ROADwomen Records

Collection

Identifier: 2011-014

Staff Only

The collection is primarily concerned with the River Oaks Area Democratic Women, though it also contains material for both Democrat and Republican political candidates. Material in the collection includes correspondence, business and financial records, photographs, and the organization’s publication, Register. The collection is divided into six series: Governance, ROADwomen Register, Events and Programs, Organizations, Campaign Materials, and Various Materials. All series are arranged topically and chronologically except for Organizations and Campaign Material, which are organized alphabetically by name group or candidate.

Dates

1994-2008
Majority of material found within 1997-2002

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian. Reproduction decisions will be made by Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis.

Extent

14.0 linear feet

Additional Description

Biographical Information

Incorporated in March 1997, the River Oaks Area Democratic Women's (ROADwomen) main goal was to fill a void in Democratic activity within the city of Houston, Texas. Organizations for Democratic women that had operated in the city prior to 1997 had fallen into inactivity leaving no representation for these politically activity women, as opposed to the twenty-five groups that existed for Republican women in Harris County. ROADwomen became a “home for the politically disengaged upwardly mobile Democratic woman” in the area. The goals for the ROADwomen were, and continue to be efforts to elect Democrats to office, with a special emphasis on electing pro-choice Democratic women; to influence the Democratic Party to continue its historic role as a party that promotes social justice and equal rights for all people; and act as an organization that educates Houstonians about important political issues affecting them.

The founding members consisted of Dalia Stokes, Elizabeth Guffy, Sherry Merfish, Muffie Moroney, Judy Reiner, and Kay Staley. Since 1997, the organization has worked with like-minded groups to support and elect quality Democratic candidates at all levels of government.