Bonnie Atwood papers

The Bonnie Atwood papers, 1965-2005, is a collection of research and reference materials used by Virginia feminist Bonnie Atwood. The papers provide insight into the beliefs and methodologies of grassroots second-wave feminist activists during the 1960s and 1970s.

Series 1: Subject Files, 1965-2001: The bulk of the collection is comprised of subject files collected by Atwood, which reflect her interests and areas of advocacy. The primary focuses of the materials are feminism, civil rights, and anti-war movements. The majority of the subject files relate to Atwood's involvement in feminist causes. The files pertain to women's health, women's history, women in the news, and general feminist theory and are primarily in the form of pamphlets, essays, newsletters, and flyers. Files related to specific feminist groups and goals Atwood supported include the International Institute for Women's Studies in Northern Virginia, the Virginia Foundation for Women, and the Washington Women's Liberation Bulletin which all operated to educate women on the core concepts of second-wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s.

An additional theme represented in Atwood's subject files is anti-war material. Included are studies and informational pamphlets exploring the effects of the Vietnam War and the draft on society, as well as material promoting protests and legislative action against the war. Correspondence included in the series is primarily with Virginia congressmen requesting action regarding the Vietnam War.

The flyers within the collection represent a wide range of topics and events which Atwood supported. Most of them promote local protests and demonstrations in the Northern Virginia and Richmond areas, while others are informational in nature to raise awareness of feminist or anti-war causes.

Series 2: Alternative News Publications and Magazines, 1969-2005: Atwood’s collection also contains various issues of alternative press publications. Many of the publications focus primarily on the promotion of non-traditional radical activism. Topics include women's liberation, anti-war, and anti-government columns. While the collection does not include full runs of the publications, the issues kept by Atwood reflect her opinions on these topics.

The series includes sporadic consecutive issues for the years 1969-1970 for the alternative newspapers Alice, Broadside, Guardian, and Quicksilver Times. Additionally, the series contains one-off issues of other alternative publications such as the first issue of Off Our Backs, a feminist and lesbian focused news publication which includes subjects that today would be described as LGBTQ+. Also found in this series are activist magazines, such as The Ragged Edge and Mouth Magazine, written to raise awareness about living with physical and mental disabilities.