Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project

The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP) is a collection of interviews created by Arden Eversmeyer for the Sophia Smith Collection to document and appreciate the lives of members of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC). The project contains over 150 interviews and transcripts, many of which include secondary documents pertaining to their subjects such as photographs, artwork, and newspaper clippings. The interviewees come from a variety of backgrounds and places but are all lesbians over the age of 70.

Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project
Established1997 (1997)
LocationNorthampton, MA
Collection
Size174 oral histories
WebsiteOld Lesbians Organizing for Change records, 1986-2018 (herstory project)

The ""Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project" is the culmination of the individual stories of some of the founding members of OLOC. Originally created by Arden_Eversmeyer the project seeks to expose the life stories of women from past generations, including images and other supplementary documents. Eversmeyer was inspired to gather these oral histories when she observed friends passing away in her area and was concerned that their stories would never be shared. While subjects such as feminism and civil rights are touched upon in many of the interviews, there is no common focus other than the shared experience of old lesbians. Much of the material is purely autobiographical in nature.[1]

Old Lesbians Organizing for Change

The Old Lesbians Organizing for Change were founded in 1987 in response to the combination of ageism and sexism affecting older lesbians. Their initial meeting was inspired by the publication of the book Look Me in the Eye: Old Women, Aging and Ageism by Barbara Macdonald and Cynthia Rich in 1983, 4 years prior.[2] The mission of the organization is to "To eliminate the oppression of ageism and to stand in solidarity against all oppressions" through “[the] cooperative community of Old Lesbian feminist activists from many backgrounds working for justice and the well-being of all old lesbians.[3] They were a major presence at a variety of national lesbian events such as the National Lesbian Conference in Atlanta in 1991 hosted by the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance and the March on Washington. Supporters may be of any age; however the minimum age of membership is 60 years old.[4] In 1992 OLOC reached an even higher level of legitimacy as they reached non-profit status in the state of Texas to continue their work.[5] OLOC continues to be an active force in pursuing the equality for all.

West Coast Old Lesbians Conference and Celebration

On April 24-26, 1987 at California State University Dominguez Hills, OLOC hosted the West Coast Old Lesbians Conference and Celebration, with international attention and attendance. The primary goal is for lesbians of age to explore commonalities and differences to identify where oppression impacts them. Through this conference these women wanted to gain strength, support, and friendship with other old lesbians through action for change.[6] From the conference over 200 lesbians mostly over the age of 60 walked away with new channels of activism supporting their experience, community education skills to talk about being Lesbians, feminism, and ageism, as well as social connections and comradery.[7][8] One of the major actions that came out of this conference is the formation of 5 different regional committees across the United States to support the mission and vision of OLOC and any local activism against any negative impact their respective communities.[9] With its huge success OLOC executed another West Coast Celebration on August 4-6, 1989 in San Francisco State University. Since then they continue to host national gathers, conferences, and celebration.

Old Lesbian Organizing Committee Newsletter

Old Lesbians Organizing Committee came fruition of the second West Coast Conference and Celebration in 1989 by OLOC. This committee’s goal was to connect old lesbians more consistently throughout the year and not just every two years at the national conferences. They created newsletter that began circulating in 1990 as a tool for those women who were interested in action in their communities. The newsletter included conversations about housing issues, environmental justice, issues of invisibility and stereotypes, calls to action, and the happenings of OLOC.[10]

Community Education

A central component of OLOC is their community education efforts. They created workshops and talks about a variety of topics regarding their lived experience. Some of their workshops were “I didn’t say mother, I Said Lover: Younger Partners of Old Women,” “Confronting Ageism,” “Sharing Skills for Personal Empowerment, “Coming Out as an Old Lesbian,”and others about the intersections of race, gender, age, and lesbianism.[11][12]

References
  1. "Old Lesbians Organizing for Change Herstory History". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  2. "Old Lesbians Organizing for Change Records". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  3. Old Lesbians Organizing for Change records 1986-1992 (Box 1) housed in the UCLA Library Special Collections
  4. "Old Lesbians Organizing for Change About Page". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  5. "Old Lesbians Organizing for Change Herstory". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  6. Old Lesbians Organizing for Change records 1986-1992 (Box 1)
  7. Old lesbians celebrate Healey, Shevy.Off Our Backs; Washington Vol. 30, Iss. 6, (Jun 2000): 11-14.
  8. Respect: Why Are These Old Lesbians Smiling? Mountaingrove, Ruth.Off Our Backs; Washington Vol. 35, Iss. 9/10, (Sep/Oct 2005): 43-45
  9. Old Lesbians Organizing for Change records 1986-1992 (Box 1)
  10. Old Lesbians Organizing for Change records 1986-1992 (Box 2)
  11. Old Lesbians Organizing for Change records 1986-1992 (Box 3)
  12. Ardella Tibby papers, 1941-1989 housed in the UCLA Library Special Collections
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