In October of 1966, several prominent feminist men and women gathered in Washington D. C. to organize and develop the ideas behind a new group, the National Organization for Women. Among the group were Rev. Pauli Murray, an African-American women who was also an Episcopal minister, Aileen Hernandez, who became the second president of N. O. W. in 1971, and Betty Friedan, famed for her book, The Feminine Mystique. At this conference, the founding members of N. O. W. put together their Statement of Purpose. "The purpose of N. O. W. is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.... N. O. W. is dedicated to the proposition that women, first and foremost, are human beings, who, like all other people in our society must have the chance to develop their fullest human potential." Later on, the focus of N. O. W. expanded to include "winning economic equality and securing it with an amendment to the U. S. Constitution that will guarantee equal rights for women; championing abortion rights, reproductive freedom and other women's health issues; opposing racism and fighting bigotry against lesbians and gays; and ending violence against women."

As the national organization gained momentum, several Philadelphia women began work to organize their own chapter in 1968. On famed women's rights activist Alice Paul's birthday, January 11, 1968, the Philadelphia chapter was officially organized by Ernesta Ballard and Wilma Scott Heide. Ballard, a national board member, and Heide, a former national president, brought together feminist women from the Philadelphia area to take up the goals of the national organization on a more local level. The goals of the Philadelphia chapter included: social, legal, and economic equality for women; an Equal Rights Amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution; the support of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that combats sex discrimination; the end of sex discrimination in all branches of municipal government in Philadelphia; the dissolution of Pennsylvania's ban on abortion; an end to educational stereotypes of women; support of female political candidates; government-funded child care; community outreach; and an improvement in the image of women in the media and greater society. Some of the chapter's initial programs included encouraging three Philadelphia newspapers to eliminate separate employment ads for men and women in 1973, and launching the 1st all-female produced and directed TV shows on the Philadelphia ABC affiliate, Channel 6, in 1974.

Faced with falling numbers, interest, and attendance at meetings, the Philadelphia Chapter of N. O. W. came dangerously close to dissolving in December of 1977. With the help of several members, who were also active in the Socialist Worker's Party, the Philadelphia chapter was revived. By 1980, the membership had nearly doubled to 425. However, by the early 1980s, the possibility of a national constitutional Equal Rights Amendment had vanished, so the local and state chapters were forced to refocus their energies. In association with the state chapter, Pennsylvania N. O. W., and other local chapters across the state, the Philadelphia chapter helped to create a political action committee (PA NOW PAC) to help raise money for feminist candidates. N. O. W., both nationally and locally, continues to work for reproductive rights, lesbian and gay rights, more legislation to combat violence against women, social and economic equality, and increasing the number of female political candidates. In fact most of the issues that N. O. W. championed in the 1960s and 1970s continue to be contentious in 2001, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

The records of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women are comprised mostly of printed material such as pamphlets, handouts, articles, and reports. The collection also includes smaller clutches of membership applications, photographs, incoming and outgoing correspondence, memorandum from the national organization, newsletters of the Philadelphia chapter, other local chapters, state and national organizations, legal documents, and minutes of the national board. It appears that these records were originally the office files of the chapter, and are arranged chronologically and alphabetically by subject within each year. One oversized box was added to accommodate larger posters and broadsides. These records, though limited, provide an interesting view into the issues and causes of the women's liberation movement of the 1970s. The collection covers a period of time in American history that is considered by many to be a radical and revolutionary era. Particularly for women's and minority rights, the 1960s and 1970s were a time riddled with upheaval and change. The women's liberation movement and the National Organization for Women are no exception. The 1975 National N. O. W. conference, held here in Philadelphia, is the best example of how that radicalism affected the movement. For the first time in N. O. W.'s history, a radical slate of officers overtook the old guard of feminism and took control of the national organization as well as many local chapters. This moment, covered only marginally in the collection, caused a rift in the organization that lasted for years to come.

This collection contains materials that cover many of the crucial issues of the women's liberation movement. Most prominent among those issues is sex discrimination in the workplace, schools, and government. Several legal cases battling this issue are documented in this collection. One case that particularly stands out is that of the 1974 class-action suit of Penelope Brace v. Joseph F. O'Neill, Hillel S. Levinson, Foster B. Roser, Frank L. Rizzo, and the City of Philadelphia, which was tried in conjunction with the United States of America v. the City of Philadelphia. Brace was a female police officer in Philadelphia who charged the Police Department with sex discrimination in their hiring and promotion practices. Along with the materials on this case, various other issues of sex discrimination, particularly in the Philadelphia Police Department and city government, are addressed in the records of the Philadelphia Chapter of N. O. W. The Barefoot and Pregnant Award, issued annually by the chapter, is given "to persons in the community who have done the most to perpetuate outmoded images of women and who have refused to recognize that women are, in fact, human beings." In 1974, that award was bestowed upon Joseph O'Neill, the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, and Charles Gallagher, the president of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police.

The collection also includes materials illuminating the organization's work to bring change in legislation that they felt discriminated against or impinged upon the rights of women. Throughout the 1970s, the local, state, and national branches of the organization fought for abortion rights, more protection for victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, more economic rights for women seeking divorce, and of course, the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. While the amendment was never passed, the documentation in this collection helps to elucidate the battles that this organization and others did win in the fight for women's rights. One interesting aspect of this struggle is the fight for equal funding and support for girls' athletics in the Philadelphia Public School District. The efforts of N. O. W., and of the Philadelphia Chapter, to get more women involved in sports and more support for women athletes and coaches was the beginning of a larger movement that continues today.

Through the materials in this collection, a researcher could determine an accurate picture of how feminist women effected the social and political climate of Philadelphia through grass-roots activism, legal battles, education and community outreach.

Series I	1968-1972 Files	Box 1
Series II	1973 Files	Boxes 2-3
Series III	1974 Files	Boxes 4-5
Series IV	1975 Files	Boxes 6-7
Series V	1976-1977	Box 7
Series VI	Posters and Broadsides	Box 8

None.

The collection is open for research.

Gift of the National Organization for Women. Philadelphia Chapter, 1977.

Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], National Organization for Women. Philadelphia Chapter Records (Collection 2054), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Reprocessed by: Mindy Steinberg

Processing Completed: January 2001

The papers of several founding members of N. O. W., including Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray, are located at the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.

Toll, Jean Barth and Mildred S. Gillam, ed. Invisible Philadelphia: Community through Voluntary Organizations. Philadelphia: Atwater Kent Museum, 1995.

"1966 Charter of the National Organization for Women," (http://members.aol.com/profcunnea/1966now.htm).

"History and Structure of PA NOW," (http://www.libertynet.org/~panow/history.html).

"The History of the National Organization for Women," (http://209.27.163.32/history/history.html).