Northwest Women's History Project records and interviews
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of the records of Northwest Women's History Project and audio recordings of oral history interviews the organization conducted with women who had worked in shipyards in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, during World War II. The interviews explore issues such as sexual harassment, sexism and racism in unions and on the job, child care, on-the-job training, and life after the war. The recordings have been digitized and are available online in OHS Digital Collections.
The bulk of the records in the collection relate to the interviews with women shipyard workers and the resulting presentation, "Good Work, Sister!" These records include grant documents, telephone questionnaires, transcripts and excerpts of in-person interviews, photographic slides of interviewees who were featured in "Good Work, Sister!" and photographs and records relating to "Good Work, Sister!" events. The collection also includes some photographs, clippings, ephemera, and memorabilia relating to women shipyard workers in World War II. Other materials in the collection include administrative records, materials relating to the organization's later projects, and materials about the re-release of "Good Work, Sister!" on DVD.
Dates
- 1943-2021
- Majority of material found within 1978-1981
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Copyright to interview recordings is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.
Copyright to other materials in the collection has not been determined, and use may require additional authorization from copyright holders.
Historical note
The Northwest Women's History Project was founded in 1978 in Portland, Oregon. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it worked on a project to conduct oral histories with women who had worked in Portland-area shipyards during World War II, whose histories the organization felt had not been properly represented. The organization ultimately conducted in-depth interviews with more than 30 women, and in 1982 released a touring presentation, titled "Good Work, Sister!," featuring the interviews and a slideshow.
The organization's later projects included gathering materials to celebrate Eleanor Roosevelt's 100th birthday; sponsoring an audio historical walking tour of downtown Portland; and re-releasing "Good Work, Sister!" on DVD. The organization dissolved in 2021.
Sources: Oregonian articles, 1979-1988; collection materials.
Extent
2.75 Cubic Feet (2 record cartons; 3 oversize folders (12x15); 1 oversize folder (30x42); 59 audiocassettes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Records of the Northwest Women's History Project, primarily concerning its interviews with women who worked in shipyards in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, during World War II, and audio recordings of the interviews. The Northwest Women's History Project was founded in 1978, and in the early 1980s made a presentation based on interviews with women who had been shipyard workers in World War II, titled, "Good Work, Sister!"
Arrangement
Collection is arranged in three series: Series 1. Administrative records and files; Series 2. Events, publicity, and recognition; Series 3. Interviews.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of the Northwest Women's History Project, circa 1985 and November 2021 (Lib. Acc. 29136; RL2021-090; RL2021-095).
Existence and Location of Copies
Processing Information
Each audio recording in this collection has been assigned an individual sound recording (SR) number by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. Seventeen of the interview recordings, numbers SR 9069 to SR 9086, were previously cataloged individually under sound recording number prior to full processing of this collection in 2022.
- Commercial Iron Works (Portland, Or.) -- Employees
- Kaiser Company (Portland, Or.) -- Employees
- Kaiser Company, Inc. (Vancouver, Wash.) -- Employees
- Oral Histories
- Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation -- Employees
- Shipbuilding industry -- Oregon -- Portland
- Shipbuilding industry -- Oregon -- Portland -- Employees
- Women
- Women -- Employment -- Oregon -- Portland
- Women -- Employment -- Oregon -- Portland -- Interviews
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Women -- Oregon -- Portland
- administrative records
- interviews
- oral histories (literary genre)
- Title
- Guide to the Northwest Women's History Project records and interviews
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah Stroman and Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
- Sponsor
- Digitization of the interviews was funded by Forward! Digital Vault and the gifts to the general oral history fund.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org