Series 1. Personal Files
1968-1993
Scope and Contents
These records contain personal appointment books used by Shireen Miles in 1981 and from 1983-1993, which was roughly the main
time of her involvement in the National Organization for Women (NOW). This series also includes academic research papers for
her Communication Studies degree at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) from 1982-1983. This series also includes
education booklets on counterculture.
box 1, folder 4
Appointment Book
1984-1985
box 1, folder 5
Appointment Book
1985-1986
box 1, folder 13
College Papers [Reports]
1982-1983
box 1, folder 14
[Congratulations to Shireen Miles]
1985
box 1, folder 16
Personal Journals
1968-1971
Series 2. National Organization for Women (NOW) Administrative Papers and Programs
1982-1993
Subseries 1. Conferences
1982-1990
Scope and Contents
This subseries includes the National NOW conference programs and Miles's attendee badges.
box 1, folder 20
California NOW Conferences [Agendas]
1983, 1985-1989
box 1, folder 21
National NOW Conference [Programs]
1982-1990
Subseries 2. Minutes and Memos
1984-1993
Scope and Contents
This subseries includes the California NOW meeting minutes, and handouts from California Board meetings. There are also the
memos from the California State Coordinator to the Executive Committee, and weekly memos from national NOW to the California
NOW Executive Committee covering topics of importance.
box 2, folder 1
[CA] Board Adviser Shireen Miles
February 27-28, 1993
box 2, folder 2
[CA] Board Adviser Shireen Miles
May 14-16, 1993
box 2, folder 3
California NOW Bd Mtg
June 2-4, 1989
box 2, folder 4
[CA] Board meeting
August 12-13, 1989
box 2, folder 5
[CA] Board meeting
November 18-19, 1989
box 2, folder 6
Bd Mtg
February 24-25, 1990
box 2, folder 7
[CA] Board meeting
May 5-6, 1990
box 2, folder 9
Bd. Mtg
August 11-12, 1990 [June-October 1990]
box 2, folder 10
Bd Meeting
November 10-11, 1990 [June-July, Nov 1990; January-February 1991]
box 2, folder 11
Bd Meeting
October 27-27, 1991 [August- October 1991]
box 2, folder 12
Bd Mtg
February 1991 [December 1990-February 1991]
box 2, folder 13
Board Meeting
April 19+ 21, 1991 [February- June, 1991]
box 2, folder 14
Bd Mtg
August 3-4, 1991 [June-August 1991]
box 2, folder 15
[CA] Board meeting
February 1-2, 1992
box 2, folder 16
[CA] Board meeting
May 1-3, 1992
box 2, folder 17
[CA] Board meeting
August 1-2, 1992 [February 1992, June-August 1992]
box 2, folder 18
California NOW Policies - A Quick Summary [Handout]
n.d.
box 2, folder 19
California NOW State Conference
May 14-16, 1993
box 2, folder 20
[CA] Coordinator's Memo
July-December, 1989
box 2, folder 21
[CA] Coordinator's Memo
January-July, 1990
box 2, folder 22
[CA] Coordinator's Memo
August-December, 1990
box 3, folder 1
State Coordinator's Memo
January-March, 1991
box 3, folder 2
State Coordinator's Memo
April-June, 1991
box 3, folder 3
State Coordinator's Memo
July-September, 1991
box 3, folder 4
State Coordinator's Memo
October-December, 1991
box 3, folder 5
Eleanor Smeal Report
1989-1990
box 3, folder 6
[CA] Executive Committee Memos
January-June, 1987
box 3, folder 7
[CA] Executive Committee Memos
July-December, 1987
box 3, folder 8
[CA] Executive Committee Memo
January-June, 1988
box 3, folder 9
[CA] Executive Committee Memo
July-December, 1988
box 3, folder 10
[CA] Executive Committee Memo
January-March, 1989
box 3, folder 11
[CA] Executive Committee Memo
April-July 1, 1989
box 3, folder 12
NOW Activist Roster and Resource Guide
1984-1988
Subseries 3. Reunions
1972-2008
Scope and Contents
This subseries includes reunion materials for the Sacramento N.O.W. group. Materials include correspondence, questionaires,
handouts, a group photo, and a vinyl record.
box 3, folder 13
Reunions - Sacramento N.O.W.
1972-2008
Series 3. Subject Files
1972-1991
Subseries 1. Women's Health
1985-1990
Scope and Contents
This subseries includes articles, notes, and pamphlets regarding women's health issues, including breast cancer, breast implants,
tobacco and cigarettes, genital self-examination (GSE), reproductive rights, Toxic Shock Syndrome, medical research, self-help,
hormone replacement therapy, and family planning rights. There are some handwritten notes from Miles about these issues in
the framework of the patriarchy. There are also a number of letters and legal documents regarding a suit against Planned Parenthood
family planning from 1985 (Planned Parenthood vs. Swoap, Los Angeles, CA).
box 3, folder 14
Budget Act restrictions on family planning
1985
box 3, folder 15
Hearts, Bones, Hotflashes, and Hormones
n.d.
box 3, folder 16
Politics of Women's Health
1987-1990, n.d. [1987, 1989-1990]
Subseries 2. Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
1972-1988
Scope and Contents
Miles worked extensively on the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment, mostly during the 1980's with some documents from the
1970's. Miles specifically collected papers and articles related to the ERA and homemakers, childcare, religious support,
and songs or chants. There are also articles, memos, and notes that include arguments against the ERA, media coverage, and
State ERA memos. Much of this documentation focuses on the fight for ERA and subsequent loss of the vote in 1984. Miles also
collected campaign resources for the ERA for education and outreach from roughly 1975-1988.
box 3, folder 19
ERA Media Coverage
1981-1983, n.d. [1979-1983]
box 4, folder 1
General Mgmt. Articles
1972-1983
box 4, folder 3
Plumas Co. ERA Advisory Referendum
1984
box 4, folder 4
Reintroduced ERA
1983, n.d. [1979, 1983]
box 4, folder 5
Religious Support for ERA
1978
box 4, folder 6
Songs and chants for equality
1978
box 4, folder 7
State ERA [Articles and Memos]
1981-1982
Subseries 3. Sex Equity
1978-1989
Scope and Contents
These papers document the fight for Title IX, a federal civil right that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Also included
is the fight against sexism in the classroom, which was preventing girls from participating in math at an equal rate as boys,
as well as insurance discrimination against women. There is some information and correspondence regarding the Civil Rights
Act of 1984. There are also lesson plans and other materials for teachers to utilize in the classroom to encourage children
to learn about women in math, and push for gender equality in the classroom. These papers include reports, presentations,
and copies of articles and book chapters addressing sex equity and gender discrimination in the classroom.
box 4, folder 8
Insurance Discrimination
1990 [1982-1983]
box 4, folder 9
Math Avoidance
1980-1982, n.d. [1978-1982]
box 4, folder 10
Math Avoidance / Enrollment Study
1982 [1981-1982]
Subseries 4. Pay Equity and the Gender Gap
1980-1985
Scope and Contents
This subseries includes articles, notes, and letters regarding the gender pay gap, including information about a Sunkist Boycott
based on the belief that the company's pay, hiring, and promotional practices were sexist. These papers also address Proposition
E for the City of San Francisco, and arguments for and against the proposition, from the Gazette Telegraph, Sacramento Bee,
San Francisco Chronicle, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Business Week. Proposition E, which NOW members opposed, would
repeal a comparable worth agreement between unions and the City of San Francisco which had set up a fund to correct pay inequities
based on sex and race.
Subseries 5. Voter Registration and the Mobilization of Women
1984-1987
Scope and Contents
Miles collected a number of documents related to voter registration, specifically of women and minorities, to help NOW members
with their activism mostly during the 1984 elections. This subseries includes a Guide to Voter Registration in California,
a guide for registering college students, master copies of petitions about the gender gap, war, and reproductive rights, and
a California NOW action kit for voter registration. There are also documents about how NOW members can keep their activist
and voter registration actions legal. Some of these documents specifically discuss the mobilization of women and minorities
to vote.
box 4, folder 15
Electoral Politics: What NOW Can / Cannot Do
n.d.
box 4, folder 16
Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV)
1984
box 4, folder 17
Voter Regis.
1984, n.d. [1984-1987]
Subseries 6. Abortion
1984-1991
Scope and Contents
Shireen Miles worked extensively on abortion rights for women. These papers include legal and political papers related to
a suit against St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, who were accused of manipulating insurance rates to the detriment
of abortion providers. These papers also include information on menstrual extraction (at-home abortion) from The Los Angeles
Times, the Daily News [a former Los Angeles-area paper], and American Medical News. Parental veto of abortion and information
about the laws of parental notification and consent is also addressed by the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (LOEF).
There is also information from the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights/Catholics for Free Choice (RCAR/CFC).
box 4, folder 18
Articles and handouts, Menstrual extraction
1989, 1991
box 4, folder 19
NOW LDEF A Guide to Parental Notification and Consent Laws
July 1990
box 4, folder 21
RCAR / Catholics for Free Choice
1989
box 4, folder 22
Right to Choose
1982-1989, n.d. [1984-1989]
box 4, folder 23
Speaking on Abortion
1989 [1985-1989]
Subseries 7. Military and War
1985
Scope and Contents
Miles and the Sacramento chapter of NOW were concerned with government support of Nicaraguan contras in 1985, and the threat
of Nuclear War. These papers include information about the Feminist Affinity Group and Sacramento Emergency Response Networking
specifically discussing the Nicaraguan Contras. There is also paperwork from the Central American Action Committee from this
time period.
Subseries 8. Pornography
1984-1985
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains copies of articles about women and pornography that were published in Ms., Penthouse, and Harper's,
as well as an entire copy of Newsweek from March 18, 1985. The main issue these articles and letters cover is the exploitation
of women in pornography, with a focus on a Los Angeles area pornography ordinance.
box 4, folder 25
Pornography
1985, n.d. [1984-1985]
Subseries 9. Geraldine Ferraro
1984
Scope and Contents
Miles and NOW campaigned for the Mondale/Ferraro ticket. Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro was primarily supported
because she was a woman. Miles collected articles about Ferraro as well as bumper stickers, booklets, clippings, and newsletters
including many from the Sac Union and Sacramento Bee.
Subseries 10. Ronald Reagan's Policies
1983-1985
Scope and Contents
This subseries addresses NOW's attitude towards Reagan's policies concerning abortion, the gender gap, Title IX, and women's
rights in general. There are clippings and propaganda about Reagan's record and popularity, and his attitude and policies
regarding sex discrimination, family planning, the elderly, and the effect of Reaganomics.
box 4, folder 27
Pruneyard Shopping Center
1984
box 2, folder 11
Reagan's Record
1983-1985
Subseries 11. Gay and Lesbian Rights
1986-1989
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains papers relating to Sacramento area and National marches, initiatives, rallies, protests, legislation,
and more regarding gay and lesbian rights. This includes information about "lesbian witch hunts" at Parris Island in the late
1980's. This subseries also includes information about the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was created by noted gay
activist Cleve Jones and placed at the National Mall in 1987. There is also a record of an ordinance adopted in Sacramento
in 1986 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
box 4, folder 30
Gay and Lesbian Rights
1984-1987, n.d. [1986-1987]
box 4, folder 31
Witchhunts in the military
1987-1989
Subseries 12. Childcare
1983-1989
Scope and Contents
These papers document the NOW Child Care Task Force which worked for the right to childcare for women.
box 4, folder 32
Childcare
1986-1989 [1983-1989]
Series 4. Resources for Activisim
1974-1994
Scope and Contents
This series contains documents that NOW leaders could distribute to members and individuals interested in running their own
chapters and meetings. These papers cover a range of resources concerning leadership and management, including the topics
of grants and fundraising, community assessment, legal lobbying and voter registration, crisis planning, starting a new chapter,
and action ideas. This includes a lecture on feminist backlash from Sally Wagner, and a Crisis Communications binder developed
by Miles during her time at the Hornet Foundation.
box 5, folder 1
Action [Speech and handouts]
1977
box 5, folder 4
[Binder of articles, e-mail, Crisis communications]
1984-1985
box 5, folder 7
College NOW Chapters
June 19-23, 1985
box 5, folder 9
Community Assessment
July 1985
box 5, folder 10
Consciousness-Raising
1982-1983 [August 1983]
box 5, folder 11
Cooperative Leadership
1982
box 5, folder 12
Feminist Backlash is Not New: Lessons from the Nineteenth Century- Wagner
December 7, 1985
box 5, folder 14
Grants [Contact lists]
n.d.
box 5, folder 15
Group Process
October 1981
box 5, folder 16
Introducing Feminist Issues in Rural / Conservative Communities
n.d.
box 5, folder 17
Lobbying Skills
1982-1991
box 5, folder 18
Organizer's Info-Midwest Academy
1974
box 5, folder 19
Organizing a NOW Chapter
1991-1994
box 5, folder 20
Reference Articles on Leadership
1980, 1984
box 5, folder 21
Responsibilities of National NOW to Chapters & State Organizations
1983-1985
box 5, folder 23
The Support Center /CTD
n.d.
Series 5. Newspapers and Newsletters
1984-1993
Scope and Contents
This series includes samplings of the Sacramento Summary, California NOW Activist, Sacramento NOW Newsletter, San Fernando
NOW, NOW Feminist News, East Bay National Organization for Women Newsletter, NOW Valley Voice, and California Choice News.
box 5, folder 24
California NOW Activist [Newsletters]
1991-1993
box 5, folder 25
News Release Stationary
1988-1989
box 5, folder 26
Newsletters [Articles]
1991-1993
box 5, folder 30
Sacramento Summary CA NOW Activist
1989-1990
box 5, folder 31
Sacramento NOW newsletter
1984-1987
Series 6. Photographs
1984-1985
Scope and Contents
Photographs include images of an event supporting Geraldine Ferrero as Vice President (1984), the Sacramento NOW banner at
the Chicago ERA March (undated), negatives from a voter registration event at a Lucky's Supermarket (1984), and various images
of Miles and other NOW members (1985 and undated).
box 5, folder 33
Photographs, Ferraro
1984
box 5, folder 34
Miscellaneous photographs
1985, n.d.
box 5, folder 35
Negatives, Voter registration at Lucky's
1984
Series 7. Artifacts
1980-1999
Scope and Contents
T-shirts in this collection are from the Women Take Back the Night event in Sacramento in 1980, 1997, 1999, and 2004, a shirt
for Geraldine Ferraro for VP Candidate, as well as one undated NOW "Revolution" T-shirt. Other artifacts include buttons and
Miles's attendee badges for the 1982-1988 national NOW conferences. There are also two pins from NOW 1986, and one 1979 dollar
coin.
box 6
Sash with buttons
undated
box 6
Knit banner. "RATIFY ERA NOW,"
undated
box 6
T-shirt. "Women - Take Back the Night - 20th Anniversary - Sacramento, California,"
October 2, 1999
box 6
T-shirt. "Women Take Back The Night - Sacramento, California,"
October 24, 1980
box 6
T-shirt. "Revolution,"
undated
box 6
T-shirt. "Take Back the Night,"
1997
box 6
T-shirt. "Women Take Back the Night - Sacramento's First WTBN Rally Logo,"
1980
box 6
T-shirt. "Ferraro 84,"
circa 1984
box 6
T-shirt. "The dream will never die - ERA,"
undated
box 6
Conference Badges (4),
1982-1987
box 6
Rock Figurine holding an "ERA NOW" sign,
undated
Series 8. Audiovisual
1986-2003
Scope and Contents
This series contains VHS tapes that cover topics such as domestic violence, abortion, and NOW.
box 7
Video. "Abortion Denied: Shattering Young Women's Lives" [VHS],
1990
box 7
Video. "Abortion: For Survival" [VHS],
undated
box 7
Video. "A New Life...Escaping Domestic Violence" [VHS],
1997
box 7
Video. "Break the Silence on Domestic Violence" [VHS],
1998
box 7
Video. "Break the Silence on Domestic Violence...What You Can Do" [VHS],
1999
box 7
Video. "No Going Back: A Pro-Choice Perspective" [VHS],
1989
box 7
Video. "NOW's 20th Anniversary" [VHS],
1986
box 7
Video. "Screen to End Abuse: A Practical Approach to Addressing Domestic Violence in Primary Care Settings" [VHS],
2003
Series 9. Oversize
1984-1993
Scope and Contents
This series contains oversize newspapers from California NOW, National NOW times, and L.A. Life Daily News.
box OS 1, folder 1
California NOW Newspapers
Fall 1984-1991
box OS 1, folder 11
National NOW Times
January 1993
box OS 1, folder 12
L.A. Life Daily News
June 6, 1993
flat_file 1, drawer unknown container
Series 10. Flat Files
1982-1986
Scope and Contents
This series contains photos of protests as well as a photo from the 20th Anniversary Conference. There is also a framed photograph
and letter from Geraldine Ferraro, and a fascimile of the National Women Suffrage Association's Centennial Autograph book's
first page. A framed Susan B. Anthony quote accompanied by a picture is also included.
oversize_folder 1, item unknown container
Framed photograph (color) and letter from Geraldine Ferraro to Shireen Miles
December 3, 1984
oversize_folder 1, item unknown container
Facsimile. First page of the National Woman Suffrage Association's Centennial Autograph Book
undated
oversize_folder 1, item unknown container
Photograph (Color). 20th Anniversary Conference
undated
oversize_folder 1, item unknown container
Photograph (B&W). Women protesting for equality down a city street
undated
oversize_folder 1, item unknown container
Photograph (Color). Denver March / Convention
circa 1986
Framed Susan B. Anthony quote and picture
November 8, 1982
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