Inventory of the National Organization for Women Akron Chapter, 1966-1992

History of The National Organization for Women

The National Organization for Women (NOW) was created on June 30, 1966, by a group of women who were dissatisfied with the proceedings of the Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women. The National Organization of Women (NOW) seeks full equality for women, to be accomplished through equal participation in the decision making process in political, economic and social arenas. The Akron Chapter of NOW was organized to further that goal in the Akron area. The Akron Chapter of NOW was founded on May 19, 1971, by Virginia Busson, who had been asked by the national organization to found a chapter in the Akron area. Helen F. Moss was elected the first president. The chapter's early goals included gender neutrality in employment advertisements, passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, repeal of abortion laws, and an increase in the number of women elected to political office. Other issues that NOW came to address included civil rights for lesbians and gays, child care and women's reproductive rights. Akron Chapter NOW events included the yearly "Take Back the Night March," which had the objective of bringing attention to violence committed against women, and annual participation in the Akron Women's History Project. Additionally, the organization sponsored many programs and conferences. The organization also published a newsletter which contained national, state and local news related to women's rights, and included a calendar of upcoming Akron NOW events.

Scope and Content

The collection, covering the years approximately 1971 to 1993, contains material relating to the Akron Area Chapter of the National Organization of Women and minimal information related to the state and national organizations. Included in the Akron Area Chapter materials are some of the organization's newsletters and items relating to programs and conferences. The organization's by-laws are included, but the collection contains only the minutes from May 28, 1991, June 27, 1991 and July 25, 1991, and there are no committee reports. Also, the collection contains very few financial records of the organization. The only membership list included dates from 1989. The collection lacks photographs of the organization's leaders and events, except for a few that appeared in publications. The collection also contains the by-laws for the Ohio NOW and a few samples of the state newsletter. As well, it has the national NOW by-laws, statement of purpose, examples of the newsletter, and examples of national NOW publications relating to chapter development and child care. There is also miscellaneous conference information and publications. National Organization for Women's involvement in the struggle to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is reflected in materials from the national, state and local levels pertaining to plans of action for ERA ratification. Most of these items, however, are from the national level.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

League of Women Voters of Akron, 1940 -1974 League of Women Voters of Canton, 1920-1970 League of Women Voters of Cuyahoga Falls

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Organizations/Corporations:

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], National Organization for Women, Akron Chapter Records, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the University of Akron in 1990, additional deposits were made in 1995, 2008, and 2011.

Bibliography

Sources: "Founders Day" program, Akron Area Chapter NOW, 1987 "NOWletter," vol 2., no. 1, Akron Area Chapter NOW, Jan. 1972 "Statement of Purpose," National Organization for Women, 1966

Detailed Description of The Collection