Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Access to this collection is restricted because it is unprocessed. Portions of the collection may contain recent administrative records and/or personally identifiable information. Please contact an archivist for more information.
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Summary
- Abstract:
- This collection contains material related to Joan Butcher's lesbian and feminist activism and other work in New York State and the Capital Region.
- Extent:
- 1.0 cubic ft.
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Joan Butcher Papers, 1981-2019. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Butcher Papers).
Background
- Scope and Content:
This colleciton contains subject files; news clippings; correspondence; artifacts, including buttons, magnets, andpins; audio cassettes. There are materials documenting Joan Butcher's lesbian and feminist activism and other work in New York State and the Captial Region including the National Organization for Women (NOW) New York State and Albany chapters, the Women's Building, the Capital District Lesbian and Gay Community Center, and the New York StateWide Senior Action Council.
- Biographical / Historical:
Joan Butcher, born October 1943 in New York, came to her full lesbian, feminist activism after teaching for years in public and special education schools, including teaching students with learning disabilities. During a brief stint as a paralegal assistant with a New York City law firm, she began attending Westchester National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter meetings and joined a consciousness raising group. The slow progress for approval of the Federal Equal Rights Amendment; as well as multiple injustices towards women, LGBTQ and other disenfranchised communities made her decide in her late thirties to devote the rest of her work life to fighting injustice.
She moved to Albany to become the NOW-New York State office manager and chair of its lesbian rights task force as well as the office coordinator and member of the board of the Women's Building of Albany. Other employment included public information coordinator and newsletter editor for the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, rural health project coordinator for the StateWide Senior Action Council and project coordinator of the Speakout on Teen Pregnancy.
Butcher was one of the convenors and co-chair of the New York State Lesbian Gay Lobby (a coalition of 40 state and local organizations) and chair of the New York State Human Rights Advisory Council in Albany. Butcher was honored for her work and activism, receiving the following awards: Albany NOW Making Waves, New York State Human Rights Advisory Council and Human Rights Players, and the Harvey Milk for Activism for the LGBTQ community.
Using her gift for music and belief in its power to unite hearts and open minds Butcher also was involved in creating and sharing local fame with a variety of youth, elderly, feminist and Unitarian non audition choruses.
Butcher received a BA from Wagner College, Staten Island, in 1967 and her MS from SUNY Potsdam in 1968. Although she was born, raised, educated, and worked in New York State throughout her life, the desire to leave its winter weather caused her to move to Florida in 2010.
- Acquisition information:
- Joan Butcher donated all items in this collection in 2023.
- Processing information:
The collection is unprocessed.
- Arrangement:
The collection is currently unprocessed and is not yet arranged. Individual items may be difficult to find.
- Physical location:
- The materials are located onsite in the department.
Contents
Access
Using These Materials
- ACCESS:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Access to this collection is restricted because it is unprocessed. Portions of the collection may contain recent administrative records and/or personally identifiable information. Please contact an archivist for more information.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
This page may contain links to digital objects. Access to these images and the technical capacity to download them does not imply permission for re-use. Digital objects may be used freely for personal reference use, referred to, or linked to from other web sites.
Researchers do not have permission to publish or disseminate material from these collections without permission from an archivist and/or the copyright holder.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and/or by the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. More information about U.S. Copyright is provided by the Copyright Office. Additionally, re-use may be restricted by terms of University Libraries gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks.
The Department of Special Collections and Archives is eager to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified so that appropriate information may be provided in the future.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Joan Butcher Papers, 1981-2019. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Butcher Papers).