| Abstract |
The Grassroots Feminist Organizations collection consists of files from feminist organizations and women's centers in Boston and San Francisco, both hubs of the second-wave feminist (women's liberation) movement. The archives of eight Boston-area second-wave organizations are represented here, with materials spanning a period from 1968 to 1998. Figuring prominently are the documents from the Women's Educational Center; the Women's School; the Abortion Action Coalition; and the Boston chapter of Women Against Violence Against Women, which combated offensive representations of women in media. Materials include meeting minutes; records of personnel and finances; correspondence; newsletters; files regarding affiliated organizations and opposition groups; and course descriptions. The collection demonstrates the wide range of issues Boston feminists tackled, such as domestic violence, racism, pornography, rape, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ rights. The Female Liberation, Boston Women's Union, and Boston Area Feminist Coalition records highlight theoretical underpinnings of the feminist movement, especially socialist feminism. The materials from San Francisco detail the work of the first woman-owned-and-run women's center in the U.S. from 1972 to 1998. Many of the files document the founding, planning, and daily administration of the center, including the building itself and its place in the surrounding community. The Women's Building/Women's Center housed or sponsored more than one hundred projects and women's groups. Documents highlight its extensive involvement with organizations that supported women from different countries, cultures, religions, races, and life circumstances. Other projects involved gay and lesbian rights; health care; legislation; reproductive rights; and even issues not explicitly connected with women's rights, such as Central American intervention, AIDS, and affirmative action. The collection also details the many film, theater, poetry, music, and visual-arts events hosted and sponsored by the organization. Materials include meeting minutes; financial records; correspondence; newsletters; records of center-related groups; and flyers about events and projects. This collection is essential for researchers examining second-wave feminism and other social movements in the United States during the period from 1968 to 1998. |
