1971-1979: CWHC Begins

The Chicago Area Women’s History Conference (as the organization was called then) was started by Jean S. Hunt, a historian at Loop College (later Harold Washington College), along with a small collective of women who were frustrated by the lack of support for professional women historians at the time and by the absence of women’s history curricula in secondary and postsecondary institutions.

The group’s first action was a conference, held at Loop College, which brought together women representing Chicago’s colleges and universities and activists from a variety of backgrounds, to share resources and discuss future actions. It was clear to all that a new organization was needed and the Chicago Area Women’s History Conference (CAWHC) was born!

The original purpose was to serve as a networking organization for women in the historical profession and to promote and support research, writing and teaching in the field of women’s history. CAWHC organized monthly meetings at the Newberry Library, where academic historians and young scholars presented their works in progress on women’s history topics to a supportive audience. These gatherings not only generated valuable feedback, they served as social and networking events, helping to create a women’s history community in Chicago.

During this time, CAWHC also organized and sponsored workshops, conferences, teacher training seminars, lectures, discussion groups, dramatic presentations, and walking and bus tours. CAWHC members were also frequently called upon for media appearances on radio and TV.

The first Women’s History Week in Chicago was organized in 1979 by members of CAWHC and others with a conference at the (Chicago Public Library) Chicago Cultural Center. CAWHC also worked with other groups to sponsor two “Don’t Throw It Away” conferences designed to train women’s organizations to save, organize, and preserve their archives and records.

More History to come, check back later!