A Guide to the Elizabeth Smith collection of Virginia ERA Ratification Council records, 1970-2002
A Collection in
Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library
Collection number M 425
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Virginia Commonwealth University, James Branch Cabell Library
Special Collections and ArchivesJames Branch Cabell Library
Box 842003
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2003
USA
Phone: (804) 828-1108
Fax: (804) 828-0151
Email: libjbcsca@vcu.edu
URL: https://www.library.vcu.edu/research-teaching/special-collections-and-archives/
© 2019 By Virginia Commonwealth University. All rights reserved
Processed by: Special Collections and Archives staff
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Elizabeth Smith collection of Virginia ERA Ratification Council records, 1970-2002, Collection # M 425, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Elizabeth Smith in 2009.
Biographical / Historical Information
Elizabeth Smith served as executive director the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council, and she continued to collect materials pertaining to the amendment throughout her time with the Council and in the years following.
The Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council was a coalition of multiple Virginia organizations brought together by the shared goal of advocating for the ratification of the amendment by Virginia's legislature. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) states that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." It was approved by the House of Representatives and the US Senate, and then submitted to the states for ratification in 1972. As of October 2018, the Virginia legislature has yet to ratify the ERA.
Content Description
This collection consists of materials acquired by Elizabeth Smith and includes a large quantity of materials created by or concerning the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council. Also included within this collection are items from a number of other organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Homemakers for the ERA (HERA), the National Women's Party (NWP) and many other pro-ERA organizations of the time. The collection also holds materials documenting the anti-ERA voice of the same era. Materials found in the collection include reports, correspondence, minutes, agendas, printed materials, educational materials, lobbying materials, event ephemera, speeches, and a substantial quantity of clippings. The collection's contents illuminate the efforts of the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council and other organizations to advocate for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment during the latter decades of the twentieth century.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in four series: Series 1: Organizational records, 1972-1996; Series 2: Pro-ERA Organizations, 1971-2002; Series 3: Subject Files, 1970-1996; Series 4: Clippings, 1971-1996.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Equal rights amendments -- Sources -- Virginia
- Smith, Elizabeth
- Women -- Political activity -- Virginia -- Richmond.
- Women political activists -- Archives -- Virginia
- Women's rights -- History -- 20th century -- Southern States
Container List
- Box-folder 1 folder: 1-2
Agendas and meeting minutes1974-1991
- Box-folder 1 folder: 3
Bylaws1978-1982
- Box-folder 1 folder: 4
Coalition buildingcirca 1975
- Box-folder 1 folder: 5-6
Correspondence1973-1996, undated
- Box-folder 1 folder: 7
Election law violation report - Larry Pratt, Virginia House of Delegates1977
- Box-folder 1 folder: 8Box-folder 2 folder: 1
Electoral activities1977-1978, undated
- Box-folder 2 folder: 2
ERA Summit1994-1995
- Box-folder 2 folder: 3
Essay contest1983
- Box-folder 2 folder: 4
Essays and speeches1974-1987, undated
- Box-folder 2 folder: 5
Events1974-1994, undated
- Box-folder 2 folder: 6
Executive committee rosters1978-1986, undated
- Box-folder 2 folder: 7-8
Finances1974-1989, undated
- Box-folder 2 folder: 9
Forms and mailers1978-1994, undated
- Box-folder 2 folder: 10
Gala1981
- Box-folder 2 folder: 11
Informational flyers and pamphlets1974-1987, undated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 1
Initiative planning1976-1982, undated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 2
Interfaith Task Force1979-1982
- Box-folder 3 folder: 3
Jean Hellmuth materials1981
- Box-folder 3 folder: 4
Jean Stapleton cassette tapeundated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 5
Legislative strategies1978, undated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 6
Legislator's kit1981, undated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 7
Mailing lists1977, undated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 8
Member and attendance lists1976-1980, undated
- Box-folder 3 folder: 9
Memoranda1976-1982, 1993
- Box-folder 3 folder: 10
Newsletters1973-1982, undated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 1
Notecardsundated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 2
Notes1976-1996, undated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 3
Organizational overviewsundated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 4
Photographs1978-1990, undated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 5
Prayer breakfast1978-1979
- Box-folder 4 folder: 6
Press releases1975-1993
- Box-folder 4 folder: 7
Ratification updates1974, 1992-1995
- Box-folder 4 folder: 8
Referendum materials1977, undated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 9
Research and Education Fund1982-1985
- Box-folder 4 folder: 10
Resolutions1975-1977, 1991
- Box-folder 4 folder: 11
Richmond area ERA YES campaign1975-1982
- Box-folder 4 folder: 12
Speakers' Bureau1976-1980, undated
- Box-folder 4 folder: 13
Steering committee1977-1978, undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 1
Supporters' handbookcirca 1983
- Box-folder 5 folder: 2
Supporters of ERA lists1981, undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 3
Training materials1976, undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 4
Vigil preparations1978-1979
- Box-folder 5 folder: 5
Vigils1979-1995, 2001 undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 6-7
Virginia legislature1974-1994, undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 8
Virginia State Library records transfer1982, undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 9
Volunteers1977, undated
- Box-folder 5 folder: 10
American Association of University Women1974-1979
- Box-folder 5 folder: 11
American Civil Liberties Union1975-1981, undated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 1
Association of American Colleges1972-1974
- Box-folder 6 folder: 2
Bar Associations1982, undated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 3
Business and Professional Women's Clubsundated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 4
California Commission on the Status of Women1975
- Box-folder 6 folder: 5
Catholics Act for ERA1976-1982, undated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 6
Citizens' Advisory Council on the Status of Women1966-1976, undated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 7
Common Cause of Virginia1977, 1986
- Box-folder 6 folder: 8
Congressional Union1980, undated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 9
Democratic National Committee1976-1981, undated
- Box-folder 6 folder: 10-11Box-folder 7 folder: 1
ERAmerica1976-1981
- Box-folder 7 folder: 2
Homemakers' Equal Rights Association1975-1982, undated
- Box-folder 7 folder: 3
Institute for Studies in Equality Equal Rights Monitor1976-1977
- Box-folder 7 folder: 4-5
International Women's Year1976-1991, undated
- Box-folder 7 folder: 6
League of Women Voters1972-1978
- Box-folder 7 folder: 7
League of Women Voters of Virginia and local chapters1975-1984
- Box-folder 8 folder: 1
National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs1976-1977, undated
- Box-folder 8 folder: 2-3
National Organization for Women1971-1992, undated
- Box-folder 8 folder: 4
National Organization for Women - Richmond1976-1990
- Box-folder 8 folder: 5
National Organization for Women - Virginia1974-1987
- Box-folder 8 folder: 6
National Women's Party1978-2002, undated
- Box-folder 8 folder: 7
National Women's Political Caucus1979-1990
- Box-folder 9 folder: 1
National Women's Political Caucus of Virginia1981-1993
- Box-folder 9 folder: 2
Religious Committee for ERA1975-1982, undated
- Box-folder 9 folder: 3
Republican National Committeeundated
- Box-folder 9 folder: 4
Reston ERA Coalition1981-1982
- Box-folder 9 folder: 5
Richmond Committee on the Concerns for Women1979-1985
- Box-folder 9 folder: 6
Richmond Council of Women's Organizations1976
- Box-folder 9 folder: 7
United Methodist Church1978, undated
- Box-folder 9 folder: 8-
10
United States Commission on Civil Rights1975-1985
- Box-folder 9 folder: 11
University of Virginia Institute of Government1974-1984
- Box-folder 10 folder: 1
Virginia Council of Churches1981-1982, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 2
Virginia Education Association1980-1982, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 3
Virginia ERA Ratification Project1981
- Box-folder 10 folder: 4
Virginia Women Attorneys Association1981-1986
- Box-folder 10 folder: 5
Virgina Women's Meeting1977
- Box-folder 10 folder: 6
Virginians for the Equal Rights Amendment Political Action Committee1977-1979, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 7
Women and the Constitution Institute1987
- Box-folder 10 folder: 8
Women's Action Alliance1978-1979, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 9
Women's Bureau1980-1984
- Box-folder 10 folder: 10
Women's Center of Richmond1974, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 11
Women's Equity Action League1976-1982, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 12
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom1972-1989, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 13
Women's Round Table1979-1989
- Box-folder 10 folder: 14
Young Women's Christian Association1978-1989, undated
- Box-folder 10 folder: 15
Abortion1976-1987
- Box-folder 11 folder: 1-2
Anti-ERA flyers and pamphlets1972-1982
- Box-folder 11 folder: 3
Anti-ERA rebuttal information1977-1981, undated
- Box-folder 11 folder: 4
Background information on the ERA1973-1992, undated
- Box-folder 20
Buttons, bracelet, and bear ornamentundated
- Box-folder 11 folder: 5
Christian denominations1975-1982, undated
- Box-folder 11 folder: 6
Credit access1975-1980
- Box-folder 11 folder: 7
Education1974-1981, undated
- Box-folder 11 folder: 8
Equal Employment1972-1989, undated
- Box-folder 11 folder: 9
Essays and speeches1972-1987, undated
- Box-folder 11 folder: 10
Extension and rescission of ratification1973-1981, undated
- Box-folder 12 folder: 1
Family1975-1986, undated
- Box-folder 12 folder: 2-4
Informational flyers and pamphlets1975-1989, undated
- Box-folder 12 folder: 5
Informational flyers and pamphlets - Virginia1976-1985, undated
- Box-folder 12 folder: 6
Labor1976-1983
- Box-folder 12 folder: 7
Language1976, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 1
Lobbying1977-1981
- Box-folder 13 folder: 2
Military draft1970-1981, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 3
Music and religious services1978-1988, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 4
Pay Equity1981-1987, undated
- Box-folder 19
Pennant, sashes, and textilesundated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 5
Phyllis Schlafly Report1973-1981
- Box-folder 18 folder: 7
Posters1975-2002, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 6
Property rights, marriage, and divorce1978-1982, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 7
Resource bibliographies and lists1973, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 8
Retirementundated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 9
Sexual assault and domestic violence1977-1985
- Box-folder 13 folder: 10
Socialism1978-1979, undated
- Box-folder 13 folder: 11-12
State materials on ERA1972-1995
- Box-folder 14 folder: 1
Unitarian Universalism1976-1985
- Box-folder 14 folder: 2
United States Congress1976-1990, undated
- Box-folder 14 folder: 3-6Box-folder 15 folder: 1
Virginia legislature1976-1983, undated
- Box-folder 15 folder: 2
Virginia legislature - ERA Task Force1974
- Box-folder 15 folder: 3
Virginia Military Institute case1973-1996, undated
- Box-folder 15 folder: 4
Virginia State Board of Elections1979, undated