College Peace Collection, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA
- PART III: U.S.
- HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION,
Brief Notes on WILPF
1960: Along with JAPA,
raised $30,000 for U.N. to build Jane Addams Refugee House in
1961: First seminar held for Soviet and American women to
meet and discuss peace and disarmament; this
- was the first meeting of its kind during the Cold War.
- 1964: Participated in Black Sash demonstrations in support of
civil rights workers in Mississippi.
1965: Fiftieth Anniversary International Congress launched world
petition drive asking women to use their
- power to end the armed conflict in Vietnam.
1967: Nobel Committee gives grant for WILPF fact-finding mission
to the Middle East.
- 1967 (July): Fifty-two Branches experienced "Vietnam Summer,"
in which Martin Luther King Jr. had
- called for 10,000 volunteers to organize and educate about
Vietnam in 500 communities.
- 1967: Kay Camp began term as National President.
1968: Glenna Johnson began term as Executive Director.
1968 (Jan.): Jeannette Rankin led the WILPF-initiated Jeannette
Rankin Brigade in lobbying Congress to
- "end the war in Vietnam and begin social reconstruction at
- 1969: Sponsored "Tuesdays in Washington" to bring members to
U.S. Capitol in Washington (DC) to
- demonstrate against armed conflict in Vietnam.
1970: Glenna Johnson ended term as Executive Director.
1970: Along with JAPA, organized the third Women of the Americas
Congress in Bogota (Columbia)
1971: International WILPF sent six women to North and South
Vietnam, including Kay Camp.
- 1971: Dorothy Steffens began term as Executive Director.
1971: Kay Camp ended term as National President.
1971-1976: Chile became the focus of much attention as fascism
ruled there; WILPF helped in causing the
- U.S. government to admit to its role in the coup that occurred
in 1973 that overthrew the Chilean democracy, and helped gain
Orlando Letelier's release from torture and prison. It continued
to lobby in support of the Chilean people's struggle for a return
- 1972 (June): Angela Davis was acquitted after 16 months in
jail and 20 months on trial; her mother, Sallye
- Davis, was a founding member of the Birmingham (AL) Branch.
WILPF was deeply involved in working for the acquittal, "a
landmark in the movement for freedom and against racism and
- 1973: Six woman team went to Chile to investigate human rights
violations, reporting findings to
- Congressional conference and U.N. Human Rights
- 1973 (Sept. 21): Mme. Ngo ba Thanh, a leader of the Vietnam
women's and peace movements and a
- WILPF member, was released from prison.
- 1974: National Board decided the national office program
priorities would be: 1) changing the economic
- system, with a focus on the economics of energy; and 2) ending
militarism, to focus on ending U.S. military and police aid abroad
with particular emphasis on Vietnam and Chile.
- 1975 (April): Peace and Freedom reported that a
half-hour television show about WILPF was to be made
- by the Public Broadcasting TV station in Philadelphia (WHUY,
Channel 12), called "Take 12."
- 1975 (May): The United Nations declared 1975 as International
Women's Year; WILPF,JAPA and WIDF
- co-sponsored a disarmament seminar at the U.N., at which women
from 27 countries met with 200 women from the U.S. The
representative from the Cuban Women's Union was the first Cuban
permitted by the U.S. government to enter the country for a
political meeting since the Cuban revolution.
- 1975-1976: Kay Camp served as International President.
1976: Initiated program on women and economic change with "Feed
the Cities, Not the Pentagon"
- 1977 (March): Dorothy Steffens ended term as Executive
1977: Melva Mueller began her term as Executive Director.
1977: Supported J.P. Stevens boycott, as well as farmworkers'
boycotts of lettuce, grapes, and
- 1977: WILPF women joined Journey of Reconciliation march in
- 1977-1978: As part of WILPF's Feed the Cities, Not the
Pentagon program, the Executive Director and
- U.S. President Marjorie Boehm spent time in Washington (DC)
lobbying re: national priorities; national staff and Branches
worked to have the Transfer Amendment passed. WILPF played a
positive role in the debate re: the Panama Canal treaties. It
established a positive presence at the National Women's Conference
at Houston (Texas) in November 1977. Kay Camp represented WILPF at
the international NGO Disarmament Conference, convened in Geneva
on Feb. 27, 1978 in anticipation of the U.S. Special Session
Devoted to Disarmament (SSD). The SSD was supported by WILPF in
many ways and it proved a fruitful source for lobbying on the
local and national levels, peace education in schools, and the
opportunity to meet with others on an international level who
wanted to promote disarmament; Kay Camp served as advisor to the
U.S. Delegation which attended the SSD.
- 1978 (Feb.): Sixteen WILPF women went on mission to Egypt,
Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel to
- assess prospects for Middle East peace.
- 1978 (April 28): Benjamin Linder, son of Elisabeth (chair of
the Portland (Oregon) Branch), was killed by
- the contras in Nicaragua.
- 1978 (Oct.): The Swarthmore College Peace Collection asked
"all WILPF members to search attics and
- trunks for Jane Addams' letters or manuscripts and photographs
related to her work with the Woman's Peace Party and WILPF. Since
1980 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the
Peace Collection at Swarthmore, it is hoped that significant new
material will be uncovered by that time for a special exhibit to
honor Jane Addams' memory."
- 1978 (Oct.): Helen Kusman (Vice President) and Marjorie Boehm
(U.S. President) visited Cuba as a result
- of an invitation from the Federation of Cuban Women.
- 1978: Initiated a successful two day conference in Washington
(DC) on the SALT II treaty, the first day of
- which was sponsored by the Arms Control and Disarmament
Agency, and the second day by WILPF. Over 200 women leaders came
together to learn about the relationship of women's issues and the
- 1979: Held Conference on Racism, focusing on its racism's
effect on jobs, education and the legal system.
1980: Peace and Freedom included articles on
boycotts, civil rights, conversion, disarmament / military
- spending, draft and registration, economics, energy, FBI and
CIA, Korea, Latin America, Middle East, national priorities,
Native Americans, nuclear power / nuclear weapons, peace
education, political prisoners and criminal justice, racism,
repressive legislation, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, toxic
chemicals, United Nations, and women.
- 1981: Libby Frank began term as Executive Director.
1981: Peace and Freedom included articles on action and
organizing, disarmament / military spending,
- economics, energy, federal budget / national priorities,
Ireland, Latin America / Central America, labor / boycotts, Middle
East, Native Americans, nuclear power / nuclear weapons, peace
education, political prisoners / justice system, racism,
repression, reproductive rights, social security, Southeast Asia,
Southern Africa, United Nations, and women.
- 1981: National Board approved three new projects to implement
WILPF's priorities: outreach through a
- series of local conferences to a wide range of women's groups
with information about the federal budget, building on the "Feed
the Cities, Not the Pentagon" campaign; support for a nuclear arms
race freeze; and, establishment of a legislative network to
counter U.S. attempts to intervene in the Middle East.
- 1982: Peace and Freedom included articles on Central
America, disarmament / military spending, draft
- registration and resistance, economics, energy, federal budget
/ national priorities, labor, Middle East, Native Americans,
nuclear power / nuclear weapons, peace education, racism,
Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, United Nations, and women.
- 1982: Launched STAR (Stop the Arms Race) campaign to collect
1,000,000 signatures, culminating in a
- rally in Brussels (Belgium), a conference, and visits to NATO
and Warsaw Pact embassies.
- 1982: National Board discussed program activities of the year:
STAR Campaign; Disarmament and the
- SSD II; Eurostrategic missiles; women and the federal budget;
racism; and, the Middle East.
- 1983: Peace and Freedom included articles on
disarmament / military spending, economics, federation
- budget / national priorities, labor, peace education, racism,
United Nations, and U.S. intervention.
- 1984: Carried out Women's Poll Project to ascertain size and
area of the gender gap; worked with
- Women's Vote Project to register women to vote.
- 1984: Along with other National Sections, launched a
Comprehensive Test Ban petition drive. Petitions
- with 350,000 signatures were gathered by WILPF activists and
presented ot hte U.S. Mission to the United Nations on August 06,
- 1984: Peace and Freedom included articles on
disarmament / military spending, federal budget / national
- priorities, labor, Middle East, Native Americans, nuclear
power, organizing tools and techniques, peace camps, peace
education, racism, South Africa, United Nations, WILPF history,
- 1985: Launched Women and National Security program. Published
Women's Budget which would cut
- military expenses in half.
- 1985: Peace and Freedom included articles on Central
America, civil disobedience, disarmament, federal
- budget / national priorities, feminism, labor, Middle East,
Nairobi, nuclear power / nuclear waste, peace camps, peace
education, racism, South Africa, United Nations, women, and the
history of WILPF.
- 1986: Libby Frank ended term as Executive Director; replaced
by Jane Midgley (was formerly director of
- Legislative Office).
- 1986: Peace and Freedom included articles on Central
America, disarmament, federal budget, Libya /
- Middle East, nonviolence, racism, South Africa, United
Nations, and women.
- 1987: Peace and Freedom included articles on Central
and Latin America, Congress / U.S. government,
- disarmament, federal budget, labor, lesbian and gay rights,
Middle East, nonviolence, the Pacific, peace movement, racial
justice, Southern Africa, United Nations, and U.S.
- 1988: Peace and Freedom included articles on Central
America, disarmament, feminism, Middle East,
- peace education, peace movement, United Nations, and U.S.
- 1988-1989: Programming focused on racial justice, stopping
U.S. global intervention, and achieving
- disarmament by the year 2000 ("Disarmament . . . Easy as A B
- 1989: Peace and Freedom included articles on ageism,
disarmament, environment, feminism, Latin
- America, Middle East, Pacific Rim, racism, and the United
1990: Peace and Freedom included articles on Asia
and the Pacific, the Cold War, disarmament and
- economic conversion, environment, labor, Latin America,
lesbian and gay rights, peace education, Persian Gulf / Middle
East, racism, rights of children, South Africa, and the United
- 1991: 75th Anniversary Campaign surpassed its million dollar
fundraising goal by raising $1,115,841.00.
- Anniversary celebrations were held on the national level and
by 63 Branches.
- 1991: Peace and Freedom includes articles about
disarmament, economic justice, Latin America, lesbians,
- the media, Persian Gulf / Middle East, racism, socialism, the
United Nations, and women vs. violence.
- 1992: Jane Midgley ended term as Executive Director.
1992: Initiated the Women's Peace and Justice Treaty of the
Americas; the aim was to "build new alliances
- in the feminist movement and in other women's activist
circles, and to broaden all our politics to include the whole
spectrum of interrelated issues that profoundly affect
[women], from battering and rape to job inequity and
poverty, to state terrorism, intervention, and war."
- 1992: Chose "Become a Dangerous Woman" as the theme for the
1992-1993 membership campaign. "J.
- Edgar Hoover called Jane Addams ' the most dangerous woman in
America" because she dared to organize and speak out for a just,
humane and disarmed world. The dangerous women who founded WILPF
learned early that support and caring was a political necessity if
they were to survive the hate, repression, and red-baiting. Our
most dangerous political action is building strong branch
communities where personal support is seen as a political
- 1992: Action priorities established for the 1990s included
women vs. violence, racial justice, Women's
- Peace and Justice Treaty of the Americas, economic justice and
the women's budget, women's rights, and disarmament.
- 1992: Peace and Freedom included articles about
abortion rights, Asia / Middle East, civil liberties, cuba,
- disarmament, drug war, economics, environment, labor,
lesbians, quincentennial, racism, the United Nations, and
- 1993: Peace and Freedom included articles about
censorship, Cuba, health, lesbians, and racism.
1993-1996: Programming for these years focused on the Women's
Peace and Justice Treaty of the
- Americas through education, lobbying, and travel to support
lifting the U.S. embargo of Cuba; racial justice through the South
African Elections Project and the Documentation of Discrimination
Project; disarmament/conversion through national and local efforts
to close military/nuclear test sites; and women versus violence
through various events and lobbying for legislation to end
discrimination against women.
- 1994 (Jan.-Feb.): Legislative Office in Washington (DC) closed
and moves to national office in
- 1994: Signed on to joint letters re: pro-choice, GATT, women's
health care services, Yugoslav War
- Crimes Tribunal, armed repression of indigenous and campesino
organizations in Mexico, and nuclear weapons.
- 1994: Peace and Freedom included articles about Africa,
the federal budget, Cuba, disarmament and the
- economy, Haiti, lesbian/bisexual issues, the media, racism,
the United Nations, and violence.
- 1995: Peace and Freedom includes articles about Bosnia,
racism, the United Nations, and violence.
1995: Celebrated its 80th birthday with national and local events,
including a Peace Train journey to the
- Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (China).
- 1995: Signed on to joint letters with other organizations re:
abolishing nuclear weapons, human rights
- violations in Columbia, debt relief for Nicaragua, minimum
wage, gun legislation, among others.
- 1996: Marilyn Clement began term as Executive Director.
1996: Peace and Freedom included articles about
anti-racism, children, Cuba, disarmament, the economy,
- Guatemala, Iraq, labor, the Middle East, Native Americans, and
the United Nations.
- 1996: Released the Women's Budget, providing information about
how budgetary policies affect women.
1996 (April): Posters featuring Newt Gingrich and the presidents
of some of the U.S.'s largest
- corporations and emphasizing the question "Who really gets
welfare?" were distributed on tax day.
- 1996: Great Day Peace Trains tour the Midwest and the West
Coast to help focus attention on re-
- prioritizing government spending.
- 1996 (July-Sept.): Program proposals for the 1996-1999 period
included: disarmament within the
- framework of economic justice, racial justice, ending
intervention (by implementing the Women's Peace and Justice Treaty
of the Americas, linking arms trade abroad and drug policy at
home, and continuing the Cuba campaign), and women's rights (by
working for a women's budget, and by helping women
- 1997 (March-May): Peace and Freedom included articles
about Cuba, Columbia, the Women's Peace and
- Justice Treaty of the Americas, and disarmament.
- 1997 (June-July): Peace and Freedom included articles
about the Middle East, racism, and welfare.
1997 (Aug.-Sept.): Peace and Freedom included articles
about Cuba, human rights, racism, Cyprus, and
- WILPF's Truth and Reconciliation Symposium.
- 1997 (Oct.-Nov.): Peace and Freedom included articles
on West Africa, labor unions, NATO, the death
- penalty, fair trade, and women's work for peace and
reconciliation. Calls for support of the Cuban Humanitarian Trade
Act (HR 1951) and A Living Wage, Jobs For All Act (HR 1050).
- 1997: JAPA (Jane Addams Peace Association) celebrated its 50th
1997 (Dec): Peace and Freedom included articles about
Generation X and the international youth
- movement, activism, media and democracy, leadership, war
crimes, drug policy reform, and women challenging the politics of
- 1998 (Jan.): Peace and Freedom included articles about
Cuba, the Women's Budget Project, China, the
- Common Property Constitutional Amendment, and a memorial
service for victims of the School of the Americas.
- 1998 (March 11): WILPF delegation delivered over 200 U.S.
children's letters to the White House, as
- part of WILPF's "Stop, Look and Listen!" campaign calling for
a lifting of sanctions and a end to U.S. threats to bomb
- 1998 (April): Peace and Freedom included articles about
Iraq, women in the global economy, social
- security, and El Salvador.
- 1998 (June): Peace and Freedom includes articles on
women sowing seeds of peace in Africa, creating a
- peace system, violence/nonviolence in the home, peace
education, and a Truth and Reconciliation symposium.
- 1998: U.S. Section Change Mavens discussed fieldwork,
leadership development, and program focus in
- an effort to build WILPF for the 21st century.
- 1999: Marilyn Clement ended term as Executive Director;
replaced by Mary Day Kent.
Page of WILPF Collection
for More Information