Historical Note
The National Organization for Women (NOW), Whatcom County Chapter,
formed circa 1973 in Bellingham, Washington following the formation of the
Washington State Chapter of NOW in 1972. The Whatcom County Chapter’s mission
was to promote full and equal participation of women in mainstream society.
The chapter held regular meetings and fundraisers and, beginning in
1974, distributed a monthly newsletter to its members. The group also created
task forces and facilitated workshops focused on women’s issues such as sexual
violence and discrimination in educational systems. Other areas of focus were
the image of women in society, equal rights, housing and financial concerns,
and reproductive rights.
The group dissolved in 1977 due to decreasing membership and
participation. This collection documents the activities of a progressive group
of women and men in Whatcom County during the seventies and highlights feminist
activism in Northwest Washington.
Content Description
The National Organization for Women (NOW) Whatcom County Chapter
Records span the dates 1972-1977 and document the activities of a local
feminist group and their pursuit of equal rights and improving women’s
situation within society.
Administrative materials span the period of 1972-1977 and contain the
bylaws of the Washington State Chapter of NOW, and documents regarding the
formation of the Whatcom County Chapter, handwritten meeting minutes,
membership applications and mailing lists, and instructions and sample
stationary.
Program materials span the years 1974-1976 and contain correspondence,
flyers and notices, questionnaires, interviews, instructions, and reports about
the organization’s various advocacy efforts. The materials include records of
the chapter’s Sexual Violence/Rape Task Force and documents related to their
coordination with the Seattle Chapter in conducting workshops about sexual
discrimination in educational systems. There are also materials related to the
chapter’s work with NARAL to support the pro-choice movement and advocate for
abortion and reproductive rights. Other materials include brochures advocating
equal rights, improving the image of women in society, and efforts to create
shelters for battered women and ensure adequate childcare for women in
need.
Publications date from 1974-1977 and include an incomplete set of
Women’s Newsletter, the official NOW Whatcom
County Chapter publication. There is also one issue of the NOW Snohomish County
Chapter newsletter, newspaper articles about NOW activities and other relevant
women’s issues, various clippings and notes, and three non-NOW women’s
newsletters: Priorities, Northwest Passage, and The
Spokeswoman.