Women Run Initiatives

“There were a lot of fledgling women run things around.”~Margie Sved

When American society failed to support women in the ways they needed, women created their own institutions to provide resources and services for themselves and other women.

Chicago Tribune: Nov. 19, 1977

Most of the things on this site, from the Durham Women’s Health Cooperative and Women’s Health Teaching Group to a community newsletter like Feminary, the women’s guide called the Whole Women Carologue and the Lollipop Power‘s childrens books can be considered “Women Run Initiatives.” Here, however, we focus on projects that were not part of the larger discussion around women’s health nor part of the movement’s print culture.

The Durham Women’s Center, located at the Durham YWCA, offered workshops, counseling services, information on women’s health and providers, and facilitated consciousness raising groups. The services they provided were crucial, but so was the fact that they created a space for women in the community to mobilize.

Triangle Area Lesbian Feminists (TALF) sought to fill a gap left by the women’s movement and the male dominated gay scene by creating a community for lesbian women.

Hassle House and PICES provided mental heath resources and sex education.

We learned of many other initiatives, but don’t have as nearly as much information regarding their creation or history of existence.