History

In 1915 American women did not have the right to vote, but they did take their citizenship seriously. In anticipation of gaining the ballot, 100 women leaders of the suffrage movement founded a new institution to discuss local issues and to decide on common political action.

• Alice Duer Miller, novelist/screenwriter, was the first WCC President. In 1917 woman suffrage passed in New York State. Enfranchised women found in the newly named Women's City Club a vehicle for affecting public policy in NYC.

• Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of New York State and First Lady of the United States of America, was Legislative Director of the Women's City Club of New York.

• Frances Perkins, President Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor and the first woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet. Female leaders from many disciplines found a home in the WCC.

• Dorothy Schiff, President and Publisher of the New York Post

• Helen Hayes, actress

• Ruth Watson Lubic, nurse-midwife and a 1993 winner of a MacArthur Award and founder of the National Association of Childbearing Centers

• Virginia Gildersleeve, dean of Barnard College and commander of the World War II WAVES

• Ida Tarbell, legendary investigative journalist

All of these women contributed to the WCC's history of activism. It is a history that responds to the needs of the times. Here are examples of our activities through the years.

1916 -- Published its first brochure, Should Women Be Admitted to the Columbia Law School?

1917 -- Campaigned for legislation to allow physicians to dispense birth control information.

1918 -- Financed and operated the first free maternity center in the country.

1937 -- Published Women on Jury Duty, advocating equal participation.

1944 -- Drafted and ensured passage of first New York State Child Labor laws.

1950s -- Successfully advocated the overhaul of the City's juvenile justice system.

1967-- Surveyed the effectiveness of the six community colleges in the City University system.

1975 -- Instrumental in establishing the NYC Commission on the Status of Women. Called on the NYS Legislature to endorse the ERA.

1978 -- Formed the Coalition for Improved Nursing Home Care.

1988 -- Organized 61 advocacy and provider organizations into the Coalition for Homeless Women.

1990 -- Published Directory of Housing Resources for Homeless Women, an aid for social work and other professionals. Updated in 1992.

1993 -- Published Spotlight: Multicultural Education in NYC Public Schools; Privatization: An Analysis of the Issue.

1995 -- Produced Meeting the Challenge: Promoting HIV/AIDS Awareness Among Adolescents and Young People, a video of youth speaking to youth used by the NYC Board of Education.

1997 -- Organized day-long conference: Microenterprise: Can it Work in NYC?, supported by the American Express Foundation.

1998 -- Organized day-long conference: The Conscience of the City: Women and Their Organizations, supported by Consolidated Edison, as part of the 100th birthday of the consolidation of the five boroughs into one City, which celebrated women's contributions to the civic life of this City over the last century and proposed strategies for future action.

2003 -- Sponsored panel on Campaign Finance Reform, exploring the weakness of present laws, how those laws are enforced, and worked with a coalition to update campaign legislation.

2004 -- Joined a coalition of civic organizations in support of the Roadmap for Reform: 10 Steps Lawmakers Can Take To Change Albany.

2005 -- Revitalizing Citizen Participation for the 21st Century Conference launched WCC’s 90th Anniversary to promote, motivate and mobilize civic group action.

2006 -- Joins coalition: Unlock the Block: release the vote that challenges felony disenfranchisement laws preventing individuals convicted of a felony from voting.

For more information about WCC's achievements and actions, see "Public Policy Positions" and "Highlights of Our Achievements".