Letter from First Presbyterian Church
Correspondence with National Organization of Women
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.
First Presbyterian Church, David P. Cooper
The University of Memphis Libraries
July 20, 1976
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Tactics
Tactics used and encouraged by the National Organization for Women
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.
Betty Friedan
Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5
The University of Memphis Libraries
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
The Future is NOW
Issues facing the rights of women
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.
National Organization for Women
MSS 66 National Organization For Women Memphis Chapter, Box 1
University of Memphis Libraries
1973
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Betty Friedan
Photograph of Betty Friedan, women's equality, strike
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.
United States International Telephoto
Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5
The University of Memphis Libraries
March 23, 1970
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Resolution from 1974 Southern Regional NOW Conference
Activism
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.
NOW Memphis Chapter
MSS 66 National Organization for Women Memphis Chapter, Box 1
University of Memphis Libraries
October 20, 1974
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.
Statement of Purpose
National Organization for Women's Statement of Purpose
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.
Betty Friedan, National Organization for Women
Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5
The University of Memphis Libraries
October 29, 1966
Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.