Voice of Women--New England (VOW-NE) was a peace organization formed in November 1962 when thirty women convened in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the goal of working against nuclear proliferation. The women chose the name because of the disarmament work of Voice of Women--Canada. They also considered themselves the New England branch of Women Strike for Peace, however, and periodically debated renaming the group.
VOW--NE’s initial efforts opposed nuclear testing and supported international disarmament. As news of U.S. involvement in Vietnam increased, the group shifted its focus to protesting the Vietnam war. Some of VOW--NE’s methods of protest included organizing and attending anti-war demonstrations both locally and nationally, writing letters to public officials, and publishing petitions in newspapers. The group also campaigned for peace candidates, including H. Stuart Hughes and Eugene McCarthy, sent delegates to anti-war and women’s rights conferences, and hosted foreign visitors dedicated to disarmament. VOW--NE published a monthly newsletter, which documented the anti-war movement and provided an analysis of news about the war in Vietnam and nuclear proliferation.
In all their endeavors, VOW--NE members sought to voice their outrage about war and to convince others to join them in protesting nuclear proliferation and U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The group was active until 1973 and gradually disbanded after the United States withdrew from Vietnam. In 1981, some of the members attempted to start a Voice of Women II, but the effort was unsuccessful. As is reflected in questionnaires completed in 1992 by former members at their 30th reunion, many of the women continued their political activism, remaining involved in the peace and other social movements.
From the guide to the Records, 1961-1998, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)
