Women for Peace (Chicago, Ill.) records

Women for Peace (Chicago, Ill.) records, 1961-1988

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Ellen Brooks; ed. by Jennifer Fowle and Rachel Juris, 2010.

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/research

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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Title: Women for Peace (Chicago, Ill.) records [manuscript], 1961-1988

Main entry: Women for Peace (Chicago, Ill.)

Inclusive dates: 1961-1988

Size:

7.25 linear ft. (14 boxes)

1 v.

1 sound cassette.

1 video recording.

Restriction: For listening purposes, it is necessary to use a copy, not the original (and to have a listening copy made if one is not available).

Terms governing use: Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: Women for Peace (Chicago, Ill.) records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

This descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Historical note,

Summary description of the collection,

Description of some material related to the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

Arrangement of the collection,

Detailed description of archival series in the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

Historical note:

Women for Peace (also known as Women’s International Strike for Peace and Women Strike for Peace) was a national organization founded in 1961 by Bella Abzug and Dagmar Wilson. The Chicago chapter, known as Women for Peace, was based originally in the Hyde Park neighborhood and later relocated to 343 South Dearborn Street. The initial aim of the organization was to call for a ban on nuclear testing. The organization also was involved in protests against the Vietnam War and numerous other campaigns on issues such as amnesty, the military-industrial complex, nuclear disarmament, and human rights. The national organization was non-hierarchical, with no headquarters or executive officers, thus individual chapters were active in decision-making processes.

Summary description of the collection:

Correspondence, brochures, fliers, press releases, newsletters, reports, financial materials, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other records of Women for Peace, the Chicago chapter of the national organization: Women Strike for Peace. Includes materials related to activities and interests of the Chicago chapter and the national organization, as well as other local and national anti-war, activist groups. Also present are copies of Bulletin, the Chicago chapter's monthly newsletter, and a scrapbook containing photographs and newspaper clippings documenting activities of Women for Peace. Much of the material was collected by Shirley Lens, an active member of Women for Peace.

The collection includes a sound cassette tape of Barbara Timm dated October 16, 1980; and a VHS tape of the 1985 Geneva Mock Summit.

Description of some material related to the collection:

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the Shirley Lens papers (M1985.0006).

List of online catalog headings about the collection:

The following index headings for this collection were entered in the online catalog.

Subjects:

Women for Peace (Chicago, Ill.)--Archives.

Lens, Shirley.

Women Strike for Peace.

343 South Dearborn Street (Chicago, Ill.)

Antinuclear movement--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Demonstrations--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Peace movements--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Peace--Societies, etc.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements--Illinois--Chicago.

Women and peace--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Women pacifists--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Women--Illinois--Chicago--Societies and clubs--20th century.

Chicago (Ill.)--Politics and government--20th century.

Chicago (Ill.)--Social life and customs--20th century.

Loop (Chicago, Ill.)

Form/genre:

Audiocassettes.

Brochures.

Correspondence.

Directories.

Film negatives.

Financial records.

Newsletters.

Newspaper clippings.

Slides--Color.

Speeches.

Photographic prints.

Photographic prints--Color.

Press releases.

Reports.

Videocassettes.

Added entries:

Lens, Shirley.

Women Strike for Peace.

Arrangement of the collection:

The collection is arranged in four series:

Series 1. Topical files, 1961-1988 (box 1-7)

Series 2. Administrative files, 1969-1985 (box 7-8)

Series 3. Bulletins, 1965-1988 (box 8-10)

Series 4. General materials, 1961-1988 (box 10-14, 1 v.)

Detailed description of archival series in the collection:

Series 1. Topical files, 1961-1988 (box 1-7)

Series 1 consists of correspondence, memoranda, brochures, fliers, press releases, speeches, newsletters, reports, reference files, photographs and other materials related to the national organization Women Strike for Peace, and its Chicago area chapter Women for Peace. Some materials pertain to events organized by Women for Peace and other Chicago area peace groups, such as Tax Day protests and Mother's Day peace walks. Other materials relate to topics of interest to the organization, such as nuclear disarmament, military spending, U.S. foreign policy, the Vietnam War, human rights in Latin America, and other social and political causes. Also present are some records of the Women's Peace Education Project, including financial records and correspondence about project planning and curriculum development.

Series 2. Administrative files, 1969-1985 (box 7-8)

Series 2 contains correspondence; financial records, including grant proposals and donor information; mailing lists; attendance sheets; advertising materials; press releases; directories of peace groups; and other administrative records of Women for Peace.

Series 3. Bulletins, 1965-1988 (box 8-10)

Series 3 consists of copies of Bulletin, a monthly newsletter of Women for Peace. The publication contains articles written by Women for Peace members, excerpts from other peace group and press publications, and a local calendar of events. Materials are arranged in chronological order; some issues are missing.

Series 4. General materials, 1961-1988 (box 10-14, 1 vol., 1 audio recording, 1 video)

Series 4 consists brochures, fliers, newspaper clippings, reports, quotes, slogans, songs, cartoons, seals, photographs, negatives, slides, and other materials related to Women for Peace. Included are banners, posters, pins, and stamps used by the organization. Also present are a scrapbook containing photographs and newspaper clippings documenting the activities of Women for Peace; a cassette tape of Barbara Timm dated October 16, 1980; and a VHS tape of the 1985 Geneva Mock Summit.

List of contents of the collection:

Box 1-7 Topical files, 1961-1988

Box 7-8 Administrative files, 1969-1985

Box 8-10 Bulletins, 1965-1988

Box 10-14 General materials, 1961-1988

1 vol. General materials, 1968-1986