In 1970, Bread and Roses, a group of Socialist-Feminist women in Boston, Massachusetts, began searching for a building to house a center for women. In March 1971, Bread and Roses seized an unoccupied building, owned by Harvard University, on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Bread and Roses held the building for ten days, offering free classes and child care before they were forced out. Sympathetic individuals donated $5,000, and in June 1971, Bread and Roses bought a house in Cambridge. The Women's Center (later incorporated as the Women's Educational Center) opened in January 1972. The Women's Educational Center is committed to the philosophy that women, empowered by taking responsibility for their lives, are able to help themselves and effect change in their communities. Staffed mostly by volunteers, the Women's Educational Center provides women with referrals to outside community resources, including doctors, therapists, lawyers, clinics, housing and job opportunities. Over time, some of the groups that have met at the Women's Educational Center have developed into independent organizations, such as the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, Finex House, Incest Resources, and Transition House, a shelter for women and children who are escaping violent home situations.
From the description of Women's Educational Center records, 1971-1998. (Northeastern University). WorldCat record id: 51056134
