The Jacksonville, Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women was founded on August 26, 1970. On January 3, 1971, NOW Jacksonville was granted a national charter. Early functions of the organization included outreach and lobbying activities: forming consciousness raising groups; lobbying city officials to appoint more women to public boards and commissions; disseminating questionnaires to candidates running for local political office; producing a first newsletter (NOW, Jacksonville Call to Action); exploring day care services in Jacksonville; forming a speaker's bureau for lecture engagements and panels; sponsoring a symposium on abortion law; participating in national affirmative action projects; spearheading the local Alliance for Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; helping to organize the Duval County Women's Political Caucus; and opening the women's self-help center, Options, Inc. In 1974, NOW Jacksonville started the Women's Rape Crisis Center, and in the next two years, helped to finance the opening of Hubbard House to provide counseling and aid to battered women. In October 1975, NOW Jacksonville officially separated from the Jacksonville Women's Movement, which incorporated as a separate organization. The materials were collected by Vicki L. Wengrow, the first Convenor of the NOW Jacksonville chapter and one of its founding Directors in 1970. Wengrow remained an activist in the Women's Movement and NOW Jacksonville for many years.
From the guide to the National Organization for Women, Jacksonville, Florida, and Jacksonville Women's Movement Collection, 1969-2002, 1970-1976, (UNF Library Special Collections and University Archives)
