Off Our Backs records

Off Our Backs was a non-profit feminist news journal by, for, and about women, published from 1970 until 2008. It was the longest continuously published surviving feminist newspaper in the United States. The paper was run by a collective where all decisions were made by consensus. Although based out of Washington, D.C., the newsjournal covered local, national, and international topics pertaining to women's, feminist, and lesbian issues and culture. The mission of Off Our Backs was "to provide news and information about women's lives and feminist activism; to educate the public about the status of women around the world; to serve as a forum for feminist ideas and theory; to be an information resource on feminist, women's, and lesbian culture; and to seek social justice and equality for women worldwide." The collection includes material from the entire history of the newspaper, but the bulk of the collection dates from 1990-2006. The collection consists of correspondence, publications, financial records, personnel records, meeting minutes, subject files, directories, reports, drawings, photographs, posters, newsclippings, electronic records, microfilm, and memorabilia.