National Organization of Women

Records of Florida Chapters

1971 - 1987 [bulk 1973 - 1982]

10 linear feet; 24 Boxes

Scope and Content: The Florida NOW records include officers' and members' correspondence, official records, e.g., minutes, agendas, reports, budgets, etc., newsletters and other publications, reports on activities, documents collected by Florida NOW, and other records which chronicle the development and activities of Florida NOW from its founding in 1973 until 1987. The bulk of the records, however, are from the period 1973-1982, approximately the same period of time as which the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was before the states for ratification. Additional, or later records may be added in the future. Local chapters are represented through correspondence, newsletters, and reports of activities. The records reflect all aspects of the organization, its officers, council, committees and taskforces, state conventions, interaction with national NOW, with the local chapters in Florida, and with outside groups and individuals. Other than organizational activities, a wide range of political and social topics are reflected, principally efforts to gain passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion, and many forms of gender discrimination. Many records reveal NOW's political and lobbying efforts. The records are arranged into four series:

Series 1: Administrative records

The Administrative Series (6 boxes) contains by-laws, directories, correspondence and other papers of the coordinators/presidents and other officers, proceedings of the State Council and annual conferences, committees, taskforces, including the Political Action Committee and the Political Research Office, and the newsletter. Also included are semi-official, and non-NOW files, which reflect topics of interest to NOW members, including papers on consciousness raising, Florida NOW history, the International Women's Year (1976), and regional and national groups.

This Series is largely composed of the coordinator's /president's papers, although they contain records of other officers, groups, and activities. The files for the Council meetings, for example, will contain the background material which the coordinator as the presiding officer and chief executive gathered regarding agenda items, as well as the actual minutes, agenda, and reports presented at the meeting. In general, it would be wise to consult the appropriate coordinator's correspondence files when doing research on any topic. The coordinators /presidents represented are Karen Coolman, 1973-1974, Margaret Barovitch, 1974-1976, Valerie Adams, 1976-1977, Rebecca Berg, 1977-1978, Genece Minshew, 1979-1980, Eileen Cudney, 1980-1981, and Pat Kennedy, 1981-1982. The largest files are from Barovitch, Berg, and Minshew.

Series 2: Legislative Office

The Legislative Office Series (6 boxes) contains the correspondence, memoranda and other records of the legislative coordinators, lobbyists, and the Legislative Office, including the Legislative Bulletin. Also included are many legislative and political records created or collected by NOW. Major topics include constitutional revision, Democratic State Party Conventions, and Florida legislative elections and actions. The series contains subject files on abortion, gender discrimination, and many other subjects of legislative concern, and a set of files on individual legislators.

Series 3: Equal Rights Amendment [ERA]

The ERA series (7 boxes) shows the struggle by Florida NOW and other groups to obtain ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment from the Florida Legislature. The records reflect many direct activities undertaken by Florida NOW, legislative and political actions, the involvement of National NOW, the networking of Florida NOW with other pro-ERA organizations and with the various coalition groups established to coordinate pro-ERA with the work, including ERA Florida, and general pro- and anti- activity in the State. Papers from one such group, ERA '74, apparently were left the Florida NOW legislative coordinator and are included with the collection here. A set of the papers deal with the national convention boycott of Florida, the Florida NOW induced tourist boycott, and with other boycott attempts. The ERA Countdown Campaign records show the many actions to obtain ratification during the year preceding the June, 1982, deadline. A set of public opinion polls by Lou Harris is included. The principal business of Florida NOW during the decade covered by these records was the struggle to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Although this series of records is devoted exclusively to ERA, the topic is pervasive throughout the whole of the records. Much of the coordinators' and legislative officers' correspondence revolve around the ERA, and it was the stimulus for much of the legislative intelligence gathering and other activities. Information relevant to ERA can be found in virtually any part of the papers.

Series 4: Local Chapters

Local chapter files are the fourth series (5 boxes) of the papers. Typically they will contain correspondence between the chapter and Florida NOW, chapter newsletters, and reports on local activities. In addition to working for ERA, local chapters were typically active in combating local discrimination, consciousness raising, and promoting rape awareness. The local chapter files are largely from the coordinator /presidents' files on the chapter, supplemented by some records from the legislative office. When dealing with chapter questions both the chapter files and the coordinator's files should be checked. Chapter files include both chartered and convening chapters.

Historical Note:

Florida NOW was established in 1973 to coordinate state action, to foster understanding and the exchange of information among NOW members in the state, and to assist in the growth of membership and the establishment of new chapters. The first bylaws were also adopted in 1973. Florida NOW membership consisted of all NOW members in the state. Florida NOW was initially headed by an elected Chairone. In 1974 this position was replaced by a State Coordinator and by a president in 1979. Other state wide positions at the inception included assistant coordinator, secretary, treasurer, and legislative coordinator. Others were added later. During the period covered by these records the organization was governed by a council, composed of the officers, a delegate from each chapter and convening chapter, and one at-large delegate to represent NOW members who did not belong to any chapter. Officers were elected at a state conference, usually held annually. Details of the founding of Florida NOW are unclear. There was a legislative coordinator in Florida, perhaps reporting to and funded by National NOW, at least as early as 1972. In the latter part of 1972, Andrea Westmoreland of Deland stated that she had been appointed by NOW Regional Director Judy Lightfoot as coordinator for Florida, apparently with the assignment of organizing a statewide group. (Cf. Legislative Coordinator Correspondence, Kwea, 1971-1973). Details of the organizing process are vague, but within a year, an organized group with bylaws, elected officers, council meetings and an annual conference was in place. Karen Coolman was the first coordinator, and Gwen Cherry, the chairone. In the initial bylaws, a chairone was the titular head of Florida NOW and the Coordinator was the second officer. In 1974 the position of Chairone was abolished and the Coordinator was designated as the chief officer. In 1977 the office of coordinator and assistant coordinator was replaced by president and vice-president. The legislative coordinator was a principal officer in the organization as the director of the legislative office. The legislative office hired volunteer and paid staff and lobbyists and maintained a physical office in Tallahassee. This office appears to have been one of the most visible aspects of Florida NOW, possibly even more so than the State Coordinator, or President. Although the coordinator was elected by the membership and was an officer of Florida NOW, the position itself and the Legislative Office appear to have been largely independent, releasing statements and taking actions on it own, and working directly with the local chapters and with National NOW. As noted above, the position of legislative coordinator existed prior to the establishment of Florida NOW. Local chapters are chartered by National NOW, not by Florida NOW, and so are not directly subordinate to the state organization. Some of the local chapters are older than Florida NOW. Chapters in the process of organizing are called convening chapters until they are fully chartered. Many convening chapters were never chartered, and chartered chapters sometimes became inactive, or reorganized.

Provenance: The papers preserved here came to the Libraries in two batches. The first appears to have come mostly from the files of the State Coordinators, the principal state officer, and covered the period 1973-1979 with the bulk having been produced by 1976. An additional batch was received from the legislative office. The legislative office papers largely duplicated the coordinator's papers for the years 1973-1976, although individual items may have existed only in the legislative office file. Principally the legislative office papers extended the scope of the records to 1982. It also appears that some of the coordinator's and perhaps other officers deposited their own records with the legislative office, so the records from the legislative office also extend the coordinators' files. Although the coordinators and legislative office file are now integrated, a list of the folders from the original coordinators' files is appended to this guide.

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