. 1990. <em>Off Our Backs</em> 20. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Judy Hustala. Resolution #7. <em>Southern Regional NOW Conference</em>. October 20, 1974. Memphis.</p>
</div>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Denise Nichols, Jere Norville, Will Ruffin
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from First Presbyterian Church
Subject
The topic of the resource
Correspondence with National Organization of Women
Description
An account of the resource
This image is of a letter contributes to the certain challenges that the National Organization of Women and lesbians faced in their efforts to spread awareness of sexuality and lesbian rights. In that was sent from the Memphis First Presbyterian Church Clerk of Session David P. Cooper to the National Organization of Women Memphis Chapter President Julia Howell. Cooper writes addressing not only the president of Memphis’ chapter, Julia Howell, but also the lesbians within the organization itself (whether directly or indirectly). In this letter Cooper tells Ms. Howell and the organization that while the church supports the organization as a whole and promotes and supports most of the organizations endeavors in their fright for women’s rights, the church can no longer allow the Memphis Chapter of the National Organization of Women to meet at the church. Cooper writes telling that this is because that while the church supports most of goals of the organization that they do not agree with the fight for the right of sexuality or lesbian rights. It is because of this that the chapter has been banded from meeting at the church to hold their weekly meetings to discuss and plan events that would further their cause and help reach their goals quicker. Cooper writes that the church came to this decision because of the fact that to allow sexual freedom and to give lesbians rights would be against the church’s end goal and everything that they believe theologically. This Primary source serves a dual purpose. The first is that it shows the difficulties that the National Organization of Women faced in order to win rights for all women regardless of sexuality or race. The second is that it shows the nation how lesbians were treated and motivated all women and all lesbians within and outside of the National Organization of Women to join the cause to give rights to all.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
First Presbyterian Church, David P. Cooper
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
The University of Memphis Libraries
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
July 20, 1976
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Digital Image ©2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Activism
Spring 2016