mnsss291 Voices of Feminism Oral History Project, 1990-2006 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Joyce Follet, Revan Schendler, and Burd Schlessinger. The project was made possible with generous support from the Ford Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College
Northampton, MA
2007

Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Margaret Jessup. 2007-09-25 Finding aid written in English Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Voices of Feminism Oral History Project, 1990-2006 Finding Aid MS 535 Joyce Follet, Revan Schendler, and Burd Schlessinger 2007 The project was made possible with generous support from the Ford Foundation.

© 2007 Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview Voices of Feminism Oral History Project1990-2006 MS 535 78 boxes (30.75 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College
Northampton, MA
Oral History Project documenting the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the United States. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists; artists and writers; lesbian rights advocates; grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers; and women of color reproductive justice leaders. Interviews cover childhood, personal life, and political work. Most oral histories consist of audiovisual recordings and transcripts, plus some background information. Project History

Dorothy Allison and Carmen Vazquez, November 19, 2007

The Voices of Feminism Archival Development Project, funded by the Ford Foundation from 2002 to 2008, aims to bring race, class, and sexual diversity to the holdings of the Sophia Smith Collection. The project consists of several parts: a) searching for personal papers and organizational records of women of color, grassroots organizers, and others marginalized in traditional historical accounts, b) conducting oral histories, c) collaborating with Gloria Steinem as she works in her own papers and identifies potential donors, and d) developing plans for a video documentary series based on these new materials. Project staff have included Joyce Follet, director and oral historian; Kelly Anderson, oral historian; Sheila Flaherty-Jones, editor; Kathleen Banks Nutter, oral historian; Loretta Ross, consultant and oral historian; Revan Schendler, consultant and editor; Kate Weigand, oral historian. Interviews were also conducted by Martha Ackelsberg, Nancy MacLean, and Evelyn C. White.

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Voices of Feminism Oral History Project documents the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists; artists and writers; lesbian rights advocates; grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers; and women of color reproductive justice leaders. Interviews average 5-6 hours and cover childhood, personal life, and political work.

Each narrator's document box includes the recorded interview (on dvds or video tapes, plus audio CDs); the unedited and edited transcripts; correspondence between interviewer and narrator; a biographical survey; and the interviewer's guide. Some narrators' files include background materials and photographs.

Links to the full transcripts can be found in the Contents list. The SSC Web site also includes brief biographies and abstracts of interviews.

List of narrators:

Acey, Katherine, 1950- Alexander, Dolores, 1931- Allison, Dorothy Apuzzo, Virginia, 1941- Asetoyer, Charon, 1951- Avery, Byllye, 1937- Beal, Frances, 1940- Berek, Judith, 1943- Berkman, Brenda, 1951- Bewsee, Michaelann, 1947- Biren, Joan E. (JEB), 1944- Burnham, Linda, 1948- Casavant, Kathleen, 1951- Chavez-Thompson, Linda, 1944- Cook, Katsi, 1952- Diallo, Dázon Dixon Edgar, Joanne, 1943- Foo, Lora Jo, 1951 Frantz, Margaret, 1922- Fried, Marlene, 1945- Gilbert, Ronnie, 1926- Gould, Sara, 1951- Hayashi, Mary Chung, 1967- Henry, Fran, 1948- Hollibaugh, Amber L., 1946- Kollisch, Eva, 1925- Lerner, Gerda, 1920- Love, Barbara, 1937- MacKay, Anne, 1928- Martinez, Betita, 1925 Martinez, Luz Alvarez, 1943- Miller, Geraldine, 1920-2005 Moraga, Cherríe, 1952- Morales, Aurora Levins, 1954 Morales, Rosario, 1930- Nelson, Marjory, 1928- Nussbaum, Karen, 1950- Payne, LaDoris, 1948 Peterson, Jan, 1941- Pharr, Suzanne, 1939- Ports, Setsuko (Suki) Terada, 1934- Powell, Achebe Betty, 1940- Pratt, Minnie Bruce, 1946- Reeve, Patricia, 1953- Rodriguez, Luz, 1956- Roma, Catherine, 1948- Ross, Loretta J., 1953- Saika, Peggy, 1945- Sanchez, Graciela, 1960- Schneir, Miriam, 1933- Shelley, Martha, 1943- Smith, Barbara, 1946- Steinem, Gloria, 1934- Stout, Linda, 1954- Tax, Meredith, 1942- Thom, Mary, 1942- Touré, Nkenge, 1951- Vázquez, Carmen, 1949- Ward, Wynona Lund, 1951- Winslow, Barbara, 1945- Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The oral histories are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection, with the following exceptions: Small portions of the following interviews are closed and have been removed from the transcripts: Kathleen Casavant, Katsi Cook, Loretta Ross, Graciela Sanchez, and Miriam Schneir. Researchers must have permission from the narrator to access these interviews: Brenda Berkman, Lora Jo Foo, and Jan Peterson. Kathleen Casavant's interview transcript not available online. Researchers may contact the SSC for a copy. Original audiovisual recordings are closed for preservation purposes. In-house use copies are available for most interviews.

The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to all of the oral histories except for these narrators who have retained copyright: Dolores Alexander Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison and Carmen Vazquez (joint interview) Lora Foo Ronnie Gilbert Cherríe Moraga Suzanne Pharr Minnie Bruce Pratt Meredith Tax Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Requests for permission to publish quotations should be addressed to the Sophia Smith Collection and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

Preferred Citation

Please use the citation format shown in the transcript's cover page for each oral history . The whole collection should be cited as follows: "Voices of Feminism Oral History Project, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass."

 Additional Formats

Original video recordings of interviews have been copied to DVDs and audio CDs for research use. Transcripts are available in both paper and electronic (MS Word and PDF) formats.

Additions to the Collection

Periodic additions to collection are expected and may not be reflected in this record.

 History of the Collection

Processed by Joyce Follet, Revan Schendler, and Burd Schlessinger, 2007

 Search Terms African American women--Biography--Sources Asian American women--Biography--Sources Birth control--United States--History--20th century--Sources Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century--Sources Feminists--United States--Biography--Sources Hispanic American women--Biography--Sources Indian women--Biography--Sources Jewish women--United States--Biography--Sources Labor leaders--United States--Biography--Sources Labor movement--United States--History--20th century--Sources Lesbians--United States--Biography--Sources Peace movements--United States--History--Sources Pro-choice movement--United States--Biography--Sources Reproductive health--United States--History--20th century--Sources Sexual abuse victims--Biography--Sources Women fire fighters--Biography--Sources Women labor union members--United States--Biography--Sources Working class women--United States--Biography--Sources Oral history Alexander, Dolores, 1931- Apuzzo, Virginia, 1941- Asetoyer, Charon, 1951- Avery, Byllye, 1937- Beal, Frances, 1940- Berek, Judith, 1943- Berkman, Brenda, 1951- Bewsee, Michaelann, 1947- Biren, Joan E., 1944- Burnham, Linda, 1948- Casavant, Kathleen, 1951- Chavez-Thompson, Linda, 1944- Cook, Katsi, 1952- Diallo, Dázon Dixon Edgar, Joanne, 1943- Foo, Lora Jo Frantz, Margaret, 1922- Gilbert, Ronnie, 1926- Hayashi, Mary Chung, 1967- Henry, Fran, 1948- Hollibaugh, Amber L., 1946- Kollisch, Eva, 1925- Lerner, Gerda, 1920- MacKay, Anne, 1928- Martinez, Betita, 1925 Martinez, Luz Alvarez, 1943- Miller, Geraldine, 1920-2005 Moraga, Cherríe, 1952- Morales, Aurora Levins, 1954 Morales, Rosario, 1930- Nelson, Marjory, 1928- Nussbaum, Karen, 1950- Payne, LaDoris, 1948 Peterson, Jan, 1941- Pharr, Suzanne, 1939- Ports, Suki Terada Powell, Achebe Betty, 1940- Pratt, Minnie Bruce, 1946- Reeve, Patricia, 1953- Rodriguez, Luz, 1956- Roma, Catherine, 1948- Ross, Loretta J., 1953- Saika, Peggy, 1945- Sanchez, Graciela, 1960- Schneir, Miriam, 1933- Shelley, Martha, 1943- Smith, Barbara, 1946- Steinem, Gloria Stout, Linda, 1954- Tax, Meredith, 1942- Thom, Mary, 1942- Touré, Nkenge, 1951- Vázquez, Carmen, 1949- Ward, Wynona Lund, 1951- Winslow, Barbara, 1945- Voices of Feminism Oral History Project Sophia Smith Collection Additional Information Related Material

See the SSC Web site for brief biographies of the VOF narrators, abstracts of interviews, and links to transcripts. There are also brief video excerpts of some interviews.

In addition to their oral histories, the following women have donated their personal papers to the Sophia Smith Collection:

Dolores Alexander Joan E. Biren Katsi Cook Lora Jo Foo Margaret Frantz Marlene Fried Ronnie Gilbert Fran Worden Henry Eva Kollisch Anne MacKay Luz Alvarez Martinez Marjory Nelson Luz Rodriguez Loretta J. Ross Gloria Steinem Linda Stout Nkenge Touré Carmen Vázquez Wynona Ward

Papers are expected from: Virginia Apuzzo, Charon Asetoyer, Patricia Reeve, Catherine Roma (and MUSE Records).

Related organizational records include:

Abortion Rights Fund of of Western Mass. (Fried) Arise for Social Justice (Bewsee) Have Justice Will Travel (Ward) Black Women's Health Imperative (Ross, Toure) Ms. Foundation for Women (Steinem) Ms. magazine (Steinem) National Congress of Neighborhood Women (Payne, Miller, Peterson) National Network of Abortion Funds (Fried) National Women's Health Network (Ross, Cook) Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center (Asetoyer) New York City Women Community Activists OHP (NCNW-Payne, Miller, Peterson) North Fork Women for Women Fund (MacKay) Reproductive Rights National Network (Fried and Tax) SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective (Ross) Stop It Now! (Henry) Undivided Rights Book Project (Fried, Cook, Ross, Luz Martinez) Women's Action Alliance (Steinem)

You may contact the SSC for more information about these collections.

 Narrators

[Note: Each box includes an audiovisual recording of the interview; transcripts; biographical materials; and, in some cases, background research material and photographs.]

 1 Acey, Katherine 2 Alexander, Dolores 3 Allison, Dorothy

(includes Dorothy Allison with Carmen Vazquez)

[See also Carmen Vazquez]

 4 Apuzzo, Virginia 5 Asetoyer, Charon 6 Avery, Byllye 7 Beal, Frances 8-9 Berek, Judith 10 Berkman, Brenda

[Researchers must have permission from Berkman to access interview]

 11 Bewsee, Michaelann 12 Biren, Joan E. (JEB) 13 Burnham, Linda 14 Casavant, Kathleen

[Portions of this interview are closed until 14 Jan 2029. Transcript not availible online -- contact the SSC for a copy.]

 15 Chavez-Thompson, Linda 16 Cook, Katsi

[Portions of this interview are closed]

 16a Diallo, Dázon Dixon 17 Edgar, Joanne 18 Foo, Lora Jo

[Transcript not availible online -- contact the SSC for a copy.]

 19 Frantz, Marge 20 Fried, Marlene 21 Gilbert, Ronnie 22 Gould, Sara 23 Henry, Fran 24-25 Hollibaugh, Amber L. 26 Hayashi, Mary Chung 27 Kollisch, Eva 28 Lerner, Gerda [interview is audio only] 29 Love, Barbara 30 MacKay, Anne 31 Martinez, Betita 32 Martinez, Luz Alvarez 33 Miller, Geraldine 34 Moraga, Cherríe 35 Morales, Aurora Levins 36 Morales, Rosario 37 Nelson, Marjory 38 Nussbaum, Karen 39 Payne, LaDoris 40 Peterson, Jan

[Researchers must have permission from Peterson to access interview]

 41 Pharr, Suzanne 42 Ports, Setsuko (Suki) Terada 43 Powell, Achebe Betty 44 Pratt, Minnie Bruce 45 Reeve, Patricia 46 Rodriguez, Luz 47 Roma, Catherine [includes six music CDs] 48-49 Ross, Loretta

[Portions of this interview are closed]

 50 Saika, Peggy 51 Sanchez, Graciela 52 Schneir, Miriam

[Portions of this oral history are restricted until 1 January 2010]

 53 Shelley, Martha 54-56 Smith, Barbara 57 Steinem, Gloria 58 Stout, Linda 59 Tax, Meredith 60 Thom, Mary 61 Touré, Nkenge 62 Vázquez, Carmen 63 Ward, Wynona

[Wynona Ward Papers and Have Justice Will Travel Records in SSC are closed]

 64 Winslow, Barbara 56-77 Original audiovisual recordings; electronic copies of transcripts; and closed portions of interviews.

CLOSED