Document 138: American Women on the Move: Houston National Women's Conference, November 1977 (Houston: National Women's Conference, 1977), Conference program. 36 pp.

[p. 1]

[p. 2]

[p. 3]

[p. 4]

"… To Form A More Perfect Union …"

   We American women view our history with equanimity. We allow the positive achievement to inspire us and the negative omissions to teach us.

   We recognize the accomplishments of our sisters, those famous and hallowed women of history and those unknown and unsung women whose strength gave birth to our strength.

   We recognize those women who were and are immobilized by oppression and crippled by prejudice.

   We recognize that no nation can boast of balance until each member of that nation is equally employed and equally rewarded.

   We recognize that women collectiyely have been unfairly treated and dishonorably portrayed.

   We recognize our responsibility to work toward the eradication of negatives in our society and by so doing, bring honor to our gender, to our species, and to ourselves individually.

   Because of the recognition set down above we American women unfold our future today.

   We promise to accept nothing less than justice for every woman.

   We pledge to work unsparingly to bring fair play to every public arena, to encourage honorable behavior in each private home.

   We promise to develop courage that we may learn from our colleagues and patience that we may attack our opponent.

   Because we are women, we make these promises.

Maya Angelou

1977

November 18, 1977

Dear Delegates and Visitors:

Houston is honored to host this conference. The planning has been challenging, hectic — but always inspiring. Hundreds of diverse competent and committed women have donated their strength and their time to insure the success of this great event. We will be forever grateful to them and are confident their efforts are the foundation for this historic dialogue. We all anticipate a greater understanding of the problems, positions and desires of all women.

We welcome you to Houston and we urge you to use every available moment to take advantage of the many special events planned to salute your stay. If any request or information is needed, please contact one of the Houston volunteers.

Again, our every wish for a successful and productive three days.

Good luck and God speed!

Sincerely,

Mary Keegan, Chair Houston Committee	Dr. Gloria Scott, National Commissioner,

[p. 5]

Bella S. Abzug
Presiding Officer
National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year

   Welcome to the National Women's Conference.

   You are a part of history-in-the-making.

   Never before in the two centuries of our nation's existence have women come together from every part of the United States under a Federal mandate to discuss and act on our mutual concerns.

   Yes, American women have met before, but this is the first time we are getting together with the assistance and encouragement of our elected government. Congress and the President passed a law to make possible the holding of this conference and the 56 State/Territorial meetings that preceded it.

   It wasn't always thus. When our forefathers wrote the Constitution, they didn't mention our foremothers. Women were regarded as the property of men, not as individuals with legal rights. When a small group of women met at Seneca Falls in 1848 to assert that women did indeed have rights, including the right to vote, they were ridiculed and attacked. It took a century of struggle and abuse before we won a Constitutional amendment granting us the right to vote. We were on the way to becoming citizens.

   Now we are at a new stage in women's quest for equality and full citizenship.

   Women are on the move all over this nation. The "women's movement" isn't any one organization or set of ideas or particular lifestyle. It is a homemaker deciding that raising children, cleaning, cooking, ironing and all the other things she does for her family is work that should be accorded respect and value. It's a young woman student asserting she wants to play baseball, major in physics or become a brain surgeon. It is a working woman demanding that she get the same pay and promotion opportunities as a man. It is a divorcee fighting for social security benefits in her own right, a widow embarking on a new career, a mother organizing a day care center, a battered wife seeking help, a woman running for public office. It is women of all kinds getting together to make their needs known and to get action.

   We are having this conference because our "women's movement" has become too important, too diverse and too widespread for our elected representatives to ignore.

   The whole nation will be watching what we say and do here in Houston. We have a responsibility to make this Conference a national forum for the real needs and aspirations of American women as well as a vehicle for a National Plan of Action to achieve equality for women.

   We may disagree among ourselves on some issues. Some of us may think some issues more vital than others. But let us be respectful of each other, patient and understanding. Let us take the time to get to know each other, to laugh together, to learn together and to move forward together.

   My thanks to all of you for making this event possible, and my special thanks to all the Commissioners, staff people and volunteers who have worked so hard to make the first National Women's Conference a success.

[p. 6]

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF HOUSTON
TEXAS

TO ALL DELEGATES AND VISITORS TO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE:

On behalf of the citizens of Houston, it is our pleasure to welcome our community. We are proud to be the host city for the National Conference on the Observance of International Women's Year. This conference represents the goal of equal opportunity for all citizens — a goal that we support and actively strive for here in Houston.

The national conference and the 56 State and Territorial meetings which preceded it have caused both individuals and governmental leaders to stop and reflect on the wasted human resources that result from discrimination against half the citizens of our country and the benefits of encouraging all people to reach their full potential in life. Changing values and life styles can be confusing and frightening, but it is less so when people are informed of the necessity and the positive benefits of the change. This conference is important because it will provide information, education, and a forum for discussion that will assist all people in the transition.

Women workers have been essential to the successful operation of Houston City Government. What is more, their contribution increases as their opportunities broaden. Our society can only become stronger as chances for individual development improve.

Again, welcome to Houston and thank you for sharing this historic moment with us.

In humankind,

Fred Hofheinz, Mayor

Nikki Van Hightower, Women's Advocate

[p. 7]

From Seneca Falls to
HOUSTON
1848 to 1977

The Declaration of Sentiments was adopted in July, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York, at the first women's rights convention. It was modeled after the Declaration of Independence and contained a list of grievances and twelve resolutions, including one calling for the enfranchisement of women. This important declaration remains the most famous document in the history of feminism.

DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

   We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they were accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this

[p. 8]

government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.

   The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

   He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.

   He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice.

   He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men — both natives and foreigners.

   Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.

   He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.

   He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns.

   He has made her, morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband. In the covenant of marriage she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master — the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement.

   He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes, and in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given, as to be wholly regardless of the happiness of women — the law, in all cases, going upon a false supposition of the supremacy of man, and giving all power into his hands.

   After depriving her of all rights as a married woman, if single and the owner of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.

   He has monopolized nearly all the profitable employments, and from those she is permitted to follow, she receives but a scanty remuneration. He closes against her all the avenues to wealth and distinction which he considers most honorable to himself. As a teacher of theology, medicine, or law, she is not known.

   He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education, all colleges being closed against her.

   He allows her in Church, as well as State, but a subordinate position, claiming Apostolic authority for her exclusion from the ministry, and, with some exceptions, from any public participation in the affairs of the Church.

   He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated, but deemed of little account in man.

   He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and to her God.

   He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.

   Now, in view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half the people of this country, their social and religious degradation — in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States.

   In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object. We shall employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the State and National legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press in our behalf. We hope this Convention will be followed by a series of Conventions embracing every part of the country.

RESOLUTIONS

WHEREAS, The great precept of nature is conceded to be, that "man shall pursue his own true and substantial happiness." Blackstone in his Commentaries remarks, that this law of Nature being coeval with mankind, and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries and at all times; no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this, and such of them as are valid, derive all their force, and all their validity, and all their authority, mediately and immediately, from this original; therefore.

   Resolved, That such laws as conflict, in any way, with the true and substantial happiness of women, are contrary to the great precept of nature and of no validity, for this is "superior in obligation to any other."

   Resolved, That all laws which prevent woman from occupying such a station in society as her conscience shall dictate, or which place her in a position inferior to that of man, are contrary to the great precept of nature, and therefore of no force or authority.

   Resolved, That woman is man's equal — was intended to be so by the Creator, and the highest good of the race demands that she should be recognized as such.

   Resolved, That the women of this country ought to be enlightened in regard to the laws under which they live, that they may no longer publish their degradation by declaring themselves satisfied with their present position, nor their ignorance, by asserting that they have all the rights they want.

   Resolved, That inasmuch as man, while claiming for himself intellectual superiority, does accord to woman moral superiority, it is pre-eminently his duty to encourage her to speak and teach, as she has an opportunity, in all religious assemblies.

[p. 9]

   Resolved, That the same amount of virtue, delicacy, and refinement of behavior that is required of woman in the social state, should also be required of man, and the same transgressions should be visited with equal severity on both man and woman.

   Resolved, That the objection of indelicacy and impropriety, which is so often brought against woman when she addresses a public audience, comes with a very ill-grace from those who encourage, by their attendance, her appearance on the stage, in the concert, or in feats of the circus.

   Resolved, That woman has too long rested satisfied in the circumscribed limits which corrupt customs and a perverted application of the Scriptures have marked out for her, and that it is time she should move in the enlarged sphere which her great Creator has assigned her.

   Resolved, That it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.

   Resolved, That the equality of human rights results necessarily from the fact of the identity of the race in capabilities and responsibilities.

   Resolved, therefore, That, being invested by the Creator with the same capabilities, and the same consciousness of responsibility for their exercise, it is demonstrably the right and duty of women, equally with man, to promote every righteous cause by every righteous means; and especially in regard to the great subjects of morals and religion, it is self-evidently her right to participate with her brother teaching them, both in private and in public, by writing and by speaking, by any instrumentalities proper to be used, and in any assemblies proper to be held; and this being a self-evident truth growing out of the divinely implanted principles of human nature, any custom or authority adverse to it, whether modern or wearing the hoary sanction of antiquity, is to be regarded as a self-evident falsehood, and at war with mankind.

   At the last session Lucrelia Mott offered and spoke to the following resolution:

   Resolved, That the speedy success of our cause depends upon the zealous and untiring efforts of both men and women, for the overthrow of the monopoly of the pulpit, and for the securing to woman an equal participation with men in the various trades, professions, and commerce.

[p. 10]

Declaration of American Women 1977

   We are here to move history forward.

   We are women from every State and Territory in the Nation.

   We are women of different ages, beliefs and lifestyles.

   We are women of many economic, social, political, racial, ethnic, cultural, educational and religious backgrounds.

   We are married, single, widowed and divorced.

   We are mothers and daughters.

   We are sisters.

   We speak in varied accents and languages but we share the common language and experience of American women who throughout our Nation's life have been denied the opportunities, rights, privileges and responsibilities accorded to men.

   For the first time in the more than 200 years of our democracy, we are gathered in a National Women's Conference, charged under Federal law to assess the status of women in our country, to measure the progress we have made, to identify the barriers that prevent us from participating fully and equally in all aspects of national life, and to make recommendations to the President and to the Congress for means by which such barriers can be removed.

   We recognize the positive changes that have occurred in the lives of women since the founding of our nation. In more than a century of struggle from Seneca Falls 1848 to Houston 1977, we have progressed from being non-persons and slaves whose work and achievements were unrecognized, whose needs were ignored, and whose rights were suppressed to being citizens with freedoms and aspirations of which our ancestors could only dream.

   We can vote and own property. We work in the home, in our communities and in every occupation. We are 40 percent of the labor force. We are in the arts, sciences, professions and politics. We raise children, govern States, head businesses and institutions, climb mountains, explore the ocean depths and reach toward the moon.

   Our lives no longer end with the childbearing years. Our lifespan has increased to more than 75 years. We have become a majority of the population, 51.3 percent, and by the 21st Century, we shall be an even larger majority.

   But despite some gains made in the past 200 years, our dream of equality is still withheld from us and millions of women still face a daily reality of discrimination, limited opportunities and economic hardship.

   Man-made barriers, laws, social customs and prejudices continue to keep a majority of women in an inferior position without full control of our lives and bodies.

   From infancy throughout life, in personal and public relationships, in the family, in the schools, in every occupation and profession, too often we find our individuality, our capabilities, our earning powers diminished by discriminatory practices and outmoded ideas of what a woman is, what a woman can do, and what a woman must be.

   Increasingly, we are victims of crimes of violence in a culture that degrades us as sex objects and promotes pornography for profit.

   We are poorer than men. And those of us who are minority women — Blacks, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans — must overcome the double burden of discrimination based on race and sex.

   We lack effective political and economic power. We have only minor and insignificant roles in making, interpreting and enforcing our laws, in running our political parties, businesses, unions, schools and institutions, in directing the media, in governing our country, in deciding issues of war or peace.

   We do not seek special privileges, but we demand as a human right a full voice and role for women in determining the destiny of our world, our nation, our families and our individual lives.

   We seek these rights for all women, whether or not they choose as individuals to use them.

   We are part of a worldwide movement of women who believe that only by bringing women into full partnership with men and respecting our rights as half the human race can we hope to achieve a world in which the whole human race — men, women and children — can live in peace and security.

   Based on the views of women who have met in every State and territory in the past year, the National Plan of Action is presented to the President and the Congress as our recommendations for implementing Public Law 94-167.

   We are entitled to and expect serious attention to our proposals.

   We demand immediate and continuing action on our National Plan by Federal, State, public and private institutions so that by 1985, the end of the International Decade for Women proclaimed by the United Nations everything possible under the law will have been done to provide American women with full equality.

   The rest will be up to the hearts, minds and moral consciences of men and women and what they do to make our society truly democratic and open to all.

   We pledge ourselves with all the strength of our dedication to this struggle "to form a more perfect Union."

[p. 11]

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The United Nations proclaimed 1975 International Women's Year and sponsored a conference that year in Mexico City. Conferees adopted a World Plan of Action to improve the lives of women worldwide.

   In the United States, a Presidential Order established a National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. The Commission's task was to adopt recommendations aimed at eliminating barriers to equality for women. That Commission made 115 recommendations in its 1976 report, "… To From A More More Perfect Union …" Justice for American Women. This report served as a handbook for the State Women's Meetings and for the National Conference.

   International Women's Year was extended to a Decade for Women (1976-1985) by the United Nations. A Second World Conference has been scheduled for 1980. As part of the U.S. participation in the Decade for Women the 94th Congress extended the life of the National Commission to March, 1978 through Public Law 94-167 and provided funding for meetings in every state and territory and for a National Women's Conference.

   American women from Maine to Alaska, Hawaii to Guam, voted on resolutions and delegates to send to this historic event. These meetings drew up State Plans of Action to improve the status of women through action at the State level and made recommendations for a National Plan of Action.

   At least 130,000 women and men across the country participated in their State meeting. First time conference goers, homemakers, women who had never stayed in hotels before, migrant workers, coal miners' widows, handicapped workers, even prison inmates, women from a wide sweep of ages, incomes, ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, boarded buses, snow plows and car pools to get to their State Meetings. Through the hard work of State Coordinating Committee and many additional volunteers these meetings were a huge success.

Goals of the State Meetings
and the National Women's Conference
(as mandated by Public Law 94-167)

• to recognize the contributions of women to the development of our country;
• to assess the progress that has been made in promoting equality between women and men in all aspects of life in the United States;
• to study the role of women in economic, social, cultural and political development;
• to assess the participation of women in efforts aimed at the development of friendly relations and cooperation among nations and to strengthen world peace;
• to identify barriers that prevent women from participating fully and equally in all aspects of national life and to develop recommendations for means by which such barriers can be removed;
• to establish timetables for the achievement of the objectives set forth in such recommendations;
• to provide a forum for all women to join in the celebration of their past efforts and to make plans for the future.

[p. 12]

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE
OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR

CURRENT MEMBERS
(Appointed by President Carter)

BELLA S. ABZUG, of New York Presiding Officer, IWY Commission; Former U.S. Congresswoman (D-N.Y.); Attorney; Founder and Former Chair, National Women's Political Caucus; Congressional Advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the UN World Conference on IWY in Mexico City, July 1975.

RUTH J. ABRAM, of New York, New York, Executive Director, Women's Action Alliance; Former Program Director, American Civil Liberties Union; Executive Director, the Norman Foundation.

MAYA ANGELOU, of Sonoma, California, Poet, Actress; Playwright; Author, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and And Still I Rise, Broadway musical opening in Autumn 1977.

ELIZABETH ATHANASAKOS, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida — Practicing Attorney; Former Municipal judge; Presiding Officer, IWY Commission, 1976.

BETTY BLANTON, of Nashville, Tennessee — First Lady of Tennessee; Member, 51.3% Committee.

CECILIA PRECIADO BURCIAGA, of Palo Alto, California — Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs, Stanford University; Researcher and Writer; Consultant; Educator.

LIZ CARPENTER, of Austin, Texas — Co-Chair, ERAmerica; Public Relations Executive; Former Press Secretary to Lady Bird johnson.

JOHN MACK CARTER, of New York, New York — Editor-in-Chief, Good Housekeeping Magazine.

RUTH C. CLUSEN, of Green Bay, Wisconsin — President, National League of Women Voters; Alternate U.S. Delegate to the UN World Conference on IWY in Mexico City, July 1975.

AUDREY ROWE COLOM, of Washington, D.C. — Former Chair, National Women's Political Caucus; Director of Women's Activities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

JANE CULBRETH, of Leeds, Alabama — Immediate Past President (1976-77), National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.; Corporate Officer, Moss-Thornton Company. Former City Council Woman, Leeds, Alabama.

HARRY T. EDWARDS, of Ann Arbor, Michigan — Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School; Professional Labor Arbitrator. Former Professor, Harvard Law School.

RITA ELWAY, of Seattle, Washington — communications researcher, consultant in public opinion research, past chairperson of the Washington Stale Women's Council, vice-chair of the Washington State coordinating committee for International Women's Year, active in the Asian-American community, founder of the Asian Pacific Women's Caucus, board member of the Japanese American Citizen's League.

BEVERLY EVERETT, of New Sharon, lowa — lowa State President, American Association of University Women; Member, Iowa Commission on the Future; Activist on Agriculture and Rural Development issues.

BETTY FORD, of Palm Springs, California — Former First Lady of the United States.

BERNICE S. FRIEDER, of Lakewood, Ohio — Former National Officer, National Council of Jewish Women; Past President and Honorary Life Member, National Association of State Boards of Education.

MARTHA GRIFFITHS, of Romeo, Michigan — Member, Griffiths and Griffiths Law Firm; Member of Congress, 1955-1975.

DOROTHY HAENER, of Detroit, Michigan — International Representative, Women's Department, United Auto Workers; Board Member, National Committee on Household Employment; Founder and Past Board Member, National Organization for Women and the National Women's Political Caucus.

RHEA MOJICA HAMMER, of Chicago, Illinois — Businesswoman; Journalist-Newspaper Publisher of El-Charin; Consultant, Latino Unlimited; Founder, National Latino Media Coalition.

LaDONNA HARRIS, of Albuquerque, New Mexico — President, Americans for Indian Opportunity; Member, Common Cause.

LENORE HERSHEY, of New York, New York — Editor-in-Chief, Ladies Home Journal.

KORYNE HORBAL, of Minneapolis. Minnesota — U.S. Representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women; Chair, Women's Caucus, Democratic National Committee; Democratic National Committeewoman.

MILDRED JEFFREY, of Detroit, Michigan — Chair, Democratic Women's Task Force, National Women's Political Caucus; Board Member, Consumer Federation of America; Founder, Coalition of Labor Union Women.

JEFFALYN JOHNSON, of Arlinglon, Virginia — Management Consultant; Former Associate Director, Dean and Senior Professor, Federal Executive Institute.

CORETTA SCOTT KING, of Atlanta, Georgia — Civil Rights Worker; Founder, Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Center, Atlanta; Dag Hammarskjold Award, 1969.

[p. 13]

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE
OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR

CURRENT MEMBERS
(Appointed by President Carter)

MARY ANNE KRUPSAK, of Canajoharie, New York — Lieutenant Governor, Slate of New York; Former Senator, New York Stale Assembly.

MARGARET J. MEALEY, of Washington. D.C. Executive Director, National Council of Catholic Women; Former Member, Citizen's Advisory Council on the Status of Women; White House Conferences on Children and Youth; on Aging; on Food, Nutrition and Health.

JEAN O'LEARY, of New York, New York — Co-Executive Director, National Gay Task Force; Member, Regional Advisory Committee to the New York State Human Rights Division.

MILDRED E. PERSINGER, of Dobbs Ferry, New York — UN Representative of National Board, Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A.; Organizing Chair of the non-governmental Tribune of the UN World Conference on IWY in Mexico City, July 1975.

CONNIE PLUNKETT, of Carrollton, Georgia — Member, Affirmative Action Committee of the Democratic National Committee; Former City Councilwoman, Carrollton; Former Vice Chair, Georgia Democratic Party; Deputy Campaign Director, Campaign Staff, Carter-Mondale Campaign.

ERSA POSTON, of Washington, D.C. — Member U.S. Civil Service Commission; Former Commissioner and Past President, New York Civil Service Commission; Former Member, U.S. Delegation to the UN General Assembly.

CLAIRE RANDALL, of New York, New York — General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.; Former Associate Executive, Church Women United; Church Educator; Artist; Designer.

ALICE S. ROSSI, of Amherst, Massachusetts — Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts — Chair, Board of Directors, Social Science Research Council, New York; Former Chair, Committee on the Status of Women, American Association of University Professors; Author, The Feminist Papers and many other articles.

GLORIA SCOTT, of Houston, Texas — National President, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.; Professor of Higher Education, Texas Southern University; Member, Board of Directors, National Urban League.

ELEANOR SMEAL, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — President, National Organization for Women, Inc., Homemaker.

JEAN STAPLETON, of Los Angeles, California — Actress; two-time Emmywinner for "All in the Family"; Recipient of two Golden Globe Awards and two American Academy of Humor Awards; appeared in both Broadway and motion picture versions of Damn Yankees and Bells Are Ringing; Other motion picture credits include Klute and Up the Down Staircase.

GLORIA STEINEM, of New York, New York — Editor, MS Magazine; Chair of the Board, Women's Action Alliance; Founder, National Women's Political Caucus.

ETHEL TAYLOR, of Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania — National Coordinator, Women Strike for Peace.

CARMEN DELGADO VOTAW, of Bethesda, Maryland — U.S. Delegate to the Inter American Commission on Women of the OAS; President, National Conference of Puerto Rican Women; Board of Overseas Education Fund, League of Women Voters; Member, Hispanic First Federal Credit Union.

GERRIDEE WHEELER, of Bismarck, North Dakota — Member, Republican National Committee; Past President, National Association for Mental Health; Member, Department of Health, Education and Welfare Secretary's Advisory Committee on the Rights and Responsibilities of Women.

ADDIE WYATT, of Chicago, Illinois — Vice President, Coalition of Labor Union Women; Vice President, Amalgamated Meatcutters and Butcher Workmen of North America; Citizens for Day Care, Illinois.

Members of Congress:
SENATOR BIRCH BAYH, from Indiana.
SENATOR CHARLES PERCY, from Illinois.
REPRESENTATIVE ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN, from New York.
REPRESENTATIVE MARGARET HECKLER, from Massachusetts.

Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year
Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520
(202) 632-8888

[p. 14]

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE
OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR

FORMER MEMBERS
PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 1977
(Appointed by President Ford)

ALAN ALDA, of New York, New York — actor.

ETHEL D. ALLEN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Physician, Surgeon; City Councilwoman-at-large, Philadelphia.

ANNE L. ARMSTRONG, of Armstrong, Texas — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

MARGARET LONG ARNOLD, of Washington, D.C. — Executive Assistant for Women's Activities, National Retired Teachers Association/American Association of Retired Persons.

RANDY BACA, of Phoenix, Arizona — Executive Director, Arizona Small Businessmen's Association.

BARBARA R. BERGMANN, of Bethesda, Maryland — Professor of Economics, University of Maryland.

PATRICIA T. CARBINE, of New York—Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Ms. Magazine.

NORA JIMENEZ CASIANO, of Santurce, Puerto Rico — Business Manager, Caribbean Business; Past President, League of Women Voters of Puerto Rico.

WESTON CHRISTOPHERSON, of Lake Forest, Illinois — President, Jewel Companies.

MARY STALLINGS COLEMAN, of Battle Creek, Michigan — Justice, Michigan Supreme Court.

HELEN K. COPLEY, of La Jolla, California — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Copley Newspapers.

RICHARD CORNUELLE, of New York — Author.

WINFIELD C. DUNN, of Nashville, Tennessee — Vice President, Hospital Corporation of America.

CASEY EIKE, of Lawrence, Kansas — Co-director, Douglas County Rape Victim Support Service.

MARCH K. FONG EU, of Sacramento, California — Secretary of State for California.

MARY GERMANY, of Meridian, Mississippi — Election Commissioner; Civic and Political Activities.

PAULA GIBSON, of Spokane, Washington — Field Underwriter, Life Insurance.

GILDA BOJORQUEZ GJURICH, of Montebello, California — President and Senior Partner, Robert Parada Construction Co.

ELLA T. GRASSO, of Windsor Locks, Connecticut — Governor of Connecticut.

HANNA HOLBORN GRAY, of New Haven, Connecticut — Provost (Acting President), Yale University.

KATHARINE HEPBURN, of New York, New York — Actress.

VELMA MURPHY HILL, of New York, New York — Assistant to the President, United Federation of Teachers.

MING HSU, of Westfield, New Jersey — Director of International Trade Relations, RCA; Member, National Women's Political Caucus and W.E.A.L.

PATRICIA HUTAR, of Glenview, Illinois — President, National Federation of Republican Women; Former U.S. Representative to the U.N. Commission on Status of Women.

RITA Z. JOHNSTON, of Bethesda, Maryland — Former U.S. Delegate and Vice Chairman of Inter-American Commission of Women, OAS.

ELLEN GROVES KIRBY, of Petersburg, West Virginia — County Public Health Nurse.

DOROTHY VALE KISSINGER, of Mesa, Arizona — President of Soroptimist International of the Americas.

CLARE BOOTHE LUCE, of Honolulu, Hawaii — Former Congresswoman; Former U.S. Ambassador to Italy; author, playwright.

WILLIAM CRAWFORD MERCER, of Wellesley Hills, Maryland — President, New England Telephone and Telegraph Co.

SHIRLEY PRICE, of Louisville, Kentucky — Member of County Executive Committee, Republican Party; Former Teacher.

SISTER JOEL READ, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin — President, Alverno College.

JILL RUCKELSHAUS, of Medina, Washington — First Presiding Officer, IWY; Member, Board of Trustees, University of Puget Sound; Former Special Assistant to Anne L. Armstrong, Counselor to the President.

DORIS ROYAL, of Springfield, Nebraska — Farmwife; Member of Agri-woman; Extension Club; Nebraska Feeders Auxiliary.

PATRICIA SAIKI, of Honolulu, Hawaii — Member Hawaii State Senate; Member, Citizens' Advisory Council on Status of Women; Board of Trustees, Hawaii Pacific College.

BETTY SMITH, of Eugene, Oregon — Member National Board of Directors, YMCA; City Councilwoman, Eugene.

MARY LOUISE SMITH, of Des Moines, lowa — Former Chair, Republican National Committee; Active in civic and political organizations.

[p. 15]

BARBARA WALTERS, of New York, New York — Television News Co-anchor, ABC Network.

ANNIE DODGE WAUNEKA, of Ganado, Arizona — Member of the Navajo Tribal Council.

JOCELYN DAN WURZBURG, of Memphis, Tennessee — Member, Tennessee Commission for Human Development; Advisory Committee to the Minority Business Resource Center of the Federal Railroad Association.

NATIONAL COMMISSION STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Kathryn Clarenbach

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR:
Lee Novick

CONSULTANT, POLICY AND PLANS:
Catherine East

COORDINATOR, POLICY AND PLANS:
Mim Kelber

LEGAL COUNSEL:
Linda Dorian
William Wallace

SPECIAL CONFERENCE CONSULTANTS:
Helen Cassidy
Poppy Northcutt

PRESS OFFICE:
Kathy Bonk
Priscilla Crane
Elvira Crocker
Glenn Ellerson-Brooks
Judy Frie
Alice Hayes
Pat Hyatt

POLICY AND PLANS:
Shelah Leader
Susan Rubin
Sheryl Swed

INTERNATIONAL:
Maxine Hitchcock
Marian Higman

CONFERENCE STAEF:
Joy Bennett
Nancy Dolan
Dorothe Dow
Alberta L. Henderson
Fran Henry
Rose Marie Roybal
Dorothy Spinks
Gisela Taber
Priscilla Weatherly

ADMINISTRATIVE:
Reuben Lev, EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dolores Brotherton
Paulette Carmon
Sandra Cunningham
Ann English
Ellen lvie
Rita O'Flinn
Margot Reiner
Phyllis Rich
Shoshana Riemer
Inez Sadur
Aida Schoenfeld
Vanna Shields
Agnes Sutphin
Betsy Thom
Lillian Wallace
Patricia Walters

CONFERENCE REPORT WRITER:
Caroline Bird

VOLUNTEER CONFERENCE SECURITY
COORDINATOR:
Barbara Cigainero

HOUSTON OFFICE MANAGER:
Joy Groseclose

CONFERENCE VOLUNTEERS:
Joan Biordi
Lisa Burns
Martha Chubb
Doreen Dow
Audrey Ghizzoni
Michael P. McCarry
Yvonne McDonald
Mary Albert O'Neil
Henley Roughton
George Shields
Nancy Shue
Sharon Spinks
Denise Surber
Cindy Jo DeVibliss

[p. 16]

General
Information

CHILD CARE
Free child care services will be available November 18-21, 1977, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm daily. Up to one hundred children, from infancy to age twelve, can be accommodated. Priority will be given to pre-registered children of delegates, delegates-at-large, alternates, and coordinating committee members. Children of other conference registrants will be accommodated on a first-come first-serve basis. For information on child care registration, inquire at the IWY Information booth where you register.

EXHIBITS
Located in the East Hall of Albert Thomas Convention Center, more than 200 exhibits provide a diverse presentation. Exhibitors include commercial establishment, government agencies, IWY state coordinating committees, women's organization, women's small businesses, and non-profit groups. Admission to the exhibit area is free and open to the public during the following hours:

Friday,
November 18,1977	l:00 am-9:00 pm
Saturday,
November 19,1977	8:00 am-5:00 pm
Sunday,
November 20,1977	8:00 am-5:00 pm
Monday,
November 21,1977	8:00 am-12:00 noon

FOOD
Food service is available during conference activities in the East Hall and on the Mezzanine of Albert Thomas Convention Center and in Sam Houston Coliseum. A restaurant guide for the local area is available from the IWY Information booths.

TRANSPORTATION
A conference shuttle bus service is available to registrants during the conference. Schedule information is available at the IWY Information booths.

SPECIAL SERVICES
The official program for the National Women's Conference and the National Plan of Action have been placed on cassette tapes by the Radio Information Center for the Blind in Philadelphia and are available from the IWY National Office, D/IWY, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520, and from the Lighthouse for the Blind, 3530 West Dallas Street, Houston, Texas 77019. The tapes will also be available during the conference at the IWY Special Services tables in the East Hall and West Hall lobbies of Albert Thomas Convention Center.

The Special Services tables will also have copies of the program in braille and an information sheet for wheelchair registrants. Signers for the deaf will be working at all plenary sessions held in Sam Houston Coliseum. Spanish-speaking translators wilt be available as needed. For special assistance for the handicapped or for non-English-speaking participants, contact Special Services or an IWY Information booth.

CASSETTE TAPES OF CONFERENCE ACTION
Cassette tapes of keynote speakers in plenary sessions and of speeches in the "Distinguished Women in Government Lecture Series" can be ordered from Exhibit Booth No. 408, Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall.

JOB PLACEMENT INFORMATION CENTER
Need a job? Interested in exploring career opportunities? Come visit the Job Placement Information Center on the mezzanine level of Albert Thomas Convention Center. The center is open during the following hours:

Saturday,
November 19, 1977	9:00 am-5:00 pm
Sunday,
November 10, 1977	9:00 am-5:00 pm
Monday,
November 21, 1977	9:00 am-5:00 pm

This service is provided by the Texas Employment Commission and is open to all conference registrants.

JOGGING
Outdoor Women is sponsoring a jogging program on Saturday, November 19, 1977, and Sunday, November 20, 1977, from 7:30 am to 8:30 am and from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Meet at Sam Houston Park and jog down the Buffalo Bayou logging Trail. Beginning and experienced runners are welcome. How far you run is up to you. Register at the Outdoor Women Exhibit in Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall.

FIRST AID/EMERGENCY CARE
Through the cooperation of the Texas Nurses Association first aid stations will be staffed during conference activities in Albert Thomas Convention Center and Sam Houston Coliseum. Emergency care is available 24 hours per day at the following local hospitals:

St. Joseph's Hospital (closest to the convention center), 1919 Crawford, tel. 757-1000
Hermann Hospital,1203 Ross Sterling, tel. 797-4101
Ben Taub Hospital, 1502 Outer Belt Drive, tel. 797-1122

CAUCUS ROOMS
National women's organizations and national special interest groups may reserve caucus meeting rooms through the Caucus Booking Office located at the Albert Thomas Convention Center West Hall Ticket Office (tel. 227-6208).

[p. 17]

[p. 18]

STATE CAUCUS ROOMS
IN HYATT REGENCY AND SHERATON-HOUSTON HOTELS

State	Hotel	Room	Floor
Alabama	Sheraton	To be posted
Alaska	Hyatt	632	6
American Samoa	Hyatt	638	6
Arizona	Sheraton	Aurora	28
Arkansas	Hyatt	620	6
California	Sheraton	Foyer/West Ballroom	2
Colorado	Hyatt	619	6
Connecticut	Hyatt	Raintree	4
Delaware	Hyatt	633	6
District of Coumbia	Hyatt	637	6
Florida	Sheraton	LaSalle	3
Georgia	Hyatt	Dogwood B	3
Guam	Hyatt	639	6
Hawaii	Hyatt	622	6
Idaho	Hyatt	623	6
Illinois	Sheraton	Mirador	28
Indiana	Hyatt	Cottonwood A	3
Iowa	Hyatt	Cedar	4
Kansas	Hyatt	Holly	4
Kentucky	Hyatt	Live Oak	4
Louisiana	Hyatt	Sandalwood B	4
Maine	Hyatt	624	6
Maryland	Hyatt	Magnolia	3
Massachusetts	Sheraton	Galaxy	28
Michigan	Sheraton	Coronado	3
Minnesota	Hyatt	Sandalwood A	4
Missitssioppi	Sheraton	To be posted
Missouri	Hyatt	Mesquite	3
Montana	Hyatt	625	6
Nebraska	Hyatt	621	6
Nevada	Hyatt	634	6
New Hampshire	Hyatt	627	6
New Jersey	Sheraton	DeSoto	3
New Mexico	Hyatt	626	6
New York	Hyatt	Arboretum I & II	2
North Carolina	Sheraton	Spindletop	2
North Dakota	Hyatt	635	6
Ohio	Sheraton	Massanett	3
Oklahoma	Hyatt	Ebony	4
Oregon	Hyatt	Mimosa	4
Pennsylvania	Sheraton	French Salon	3
Puerto Rico	Hyatt	640	6
Rhode Island	Hyatt	628	6
South Carolina	Hyatt	Pecan	4
South Dakota	Hyatt	631	6
Tennessee	Hyatt	Dogwood A	3
Texas	Sheraton	Keystone/Diamond	2
Trust Territoties	Hyatt	/East Ballroom
Utah	Hyatt	642	6
Vermont	Hyatt	818	8
Virginia	Hyatt	636	6
Virgin Islands	Hyatt	Redbud	3
Washington	Hyatt	718	7
Wisconsin	Hyatt	Willow	4
Wyoming	Hyatt	Ponderosa	4
		Cottonwood B	3
		641	6

[p. 19]

	PLENARY NATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
Sam Houston Coliseum	PLENARY AGENDA	November 19-21, 1977

OPENING SESSION

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Saturday, November 19, 1977

Gloria Scott, Commissioner, Texas, presiding at opening ceremonies:

Presentation of Colors and Pledge of Allegiance: San Jacinto Girl Scout Council, Houston, Texas
National Anthem
Introduction of Presiding Officer Bella Abzug

Chair for first plenary session: Bella Abzug

Vice-Chair for first plenary session: Owanah Anderson, Texas

Greetings to Conference:

First Lady Rosalynn Carter
Former First Lady Betty Ford, Commissioner
Mayor Fred Hofheinz

Presentation of platform guests, National Commissioners and members of Congress

Seneca Falls Torch Presentation: Maya Angelou, Commissioner, California

Address to Conference: Bella Abzug

"Faces and Voices of American Women," Liz Carpenter, Commissioner, Texas

Introduction of keynote speaker by Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady

Keynote Address: Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Texas

SECOND PLENARY SESSION

2:00 pm-6:00 pm, Saturday, November 19, 1977

Chair for second plenary session: Ruth Clusen, Commissioner, Wisconsin

Vice-Chair for second plenary session: Celeste Benitez de Rodriguez, Senator, Puerto Rico

Remarks: Jill Ruckelshaus, former Presiding Officer of the National Commission on the Observance of IWY, Washington State
Judy Carter, Georgia

Credentials and Rules Committee Report

Reading of Declaration of American Women: Jean Stapleton, Commissioner, California, Coretta Scott King, Commissioner, Georgia, and Lupe Anguiano, Texas

Presentation of the National Plan of Action begins

Debate and voting on National Plan of Action begins

THIRD PLENARY SESSION

8:30 pm Saturday, November 19, 1977

Chair for third plenary session: Commissioner Mary Anne Krupsak, Lt. Governor, New York

Vice-Chair for third plenary session: Esther Landa, Utah

Remarks: Commissioner Margaret Heckler, Congresswoman, Massachusetts; Patsy Mink, Assistant Secretary of State, Hawaii; Helvi Sipila, United Nations

Presentation and voting on the National Plan of Action continues

FOURTH PLENARY SESSION

Noon to 8pm, Sunday, November 20, 1977

Chair for fourth plenary session: Anne Saunier, Ohio

Vice-Chair for fourth plenary session: Elizabeth Duncan Koontz, North Carolina

Dialogue: Carmen Votaw, Commissioner, Maryland, and Cecilia Preciado Burciaga, Commissioner. California

Remarks: Margaret Mead, New York

Continued voting on National Plan of Action

CLOSING PLENARY SESSION

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Monday, November 21, 1977

Chair for closing plenary session: Addie Wyatt, Commissioner, Illinois

Vice-Chair for closing plenary session: Allie Hixson, Kentucky

Remarks: Margaret Costanza, Assistant to the President, Washington, D.C.; LaDonna Harris, Commissioner, New Mexico; Brenda Parker, Texas

Next Steps: Implementation of National Plan of Action

New Business

Closing Remarks: Presiding Officer Bella Abzug

Adjourn

CHIEF PARLIAMENTARIAN: Marcia Romberg, Texas

ASSISTANT PARLIAMENTARIANS:
Lila Crowley, Texas
Bettie Mooney, Texas
Gloria W. Resnick, Ohio
Dr. Francine Merritt, Louisiana

OFFICIAL REPORTER:
Bobbie Ames

[p. 20]

Among the Speakers

[p. 21]

CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

The programs and activities planned for observers and delegates to the National Women's Conference follow. The Success Stories, Skills Clinics, Art Panels, International Program, Briefings From the Top, Job Placement Information Center, and the Film Festival, as well as the free Exhibit Hall, are all located in the Albert Thomas Convention Center. A map showing the location of these activities is included elsewhere in this program.

   Unlike the State women's meetings where workshops were designed to be the source of recommendations to eliminate barriers to equality for women, the skills and success stories sessions at the Houston conference have another function. Designed primarily for observers, the sessions are only for discussion and information sharing. They are open to registered participants wearing a badge, up to the capacity of the room. To facilitate discussion, each person wishing to speak should identify herself and limit her remarks to two minutes. Every participant should have an opportunity to speak once before anyone speaks a second time.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM NOTES
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

WOMEN, DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE — VIEW FROM THE THIRD WORLD. A panel of women from the developing countries discuss the implications of the acceleration of development on their lives and the lives of their families. Moderator: Mildred Persinger, Organizing Chair, IWY Tribune, Mexico City, Mexico, 1975. Panel members to he announced.

   Room 204 Saturday, November 19, 1977, 2:00 pm-3:15 pm.

A GREATER VOICE FOR U.S. WOMEN IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS. A practical discussion on strategies to increase the involvement of U.S. women in the conduct of international relations and to enhance their influence on foreign policy. Moderator: Maxie Hitchcock. Panel: Mary Burke, Center of Concern; Arvonne Fraser, Head, Office of Women in Development, USAID; Margaret Hicks, U.S. Foreign Service Officer; Mary Rahani, Clearing Office for Women and Development, New Transcentury Fund; Helvi Sipila, Assistant Secretary General, United Nations; Gloria Scott, Women and Development Office, World Bank; Irene Tinker, Assistant Director for Policy and Planning, The Action Agency. Slide Presentation: Dr. Nancy Reeves.

   Room 204, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 3:30 pm-5:15pm.

CHILD CARE PROGRAMS. Experts from Sweden, France, and Israel will discuss child care programs in their countries. Other panelists will review the U.S. scene and discuss how the international experience has relevance for Americans. Moderator: Sheila Kamerman, Assistant Professor of Social Policy, Hunter College School of Social Work and Graduate Center, C.U.N.Y. Panel: Michele Berthoz, France; Olga Baudelot, France: Annika Baude, Sweden; Dr. Rivka Bar-Yosef, Israel.

   Room 204, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 10:00 am-noon.

THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN WORLD WIDE. A wide-ranging discussion among international visitors who are participants in the Conference on the changes occurring in the status and role of women in their societies. Moderator: Perdita Huston, author of "Third World Women Speak Out." Panel members to be announced. Commentator: Margaret Mead.

   Room 204, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm.

REACHING THE PUBLIC ON REVERSING THE ARMS RACE. Specialists in radio/television, Congressional liaison, and grass roots action will discuss with participants how to reach media, Congress, and community with peace and disarmament issues. Audio-visual aids and information exchange are included. Moderator: Betty Little, consultant, Institute for World Order. Media Consultants: Vicki Semler and Anne Walker.

   Room 203, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm.

WOMFN AND THE MEDIA. A discussion by women from different countries and from the U.S. will be held on the topic. Media consultants will discuss the international impact of U.S. mass media on women in foreign countries, the participation and image of women in domestic media in foreign countries, and strategies to strengthen the role of women in the mass media. Participants to be announced.

   Room 107B, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:00 pm-5:00 pm.

SPECIAL NOTICE

An International Lounge will be located in Albert Thomas Convention Center for informal talks with the international participants in the Conference. A schedule of availability of the various international visitors will be posted at the International Lounge.

Room 203,	Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:00 am-8:00 pm.
	Sunday, November 20, 1977, 9:00 am-8:00 pm.
	Monday, November 21, 1977, 9:00 am-noon.

AD HOC HEARING ON DISARMAMENT AND PEACE ISSUES
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1977
10:00 am-12:30 am
MUSICHALL

Conducted by:	Congresswomen Pat Schroeder and Yvonne Burke.
Commentator:	Margaret Mead.

[p. 22]

   A panel will discuss dangers to survival caused by nuclear weapons development, issues relating to disarmament, and options for U.S. arms policy decisions. Representatives of citizen organizations and peace groups who are working actively on programs geared to the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament to be held in the Spring of 1978 will also be heard.

Panelists:
Dr. Anne Cahn, Head, International Social Impact Section, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Pediatrician, Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Boston, Massachusetts
Randall Forsberg, Fellow, Program for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Betty Goetz Lall, Faculty, N.Y. State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
Citizen organization representatives:
Private Voluntary Organizations, Peggy Carlin, Vice-President, United Nations Association, USA
Women's Peace Organizations, Ethel Taylor, President, Women Strike for Peace
Legislative Action Groups, Josephine Pomerance, United Nations Representative for Americans for Democratic Action
International Women's Peace Groups, Kay Camp, President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

BRIEFINGS FROM THE TOP
DISTINGUISHED WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT LECTURE SERIES
Albert Thomas Convention Center

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1977

9:30 am	Room 212	Barbara Blum, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
	Room 214	Barbara M. Watson, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Department of State.
	Room 216	Carin A. Clauss, Solicitor of Labor, Department of Labor.
10:30 am	Room 212	Sarah Weddington, General Counsel, Department of Agriculture.
	Room 214	Marife Hernandez, Chief of Protocol of the U.S. for New York.
	Room 216	Allie Latimer, General Counsel, General Services Administration.
11:30 am	Room 212	Donna E. Shalala, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development.
	Room 214	Patricia Wald, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice.
	Room 216	Irene Tinker, Assistant Director, Policy and Planning, ACTION.
2:30 pm	Room 212	Cornelia G. Kennedy, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Michigan.
	Room 214	Hazel Rollins, Acting Deputy, Economic Regulatory Administration, Department of Energy.
	Room 216	Eileen Shanahan, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
3:30 pm	Room 212	Esther Peterson, Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs.
	Room 214	Elsa A. Porter, Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Commerce.
	Room 216	Barbara Babcock, Assistant Attorney General, Department of justice.
4:30 pm	Room 212	Patsy T. Mink, Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Oceans, International Environment and Scientific Affairs.
	Room 214	Patricia Albjerg Graham, Director, National Institute of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
	Room 216	Linda Heller Kamm, General Counsel, Department of Transportation.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1977

9:30 am	Room 212	Jill Wine-Volner, General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, Department of the Army.
	Room 214	Georgiana Sheldon, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
	Room 216	Sarah T. Hughes, U.S. District ludge, Northern District of Texas.
10:30 am	Room 212	Midge Costanza, Assistant to the President for the Office of Public Liason.
	Room 214	Esther Wunnicke, Federal Co-Chair, Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska.
	Room 216	Elizabeth Bailey, Member, Civil Aeronautics Board.
11:30 am	Room 212	Alexis Herman, Director, Women's Bureau, Employment Standards Administration, Department of Labor.
	Room 214	Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chair, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
	Room 216	Margaret McKenna, Deputy Counsel to the President, White House.
12:30 pm	Room 212	Jane Lakes Frank, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, While House.
2:30 pm	Room 212	Ruth Prokop, General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development.

[p. 23]

Room 214 Virginia Dell McCarty, U.S.
Attorney for the Southern District
of Indiana. Room 216 Pat A. Danner, Federal Co-Chair,
Ozarks Regional Commission. 3:30 pm Room 212 Shirley Hufstedler, U.S. Circuit
Judge, 9th Circuit. Room 214 Carol Tucker Foreman, Assistant
Secretary of Agriculture for Food
and Consumer Services,
Department of Agriculture. Room 216 Beth Abramowitz, Assistant
Director, Domestic Policy Staff,
White House. 4:30 pm Room 212 Arvonne Fraser, Coordinator,
Office of Women in Development,
Agency for International
Development. Room 214 Mary F. Berry, Assistant Secretary
for Education, Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare. Room 216 Bernadine Denning, Director,
Office of Revenue Sharing.

LECTURE SERIES I in Room 212

Moderated by:	Oceola S. Hall, Director, Federal Women's Program, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Assisted by:	Joan Clark, Federal Women's Program Coordinator, Agency for International Development.

LECTURE SERIES II in Room 214

Moderated by:	Doris Ross McCrosson, Director, Federal Women's Program, Government Printing Office.
Assisted by:	Hattie L. Dorman, Supervisory Computer Systems Analyst and Rose Thorman, Federal Women's Program Coordinator, Bureau of Mines.

LECTURE SERIES III in Room 216

Moderated by:	Ledia E. Bernal-Tabor, Program Analyst, National Institute of Education.
Assisted by:	Carol Sivright, Federal Women's Program Coordinator, Region 6, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and Ann Hudson, Office of Education, Region 6, Claims Examiner.

SKILLS CLINICS AND SUCCESS STORIES
Albert Thomas Convention Center
November 19-20, 1977

HOW TO INFLUENCE SCHOOLS by Clelia Steele and Lynda Weston. Ms. Steele is Associate Director and Ms. Weston is head of research at PEER (Project on Equal Education Rights). PEER is a Washington, D.C. based project of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund which monitors Federal enforcement of laws barring sex discrimination in education. This is a training session demonstrating the use of PEER's Title IX Review Kit for people concerned with the fairness of the education being offered to children in their local schools. The kit, which has received favorable national notice, is available free to participants.

   Room 223, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

HOW TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUR POLITICAL PARTY by Betty King and Wilma Goldstein. Ms. King is a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic State Committee of the District of Columbia and is Chair of its Standing Committee on Voter Education and Affirmative Action. Ms. Goldstein is Associate Director of the Campaign Division of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Both women are active in the National Women's Political Caucus. Discussion will center on why and how women should become involved with their political party and how party organizations can he used to promote women's issues and concerns. The focus is on how to become a delegate to a party national convention, how to use your political party in campaigns for candidates at the national, state, and local levels, party platforms and women's issues, and opening up the parties to the full participation of women.

   Room 225, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30pm-4:30pm.

THE MEDIA: MAKING THEM MORE RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE by Ellen Cohn and Janet Dewart. Janet Dewart is Director of Specialized Audience Programs for the National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. Ellen Cohn is a writer, editor, and critic whose work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times Magazine. She has worked in radio and television as a writer/producer and is a former columnist for the New York Daily News Magazine. Media reform for the consumer, the employee, and the activist is the focus of discussion. Topics include programming and story content, portrayal of women and minorities, guidelines for fair treatment, and how to get your story covered. Participants will learn about working within and without, caucuses, coalitions, networks, sources and resources.

   Room 210, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30pm-4:30pm.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING by Beverly Fisher. Ms. Fisher is a founder and Managing Editor of Quest: A Feminist Quarterly. She has worked as a community organizer for more than ten years and has been actively involved in community based projects for women in Washington, D.C. Basic concepts and techniques for organizing social change movements will be reviewed. The strategy and tactics of selecting an issue and planning a campaign will be analyzed. The participants will identify their own leadership skills and assets.

[p. 24]

   Room 218, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30pm-4:30pm.

LEGAL REMEDIES TO EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION by Susan Ross and Mayda Colon Tsaknis. Ms. Ross is Clinical Director of the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and the author of The Rights of Women. Ms. Tsaknis is a former trial attorney for the Equal: Employment Opportunity Commission who is now in private practice. Existing laws barring employment discrimination, with a particular focus on pregnancy discrimination, will be reviewed. Ross and Tsaknis will explain the procedures required by State and Federal laws and will explore alternative methods where there is no legal remedy.

   Room 218, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30pm-4:30pm.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE FOR BEGINNERS by Elizabeth W. Brown. Ms. Brown is President of the Florida State Association of Parliamentarians and is currently the parliamentarian of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc. Beginners will be offered an introduction to the rules and procedures of parliamentary procedure.

   Room 111, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

ORGANIZING WORKING WOMEN by Lisa Portman. Ms. Portman is Assistant Director of the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Md. The Center is an adult education facility for full-time union officers and staff members. Ms. Portman will examine some of the barriers that keep women from organizing; how to overcome those barriers; and the rewards and benefits gained through organization.

   Room 220, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30pm.

MOTHERS, INC., by Reida Lockwood, Laraine Benedikt, Linda Lamest, and Milly Douglas. These members of Mothers, Inc., of Austin, Texas, are all mothers who are concerned about the shared problems of mothers who work outside the home as well as those who do not. They will discuss how they created a support system for the mothers of Austin and how and why similar programs can be created elsewhere.

   Room 101, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30pm-4:30pm.

GETTING WOMEN APPOINTED TO STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS by Anne Saucier. Ms. Saucier is the President of the Ohio Commission on the Status of Women and is an expert on sex discrimination in employment. Women's Ohio Volunteer Employment Network is establishing a network of women and organizations in Ohio to identify qualified women for public service and appointment to state boards and commissions. Ms. Saucier will discuss the methods and skills used in this project and how similar networks can be established in other states.

   Room 103, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

GETTING YOUR POINT OF VIEW ACROSS by Jane O'Grady, Maria Portalatin, and Nancy Becker. Ms. O'Grady is a legislative representative for the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. Ms. Portalatin is a special representative of the United Federation of Teachers; President of the New York City central chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLA) and Vice-President of the national chapter of LCLA. Ms. Becker is President of her own consulting firm and is consultant for the Center for the American Woman in Politics, Rutgers University. Using the resources of the group, the focus will be to learn and exchange information on organizing individuals and coalitions to achieve social change. They will explore educational and organizational tools of communications among allied groups, with elected and appointed public officials, as well as with the larger community.

   Room 222, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

MYTHS ABOUT WOMEN by the Minority Women's Task Force of the Civil Service Commission's Inter-Agency Action Group. What are the myths about the Asian, Black, Indian, and Spanish woman that linger in our country? What are the cultural differences? What is fact and what is Myth? These and other questions will be answered through masked, costumed role play and audience participation.

   Room 114, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30pm.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR CONTEMPORARY WOMEN by Dr. Janet Elsea. Dr. Elsea is Associate Professor of Communication and Theater at Arizona State University. She is also Director of the Communication Division at the University. The workshop will focus on verbal and non-verbal skills women need it be effective communicators. Included will be practical exercises in voice and body, all of which are based on assertive communication concepts.

   Room 107B, Saturday, November, 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

HOW TO RUN FOR OFFICE by Mary Beth Rogers and Jane Hickie. Ms. Rogers, who was Deputy Director of the 1976 Democratic Presidential campaign in Texas, owns a communications consulting firm and frequently conducts workshops in political campaign techniques. Ms. Hickie is administrative assistant to County Commissioner Ann Richards. She was county coordinator of the Farenthold for Governor campaign and is co-author of Texas Women in Politics and Campaign Techniques for Women Candidates and Managers. This session will focus on the elements of planning a successful campaign at the local level, these principles of planning are also applicable to campaigns for statewide office. Material to be covered includes targeting, analysis of candidate and district, campaign organization and staff support, media, polling, and strategies for direct voter

[p. 25]

contact. This clinic is designed for both prospective candidates and campaign managers and workers.

   Room 107A, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

HOW TO MARKET VOLUNTEER SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES by Marilyn Bryant. Ms. Bryant is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Governor's Office of Volunteer Services in Minnesota. She chaired "People Power," the first national conference on volunteerism which was held in 1974. This session updates and expands traditional perceptions of volunteerism and recognizes its relevance in meeting today's changing needs and expectations. Included will be discussion on how to assess your interests, skills, and abilities as acquired and developed in volunteer work and how to build these into a functional resume. Information will be presented on how to gain access to paid work or return to school using unpaid work experiences by translating and packaging these into marketable skills. Also discussed will be how to take advantage of the opportunity for personal growth offered by voluntary work and how to maximize the potential of a volunteer's involvement in developing community leadership.

   Room 108, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30-4:30 pm.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AS BUSINESS OWNERS by Patricia Cloherty and Barbara Dunn. Ms. Cloherty is Deputy Administrator and Ms. Dunn is Director of Women for the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA has pledged to assist women going into business as well as those engaged in entrepreneurial activity by informing them of SBA's services, and by providing them with such services where these contribute to creating a successful venture. Material to be covered includes management skill, loans, and government procurement opportunities.

   Room 215, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

MARRIAGE, SEPARATION, AND DIVORCE by Roxanne Barton Conlin. Ms. Conlin is U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Iowa and a former Assistant Attorney General of Iowa. She served as a consultant on the rights of the homemaker to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. Subjects to be discussed include marriage contracts, selecting a lawyer, strange laws that affect women and how to deal with them, the separated and divorced woman in transition, the value of the homemaker, and legislative reform.

   Room 224, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 12:30 pm-2:00 pm.

STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC WOMEN ON THE MOVE by Dr. Cynthia Secor. Dr. Secor teaches women's studies at the University of Pennsylvania and is Director of the mid-Atlantic regional office of Higher Education Resource Services. This session will focus on joining the decisionmakers, the new woman's network, getting visibility on and off campus, using the professional association, organizing your campus, getting tenure, moving up in the administration.

   Room 111, Saturday, November 19, 1977, noon-2:00 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, noon-2:00 pm.

COMPARABLE WORTH by Lynn Bruner and Helen Remick. Dr. Remick is the Director of Affirmative Action for Women at the University of Washington, Seattle. Ms. Bruner is a Supervisor of Compliance for the Fqual Employment Opportunity Commission, Seattle, and a former member of the Washington State Women's Council. They will present an overview of the emerging area of comparable worth and explain how to apply comparable worth standards to a state civil service system and to a large university. Recent legal developments in this field will be reviewed. The significance of this approach to a sex-segregated workforce will be explored.

   Room 202, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN THE SKILLED TRADES by Ann Emigh. Ms. Emigh is director and founder of Mechanica in Seattle, Washington. Mechanica is a referral service for women and assists them in entering apprenticeships and skilled trades. She will discuss how to organize a skilled trades referral service for women and how to persuade government agencies to set goals for women on the workforce of government contractors.

   Room 221, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

BOSTON WOMEN'S HEALTH COLLECTIVE by Judy Norsegian and Norma Swenson. Ms. Norsegian and Ms. Swenson are members of the collective and co-authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves. The functions and methods of the collective will be discussed as a model for women elsewhere who are interested in the self-help and health education movement. Current litigation on behalf of consumer health rights will be reviewed. Current plans and activities of the National Women's Health Network will also be discussed.

   Room 110, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

SHELTER FOR BATTERED WOMEN by Rosemarie Reed and Judith Vandegriff. Ms. Reed is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for the Elimination of Violence in the Family, Brooklyn, New York. Ms. Vandegriff is Legislative Aide to Congressman Newton Steers (R-MD). Ms. Reed will discuss the origins and functions of the Center, which received a $200,000 grant from New York State in order to create a refuge for battered women. The Center offers counseling, crisis intervention, hot line, medical and legal services, and training for advocates. Ms. Vandegriff will discuss proposed and pending federal and state legislation to assist victims of spouse abuse.

   Room 102, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

[p. 26]

THE EAST LOS ANGELES RAPE HOT LINE by Diane Muniz. Ms. Muniz is the Director of the East Los Angeles Rape Hot Line which offers the only bilingual (Spanish/ English) hot line in Southern California. In addition, transportation and companion services are offered to rape victims. This rape crisis service is geared primarily toward the Spanish speaking population in the area. Ms. Muniz will discuss her project as a model for other communities.

   Room 105, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

WOMEN'S CRISIS CENTER (Ann Arbor, Michigan) by Jeanne Hunt. Ms. Hunt is coordinator of the Center which began as a rape crisis center in 1972 and is now a multi-service drop-in and phone crisis counselling and referral service. Among its services are consciousness-raising groups, a computerized referral system listing all the services available in the area, a library, monthly newsletter, training for crisis counselors and workshop leaders, public education, a court deferred sentence program for women convicted of misdemeanors, and an HEW funded bibliography of audio-visual materials on rape. Ms. Hunt will discuss past efforts of such crisis centers and their future direction. On Saturday morning, Ms. Hunt will be joined by Peggy Specktor, Director of the Minnesota Program for Victims of Sexual Assault. The Program is the only statewide program providing comprehensive services to rape victims. A project of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, the project trains professionals and advocates who work with victims. It provides community education and facilitates the establishment of community-based programs to aid rape victims. Ms. Specktor will review techniques for coordinating services, reforming legislation, and effecting change at the state level.

   Room 112, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS: TURNING SOCIAL INSECURITY INTO SELF-SUFFICIENCY by Laurie Shields. Ms. Shields is a widow and a leader of the Alliance for Displaced Homemakers. She is also a national co-coordinator of the National Organization for Women's task force on older women. She will review efforts to obtain laws to recognize and assist the problems of displaced homemakers. The benefits and methods of organizing, rather than agonizing, are explored.

   Room 109, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 19, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

MINORITY WOMEN EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM by Alexis Herman. Ms. Herman is Director of the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. Ms. Herman was the national director of women's programs for the Minority Women Employment Program of the Recruitment and Training Program, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia. The program helped minority women enter white collar positions in private industry and helped widen apprenticeship opportunities for women. The success of this program attracted national attention. Ms. Herman will discuss this program as a model for consideration by women in other states.

   Room 104, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 9:30 am-11:30 am and 2:30 pm-4:30 pm. Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.

PANELS ON THE ARTS
Albert Thomas Convention Center

IMPROVING THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ART: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR GAINING RECOGNITION AND REWARDS. Moderator: Judith Brodsky, New Jersey artist, President, Women's Caucus for Art. Panelists: Miriam Schapiro, New York artist; June Wayne, California artist, founder of Tamarind Lithography; Howardena Pindell, artist, curator of New York Museum of Modern Art.

   Room 106, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 2:30 pm-3:30 pm.

IMPROVING THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ART: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR GAINING RECOGNITION AND REWARDS. Moderator: Elloise Schoettler, Washington, D.C. Women's Art Center. Panelists: Arlene Raven, co-founder Los Angeles Woman's Building; May Stevens, AIR Cooperative Gallery of New York; Cynthia Navaretta, Chair Pro Tem of the Coalition of Women's Art Organizations.

   Room 106, Saturday, November 19, 1977, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm.

WOMEN AND MUSIC. Moderator: Dr. Merle Montgomery, New York musician and composer, President, National Music Council. Panelists: Martha Moore Sykes, President, New York Opera Guild; Julis Smith, Denton, Texas, composer and pianist.

   Room "106, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 2:30 pm-4:00 pm.

WOMEN IN THEATER, FILM, TELEVISION, AND RADIO. Participants to be announced.

   Room 106, Sunday, November 20, 1977, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm.

These panels have been made possible through the help and cooperation of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Women's Caucus for Art.

[p. 27]

"Seneca Falls South"

Saturday 9 am to 10:30 pm and Sunday 9 am to 10:30 pm

Stop by Seneca Falls South! Talented actresses and singers will perform! Women with important messages will speak!

   Learn about your post in FINDING OUR HISTORY: STUDIES IN AMERICAN WOMEN where women scholars will present research on women and assess what our schools do and do not teach about women. Browse in the Women's Library and read a story; write a postcard home.*

   Be welcomed by the hospitality in WOMEN'S ARTSPACE. See slides of women's artwork nationwide and videofilms of women artists; join in discussion groups on women's issues in the arts.** Visit the Women's Salon.

   Be enchanted with the DOVE FOUNTAIN: take a rest in the Seneca Falls eatery; buy a poster or a tee-shirt at the IWY display.

   Get involved in the BE YOURSELF space — we will have skills sharing and demonstrations and counseling for the weary.

   Most of all, come and participate, celebrate, appreciate at the SENECA FALLS STAGE!

   Tell others what you think at the SENECA SOAPBOX. If you have a point of view, a joy or a sorrow, an axe to grind, a speech to make, or a song to sing, come share it.

Scheduled artists for Seneca Falls Stage include:***
Margie Adam
an extraordinarily gifted songwriter, pianist and singer
whose music has attracted a growing following through-out
the country

… of California

Cambiata Soloists
mixed group of outstanding musicians which will present a concert of seldom-performed chamber music composed by women of various eras and countries

… of Texas

Cumedy Workshop
improvisational satire and original sketches which captivate and entertain

… of Texas

Co-Respondents
drama and music combine in a wonderful trio to highlight present day struggles with excerpts of our history

… of Washington

Cryer & Ford
a wonderful blend of singing and instrumentality; Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford compose their own songs which draw upon their strengths and vulnerabilities as women

… of New York

Suzanne Fox
feminist mime with serious and comic expression of women's many roles

… of Texas

Emma Goldman
accomplished lyric soprano whose voice will delight and amaze

… of Mississippi

Harrison & Tyler
outrageous feminist comedy team which delights audiences nationwide with varied repertoire of satire and fun

… of California

Florence Howe
renowned for her work in women's studies at The Feminist Press Dr. Howe will speak on the Politics of Women's Studies

… of New York

Carol Rosenberger
renowned concert pianist who has toured extensively and delighted audiences nationwide

… of Texas

Maggie Savage and Judge Fogelquist
guitar and song join in a moving combination of original songs in celebration, anger and joy

… of Washington

Space Dance Theatre
modern individualistic dance — four women translating contemporary thoughts and issues into motion

… of Texas

Karen L. Sprintzin
first degree black belt Tae Kwon Do will be conducting self defense demonstrations on how to protect you, your home, your family

… of Washington, D.C.

200 Year Sojourn Through Fashion
fashions from Africa to the U.S. presented by Betty A. Match and Kathy Becknell and commentary by Charlie Morrissey

… of New Mexico

Women's Salon
will host a coming together of literary networks featuring readings by Olga Broumas, Deena Metzger and Valerie Minor. Gloria Orenstein and Erika Duncan of the Salon and Karen Malpede will discuss the "salon" and the need for literary networking

… of New York

SENECA FALLS STAGE will be produced by Barbara Price of Women in Production; sound by Margot McFedries of Together Sound; lighting by Leni Schwendinger of Lighten Up; stage management by Jennifer James.

*Thanks to Women's Studies Program; George Washington University; Florence Howe, The Feminist Press; National Women's Studies Assn.

   back to text

**Sponsored by the National Coalition of Women's Art Organizations.

   back to text

***Confirmed at date of printing; check Breakthrough for complete program.

   back to text

[p. 28]

historical notes:
Our Foremothers

by EDITH P. MAYO, Assistant Curator, Smithsonion Institution

The Woman Suffrage Convention of 1888 celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the first Woman's Rights Convention, held at Seneca Falls in 1848, and itself became a landmark in the history of feminism. It marked the fortieth year of the woman's rights movement in this country, was the birthplace of both the National and International Councils of Women, and effected the unification of the two major woman suffrage groups, the National and the American, into an organization of national solidarity to struggle for the vote.

   The intellectual and organizational partnership of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony was the driving force of the American woman's movement and dominated its existence from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. Stanton conceived the idea of an lnternational Council of Women interested in suffrage while she was abroad promoting women's rights in 1882. She and Anthony decided to celebrate the fourth decade of the suffrage movement by calling such a council and to extend invitations to all associations of women in the trades, professions, and reforms, as well as those advocating political rights. It was to be no mere polite gathering of a genteel ladies society.

The responsibility for such a convention was assumed by the National Woman Suffrage Association, led by Anthony and Stanlon, and the call to attend was issued in June, 1887. It was to be held at Albaugh's Opera House in Washington, D.C., for eight days from March 25 to April 1, 1888, with the hope of devising new and more effective methods for attaining woman's equality in State, Church, and Home. Ten thousand "calls" and ten thousand "appeals" to the convention were sent out; by March of 1888, thirty-seven thousand copies of the program had been issued.

[p. 29]

   Sixteen public sessions were to be held with representatives from women's literary clubs, art unions, Temperance societies, charitable, professional, educational and industrial associations, Labor Leagues, Missionary, Peace, and moral purity societies. Extensive correspondence and preparations were needed and the financial cost of such a gathering, $12,000, was raised by private contributions, memberships, sale of seals and boxes at Alhaugh's opera house, sale of the Woman's Tribune (published daily during the convention), sale of photographs, badges, and advertisements.

   The Council opened Sunday, March 25, in Albaugh's, with religious services. It gave the delegates great satisfaction to note that women had made such strides in entering the religious field that the services could be conducted entirely by women ministers. The highlight of the services was the "matchless sermon" by Rev. Anna Howard Shaw entitled "the Heavenly Vision" — the vision of political freedom and a moral society.

   The Council featured sixteen public sessions, the titles of which are strikingly similar to "workshops" of modern women's conventions. Included were education, philanthropy ("volunteerism" today), temperance ("drugs"), women in industry, the professions, and organizations, legal conditions ot women, political rights, and "social purity."

   Issues of "social purity," a polite euphemism for drunkenness, liquor traffic, prostitution, venereal disease, and unwed pregnancies, had a profound impact on women's lives, then as now, but were rarely faced openly by the male power structure, being concealed behind the cloak of delicate Victorian sensibilities. To their great credit, these women dealt with such questions.

   During these meetings there was inviolate adherence to free speech and no restriction was placed on the fullest expression of the most widely divergent views upon these vital questions. Unlike many modern conventions, however, this council was conducted with total decorum and the sessions were absolutely without friction!

   At this founding of the Councils was as stunning an array of "our foremothers" (as Frances Willard called them) as has ever been assembled, The roster is a Who's Who of American feminism: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Frances Willard, Julia Ward Howe, Clara Barton, Isabella Beecher Hooker, May Wright Sewall, Adelaide Johnson, Alice Stone Blackwell, Abigail Scott Duniway, Rev. Antoinette Brown Blackwell. (See picture.)

   During the months of preparation, May Wright Sewall decided to put such a gathering of womanpower on a permanent basis. She proposed formalized the National and International Councils of Women, an idea which was cordially received. Before the delegates departed both Councils had been established.

   Prior to the 1888 convention, preliminary steps were underway to unite the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), founded in 1869 by Stanton and Anthony, and the American Woman Suffrage Association, founded also in 1869 by Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe. the National was the more radical, advocating a constitutional amendment to achieve the vote, and including a broad platform of women in trade unions, and industry, equal pay, equal roles for women in Church, divorce reforms, and use of suffrage organizations as training for women's executive abilities, the more politely literary American favored a state-by-state approach to suffrage, declined challenging male authority in the churches, and allowed men prominent roles. Indeed, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was the President of AWSA for many years! The Anthony-Stanton wing felt having a man as head of a woman suffrage organization was ludicrous, and an admission that women were incapable of handling their own affairs. Many difficulties remained to be overcome, but preliminaries had gone well enough that the American felt comfortable in accepting the National's invitation to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

   The planning of the convention was so meticulous, the preparations so painstaking to include and display the talents and concerns of each group to the greatest advantage that the convention was a remarkable success, surpassing even the fondest hopes of its organizers. The enormous undertaking was amply rewarded by the presence at the convention of 53 women's organizations of every type, and 49 foreign delegates from England, lreland, France, Norway, Denmark, Finland, India, and Canada.

   Both the National and American suffrage groups saw the advantages of power in numbers and increased organizational capacity. They were also delighted, and somewhat astonished, by the respectful attention and coverage given them in the press (no small achievement in a day when ridicule was a primary means of social control to keep woman in "her sphere"). The U.S. women and their international guests were received by President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland, and other entertainments were provided by Sen. and Mrs. Thomas Palmer of Michigan and Sen. and Mrs. Leland Stanford of California. The success of the convention and the spirit of good will, cooperation, and amity it engendered culminated in the union of the two suffrage groups into the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890.

[p. 30]

TORCH RELAY

A torch relay symbolizing IWY American Women on the Move began September 28 in Seneca Falls N.Y., site of the first Women's Right Conference in 1848, and ended 2612 miles away in Houston on November 18, opening day of the National Women's Conference. Several thousand people signd up to carry the torch and an official Declaration (written by poet Maya Angelou) through 14 States during the 51 days of the relay. All conference participants were invited to travel the last mile of the relay in a group, finishing at the steps of the Albert Thomas Convention Center at noon on November 18. The National Association of Women and Girls in Sports coordinated the relay, with assistence from Road Runners Clubs of America, womenSports magazine and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Photo by Pat Field

[p. 31]

OFFICIAL EVENTS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1977

REGISTRATION
Delegates, Alternates, Delegates-at-Large
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Arboretum Room
9:00 am-1:00 midnight

Official Observers and Guests
Albert Thomas Convention Center, West Hall
Capitol and Bagby Streets
1:00 pm-9:00 pm

General Public (Observers)
Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall
Canitol and Smith Streets
1:00 pm-9:00 pm

Child Care
Check information booth in the Sheraton-Houston or the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
101 Main Street
8:00 am-6:00 pm

TORCH RELAY ARRIVAL CEREMONY
Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall Mall
Capitol and Smith Streets
12:00 noon

EXHIBITS
Free admission
Albert Thomas Convention Center, Last Hall
1:00 pm-9:00 pm

STATE CAUCUS ROOMS OPEN
Hyatt Regency and Sheraton Houston Hotels
8:00 pm

OFFICIAL EVENTS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1977

REGISTRATION
Delegates, Alternates, Delegates-at-Large
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Arboretum Room
7:00 am-1:00 pm

Official Observers and Guests
Albert Thomas Convention Center, West Hall
Capitol and Bagby Streets
8:00 am-5:00 pm

General Public (Observers)
Albert Thomas Convention Center, Capitol and Smith Streets
8:00 am-5:00 pm

PLENARY
Sam Houston Coliseum
810 Bagby Street
Opening Session: 9:30 am-l2:30 pm
Second Session: 2:00 pm-6:00 pm
Third Session: 8:30 pm

EXHIBITS
Free admission
Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall
8:00 am-5:00 pm

OBSERVER PROGRAM
Albert Thomas Convention Center, West Hall

SKILLS CLINICS AND SUCCESS STORIES	9:30 am-4:30 pm
DISTINGUISHED WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT LECTURE SERIES	9:30 am-5:30 pm
FILM FESTIVAL	9:00 am-5:00 pm
JOB PLACEMENT INFORMATION CENTER	9:00 am-5:00 pm
PANELS ON INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES	1:45 pm-5:15 pm
PANELS ON THE ARTS	2:30 pm-5:30 pm
SENECA FALLS SOUTH ENTERTAINMENT	9:00 am-10:30 pm

"FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE…"

Music Hall
810 Bagby Street
8:30 pm

[p. 32]

OFFICIAL EVENTS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1977

REGlSTRATlON
Official Observers and Guests
Albert Thomas Convention Center, West Hall
Capitol and Bagby Streets
8:00am-5:00 pm

General Public (Observers)
Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall
Capitol and Smith Streets
8:00 am-5:00 pm

AD HOC HEARING ON DISARMAMENT AND PEACE ISSUES
Music Hall
810 Bagby Street
10:00 am-12:30 pm

PLENARY
Sam Houston Coliseum
810 Bagby Street
Fourth Session: 1:00 pm-5:30 pm

"FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDLRED SUICIDE …"
Music Hall
3:00 pm

EXHIBITS
Free admission
Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall
8:00 am-5:00 pm

OBSERVER PROGRAM
Albert Thomas Convention Center, West Hall

SKILLS CLINICS AND SUCCESS STORIES	12:00 noon-4:30 pm
DISTINGUISHED WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT LECTURE SERIES	9:30 am-5:30 pm
FILM FESTIVAL	9:00 am-5:00 pm
JOB PLACEMENT INFORMATION CENTER	9:00 am-5:00 pm
PANELS ON INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES	10:00 am-5:00 pm
PANELS ON THE ARTS	2:30 pm-5:30 pm
SENECA FALLS SOUTH ENTERTAINMENT	9:00 am-10:30 pm

OFFICIAL EVENTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1977

PLENARY
Sam Houston Coliseum
810 Bagby Street
Closing Session: 9:30 am-12:30 pm

EXHIBITS
Free admission
Albert Thomas Convention Center, East Hall
8:00 am-12:00 noon

OBSERVER PROGRAM
Albert Thomas Convention Center, West Hall

FILM FESTIVAL	9:00 am-1:00 pm
JOB PLACEMENT INFORMATION CENTER	9:30 am-1:00 pm

… Well little dreamed … than half a century later we
would be compelled to leave the finish of the battle to
another generation of women. But … there is an anny of
them where we were but handful.

— Susan B. Anthony,
letter to Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
1902

[p. 33]

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE
OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR

HOUSTON COMMITTEE

Executive Committee

CHAIR
Mary Keegan

VICE-CHAIRS
Elma Barrera
Helen Cassidy
Dr. Hortense Dixon

VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS AND HOUSTON COMMITTEE OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Reverend Sara Seeger
Derby Hirst

ClTY LIAISON
Dr. Nikki R. Van Hightower

IWY HOTEL COORDINATOR
Helen Nelson

INTERNATIONAL
Alice Pratt
Dr. Margaret Melville
Allee Mitchell

Board of Directors

Vice-Chair Elma Barrera's Committees

FIRST AID
Sister Ambrose
Sister Carmella, CCVI
Dixie Brown

MEDIA
Odelia Mendez
Brenda Loudermilk

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES
Margaret Acosta
Linda May

SPEAKERS
Dee Bishop
Vice-Chair Helen Cassidy's Committees

INFORMATION
Yvette Calloway
Mollie Parkerson
Eileen Wall

FINANCE
Ann Kaufman

SPECIAL SERVICES
Lillian Pastemak
Geraldine Rougagnac
Margaret M. Lopez

TRANSPORTATION
Barbara Lange
Poppy Northcutt

REGISTRATION
Marjorie Randal
Guanita Reiter
Charlotte Motley

COLISEUM ARRANGEMENTS
Claire Noonan
Sherry Collier

Vice-Chair Dr. Horlense Dixon's Committees

CHILD CARE
Juanita Harang

SPECIAL EVENTS
Barbara Dillingham
Dr. Alice Whatley
Terry Lin

USHERS AND SECURITY
Betsy Johnson

And Hundreds of other Houston Area Volunteers who have made this Conference possible.

[p. 34]

Our
Special
Thanks…

We would like to thank the following friends of the National Women's Conference:

Paul Boesch
Alma Butler
Marion E Coleman
Century Development
The Charter Company
Mr. & Mis. Carl Detering
C. Pharr Duson, Jr.
Congressman Bob Eckhardt
E. L. Feldhousen
Muriel Folloder
Congressman Bob Gammage
Gladys Heldman
Lt. Governor Bill Hobby and Diana Hobby
Mayor Fred Hofheinz
Hudson on Memorial
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Keegan
Ray King
Lincoln-Mercury
M. David Lowe
Jerry Lowery
Mary Ann Loweth
Dorothy Moates
Sister Mary Henrietta Murphy, CCVI
Gayle Pierce
Patricia Poyma
Presidents Council on Physical Fitness & Sports
Robert Sakowitz
Mona Sanchez
Senator John Tower
Earl Vancliver

American lnstitute of Cooperation
Borden Foundation
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
Department of State
Civil Service Commission
Colgate-Palmolive
Cooper Union
Department of Agriculture
Department of Health, Education & Welfare
Department of Justice
Department of State-Printing, Distribution,
and Visual Services
Department of Transportation
Department of Treasury
Endowment for Arts
Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal Woman's Program Coordinators
Gannett Foundation
General Services Administration-Houston Area
House of Coleman
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Houston
International Paper Company
M.D. Anderson Foundation
National Aeronautics & Space Administration
National Association of Girls and Women in Sports
N.C. Council of Women's Organizations
President's Council on Physical Fitness
Renaissance Gallery
Revenue Sharing
Road Runners of America
Seneca Falls Hall of Fame
Seneca Falls Historical Society
Simpson College
Smithsonian Institute, Division of Political History
Soroptimist International of the Americas
Southwest Personnel Services
St. Joseph's Hospital
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
United Nations Association of Houston
U.N. We Believe
U.S. Catholic Conference
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
United States Information Agency
Wells College
Women's Basketball Association
Women Sports Magazine
Virginia Farm Bureau

[p. 35]

[p. 36]

   

Previous Document	Document List	Next Document