The Women's Action Alliance (WAA), or simply the Alliance, was a feminist organization in the United States which was active from 1971 to 1997. [1] It was founded by Gloria Steinem, Brenda Feigen Fasteau and Dorothy Pitman-Hughes. [2] The board of directors of the WAA included several notable feminists such as Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm. [1] The WAA's mission was to assist local activists through technical and communications support and through them, to create change on a national scale.
The group created a network of feminist activists, coordinated resources, and led initiatives on a number of issues. The WAA helped to raise discussion for a national agenda of feminist legislation, developed strategies for countering gender stereotypes in developmental education, and helped open the first battered women's shelters. [3]
The Women's Action Alliance (WAA) was established in 1971 during the Feminist Movement in the United States. [1] It was founded by Gloria Steinem, Brenda Feigen Fasteau and Dorothy Pitman Hughes, [2] who combined their legacies in the civil rights movement to forge a network of activists dedicated to a vision of equality for all women. Its founding mission was to assist women by coordinating resources and bringing together individuals working at the grassroots level onto a broader national scale. Its founders intended to build on the previous success of the women's movement to effect further change in society's recognition and treatment of women. The WAA's goal was, according to the founders, to help the "large numbers of women who want to change their lot in life" by becoming a clearinghouse of women's information.
Gloria Steinem chaired the board from 1971 to 1978. Among many other contributions, the WAA helped to open the first battered women's shelters. The WAA was dissolved in 1997 due to lack of funding. [1] [3]
The WAA attempted to connect women who wanted to "change their lot in life" with community organizations and professionals interested in feminist causes. Many early correspondences to the WAA asked for referrals to organizations that assisted women. Some asked for recommendations for female or feminist professionals (psychologists, lawyers, doctors, etc.). Others requested information about starting local feminist organizations or chapters. [3] Referrals provided in response to these requests to the WAA were gathered by individual women using their connections in the community to network, collect and disseminate information, and recommend professionals and organizations with which they had positive experiences. [4]
In January 1975, President Gerald Ford founded the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, or the IWY Commission. This commission was tasked with "encouraging cooperative activity in the field of women's rights and responsibilities". Many groups including the National Organization for Women (NOW) were dissatisfied, and were concerned that the commission was too cautious. This led the WAA to create the National Women's Agenda (NWA), a national agenda for feminist legislation. [5] [6]
The WAA consulted with many organizations, 70 of which responded by May 1975 and 24 ultimately participated in creating the NWA. It advocated for many different causes and problems women and marginalized peoples faced. The agenda called on fair representation in government and other areas, the end to racial and cultural stereotyping, recognition of working women and homemakers as workers, and advocated for the causes of women in poverty, women affected by the criminal justice system, and bodily autonomy and integrity.
In total, 94[ inconsistent ] women's groups and labor unions joined the coalition. Some of these organizations include: American Association of University Women, National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Planned Parenthood, National Association of Social Workers, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, National Coalition of American Nuns, Women Strike for Peace, YWCA, Amalgamated Clothing Workers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, National Organization for Women (NOW), National Abortion Rights Action League, National Women's Political Caucus, The Feminist Press, Women's Legal Defense Fund, National Gay Task Force, Lesbian Feminist Liberation, Mattachine Society and National Congress of Neighborhood Women. [6]
The NWA was eventually overshadowed by the National Plan of Action (the Plan) created by the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston. The Houston plan had more "expansive" language and had more emphasis on minority women and abortion, while the NWA was more "terse" and had a clearer statement on welfare and health care. The National Women's Agenda Project collapsed in 1980. [6]
The Non-Sexist Childhood Development Initiative was designed by the WAA to combat perceived sexism in preschools. The project was founded because of a number of letters the group received which expressed concerns regarding gender roles and gender conformity in preschools. The program received funding from a number of different foundations. [7]
To investigate sex-role conditioning, the WAA created programs to address sexism in preschools. In the fall of 1973, the initiative launched the program in four childhood education centers in New York. [8]
The program focused on four main activities: Teachers and school staff were instructed on harmful stereotypes that were being taught, raising their awareness to recognize such issues. Parents were educated on how sex-role stereotyping was harmful. A curriculum was developed to help children understand that men and women do all kinds of work inside and outside the home. The program also developed non-sexist multi-racial learning materials, toys and books. [7] The WAA also developed of a curriculum guide called Non-Sexist Education for Young Children: A Practical Guide. This was the first non-sexist early education material for the classroom.[ citation needed ]
In the 80s with increasing public attention to the role of technology in society, the focus shifted to computer and science education. The program was renamed the Gender Equity in Education Program. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Apple, several nationwide projects were carried out that aimed to counteract girls' underrepresentation in computer and science classes in high school. The Computer Equity Training Project, working with computer teachers across the country, was the first such effort undertaken anywhere and increased girls' computer participation 144%. The Computer Equity Expert Project worked with university teacher educators in technology and science nationwide, and enabled thousands of new teachers to encourage girls in computer and science classes. These and other projects were led by Jo Sanders.
In the 1970s, most substance rehabilitation and preventive programs were predominantly for white men with health insurance.[ citation needed ] The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded 40 grants for treatment programs specifically for women. However, due to blocked state grants in 1981, the programs like the WAA's Women's Alcohol and Drug Education Project were not funded until the late 1980s. [9]
Established in 1987, the WAA's Women's Alcohol and Drug Education Project addressed the need for substance abuse help for women, especially women of color and those in poverty. [9] Paula Roth, director of the project in 1990, wrote Alcohol and Drugs Are Women's Issues. Its two volumes aimed to start a new conversation about substance abuse affecting minority women and poor women and to highlight substance abuse by women as "critical women's issues".[ according to whom? ]
The project created model programs in six women's centers across the United States, integrating an alcohol and drug component with the work being done with women at the facilities. Prevention was made a priority in addition to intervention. Substance abuse was put in the context of women's issues, because it was believed that information regarding substance abuse wouldn't reach women in poverty.[ citation needed ]
In 1979, the WAA published Women's Action Almanac: A Complete Resource Guide. [10] It was a guidebook of women's issues and programs, organized by subject and included lists of women's organizations. The book was written and compiled by the WAA, and edited by Jane Williamson, Diane Winston and Wanda Wooten. The almanac was inspired by letters the WAA received seeking advice or information, demonstrating the need for a comprehensive directory of resources and services for women. [10]
In response to positive feedback, the WAA created its Beginning Equal program, which was similar to the Non-Sexist Childhood Development Initiative. Other projects included Women With Non-Traditional Occupations and Children of Single Parents in the Schools. The WAA created a program called Computer Equity, which gathered data used to encourage girls to become more comfortable with technology. [3] Later programs, like the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention project, branched out into healthcare and gathered data and information by surveying the agencies included.[ citation needed ]
The WAA received a large number of letters and generated a large amount of correspondence. There are 117.25 feet of records (over 300 boxes) located at the Sophia Smith Collection in Northampton, Massachusetts. [11] This is the collection's largest processed archive to date. [12] The letters document the history of the organization from its inception until its disbandment. [11]
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, medical, and criminal justice contexts. In some cases, criminal or anti-social behavior occurs when the person is under the influence of a drug, and long-term personality changes in individuals may also occur. In addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm, the use of some drugs may also lead to criminal penalties, although these vary widely depending on the local jurisdiction.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA is charged with improving the quality and availability of treatment and rehabilitative services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and the cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses. The Administrator of SAMHSA reports directly to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA's headquarters building is located outside of Rockville, Maryland.
Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred throughout the Western world and aimed to increase women's equality by building on the feminist gains of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is an American education program that tries to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chief Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Unified School District as a demand-side drug control strategy of the American War on Drugs.
Jean Kilbourne is an American public speaker, writer, filmmaker and activist, who is known for her work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. She is also credited with introducing the idea of educating about media literacy as a way to prevent problems she viewed as originating from mass media advertising campaigns. She also lectures about the topic, and her documentaries based on these lectures are viewed around the world.
Alcohol education is the practice of disseminating information about the effects of alcohol on health, as well as society and the family unit. It was introduced into the public schools by temperance organizations such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the late 19th century. Initially, alcohol education focused on how the consumption of alcoholic beverages affected society, as well as the family unit. In the 1930s, this came to also incorporate education pertaining to alcohol's effects on health. For example, even light and moderate alcohol consumption increases cancer risk in individuals. Organizations such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States were founded to promulgate alcohol education alongside those of the temperance movement, such as the American Council on Alcohol Problems.
Drug education is the planned provision of information, guidelines, resources, and skills relevant to living in a world where psychoactive substances are widely available and commonly used for a variety of both medical and non-medical purposes, some of which may lead to harms such as overdose, injury, infectious disease, or addiction. The two primary approaches to drug education are harm-reduction education and abstinence-based education.
The National Council of Jewish Women(NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women's grassroots organization in the United States, currently comprising over 180,000 members. As of 2021, there are 60 sections in 30 states. Specifically, NCJW's policies address expanding abortion access, securing federal judicial appointments, promoting voting integrity, and mobilizing Israeli feminist movements. These objectives are achieved through lobbying, research, education, and community engagement. NCJW's headquarters are located in Washington, D.C., and the organization maintains offices in other cities in the U.S. and in Israel.
Redstockings, also known as Redstockings of the Women's Liberation Movement, is a radical feminist nonprofit that was founded in January 1969 in New York City, whose goal is "To Defend and Advance the Women's Liberation Agenda". The group's name is derived from bluestocking, a term used to disparage feminist intellectuals of earlier centuries, and red, for its association with the revolutionary left.
The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of trade union women affiliated with the AFL–CIO. The CLUW is a bridging organization that seeks to create connections between the feminist movement and the labor movement in the United States. The organization works towards overcoming past constraints and conflicts in pursuance of relationship improvement between those movements, and thus enabling broad coalitions. The CLUW is the only national organization solely for women union members and is one of six constituency groups within the AFL–CIO. It is based in the headquarters of the AFL–CIO in Washington, D.C. CLUW pursues by four goals: to bring women into union leadership, to organize unorganized women workers, to bring women's issues onto the labor agenda, and to involve women into political action.
Jennifer Baumgardner is a writer, activist, filmmaker, and lecturer whose work explores abortion, sex, bisexuality, rape, single parenthood, and women's power. From 2013 to 2017, she served as the Executive Director/Publisher at The Feminist Press at the City University of New York (CUNY), a feminist institution founded by Florence Howe in 1970.
Henry Lozano is a non-profit executive and grassroots organizer. His years of public service culminated in his post at the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of USA Freedom Corps. On August 10, 2011, he was appointed to serve as the Director of Los Angeles County Teen Challenge and Urban Ministries Initiatives.
Women's Media Center (WMC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization in the United States founded in 2005 by writers and activists Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem. Led by President Julie Burton, WMC's work includes advocacy campaigns, giving out awards, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content.
Marianne Schnall is an American writer, interviewer, and feminist. Her interviews with Madeleine Albright, Dr. Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Eve Ensler and others have been published by several magazines and websites, and she has published four books about feminism.
National Families in Action was a non-profit organization that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. Its mission is to help children succeed by empowering parents to create an academic and social environment where children thrive and are protected from substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors. In November 2021, marking 45 years, the organization announced it would cease operations in January 2022.
Anne Ewing was an American biologist and activist for women's rights. She is known for her advocacy for women's rights and her role in removing racist and sexist language from primary school readers in California.
Brenda Feigen is an American feminist activist, film producer, and attorney.
This is a Timeline of second-wave feminism, from its beginning in the mid-twentieth century, to the start of Third-wave feminism in the early 1990s.
Carol Jenkins is an American women's rights activist, author, television host, and former television journalist.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)