Material Discussed:
Belle S. Spafford: “Latter-day Saint Women in Today’s Changing World”; BYU Speeches
Barbara B. Smith: “Barbara B. Smith’s Media Presence: Shaping the LDS Women Identity during the ERA Movement” by Professor Cornelius M. Lambi
Beverly Campbell - Beverly Campbell: Church Public and International Affairs Director by Mary Jane Woodger and Brooke Anderson (good overview of Beverly Campbell’s background)
Discussion:
The Equal Rights Amendment and the arc of the Relief Society’s growth is interesting.
For further study, see the Carol Lyn Pearson diaries
President Barbara Smith pushed back on the correlation committee’s efforts to control the Relief Society
Jill Derr figured out the wording of “I now turn the key to you” (See Jill Mulvay Derr, Carol Cornwall Madsen, Kate Holbrook, and Matthew J. Grow, eds., The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women's History.)
President Barbara Smith and Beverly Campbell made the difference with the temple representation of Eve and temple language regarding women
Belle Spafford 1975- “In my opinion the broadcasters bypassed one happening more significant, perhaps, in its long-range impact on home, community, and national life than any of those mentioned. I refer to the advancement made by women in their efforts toward emancipation from what they regarded as existing restraints that encumbered their full development and usefulness. Women have been active in working toward specific goals in relation to this for years, but 1974 was different. It was a year of intensified effort in a vast scope of diversified areas, and gains were pronounced.” https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/at-the-pulpit/part-3/chapter-40?lang=eng
Remarkable use of the word “emancipation,” describing women’s efforts to remove restraints placed upon them
President Barbara Smith: Is there a law which is unfair to men? If so, change it through the legislative process. Is there a law [that] is unfair to women? If so, change it. Seek redress in the legislatures, in the courts, through presidential decree, or by group action. Make sure that each law is carefully considered individually. Insist on the enforcement of laws in an orderly process as exemplified by the greatest suffragette leaders of the past. As you do, make sure the uniqueness of the individual is protected and the family strengthened. https://ijgws.thebrpi.org/journals/ijgws/Vol_4_No_1_June_2016/3.pdf
Her persistence made a difference
“However, when asked in a published interview what she thought her defining character trait was Smith did not cite any special talent or propensity, but responded that it was her persistence.”
One of our members moved into the McLean, VA ward during this time—Beverly Campbell and Sonja Johnson were in her stake. Beverly was the classiest woman she had ever met.
We’ve been told how to work with men—why? Why can’t they just deal? Why are we changing ourselves? Let them figure it out and learn to communicate successfully with women in leadership.
We don’t just start out with the shrill voice—voices become shrill when no one is listening.
Where are we today? How are we doing? We are in a critical culture—much less tolerant.
Boys being pummeled by videos, society,
Room for both strong women and strong men
How does knowing this history help?
Still far too many meetings with only men, and no women, making decisions for the church.
So many women don’t know any of this history in the name of simplifying their lives—It is producing women who see everything and think it is just fine
“Should Mormon Women Speak Out? Thoughts on Our Place in the World” by Claudia L. Bushman - Claudia Bushman’s 2007 essay is excellent, particularly starting with this paragraph through to the end, where she outlines four ways we can make a difference:
What do Mormon women want and how should they get it? What I say they want is respect, acknowledgment, useful positions, and space to make their own way in the Church and the world. They want an equal voice in their families, the Church, and the community. They want to exist outside the confines of the ward or the household. So here is my practical list of ways to manage the system while continuing as members of the Church in good standing. We do not want to sacrifice our membership in the Church or our reputations as reasonable people in a quest to assert ourselves.
Women in the front of our sacrament meeting, as much as possible, can make a difference for the younger women
Empower our young women to show them the power they have—what are they building? We are all building a path to Jesus Christ. Knowing our power helps us to remove or work around the obstacles.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 8th - First 50 years of Relief Society — Part 2 - 1854-1866