Feminist Alliance Women's Liberation Coalition records

The Women’s Liberation Coalition (WLC) first appeared in the University of Colorado Student Directory in 1972/1973. Three years later, in 1976, the Coalition ratified it constitution, which stated in its preamble that “we, the Women’s Liberation Coalition, exist not only as individuals but as a feminist coalition”(see WLC file in box 2). Early on the goals on the Coalition were in response to the second wave feminist movement that swept through college campus across the country that started in the 1960’s; as opposed to the first wave of feminism that started nearly a century before. Their goals included the de-stratification of gender, the elimination of sexism, provision of resources for women, and organization the Take Back the Night March, which started on October, 5, 1979, and has occurred annually since.

Early on, the goals of the WLC on the CU campus were unclear because their goals lacked publication in mainstream media sources. It wasn’t until the late seventies when the Coalition changed it name to the Feminist Alliance that the goals became clear. The Alliance created a strong mission statement that stated “the Feminist Alliance exists to help women.” It’s other missions included providing information, organizing activities, supporting all women, providing a library, and dispensing information of resources for women on and off campus. Their library held information ranging from childcare to car maintenance, women’s health to lesbianism, and economics and politics to music and poetry. Members and non-members could access the information in the library as well as the other resources provided by the Alliance.

In the years 1982 to 1984 the Feminist Alliance created programs and helped oversee events and protests. In the fall of 1983, the Alliance held bi-mothly meetings and by the spring of 1984, the Alliance met weekly. Other goals and project during this period included the distribution of rape whistles, participation in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), support for campus safety, and the promotion of the International Women’s Week.

One of the major concerns of the Alliance was pornography. The Alliance protested, by writing letters and denominations, the University’s Book Center selling of adult materials. The Alliance claimed that some of the magazines depicted violent acts against women and the perpetuation of an unobtainable image of the female body. In addition to the University Book Center situation, John Guldaman of the Delta Mu Sigma fraternity brought pornography to CHEM 140, which caused the Alliance to protest. Again, the Alliance complained because the films degraded women and depicted women in violent sexual activities.

On Monday February 20, 1984, the Alliance published its inaugural issue of Women’s News. The newsletter intended to inform the women’s community of news, to provide a forum of expression, and to link multiple women’s groups together by writing about events sponsored by other women’s groups. The newsletter, which was free to the public, also reviewed poems, films, and books, in addition to providing a calendar of events and the citing of significant events in history as they related the women’s issues.

In September of 1986, the Take Back the Night March changed it goals. It became clear that the women participating in the march wanted “one night a year when women can walk safely without make protection.” This new mission statement prompted the CU student legislature and the organizers of the Take Back the Night March to ban men from participating in the actual march. However, they did provided an alternative manner in which men could show their support—a workshop allowing men to discuss issues about violence against women. A few people believed that all people should be able to participate in the march, because it sexism is a social problem. However, the legislature and the Alliance still believed that the theme of the march would be best preserved if only women walked. In addition to this debate in the 1986 march, the legislature allocated $908 from the UCSU bank account to pay for the advertising for the events during the Take Back the Night week. Both decisions were triumphs for the Alliance and women that year.