This recording consists of Nancy Adamson's interview with Dawn St Amant, which takes place on 1 May 1992 at a restaurant during lunch. They discuss a variety of topics, including Dawn's early work assisting victims of domestic and intimate partner violence; daycare; the role and dynamics of mothers and wives in families, including the impact of her Catholic Italian heritage; her work in Thunder Bay with the Women's Centre, Birth Control Centre at the University, and Catholic family development; lesbian women in Thunder Bay; [indigenous] women's organization and cooperation; political feminism, including socialist and radical feminism and the role of education and how it impacts roles within women's movement - women not from Thunder Bay more likely to call themselves socialists, marxists, etc.; Congress of Canadian Women; young women's involvement in social development.
This recording consists of Nancy Adamson's interview with Wendy McPeake in Ottawa on 9 September 1992. Wendy discusses her early involvement with the women's movement, and working for group and organization phone lines, predominantly with the Women's Centre in Ottawa. She notes that she was drawn into the women's movement after reading feminist literature, becoming involved in CR [consciousness raising] groups whilst in Europe, and following the birth of her child. Wendy and Nancy discuss women's newsletter; differences and controversies in the women's movement in Ottawa and in Canada; employment and volunteering; views towards marriage, relationships, children and motherhood; the formation and dissolution of groups; lesbianism and lesbian action within the women's movement; feminist consciousness and its evolution; queer identity; clothing style and perceptions; francophone women's involvement; group meetings and their historical record; left-wing politics and groups; and more. Wendy also briefly discusses her involvement with Interval House early on as a volunteer and as a board member in 1992. [There is a pause between A and B sides of the tape in this recording at 00:53:30-00:54:34.] In the second half of the recording, Wendy and Nancy revisit several of the above-mentioned topics and further discuss radical feminism's views on pornography; the Women's Centre and Upstream closures in 1980; the task force on violence against women and NAC conference; SORWUC [Service, Office and Retail Workers of Canada]; a women's strike; take back the night in Ottawa; and more. Nancy discusses the move of the women's movement archives [CWMA] to the University of Ottawa and record keeping within the women's movement more generally. [Note that throughout some sections of the recording there are pauses due to interruptions, including to eat dinner and for a telephone call (00:38:00-00:40:30)].
This recording consists of Nancy Adamson's interview with Helen Levine in Ottawa at the School of Social Work at Carleton University, on 11 August 1992. Levine speaks about her early involvement with the women's movement beginning in the 1960s, as well as other socio-political groups, demonstrations and organizations in Ottawa, including the Women's Resource Group, the Women's Centre, Women's Place, a Marxist feminist group, [CR] conscious-raising groups, Interval House, the Abortion Caravan, the Communist Party, and more. Levine and Adamson discuss politics, age, radical/liberal/Marxist feminism, and compare the women's movement across Canada (particularly in Toronto) to the movement in Ottawa. Later topics discussed include women's studies courses. Levine's work at Carleton University [in the Faculty of the School of Social Work], reflections on the topic of race and changes within the women's movement, etc. Throughout the interview, Levine touches on her personal life and struggles. [There is a pause in the recording between A and B side at 53:24, the conversation begins again at 53:28].
This recording consists of Nancy Adamson's interview with Leni Untinen and Lisa Bengsston, 1 May 1992 in Thunder Bay. At the time of the interview, Leni Untinen was the coordinator for Northwest Ontario Decade Council and noted becoming involved in the women's movement in 1978 and the council in 1981, and Lisa Bengsston worked with women's program secretary of state and had been involved in the women's movement and women's issues since 1974. They discuss difficulties in finding funding for groups, the establishment and work of the Decade Council, which as a non-charity was capable of lobbying, including the role of the Council in the community and their interractions with NAC [National Action Committee on the Status of Women]. Several individuals and groups are mentioned throughout the interview, including the Northern Women's Centre and Ontario Native Women. They also discuss relations between Indigenous women and white women, language (English, Oji-Cree and French), interactions between Indigenous and Francophone communities in Thunder Bay, representations of feminists and work in the media, and more. [There is some sound distortion before a pause in the recording between A and B side at 53:22 and 53:30].
