Reproductive rights

ACLU Oakland County Branch Records

abarker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:40:43 -0400

The Oakland County Branch of the American Civil Liberties Union was formed in 1979, with James Lafferty serving as the first elected president. Petitioned by the Metropolitan Detroit Branch of the ACLU, the branch was formed to address issues such as Oakland County jail conditions, lie detector use, senior housing rights, and attempts to reinstate the death penalty.

Contents of the collection include materials relating to the Baldwin Site Proposal for Senior Housing in the City of Birmingham, MI, and the related activities of PRIDE (People Rallying in Defense of Equality); the office files of branch president James Lafferty, and documentation of the war resistance and anti-draft activities of CARD (Committee Against Registration and Draft) and CCOO (Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors).

AFT: Human Rights and Community Relations Records

dgolodner — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:04:52 -0400

The Human Rights and Community Relations Department of the American Federation of
Teachers was created by Vice President Richard Parrish October 2, 1966. Before the
official department was created it was a standing committee and then a permanent
committee with in the executive council. The department was created as an office in the
AFT that would be responsible for collecting and distributing information about the
government, education and community policies and programs dealing with civil and
human rights. The most important duty of the department is to guide the AFT in any
“involvement with or commitment to labor and other organizations concerned with civil
and human rights.”

Part One of the collection deals with the Racism in Education conference that the AFT sponsored throughout the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Other materials are general subject files and correspondence to and from the Civil Rights Department. Part Two of the collection pertains to black history, race relations and women’s rights on both national and local levels. The collection consists of AFT files as well as meeting and conference information. The department maintained a large section of subject files relating to civil and human rights in education.

Harriet Cooper Alpern Papers

abarker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:10:08 -0400

Harriet Cooper Alpern served as Vice President of Public Relations for the Detroit chapter of NOW (National Organization of Women) from 1970 to 1973 and was a member of the Women's Advisory to TV station WXYZ from 1971 to 1975. In 1978 Ms. Alpern formed the company, Program Resources to produce media material for the women's movement and other educational purposes. The papers of Ms. Alpern reflect her work with NOW and the women's movement, and to a lesser extent, the use of mass media as an educational tool.

American Association of University Women of Michigan Records

kschmeling — Thu, 19 May 2016 11:40:12 -0400

Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) formed as the Association of Collegiate Alumnae in 1881, becoming the AAUW in 1921.

Parts 1 through 4 of this collection primarily contains state and national organizational proceeding records and organizational publications.

Detroit Feminist Women's Health Center Records

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:32:12 -0500

Subjects include: women’s health issues; abortion; birth control; feminism; lesbians

Mildred Jeffrey Papers

drice — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:19:31 -0500

Mildred "Millie" Jeffrey worked as an organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, as Educational Director of the Pennsylvania Joint Board of Shirt Workers, as a consultant to the War Labor Board, as Director of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Women’s Bureau, and as Director for UAW Community Relations and Consumer Affairs Departments. Ms. Jeffrey was also active in the Democratic Party and was a founding member and chair of the National Organization of Women’s (NOW) political arm, the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Part 1 of Ms. Jeffrey’s papers document her extensive work for women’s rights and the labor movement and reflect her commitment to social justice. Part 2 primarily documents the last 30 years of her life during which Jeffrey became an activist in the many social and political movements of the time, including women’s rights, civil rights, reproductive rights and peace.

National Organization for Women (NOW): Downriver Chapter Records, Parts I & II

drice — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:43:49 -0400

The Downriver chapter of NOW was formed in 1974 by Loretta Moore, a Wayne State University professor, who was elected the chapter’s first president. The chapter was
active in supporting local, state and national policy concerning women’s rights,
participated in marches, rallies and walkathons and also endorsed pro-women’s rights
candidates. They hosted and participated in numerous programs for local women, set up
networks and resources for the community, established a library for members and
published in newspapers as well as their own newsletter. Their membership peaked in
the ERA era with about 100, with their average membership being about 50.

The Chapter's records were assembled by Louise Heck-Rabi, the chapter’s librarian and archivist. Part I reflects the ideology and activities of feminists in the downriver area of Metro Detroit. Part II includes chapter meeting minutes, publicity and press releases, newsletters,
correspondence and mailings, as well as Michigan and National NOW mailings and
programs. Also included are newspaper and magazine clippings relative to the women’s
movement, resources for members and local women, research done by the group and
programs they hosted or participated in.

Alex Pilch Papers

abarker — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:14:57 -0400

Legislator Alex Pilch served in the Michigan House of Representatives. During his term in office, Representative Pilch worked as an advocate of Parochiaid and campaigned against cross-district busing and the liberalization of abortion laws. Representative Pilch’s papers relate to his legislative work, particularly concerning Parochiaid, open housing, busing and abortion.

Ann Shafer Papers

drice — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:53:10 -0500

Ann Shafer has lobbied in support of women's issues, including equal pay, sex and employment discrimination, reproductive freedom, and pregnancy disability benefits throughout her career. She began working in 1946 for W.K. Kellogg Company and was active in the American Federation of Grainmillers, retiring in 1983. She has been involved with the Michigan Democratic Party politics, co-founded a chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW), and was one of the founding members of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Ann Shafer's papers reflect her experiences with women in the labor movement, civil rights, politics, and women's rights.

Toni Swanger Papers

abarker — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:53:32 -0400

An active member of the Detroit women’s rights movement, journalist Toni Swanger worked with the Detroit Women’s Radio Workshop on programming for the Detroit public radio station WDET, and served in various roles for Detroit newspaper, Metro Times, including production manager and managing editor.

Ms. Swanger’s papers reflect her interest in women’s issues and document her career as an activist and radio and print journalist.

UAW Women's Department: Dorothy Haener Records

drice — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:36:03 -0500

Subjects include: abortion; aging; child care; civil rights; education; pay equity; health; National Organization for Women; poverty; sexual harassment

Edith Van Horn Papers

abarker — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:54:57 -0400

Labor and women’s rights activist Edith Van Horn began her career in the labor movement during World War II, when she left graduate school to join the war effort as an assembly line laborer for Goodyear Aircraft, where she joined United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 856. Ms. Horn later held posts as chief steward of Douglas Aircraft UAW Local 17, chief steward of Chrysler’s Dodge Main Local 3, where she was the first woman to serve on Local 3’s executive board, as a delegate to the UAW Constitutional Convention, and as the International Representative to the UAW’s Community Action Program. Ms. Horn was a founding member of the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC), the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), and was active in various Detroit area committees addressing violence against women and urban housing issues.

Ms. Horn’s papers largely document her work at Dodge Main and her extensive involvement in women’s issues. Of particular interest is the investigation into Ms. Horn’s alleged affiliation with the Communist Party, and her correspondence with Gloria Steinem.

[Podcast] Remembering the Detroit Feminist Women’s Health Center

teller — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Dr. Beth Widmaier Capo discusses the Detroit Feminist Women’s Health Center and the role health practitioners there—including her mother—played in empowering women to understand their bodies and take control of their health in the 1970s. read more »