Series I. BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMMITTEES, AND ANNUAL MEETINGS, 1969-1990 (#1.1-28.5, PD.1-PD.6, T-147.1 - T-147.154, E.1)
Scope and Contents
Series I, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMMITTEES, AND ANNUAL MEETINGS, 1969-1990 (#1.1-28.5, PD.1-PD.6, T-147.1 - T-147.154, E.1), includes minutes; agenda; memos and correspondence; by-laws; notes; attendance lists; draft plans and strategies; lists of committee members; audio recordings; etc., of NARAL's board of directors and board-appointed committees, including the affiliations committee (alternately called the program and affiliate development committee), by-laws committee, communications committee, executive committee, finance committee, long-range planning committee, NARAL PAC endorsement committee, nomination committee, and personnel committee. Although some committees appear to have remained in existence throughout NARAL's existence (such as the executive and affiliations committee), others seem to have been short-lived and their charges shifted to remaining committees. While some committees' charges seem self-explanatory, others require further description: the charge of the affiliations committee was to approve affiliate status for state organizations applying for such status, monitor their adherence to the rules for affiliation, and approve affiliate organizations for a number of different types of grants; the charge of the NARAL PAC endorsement committee was to approve financial and in-kind contributions to pro-choice politicians at the state and federal level. The board of directors also appointed several short-term committees such as the ad hoc committee on committees which reviewed NARAL's committee structure and made recommendations for changes, and the Minors' Access Taskforce which led a national campaign in the late 1980s in response to the emergence of state legislation that required minors (those under 18 years of age) to obtain parental consent before receiving an abortion (see also, Series III, Subseries C). Noticeably absent from this series are the records of the NARAL Foundation whose "mission is to support and protect, as a fundamental right and value, a woman's freedom to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices through education, training, organizing, legal action, and public policy" and serves as the funding mechanism for most of the organization's activities (only two folders of material is present). See also Series II, Subseries B for Foundation correspondence and other material. Also included in this series are agenda planning materials, financial materials, correspondence, audio recordings, etc., documenting NARAL's annual membership meeting at which the board and committees met, but which also included an educational component that was attended by individual members as well as members of state affiliate organizations. Topics of panels at annual meetings included minority women; abortion, religion, and the status of women; contraceptive development; international abortion laws; etc., as well as workshops to train attendees in handling the media; organizing at college campuses; community organizing; etc. The series also includes the organization's web site, which is being captured periodically as part of Harvard University Library's Web Archive Collection (WAX). The series is arranged beginning with board of directors' records (arranged chronologically), followed by committee records (arranged alphabetically), and then annual meeting records (arranged chronologically).
Dates
- Creation: 1967-2004
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1975-1990
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. The bulk of the collection is open to research.
The following folders require written permission as noted below: 7.1-9.4, 18.8-19.1, 54.2, 56.5-56.6, 57.4, 58.7-59.1, 59.6-59.7, 60.4, 62.9-63.6, 67.5-68.8, 69.3, 69.8, 69.10, 70.5, 70.8, 71.3, 72.10, 75.1-75.2, 76.8, 76.10, 76.12-77.8, 78.7-78.9, 81.7-81.8, 81.10, 82.4, 83.3, 83.8-83.10, 84.2, 84.13-85.1, 85.9, 86.15, 86.17-87.2, 88.4-88.5, 88.9, 88.11, 88.13, 88.14-91.1, 91.3-91.4, 91.6-95.3, 95.5-95.7, 114.12-114.13, 115.6-116.8, 117.7-118.9, 119.5-121.2, 122.4-124.2, 125.5-126.2, 126.9-127.4, 128.3-129.3, 129.9-129.10, 130.3, 131.3-131.9, 132.5-133.2, 134.9, 135.5-135.10, 135.13, 136-7-137.7, 139.4-140.1, 141.2-143.3, 145.1-146.1, 146.9-147.8, 148.6-148.11, 148.13, 148.15-148.16, 149.4-149.9, 150.3-150.4, 150.9-151.7, 152.3-154.2, 155.2-156.4, 158.1-159.2, 159.5-159.7, 160.6-162.1, 162.9-163.5, 163.9, 164.6, 164.8-164.9, 165.2-166.2, 167.1-169.1, 169.3-169.6, 170.1-170.4, 170.11-173., 174.5-176.5, 177.7-178.7, 179.4-180.5, 180.10-180.11 and audiotapes T-147.52 – T-147.90.
Access to the folders above are restricted to past and present officers of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Board members, and Executive Directors, and to those researchers who have the written permission of the Executive Committee until the expiration of their respective restriction periods: Board records, Executive Committee records, Executive Director's records, Legal case records and related correspondence, and confidential advice from government officials are restricted for 30 years from date of creation; Financial records are restricted for 10 years from date of creation.
The following folders are closed as noted below: 23.7-26.2, 33.2, 33.7, 34.5, 36.3-36.9, 40.9, 46.8, 46.13-47.21, 49.7, 54.6, 62.5, 65.6, 65.8, 66.2, 72.7, 76.3, 76.9, 76.11, 80.8-81.4, 88.10, 88.12, 88.14, 91.5, 104.10, 111.13, 124.7, 129.4, 134.4, 230.4-230.5, 241.3-241.4 and audiotape T-147.197.
Access to the folders above are closed to all without exception for 50 years from date of creation: Nominating Committee records; any record or letter that is potentially embarrassing or damaging to the creator, recipient, or subject. Personnel records are closed for 50 years from date of separation of employee to all but past and present officers of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Board members, and Executive Directors, and the employee to which they refer. Contributor's lists, mailing lists, and membership lists are closed for 50 years from date of creation to all but past and present officers of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Board members, and Executive Directors.
An appointment is necessary to use any audiovisual material.
Extent
105.71 linear feet ((253 + 1/2 file boxes) plus 3 folio folders, 6 folio+ folders, 4 oversize folders, 1 supersize folders, 28 photograph folders, 99 slides, 210 audiotapes, 15 videotapes, 1 DVD, 1 motion picture, 1 object, and electronic records.)Physical Location
Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.
Creator
- From the Collection: National Abortion Rights Action League (Organization)
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.