National Organization for Women, Dayton Chapter Records (MS-649)

The National Organization for Women (NOW), founded in 1966, focus on six priority issues including reproductive rights, ending sex discrimination/constitutional equality, promoting diversity and ending racism, economic justice, stopping violence against women, and LGBTQIA rights. Chapters across the country advocate for women’s rights on the local and national level with the goal of bringing about equality for all women. It is unclear from this collection when the Dayton Chapter first formed, but the Ohio National Organization for Women started in the late 1960s. It was not uncommon for local chapters to open, close and re-start as needed. The earliest date for the Dayton Chapter in this collection is from May 1980 found on a flier calling for members of the Greater Dayton Chapter of NOW to bus ride to the ERA March in Chicago to support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois. However, in the same folder, is a flier dated November 24, 1981 for a Dayton NOW Holiday Get-Together with the stated purpose to talk about re-activating the Dayton Chapter. The flier was initiated by Joan Rourke, who at the time was the Ohio NOW President and a resident of Centerville, Ohio. Monthly Board and General meeting minutes in the collection for 1982-1984 are evidence of the active status of the Dayton Chapter during those years. The meetings were often held at Sinclair College. The following committees regularly provided updates on their activities at the meetings: Legislative Action Committee, Reproductive Rights Committee, Public Relations Committee, and Membership Committee. Members were engaged on a national, state, and local level, participating in Ohio NOW and participating in events organized by the national organization, as well as activities put on by related women’s organizations. In September 1983, the Board discussed the Chapter’s priorities of consciousness raising, political leadership training, pay equity, and voter registration and voter education. While the records in this collection stop in 1984, the Dayton Chapter is listed (as of 2019) with contact information on the Ohio NOW website at http://ohionow.org/wp/.