National Women's History Project
Background
The National Women's History Project (NWHP) traces its roots to a class project assigned by Professor Alice Wexler at Sonoma State College in the early 1970s. Students Molly Murphy MacGregor and Bette Morgan created a traveling slideshow of photographs called "We, The Women," sharing it with schools and local women's groups. Their work coincided with the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women's efforts to implement Title 9, the 1972 federal law requiring equal treatment of males and females in schools receiving federal funds. In March 1979, the Commission and the Women's Support Network sponsored the Sonoma County Women's History Week Parade. That summer, MacGregor and representatives from national women's organizations attending the Women's History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College passed a resolution to establish a National Women's History Week. Through coordinated lobbying, the group rallied history organizations and elected officials behind the effort. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter designated the week of March 8th as the first National Women's History Week. In 1985, NWHP co-founders MacGregor, Paula Hammett, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, and Morgan incorporated the organization as a nonprofit dedicated to building an educational network around women's history — past, present, and future — through publications, lectures, conferences, and related activities. In 2018, the NWHP became the National Women's History Alliance.
Collection
Donated in May 2024 by Molly Murphy MacGregor, Executive Director and co-founder of the National Women's History Project (now known as the National Women's History Alliance), this collection brings together a rich array of organizational records, promotional materials, lesson plans, correspondence, publications, photographs, posters, and related materials. The collection represents the work of the NWHP and those of educational institutions at all grade levels, organizations from all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, several foreign countries, and U.S. military, governmental, and religious organizations — all dedicated to celebrating, documenting, and preserving women's history.
Access
The research material in this collection is available to view by appointment.
Other Resources
- Finding Aid Link: National Women's History Project Collection, 1977-2023