GSU Library Research Guides: Feminist Action Alliance History Project: Full History

Foreword by Suzanne Donner, Anne Deeley Easterly, and Joy Rogers

The “Atlanta Way” is a well-recognized and unique method the diverse and divergent Atlanta community comes together to get things done. Examples include desegregation of the Atlanta schools without riots, hosting a community celebration to honor Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace prize during a time of racial divide, and winning the 1996 Olympic Games despite immense odds against our selection.

Little did the collection of 18 feisty, mostly college-educated young women who formed the Feminist Action Alliance (ACTION) in 1974 realize they embodied the Atlanta Way. The founding members identified problems, set clear goals, forged productive partnerships with the business community, politicians, the media and not-for-profit organizations. They also had an unabashed Can Do attitude. Atlanta was a young city in the early 70’s with a high acceptance of bold, new ideas, leaders and entrepreneurs. ACTION met all of these criteria.

As you will learn from this rich history, the Feminist Action Alliance attacked major barriers to full participation of women in society. Targets included paltry political participation, restricted access to meaningful employment opportunities and advancement, archaic rape laws and attitudes about rape victims, lack of child care, and minimal exposure or recognition of women’s contribution to the arts. Of note, the Roe v Wade decision was decided on January 22, 1973. A woman’s right to control her own body was guaranteed. This was not an issue to be addressed at that time. (Little did we know what would transpire.)

The Feminist Action Alliance was solely focused on Atlanta and Georgia. The organization's leaders pinpointed problems and opportunities, set clear priorities and applied resources where ACTION could have a direct, positive impact on the lives of women. Despite having “Feminist” as the first word in the name, which was perceived as ’radical’ at the time, the leaders were mainstream and pragmatic. Most, if not all, of the members had felt or witnessed some negative consequences from pervasive sex discrimination of the time. However, the main driver for the group was problem solving. ACTION attracted women oriented to action not discussion, protesting, and consciousness raising; women who wanted to focus their skills and energy to areas where they could make an observable difference. The organization achieved impact by building, leveraging, and maintaining key relationships with elected officials, business leaders, and the Atlanta media.

ACTION members worked collaboratively and tirelessly for 10 years, focusing on reducing barriers to women’s full participation in society and devising ways to achieve outcomes. After 10 years of remarkable success, unlike many organizations, ACTION’s leadership knew when it was time to close doors. Founding members had moved on in their careers and opportunities for women had greatly increased over the decade. After 10 years of well-documented achievements and the founding of new organizations like the Atlanta Women’s Network, it was time to end. Now 50 years later, it is a story that needed to be preserved and told.

The legacy of activism continues today. Involvement in this start-up group, allowed young women to lead, build skills, gain self-confidence and have vision for a better life for girls and women. The women who were involved went on to create businesses, lead non-profit organizations, practice law and work as executives and senior managers in leading U.S. companies. Many married and raised enlightened and successful children. Many of its officers are alums of Atlanta’s premier leadership organization, Leadership Atlanta. Members were also recognized as Top Young People of Atlanta. Most, if not all, continue today to be volunteers and leaders in a wide variety of organizations.

An undertaking of this scope is a testimony of the impact ACTION had on the community and the lives of those involved. This effort took countless hours of research, fundraising, and sleuthing to find former members and uncover boxes of 50 year old records in dusty attics. This history is based on the compilation, examination and analysis of voluminous organizational records. Perhaps, the most important contribution to the history are the 14 oral histories and anecdotal input from those who led or were involved with the organization over 50 years ago. The history of the Feminist Action Alliance would not have been preserved and told without the support of Georgia State University Library and the Women’s Collections in the Library’s Special Collections and Archives, which document the history of women in Atlanta, Georgia, and beyond. This highly respected organization has collected and preserved records, secured access to ACTION’s records held by Emory University, and recorded 20 oral histories from the women involved in Action and other women’s organizations.

This history and the trove of information supporting it is now available to scholars, students, historians and the public to help them gain understanding and inspiration of how a small, focused group embraced the Atlanta Way and helped women achieve success over 50 years ago. The legacy continues.