Miles to Go: Women Activists Reflect on the Road Traveled

The Foundation’s goal for Miles to Go: Women Activists Reflect on the Road Traveled is to preserve the voices of women who fought for significant gains to showcase activism: our purposes are to educate young people about local history that has a direct bearing on the rights they currently enjoy and to inspire them to continue fighting against injustice.

This hour-long documentary, which can be viewed below, is comprised of interviews, archival materials, and other narration or historical information. It premiered on September 30, 2014 at the Ross Film Theatre in Lincoln, NE.

Miles to Go: Women Activists Reflect on the Road Traveled

In the summer of 2013, The Women’s Foundation of Lincoln & Lancaster County began a video/audio project using oral histories to highlight individuals who were active in fighting for gender equality in Lincoln during the 1970s and early 1980s. The interviews were done with women who made important progress towards equality for Nebraska, each centering on salient issues such as: education, economic independence, legal standing, intimate partner violence, childcare and reproductive health. These twelve include women who were active in the Lincoln-Lancaster County Commission on the Status of Women and the Nebraska Coalition for Women.

THE STRUGGLE FOR WOMEN’S EQUALITY

Coordinating curriculum for Miles to Go

  • Teacher Materials

    Lesson plans for three 50-minute class periods aligned with Nebraska State Social Studies Standards (K-12 History & K-12 Civics) using Miles to Go as a central text. The lesson also includes: framing question, essential understanding, objective, and formative & summative assessments.

    Lesson Procedures (PDF)

  • Lesson Materials

    Two primary documents are included: the cover of a brochure created by the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1976, a timeline of the American Women’s Movement history, and an excerpt from NOWs Statement of Purpose in 1966. All documents include citations.

    Lesson Documents (PDF)

  • Student Materials

    Materials for student’s use include a graphic organizer for notes students take during the lesson and from primary documents about the goals of the women’s liberation movement, and a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the movement at the national level and in Nebraska.

    Student Pages (PDF)

Miles to Go audio segments

  • Ada Munson- Nebraska Coalition for Women

    Ina May Rouse- Displaced Homemaker Act

    Listen HERE

  • Beatty Brasch- former Executive Director of the Center for People in Need and long-time friend of Lincoln’s first woman Mayor, Helen Boosalis

    Listen HERE

  • Chris Funk- first Executive Director of the Lincoln-Lancaster Commission on the Status of Women

    Listen HERE

  • Helen Moore- second director of the Women’s Studies program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

    Listen HERE

  • Linda Pratt- former Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Nebraska

    Listen HERE

  • Lynn Roper- advocate for Title IX implementation

    Natalie Olson- former officer of the Lincoln-Lancaster Women’s Commission

    Listen HERE

  • Marcee Metzger- former Women’s Center director and Executive Director of Voices of Hope

    Listen HERE

  • Mary Jo Ryan- advocate for early childcare legislation and licensing of care centers

    Listen HERE

  • Rosemary Machacek- New Directions Center

    Listen HERE

  • Virginia Walsh- Nebraska Coalition for Women

    Listen HERE