Veteran Feminists of America

Veteran Feminists of America (VFA) is a nonprofit organization for supporters and veterans of the Second Wave of the feminist revolution. It is the foremost national source of information about the modern women's movement for journalists, historians, archivists and writers. It was founded by Jacqueline Ceballos in 1992. Veteran Feminists of America regularly hosts reunions for second-wave feminists and events honoring feminist leaders. Veteran Feminists of America is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

VFA Mission statement

The purpose of Veteran Feminists of America is to honor, record and preserve the history of the accomplishments of women and men active in the feminist movement, to educate the public on the importance of the changes brought about by the women’s movement, and to preserve the movement’s history for future generations.

History

VFA was created with the goals of both remembering and recording the faces and retrospectives of the hundreds of pioneers who launched the 1960s Women’s Movement, often called the “Second Wave” of feminism.

At first, VFA gatherings consisted simply of a time and place to meet and reminisce, followed by an awards dinner captured for posterity on video. Those videotapes are now archived at the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute and at the Sallie Bingham Library at Duke.

Soon after their first reunion in 1992, Jacqueline Ceballos joined with Dorothy Senerchia and Mary Jean Tully to take the next step: creating a new organization. Muriel Fox and Sheila Tobias joined soon thereafter.

The name they chose, Veteran Feminists of America, was meant to be provocative: feminists were indeed “veterans” of gender battles and wars. In fact, the original idea for a name – Veterans of Feminists Wars – was rejected for potential legal issues.

During its first decade, VFA mainly honored individuals and groups for their work in establishing national and local organizations, raising public awareness about feminist issues, and lobbying for women’s rights. In time, VFA’s events spread geographically and reached into new areas.

In 1998, VFA Board member Barbara Love, with help from VFA members, set about compiling a directory of feminists. It was published in 2006 as Feminists Who Changed America: 1963-1975 (University of Illinois Press). The book is a collection of 2,220 biographies of second-wave feminists who accomplished significant activist work.^[1][2] It is also available as a searchable CD (www.fwca-cd.vetfems.org).

Feminists Who Changed America - along with the videos from 20 years of retrospective events - brings to life the history of Feminism’s Second Wave. They will help to ensure that the achievements of the women’s movement are not forgotten.

VFA Officers and Board

VFA Officers

Eleanor Pam, President; Muriel Fox, Chair of the Board; Jacqui Ceballos, Founder; Virginia Watkins, Secretary; Pam Ross, Treasurer; Barbara Love, VP Development; Sheila Tobias, VP Events; Mary-Ann Lupa, VP Membership

Special Portfolios

Heather Booth, Liaison/Outreach; Joan Michel, Editor at Large; Zoe Nicholson, Intergenerational; Judy Kaplan, Preservation; Karen Spindel, Data Manager

Board of Directors

Virginia Carter; Mary Jean Collins; Roxanne Barton Conlin; Joanne DePaola; Carole DeSaram; Amy Hackett; Dora Jacobson; Rebecca Lubetkin; Beverly McCarthy; Anita Murray; Kathy Rand; Carol Robles-Roman; Linda Stein; Marcy Syms; Grace Welch; Bonnie Wheeler; Martha Wheelock

Helen Pearl, Of Counsel; Sally Lunt, Parliamentarian