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Preliminary Inventory to the WHAM! (Women's Health Action and Mobilization) Records
TAM.162
Descriptive Summary
| Creator:
|
WHAM! (Women's Health Action and Mobilization). |
| Title: |
WHAM! (Women's Health Action and Mobilization) Records |
| Dates [inclusive]: |
1972-2003 |
| Dates [bulk]: |
Bulk, 1991-1995 |
| Abstract:
|
Women’s Health Action and Mobilization, or WHAM!, was founded in 1989 in response
to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services of
Missouri, which granted states more power to restrict women’s access to abortion.
It was first a direct action committee of the Reproductive Rights Coalition until
that larger group dissolved, and WHAM! became an independent organization. The collection
reveals several important aspects of WHAM as an organization. First,the collection
reflects the decentralized and grassroots nature of WHAM. There was not a hierarchical
leadership structure, and the role of record keeping fell to weekly facilitators,
who rotated responsibilities. Detailed records ended up being kept by the individuals
most involved in planning actions, a fact that reflects WHAM’s practice of allowing
any member to propose an action at a weekly meeting and form a working group to plan
it. As a result, the collection contains documentation by several members, and does
not contain a large quantity of traditional material, such as extensive minutes or
official correspondence. Second, the collection reveals WHAM’s connections with a
variety of other organizations, particularly ACT UP and mainstream women’s organizations,
including Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League, and the
National Organization for Women.
|
| Quantity: |
26.0 linear feet (29 boxes) |
| Language of Materials note:
|
Materials are in English |
| Call Phrase: |
TAM.162 |
