The Stella Religa Collection (1918-2016, undated) contains materials from the life and career of political activist Stella Religa. The materials in this collection concentrate on Religa's advocacy for the Democratic Party, women's rights issues, the anti-Vietnam war movement, and domestic violence awareness. This includes documents pertaining to Religa's involvement in local government and the National Organization of Women (NOW), as well as her work founding the Women's and Children's Crisis Center (WCCS) for victims of domestic violence. Also included in the collection is political memorabilia collected by Religa, including hundreds of campaign buttons, several women's rights garments and jewelry items, audio tapes, newspapers, magazines, and commemorative political portraits and postcards. Finally, the collection includes Religa's personal documents, including correspondence, newspaper clippings about her, certificates from political organizations, photographs, and a memorial document.

Stella Religa was born Stella Gertrude Pavlis on April 8, 1919 in Aberdeen, Washington. She was born to Christine Marie Cerny and Frank Pavlis, immagrants from Czechoslovakia who moved to the United States at the onset of World War I. Stella's first job was working as a stenographer for Western Electric Division of AT&T in Chicago, IL. There, she met John Religa. John joined the Army as a radar mechanic, later serving as a Sergeant in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942 through 1946. In 1946, Stella and John married and moved to California. The couple had their first son, Robert John, in 1951, and their second son, James Paul, a few years later in 1953. Their third and final child, Sharilyn Jean, was born in December 1957.

9.4 Linear Feet

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There are no access restrictions on this collection.