Lois Galgay Reckitt Papers Documents

Follow

• 

  Power Through Action. National Lesbian Rights Agenda. National Lesbian Rights Conference sponsored

  National Organzation for Women

  The National Lesbian Rights Conference was sponsored by NOW. Reckitt made notes throughout the agenda, but her annotations on pages 6 and 7 show her steady commitment to ERA, lesbian and gay rights, and helping all women.

• 

  The Family Crisis Shelter Program Description

  Family Crisis Shelter (Portland, Maine)

  Reckitt was one of the founders of the Family Crisis Shelter in 1977, to support and advocate for women suffering from domestic abuse. She served as its executive director from 1979-1984 and 1990-2015. This was probably Reckitt's single greatest contribution to social reform in Maine. 1977 was also the year that the National Women's Conference took place in Texas. Those from Maine returned to work on battered women's shelters, but the legislation they sponsored to fund such centers failed. So not only did Reckitt create a center, but the other Maine women, disappointed by the legisture, founded the Maine Women's Lobby in 1978.

• 

  Materials for February 9, 1985 NOW meeting in the New York Offices to plan a campaign for Lesbain & Gay rights

  Naional Organization for Women

  For the strategy meeting on lesbian and gay rights, NOW put together a packet of informtion including the meeting agenda, a draft informational pamphlet, an outline for a PAC manual on lesbian and gay rights, and draft resolutions to guide NOW's campaign.

• 

  Maine Coalition for Family Crisis Services minutes of January 20, 1984 meeting

  Maine Coalition for Family Crisis Services

  Although Reckitt would move to Washington in 1984 to become executive vice president of National Organization of Women in Washington, D.C., there was now a network of shelters pooling resources to address lesbian battering, rape, lobbying FEMA for funds, hosting conferences, and setting shelter standards.

• 

  NOW memorandum on how ERA would effect abortion funding and gay/lesbian marriage

  National Organization for Women

  Apparently Maine was concerned that passing ERA would allow for state funded abortions and allow for gay/lesbian marriage, but the opinion of the Maine Attorney General was that ERA would not support these rights. Reckitt, now Executive Vice President of NOW, recived a copy, but it also shows her ongoing interest in Maine pasing ERA.

• 

  Cartoon drawing "I want national recognition for the trouble I've had with this staff."

  Unknown

  This drawing, though not dated, its proximate to the two previous documents, and the mention of "natioanl recognition" sugggests it was a playful recogntion of Reckitt's 7 years sevice to the Family Crisis Shelter by an appreciative staff bidding her goodbye as she left for Washington.

• 

  Letter from the University Women's Forum, University of Maine Orono to Sisters

  Meri Edelstein

  This letter, which Reckitt filed under "Ageism and Women and Wage Discrimination," urges people to support LD842, which would establish state programs to help displaced homemakers, that is women left without financial support due to divorce or death of a spouse. There is a grest deal in Reckitt's papers about displaced homemakers and the wage discrimination women faced.

• 

  1977 Maine LD 1419 An Act to Include the Term "Sexual or Affectional Preference" in the Maine Human Rights Act

  Maine State Legislature

  Right next to the materials for the February 9, 1985 NOW meeting, Reckitt kept a copy of draft Maine legislation. Such legislation would not pass in Maine until 2005.

• 

  Letter from Joseph L. Bornstein to Lois Reckitt

  Law Offices of Joe Bornstein (Portland, Maine)

  Formal notification that the Westbrook School Board voted unanimously to pay Reckitt damages. Reckitt pursed social reform through her work with NOW and through the courts.

• 

  Lois Reckitt testimony prepared for Maine Human Rights Commission hearings

  Lois Galgay Reckitt

  Reckitt, as the state coordinator of NOW, testified at a hearing for the Maine Human Rights commission, urging "equal employment opportunities... prohibiton of sex discimintion in public facilities."

• 

  Complaint #76-274 filed in Cumberland County Superior Court by Lois Reckitt against the Westbrook School Committee

  Law Offices of Joe Bornstein (Portland, Maine)

  Reckitt, who served as the swimming director at the Portland YMCA from 1970-1979, was suing Westbrrook for choosing a less qualified male candidate the the postion of pool director for the Junior High School.

• 

  Letter from Bangor School Department to Maine Chapter of NOW

  Bangor School Department

  Reckitt had founded the Maine chapter of NOW in 1973 and this letter is the response to NOW's concern that female interscholastic sports are not supported at the same level as as male sports.