History of the National Organization of Women: 60 Years of Feminist Activism

Age Group:

Adults
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Event Details

Title: The History of the National Organization for Women: 60 Years of Feminist Organizing

Date: Sunday 8 March 2026, 2:00 pm

Location: Calloway County Public Library, Community Room B

Series: Spring 2026 History Lecture Series

To celebrate Women’s History Month (March) and the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the National Organization for Women (June 1966), Dr. Christine Lindner explores the founders of the NOW movement, including Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray, and the major issues that NOW sought to address. This will be done by historically contextualizing the founding of NOW, its aims and goals within the dynamic environment of 1960s United States and international feminism. This presentation will also consider some of the challenges NOW faced (and continues to face), with particular consideration on its work for the Equal Rights Amendment. The presentation will also explore the history of NOW in western Kentucky, illuminating the local history of feminism in our region as part of the national movement.

The event is free, but donations of travel size personal hygiene products (body wash/soap, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant) as well as period products will be collected for distribution through MSU’s Oakley Student Resource Center and West KY NOW’s Pad the Pantries campaign. All are welcome!

Dr. Christine Lindner is an Associate Professor of History at Murray State University. She received a B.A. in History from Gordon College (USA), an M.A. in Women’s Studies with a concentration on the Middle East from Durham University (UK), and her Ph.D. in Middle East History from the University of Edinburgh (UK). Her research focuses on women and the family in the early Protestant community in Ottoman Syria as well as American women’s assertion of feminism through transnational activism in the Middle East. Since moving to Murray she has conducted research on local history, including movements for racial and gender justice. She has been a member of the West KY chapter of the National Organization for Women since 2017, and currently serves as the chapter president.