No Publication Without Representation: A Case Study of Women's Activism in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian

• In Event: 16.014 - Gender Activism, Advocacy, and Policy Formation

Abstract

In 1978, women at the University of Massachusetts Amherst staged protests against the student newspaper, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, in support of specific pages and structure for the incorporation of women’s news. Taking place the same year that Title IX took effect, the protest efforts drew upon race-based arguments parallel to those present in the national conversation for women’s equality. Using a historical case study of archival materials, this study reveals the challenges within the protest over intersectionality, the emphasis on segregation over integration, and the divisions within the women’s movement present during the protests. The case study reveals the ways in which national policy implicitly framed local activism on campus, offering important implications for current utilizations of Title IX.

Author

• Genia Bettencourt, University of Massachusetts - Amherst