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Guide to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Collection
ARS.0056
ARS.0056
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Description
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Collection contains oral history interviews on audiocassettes,
transcripts, and other supplemental materials on active members of WILPF and Women's Strike for Peace (WSP).
Background
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was founded in 1915 in Washington D.C., and was originally called the
Women's Peace Party. In 1931 WILPF's president, Jane Addams, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the first American
woman to ever win the prize. The U.S. section of WILPF opposed U.S. participation in WWII even though they lost members and
the government's participation had widespread popular support. In the 1950s, WILPF refused to ban communists from their membership.
In the 1960s, WILPF was a critical force in the anti-war movement, pushing to end the war in Vietnam. Today, WILPF continues
to take strong stances on issues related to peace and women's equality. The Women's Peace Oral History project was organized
by Judith Porter Adams, who began the project in 1979 with, "an old tape recorder held on my lap in a noisy Peace Center office,
constantly interrupted by the phone." The project identified women over sixty to interview who had been active in WILPF or
other peace organizations a significant portion of their lives. The project thus sought to preserve the stories of those with
the greatest amount of historical experience in peace work.
Extent
13 boxes
: 232 audiocassettes ; 38 7" open reel tapes
Restrictions
Property rights reside with the repository. Publication and reproduction rights reside with the creators or their heirs. To
obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Head Librarian of the Archive of Recorded Sound.