Preparing for the NWC
Defend Women's Rights statement, 1977. Marjorie Randal National Women's Conference Collection.
This document is a perfect example of the strong political leadership that existed in Houston during the 1970s and that was seminal in drawing the National Women's Conference to the city. This statement by Diane Sarge, Socialist candidate for Mayor of Houston, and Sas Scoggins, Socialist candidate for Houston City Council at Large, Position 2, illuminates the call for legislative action to protect women's rights that was emerging out of Houston. The document covers such topics as abortion rights, maternity leaves, affirmative action, government cutbacks, and the ERA. These women, along with others like Nikki Van Hightower, the official Women's Advocate for the City of Houston, prove that Houston was a perfect city in which to stage the first National Women's Conference.
Letter to Mayor Hofheinz on Houston's selection, 1976. Nikki Van Hightower Papers.
Houston had stiff competition from cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, DC, and Memphis, all vying to be the host site for the 1977 National Women's Conference. This letter to Mayor Fred Hofheinz from IWY Secretariat Hilary Whittaker announced the good news and stated that a crucial factor in the selection of Houston as the host for the 1977 National Women's Conference was Mayor Hofheinz's appointment of Nikki Van Hightower as Women's Advocate of Houston.
"Statue of Confucius" letter, 1976. Nikki Van Hightower Papers.
This is the first letter from Nikki Van Hightower to Mayor Fred Hofheinz addressing the dubious nature and suitability of displaying the Statue of Confucius as a gift from the Republic of China (Taiwan). At issue was the quote "men have their respective occupations and women their homes." Van Hightower, as Women's Advocate, felt the display of the statue along with the quote would be an affront to the women who worked in and around City Hall and others who had been fighting for equal opportunities.
National Women's Conference draft agenda, 1977. Marjorie Randal National Women's Conference Collection.
Representative of the planning and logistical pressure that went into realizing the conference in Houston, the commission and its staff were constantly making decisions up to the end. Here is an example of a proposed draft to the agenda for the conference with notes.