July 30, 1971
On July 16-18, the 123rd anniversary of the first women's
rights conference, held in Seneca Falls, N.Y., more than 1,000
women gathered in New York City to work out a united plan of
action aimed at winning total repeal of all laws restricting the
right of women to abortion.
Participation in the conference from every area of the country and every sector of society indicated the tremendous breadth of potential support around the issue of repeal of abortion laws.
There were old and young women, Black, Chicana, Asian- American and Puerto Rican women, working women, professional women, gay women, welfare women, church women, and women from the military. The University of Tennessee student government sent six sisters to the conference and paid their way. Several groups had brought their own banners and hung them around the auditorium - "New Haven Women's Liberation," "Grand Rapids, Michigan - Women Unite," and "University of California, Berkeley Female Liberation."
The Third World women's workshop of about 45 women voted unanimously in favor of the national abortion campaign and discussed ways of reaching Black, Chicana, Puerto Rican, Asian- American and Native American women. The workshop recommended that literature issued by the national abortion campaign should be printed in Spanish and should emphasize the involvement of Third World women.
July 27, 1946
DETROIT, July 16 - Answering the call of the United
Automobile Workers for a nationwide protest against rising
prices, more than 100,000 workers jammed Cadillac Square and
flowed into the adjoining streets this afternoon in the largest
mass rally in Detroit's history. Although the demonstration was
called for 5 p.m., every inch of available space in Cadillac
Square was filled an hour before schedule.
This rally was unique in that every section of labor was represented both in the crowd and on the speakers' platform. The UAW-CIO naturally predominated in this auto city but there was a huge outpouring workers from the other CIO unions, from the AFL, Railroad Brotherhood, Mechanics Educational Society, Foremen's Association, not to mention more than 40 civic and veteran groups.
Tens of thousands were kept from Cadillac Square by the hostile police, who closed off various cross streets in the immediate vicinity. The capitalist press had been playing down the demonstration, using every device to prevent a large attendance.
Several hundred workers picketed the Hudson Department Store with signs reading: "Hudson Charges the Highest Prices -Pays The Lowest Wages."