Laura X

Laura X
Born	Laura Rand Orthwein, Jr. 1940 (age 80–81) St. Louis, Missouri
Nationality	United States Citizen
Other names	Laura Shaw Murra (legal name)
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Library Director, Lecturer, Activist Archivist
Years active	1960 - present
Organization	Women's History Research Center National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape
Known for	Reviving International Women's Day, Founding National Women's History Month, Compiling and publishing the records of the Women's Movement 1968-1974. Activism against date and marital rape
Notable work	Article: Sexual Liberation is a Hoax, Women's Songbook; Female Artists, Past and Present; Films by and/or about Women; Bibliography on Rape; Women and Religion Bibliography.
Movement	Feminist Twenty-one social justice movements.
Website	lauraxinstitute.org ncmdr.org

Laura X (born Laura Rand Orthwein, Jr.; in St. Louis, Missouri in 1940), is one of the world's leading advocates pertaining to the women's movement and a wide array of precursors and overlapping social movements from the second half of the 20th century.

Laura X changed her name in 1962 to Laura Shaw Murra, which remains her legal name, and each of her other two sets of names she uses as an AKA. She took the name Laura X, on September 17, 1969, to symbolize her rejection of men's legal ownership of women and the anonymity of women's history, which was stolen from women and girls. She declared that, like Malcolm X, "I don't want to have my owner's name, either."^[1]

Education and background[]

After attending Vassar College for three years, 1958 to 1961, Laura X moved to New York City, became a Head Start Program teacher in the pilot program, having trained at the University of Puerto Rico. She also rose to Picket Captain in CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), attended New York University (NYU), and took graduate courses at Bank Street College of Education. Following her interests and research developed at Vassar College,^[2] she worked with the American Committee on Africa to welcome delegates from 17 newly independent states, 16 from Africa, join the UN - the biggest increase in membership in any one year^[3] - and to picket Chase Manhattan Bank about their investments in South Africa. In 1963, she moved to Berkeley, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (UC-Berkeley), in 1971, having participated in the Free Speech Movement,1964, as well as other social justice movements.

Women's History Research Center[]

Laura X is the founder and was the director of the Women's History Research Center, in Berkeley, California, which was the first historical archive connected to the late 20th century women's movement, a feminist movement.^[4][5] Laura X founded the Women's History Research Center in 1968 after a University of California, Berkeley professor expressed doubt that there was enough material on women to fill a quarter's course in history.^[1] By 1970 the Women's History Research Center was widely listed in early feminist publications. The Center put many of the early feminist writings on microfilm, making them available in libraries across the country.^[4] The Women's History Research Center eventually closed, and its collections are now held in the women's history archive at the Schlesinger Library, which is part of Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and at other institutions.^[6][7]

International Women’s Day and National Women’s History Month[]

Laura X was responsible for the revival of International Women’s Day (IWD) and the founding of National Women’s History Month.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Laura X is believed to have coined the term “herstory” when she founded the Herstory Library in July 1968. In February, 1969, in response to the above mentioned University of California, Berkeley professor, Laura X created the "Herstory Synopsis",^[12] a list of 1,000 women from world history, and nailed it to the professor’s door. Laura X and her list inspired Berkeley Women’s Liberation to organize a parade demonstration on International Women’s Day.^[13]

At the same time, just before IWD 1969, Laura thought it unfair for half the human race to have only one day a year and called for National Women’s History Month to be built around IWD.^[14] She and the general public regularly participated in Black History Week; the precursor to Black History Month (1970) was Negro History Week, which began in 1926.

Laura’s Women's History Library (formerly Herstory Library) created, published and distributed many 'firsts': Women's Songbook; Female Artists, Past and Present; Films by and/or about Women; Bibliography on Rape; Women and Religion Bibliography. ^[14]

From 1968-1974, Laura X’s Women’s History Library collected nearly a million documents “on the changing lives of women,” including the serials from the original Herstory Library: a collection on women’s health and mental health, and a collection on women and law. The WHL published and distributed these documents on microfilm. According to NCMDR, WHL contains “the only comprehensive record of the women’s movement, nationally and internationally”^[14]

In 1989, when the Women’s History Research Center, Inc. ceased operations, the microfilms were donated to the National Women's History Project in Santa Rosa, California^[14] which had successfully lobbied Congress and President Carter to make National Women's History Week official,^[15] and then President Reagan issued a proclamation designating March as National Women’s History Month^[16]

The National Women’s History Project now goes by the name National Women’s History Alliance^[17] and has provided year round resources for K -12, universities and libraries.

Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Associate[]

In 1977, Laura X became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP).^[18] WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media.

National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape[]

In 1978 the Women's History Research Center established the National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape in Berkeley, California, with Laura X as director, ncmdr.org.^[19]

Marital and Date Rape Legislation[]

In 1979 Laura X led a successful campaign to make marital rape a crime in California.^[19] She also acted as a consultant to 45 other state campaigns on marital and date rape, as well as collecting and maintaining documents about the status of exemptions from prosecution in rape laws.^[19] Repeal of date and marital rape exemptions occurred in 45 states, in Federal and military law, in the laws of Guam and the laws of twenty other countries.^[20]

In September 1999 Laura X published her memoir "Accomplishing the Impossible: an Advocate's Notes from the Successful Campaign to Make Marital and Date Rape a Crime in All 50 U.S. States and Other Countries" in Violence Against Women: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal. ^[21]

Public service[]

Laura X served in 1985 with United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop on the National Task Force on Violence as a Public Health Issue.^{[citation needed]}

Social Media[]

Twitter:

Instagram:

TikTok:

Facebook:

Awards and recognitions[]

In recognition of her achievements, Laura X received

• Commendation by the American Library Association, 1971^{[citation needed]}
• Woman of Achievement award (from Mademoiselle Magazine),
• World Congress of Victimology Award for Innovative Programs and Services,
• Commendation Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, 1985.^[20]
• In 2009, Laura X was honored by the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) receiving the Trailblazers Award.^[22] In celebration of Women's History Month, women faculty, staff, students and alumnae who were the first to occupy positions traditionally held by men, and/or have worked to forge new pathways for women, and/or have contributed significantly to the University and/or community are recognized at the Trailblazer event.

Broadcast Media[]

Laura has been a guest on the Television shows:

• "Phil Donahue"^[23]
• "Sally Jessy Raphael"
• "Geraldo"
• "Gary Collins"^[24]
• "60 Minutes"
• "Today"
• "Seattle Today"
• "The Mark Walberg Show"

among others as subject matter expert on marital and date rape and other social justice matters.

Social Media[]

Twitter: @LauraX1969 Facebook: //laurarorthweinjr

Laura X World Institute[]

In 2015, Laura X formed the 'Laura X - Laura Rand Orthwein, Jr. World Institute on Social Justice Movements.' Located physically in St. Louis, Missouri, the Institute serves as the home of both the physical archive which total over 400,000 individual items of history, the virtual museum, and the interpretation center for archival materials extant at UC Berkeley, Harvard, University of Illinois, University of Houston, University of Missouri Saint Louis, New York Historical Society, Wisconsin State Historical Society, and other institutions, including guides to the Women's History Research Center (WHRC). Total items at universities around the world are over 1,000,000 items of history. Laura X serves as the Institute's activist-in-residence and together with others offers interpretation and teaching to enrich communities in St Louis via in-person events and around the world through online virtual exhibitions.

The collection pertains to the Women's Movement and a wide array of precursors and overlapping social movements from the second half of the 20th century, including materials from Laura X's successful state-by-state campaign to abolish the legal privilege for marital and date rape. She began collecting materials in 1964 and has been committed to this effort ever since. The Institute's Archives make historical research and presentation possible. Archive staff is currently engaged in cataloging the 580+ boxes of materials, in order to keep them vibrant, accessible, and available for researchers and other interested parties. Once finished, this archive will be a resource for students, professors, historians, film documentarians, museums, exhibitions, high school teachers, and the general public.^[25]

References[]