Use Restrictions

No restriction on use.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for use without restrictions

Preferred Citation

Box, League of Women Voters of the Richmond Area Archives, M 18, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University

Acquisition Information

Biographical/Historical Information

The Virginia League of Women Voters (LWV) was organized on November 9, 1920 in the State Capitol building in Richmond. This date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the organization of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia in 1909. The meeting was attended by women from all parts of the state.The Richmond League organized a few weeks later, on November 30, 1920, in a meeting called by Adele Clark, one of several early LWV members who had been active in the women's suffrage movement in Virginia. The purpose of the organization, expressed in its original constitution, was "to stimulate education in citizenship and to suggest and support improved legislation."The Richmond League has been active on a number of issues, including child welfare, women's rights at work, redistricting, and support for the Equal Rights Amendment. Throughout its existence it has encouraged citizen participation in elections. In the 1970's the name of the Richmond Area LWV was changed to the LWV of the Richmond Metropolitan Area, Virginia, Inc. -representing the areas of Richmond, Chesterfield County and Henrico County.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes minutes, correspondence, annual as well as other reports, newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, various publications and other materials. The date range of the collection, from the early 1920's until the present, spans the history of the organization. There seems to be some minutes missing from the years 1939 through 1945.Much of the correspondence from the 1970s focuses on the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and includes letters to and from Virginia's U.S. Congressional delegation. Numerous regional and state issues are also documented in the collection.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphobetically and chronologically therein. The first deposit of materials from the LWV of the Richmond Area (7/12/83) included minutes, newsletters, correspondence and other materials, dates from 1920 until 1973. A second deposit (4/1/94) of similar materials dates from the late 1970s until 1992. The collection also includes four additional deposits of material: one from Geraldine Fineberg Archivist for the League of Women Voters of the Richmond Metro Area (95-Jun-24); a second from Muriel H. Smith (95-Jul-32), member of LWV of the Richmond Metro Area; a third deposit from Donna Reynolds (96-Oct-28); and a fourth deposit from an undetermined donor (97-Jun-12).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• League of Women Voters of the Richmond Metropolitan Area (Va.)
• Voter registration -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Women -- Political activity -- Virginia -- Richmond
• Women -- Societies and clubs -- Virginia -- Richmond
• Women -- Suffrage -- Virginia -- Richmond.