Santa Clara County Board of Supervisor's resolution for the National Women's Political Conference in Houston, Texas. The attendees included: Supervisor Chairmen, Geraldine Steinberg, San Jose Vice Mayor, Susanne Wilson, Vicki Molina of Morgan Hill and farm worker activist, Beatrice Coffey, a... Show moreSanta Clara County Board of Supervisor's resolution for the National Women's Political Conference in Houston, Texas. The attendees included: Supervisor Chairmen, Geraldine Steinberg, San Jose Vice Mayor, Susanne Wilson, Vicki Molina of Morgan Hill and farm worker activist, Beatrice Coffey, a commissioner for the Women's Commission on the Status of Women, and Diana Iguchi, a management analyst for the county. The National Women's Conference took place November 18-21, 1977. Delegates from every state in the U.S. convened to discuss significant issues related to women, including the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion and reproductive rights, violence against women, poverty, welfare, feminism, and many other issues. It was first conference supported by Congress to address the diverse challenges of women's lives in the U.S. Show less
The National Women's Political Conference, also known as the "Spirit of Houston," “The Spirit of Houston,” to address the ordinary needs of average women from healthcare, child care, reproductive health, equal rights, minority rights, and more. “The Spirit of Houston” highlights the impact that NOW and other women’s social movements had on national policies. The conference brought together over 20,000 participants and delegates from every state; organized by Bella Abzug, Patsy Mink and Margaret Heckle it was the first and last national attempt to address the diverse needs of women from the arts to poverty, as well as reproductive and equal rights. See: How Did the National Women's Conference in Houston in 1977 Shape a Feminist Agenda for the Future?, Documents selected and interpreted by Kathryn Kish Sklar and Thomas Dublin with research assistance by Sandra Henderson. (Binghamton, NY: State University of New York at Binghamton, 2004), retrieved from Women and Social Movements, 1600-2000 database, April 8, 2015