The statewide organization Washington Women United (WWU) was established in 1979 by Washington State Women's Political Caucus members as an independent unit to replace the services of the defunct Washington State Women's Council. WWU's primary purpose is to promote equal rights through legislative action, education, and networking. Members include individuals and organizations who are advocates of women's rights and proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment. Membership dues and pledges are the basis of support for WWU. The primary activity of WWU is to lobby the Washington State Legislature on issues of especial concern to women such as child care programs, domestic violence, abortion, comparable worth, and education. An annual poll of members determines WWU's position and lobbying priorities and guides its legislative efforts. The group maintains a staff, office, and full-time lobbyist in Olympia, and coordinates a statewide referral and information service on legislative activity. In addition, WWU provides telephone lists, mailing lists, a hot-line telephone service, information on lobbying techniques, news releases on political positions and issues, annual meetings, and six yearly newsletters. The organization also sponsors an annual legislative reception for elected officials which allows women to become acquainted with their legislators.
Officers are elected by and from the Board of Directors, and include: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President for Eastern Washington, Third Vice-President for Western Washington.
The records consist of business records of the Washington Women United (WWU) organization and contemporary information about the Washington State legislature.
The records are organized as five series: Business Records, Correspondence, Miscellanea, Women's Legislative Reception Reports, and Writings.
Business Records contain Board of Directors election results and applications, a committee report, financial information, meeting agendas and minutes, and membership lists and solicitation.
Within the Correspondence files are letters and memoranda to the Board of Directors, general correspondence and memoranda, thank you letters to legislators, and letters from legislators to WWU.
The Miscellanea series contains files on the 1985 Comparable Worth Action Project, general and primary elections, issues, legislative voting records, long range planning, telephone trees, town meetings, and the 1984 Women's Networking Conference.
The Women's Legislative Reception Reports series contains organizational information on the 1985 Reception, attendance lists, invitations, and copies of speeches WWU leaders delivered.
The Writings series includes the originals of legislative newsletters and Board of Directors materials, and WWU legislative reports and monthly newsletters.
Organized in five series. Within each series, arranged alphabetically by subseries, then chronologically.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Washington Women United Records, 1983-1986 (Cage 625)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Washington Women United of Olympia, Washington, donated the records to Washington State University in April 1994.
Washington Women United Records, 1975-1986
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.