The records of the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom document the various causes espoused by the League, notably its opposition to the Vietnam conflict and to the Gulf War. Locally, the group promoted education with its Jane Addams Book Award, worked closely with UNICEF, and fought for fair housing practices. These activities are also documented within the files. The League records show the group's continuous community involvement. The records are arranged into three series, Alpha File, Michigan Branch and Other Michigan Branches.
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was founded in 1915 while the United States was debating its possible involvement in World War I. The League, through the work of its members, was opposed any American participation in the war. Members of the League traveled to the Hague in 1915 where they met with women from other countries and made proposals on how to end the war. After the war the League continued to call for peaceful resolutions to conflicts in the United States and abroad. With the onset of the Second World War, the organization persisted in its efforts to strive for and maintain a peaceful society.
The activities of the group did not cease with the close of the Second World War. During the period of the Cold War, the group campaigned for an end to the production and further development of nuclear weapons. In 1948 the Ann Arbor - Ypsilanti Branch was founded to support this and the other causes of the national branch of the Women's League. The new group's bylaws articulated three objectives. The first of these objectives was to promote military non-violence for the United States and social non-violence between the races and classes. Its next objective was to help carry out the policies of the national branch by outwardly supporting those positions in the Ann Arbor community. Finally, it sought to develop educational programs at the state and national levels, through legislation, that would help WILPF carry out its goal of global non-violence.
In the 1960s the Ann Arbor - Ypsilanti Branch shifted its involvement from local issues to international issues when debate over the conflict in Vietnam escalated. The members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom were encouraged to write to their congressional representatives in Washington and persuade them to stop supporting the Vietnam conflict. Locally, the organization became vocal in their opposition to the war. Public interest in the group began to grow as its anti-war position became more popular. To increase public support for its position, the group held lectures, wrote op-ed pieces in the Ann Arbor News, led demonstrations and held fund raisers to support its efforts financially. When the Vietnam conflict ended, the organization shifted its interests back to more local issues. The group protested against some policies and practices of the City of Ann Arbor. It believed the city maintained unfair housing practices that discriminated against minorities. In another local fight the group protested a decision by the University of Michigan Regents to change its policy on research which could result in the loss of human life. Besides local causes, the group continues to remain active on national issues such as NAFTA, ensuring better race relations, crusading for abortion rights and the clean-up of the environment.
