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Cage 529
Washington Women United
Records, 1975-1986
| Back to Finding Aids | |
| Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 Inquiries |
Cage 529
Washington Women United
Records, 1975-1986
The records of the Washington Women United, of Olympia, Washington, were donated to the Washington State University Libraries by the organization in July 1986 (MS 86-25). The records were processed by Tina T. Atkinson in December 1986. A second installation of records from the organization was received and processed in 1995, as Cage 625.
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY
The statewide organization Washington Women United (WWU) was established in 1979 by Washington State Women's Political Caucus members as an independent unit to replace the services of the defunct Washington State Women's Council. WWU's primary purpose is to promote equal rights through legislative action, education, and networking. Members include individuals and organizations who are advocates of women's rights and proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment. Membership dues and pledges are the basis of support for WWU. The primary activity of WWU is to lobby the Washington State Legislature on issues of especial concern to women such as child care programs, domestic violence, abortion, comparable worth, and education. An annual poll of members determines WWU's position and lobbying priorities and guides its legislative efforts. The group maintains a staff, office, and full-time lobbyist in Olympia, and coordinates a statewide referral and information service on legislative activity. In addition, WWU provides telephone lists, mailing lists, a hot-line telephone service, information on lobbying techniques, news releases on political positions and issues, annual meetings, and six yearly newsletters. The organization also sponsors an annual legislative reception for elected officials which allows women to become acquainted with their legislators.
Officers are elected by and from the Board of Directors, and include: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President for Eastern Washington, Third Vice-President for Western Washington.
ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION
The records consist of the business records of the organization and contemporary information about the state legislature. All papers are arranged chronologically within each file.
The collection is organized as five series: Business Records, Correspondence, Miscellanea, Women's Legislative Reception Reports, and Writings.
Business Records contain Board of Directors election results, committee reports, financial information, meeting agendas and reports, membership lists and deliquencies, minutes of meetings, and policies and bylaws. The Board of Directors meeting minutes are filed under the heading "Minutes."
Within the Correspondence files are letters and memoranda to the Board of Directors, general correspondence and memoranda, and thank-you letters to legislators. Letters from legislators to WWU are in the general correspondence files. A photograph of Linda Clifton, WWU President for 1981, is filed in the Board of Directors Letters folder.
The Miscellanea series contains files on statewide general elections, King County Women's Political Caucus Candidate Questionnaires, original forms and letters of the organization, information on other organizations, pamphlets on WWU complete with application forms, and other materials.
The Women's Legislative Reception Reports series contains information on the organizers of the Reception, attendance lists of legislators and the public, and invitations to the event.
The Writings series includes a booklet documenting the Fifth Annual Meeting, the book IMPACT: A Woman's Guide to Legislative Action, legislative reports and newsletters, and the WWU newsletters.
CONTAINER LIST