Elizabeth Smith collection of Virginia ERA Ratification Council records

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Commonwealth University, Cabell Library
James Branch Cabell Library
Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 842003
901 Park Avenue
Richmond, VA 23284-2003
Contact for questions and access:
POC: SCA Staff
Phone: (804) 828-1108
Fax: (804) 828-0151
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Elizabeth Smith collection of Virginia ERA Ratification Council records, 1970-2002, Collection # M 425, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Summary

Extent:
8.42 Linear Feet 17 document cases, 1 newspaper box, 1 print box, 1 small CD box
Creator:
Smith, Elizabeth and Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Elizabeth Smith collection of Virginia ERA Ratification Council records, 1970-2002, Collection # M 425, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of materials acquired by Elizabeth Smith and includes a large quantity of materials created by or concerning the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council. Also included within this collection are items from a number of other organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Homemakers for the ERA (HERA), the National Women's Party (NWP) and many other pro-ERA organizations of the time. The collection also holds materials documenting the anti-ERA voice of the same era. Materials found in the collection include reports, correspondence, minutes, agendas, printed materials, educational materials, lobbying materials, event ephemera, speeches, and a substantial quantity of clippings. The collection's contents illuminate the efforts of the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council and other organizations to advocate for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment during the latter decades of the twentieth century.

Biographical / historical:

Elizabeth Smith served as executive director the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council, and she continued to collect materials pertaining to the amendment throughout her time with the Council and in the years following.

The Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council was a coalition of multiple Virginia organizations brought together by the shared goal of advocating for the ratification of the amendment by Virginia's legislature. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) states that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." It was approved by the House of Representatives and the US Senate, and then submitted to the states for ratification in 1972. As of October 2018, the Virginia legislature has yet to ratify the ERA.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Elizabeth Smith in 2009.
Arrangement:

The collection is organized in four series: Series 1: Organizational records, 1972-1996; Series 2: Pro-ERA Organizations, 1971-2002; Series 3: Subject Files, 1970-1996; Series 4: Clippings, 1971-1996.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard