California Story Fund
A Fine and Long Tradition
National Women’s History ProjectSanta Rosa
Project Director: Michelle Jolly
Stories of the women and men in the women’s movement in Sonoma County
This project will record and archive the stories of women and men involved in the women’s movement in Sonoma County from the 1960s to the present.
“The stories of activists in the women’s movement in Sonoma County reminds us that while the movement may have had a national impact, it was the grassroots activists in towns and counties across the country who initiated the ideas and programs that fueled national trends,” said Project Director Michelle Jolly. “And it was women in Sonoma County who created many groups and organizations, including the National Women’s History Project, Women’s History Week, the Sitting Room and the Women’s Studies Program at Sonoma State University.”
Jolly, an associate professor of history at Sonoma State University, will train students and paid student assistants to become the primary interviewers and transcribers. “Having students involved in the project will enable us to reach many more subjects and will give students an opportunity to find out more about the women’s movement from the people involved,” Jolly said.
The stories will be shared with the public at Sonoma State’s Arts and Lectures program in September 2007 as well as at several other venues. The interviews will be made available to researchers through the Bancroft Library.