Nothing Less Than Justice

About the Research Cluster

This website, a collaboration between student, community, and faculty researchers across the state of California and beyond, offers a glimpse of the many women who were inspired to represent their communities and their interests, at the state and national levels. Our original University of California, Irvine research team began their work in 2017, inspired by the 40th anniversary of the 1977 National Women’s Conference. We were joined by research teams based at CSU-Sacramento, UC Davis, UC San Diego, and beyond. We have had an ongoing collaboration with the University of Houston’s Sharing Stories project (https://sharingstories1977.uh.edu/), and our student researchers have been contributing biographies and research essays to their efforts to document the 1977 NWC.

Meet the Project Leads

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu | UCI
Associate Dean, School of Humanities

Director, Humanities Center

Director, Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging (C-LAB)

Professor, Departments of History and Asian American Studies

I became interested in researching the 1977 National Women’s Conference in 2017, the 40th anniversary of the conference. The subject of my research at that time, Patsy Takemoto Mink - the first woman of color in Congress - had co-sponsored legislation that authorized this national gathering. After participating in a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar at the University of Houston, I came back to the University of California, Irvine, and recruited a team of students to begin research the NWC. We initially focused on the Asian American and Pacific Islander women who participate at the NWC, the topic of my current book project. We traveled together back to Houston to present our research at the 40th anniversary conference for the 1977 National Women’s Conference.

Now that the University of Houston is launching a digital humanities project to document the entire NWC, I have been working with students and faculty at UCI and beyond to research the delegates elected from California. We also are developing a primary source collection and writing an article about the California statewide meeting. And, I’m helping to launch similar research teams across the country.

I’m enormously proud of the work of our students, who are uncovering the lives and activism of women whose achievements continue to be overlooked. It is particularly fitting that we are using crowd source methods of research to document the impact of the National Women’s Conference, which itself was a grassroots mobilization that took place across fifty states and six territories. We hope what we share will fulfill the call of the 1977 “Declaration of American Women.” The attendees of the 1977 National Women’s Conference were there “to move history forward.” We seek to move history forward as well by bringing attention to the women who were inspired to participate at the NWC.

I am a historian of US women’s and gender history and regularly teach the history of feminism in my courses. In the winter of 2022, I made research on the California delegates to 1977 National Women’s Conference central to my undergraduate seminar on feminism in the United States. Working with this UC Davis team of undergraduate students has been an honor. They have been a model of collaborative research at its best, navigating the ups and downs of primary research, analyzing the significance of their findings, and taking head on the challenges and responsibilities of telling someone else’s story.

My interest in such team projects initially took off while working with my colleague Ellen Hartigan-O’Connor to prepare the Oxford Handbook of Women’s and Gender History. It then grew when I served as one of the Principal Investigators working with teams of faculty and graduate students on the #EmpireSuffragSyllabus and on a separate project recovering the histories of women in the past connected to national parks. The UC Davis undergraduate team’s efforts have shown again the possibilities of such team-oriented investigation for addressing the silences of the archive in women’s history.

Lisa G. Materson | UC Davis
Professor in History

Rebecca Jo Plant | UC San Diego
Professor in History

Rebecca Jo Plant is a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego. She is the author of Mom: The Transformation of Motherhood in Modern America (Chicago), coauthor (with Frances M. Clarke) of Of Age: Boy Soldiers and Military Power in the Civil War Era, and a proud recipient of UC San Diego’s Distinguished Teaching Award. During Winter Quarter of 2021, students in her American Women/American Womanhood course completed biographical sketches of California delegates to 1977 National Women’s Conference. The assignment ended up being a way to keep students actively engaged during the dark days of covid, when all instruction was online.

Meet UC Irvine Student Researchers

Oldhina Alatriste

My major is Criminology with a minor in Political Science. I want to work in something related to my major but I am not sure what in specific I want to have a career as. I love to smile and to make people smile.

Emily Anderson

Emily Anderson graduated from UC Irvine with honors in 2021 and holds a B.A. in English. Professionally, she tells stories on social media for a large non-profit. Just for fun, she tells stories through her archival research, post-modern fiction and experimental poetry.

Mayra Alejandra Chang

My name is Mayra Alejandra Chang and I recently graduated from UCI with a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies. In a month, I am heading off to Villa Joiosa, Spain to teach English for eight months. Afterwards, I hope to gain experience working in nonprofits/non governmental organizations before applying to graduate school. My ultimate goal is to be a part of the United Nations.

Sara Epstein

Sara is a senior majoring in History and minoring in Humanities and Law at UCI. She has a strong interest in American history, women's history, legal history, politics, and social justice issues. After completing her undergraduate degree, Sara hopes to attend law school and participate in pro bono programs.

Taylor Rose Franco

In 2018 I received my B.A. in History and in 2021 I received my M.A. in History, both from UC Irvine. Although I am a lover of history overall, I particularly enjoy researching and studying 19th century U.S. women's history. In the future, I hope to continue pursuing my passion for history and share my findings.

Mia Hammett

I’m an English major with an emphasis in Creative Writing and Linguistics. Aside from writing and working with the 1977 National Women’s Conference research program, I love to spend time graphic designing and producing music. I’m always looking to create and learn more!

Arina Lurie

I just graduated with my BA in art history and am currently working towards my MA in art history. I'd like to either continue in academia, go into art law, or work in museum curation and development. I spend most of my time reading, cooking, playing with my dog, and trying to learn new languages.

Haleigh Marcello

Haleigh Marcello is a Ph.D. student in American History at the University of California, Irvine. Her research interests focus broadly around the histories of gender and sexuality in the mid-to-late 20th century United States. Her dissertation examines the LGBT rights movement in Orange County, California during the 1980s.

Yasmine V. Nahdi

Yasmine V. Nahdi is a rising senior majoring in English with a specialization in future teaching. Her research interests include North African, Middle Eastern, and 21st-century contemporary literature and studies.

Taylor Nakatsuka

Taylor Nakatsuka was born and raised in northern California and attended the University of California, Irvine, graduating in 2021 with a dual B.A. in English and Asian American Studies. They can often be found working on three different crochet projects, buying stationery, rewatching Studio Ghibli films, or petting their dog, Maki. In the future, Taylor hopes to become a children’s book editor who supports and advocates for marginalized authors and readerships.

Stephanie Narrow

Stephanie Narrow is a history PhD Candidate at the University of California, Irvine and historian of 19th-century California and the American West. She is currently a fellow at the British Library’s Eccles Centre for American Studies. An avid public historian, Stephanie has contributed to numerous museum installations in the Los Angeles area, and is the host of the Krieger Hall Chronicles podcast.

Kathy Nguyen

My name is Kathy, and I am currently a third-year English major and History minor. I enjoy reading fiction and nonfiction. In fact, I have been increasingly drawn to the latter genre, for its lessons that inform and empower the present moment. I am thus grateful to have had the opportunity this quarter to learn from the 1977 National Women’s Conference research project. When I am not reading and writing, I enjoy cooking, baking, and crocheting!

Alyssa Park

Alyssa Park is a freshman majoring in history at the University of California Irvine. She hopes to one day work in research or as a museum curator. She is a member of her local Kappa Alpha Theta chapter where she holds multiple leadership positions. In between studying and reading, she finds time to play videogames and spend time with her cats.

Ryan Robinson

I am a history major with a minor in archeology currently work towards my B.A. and possibly a M.A.in the future. I might even purse a Ph.D if I am feeling spicy. I enjoy Movies, History, and the outdoors.

Emily Schoeff

I am an English major and creative writing minor at the University of California Irvine. After earning my Bachelors degree, I hope to attend grad school, library and information science program, or an MFA program.

Julia Spencer

I am a current fourth-year student at the University of California, Irvine majoring in English with a Literary Journalism minor. I hope one day to work in marketing, archives, or journalism. I love to roller skate, hike, read, and a fun fact about me is I collect magnets from every place I've traveled to.

Britney Tran

Hi! My name’s Britney and I’m a third year undergraduate student double majoring in English and Political Science. In addition to this project, I am participating in an on-campus undergraduate medical humanities publication called The Scribe as well as its sister club, Healing through Humanities. A fun fact about me is that I am afraid of most, if not all, marine animals, especially whales!

Justine Trinh

Justine Trinh is a second year PhD Literature student . She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in Asian American Studies and Classical Civilization and a BS in Mathematics. She then received her MA in Asian American Studies, making her the first student to graduate from UCI Asian American Studies’ 4+1 BA/MA program. Her research interests include Asian American Literature, Critical Refugee Studies, family and trauma, and forced departure and disownment.

Phuc Duy Nhu To

Originally from Vietnam Nam, Phuc (they/she) is a doctoral student in Ethnic studies at the University of California, San Diego. Their research lies at the intersection of Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and ongoing critiques of the Non-profit Industrial Complex. Phuc is passionate about non-traditional forms of knowledge production and liberatory education models. Phuc received an M.A. in Asian American Studies and B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Irvine. Before joining UCSD, they worked with various AAPI community-based non-profit organizations in Orange County to provide resources and support to the AAPI communities during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauryn Chew

I am a freshman at Northwood High School who is passionate about advocating for racial equity in the classroom and in the healthcare system. As a fourth generation Cantonese American, I am interested in learning about how people build communities to navigate and overcome the challenges they face. I recently participated in a PhotoVoice project where I documented my family's experiences in America and am working to bring a similar program to other high schoolers through my organization, Focus. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and playing piano and clarinet.

Alexia Vasquez

Alexia is a senior at UC Irvine, majoring in English and Film and Media Studies. She hopes to work with books once she graduates. When she’s not doing work for school, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops, reading fiction novels, and creative writing.

Bojun Chen

I am a senior student majoring in Film and Media Studies and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies. I am deeply passionate about learning feminist history and researching women's representation in films. I will continue my studies in a graduate program to pursue my career goal in academic research.

Meet the UC Davis Student Researchers

Alex Jimenez Alcantara

Alex is currently pursuing a History BA with a minor in Political Science at the University of California, Davis. Their main academic interests rest in United States history, specifically the Philippine-American War and U.S. occupation of the Philippines, as well as political theory. Alex looks forward to continuing their studies in history or library science to become an archivist or librarian. In their free time, they love spending time with their red-eared slider turtle, Frankie, and mini-rex bunny, Luna.

Ulises A. Castorena

I am a first generation history student with minors in human rights and philosophy. I'm from San Bernardino, California. I aim to get into Grad school, with the goal of one day becoming a history professor. My interest in history stems from when I was a young child and my grandfather would tell me about the history of Mexico.

Shannon Fronsman

I am an undergraduate history major at UC Davis focusing on United States history. I am not quite sure what my career aspirations are quite yet. What I do know is that I have a passion for studying the history of the United States, and I hope to take that passion with me in whatever career I choose. I am especially passionate about U.S. women's history, and I enjoy telling the stories of those who are underrepresented in the historical archive.

Josemanuel Ortiz

I am a History and Chicanx Studies double major with a minor in education. In the near future, I hope to teach history to high school students! I am a big fan of music, so listening to music and playing instruments is an integral part of who I am.

Hannah Perez

I am a history undergraduate student with a minor in East Asian studies as it is my history of focus. I hope to either acquire a job in a museum or gain the opportunity to go abroad to possibly study, teach, or just learn more about other cultures. I enjoy playing lacrosse and in my free time I am either reading a book or gardening. A fun fact about myself is that I'm currently learning Japanese in hopes of traveling to the country again.

Molly Sadler

I'm a third-year History and Religious Studies double-major at the University of California, Davis. I play drums in a band and spend my time listening to music, reading, cycling, and spending time with loved ones. A fun fact about me is that I'm a Tri-citizen (U.S, New Zealand, Northern Ireland).

Meet the UC San Diego Researchers

Tracy A. Morse

I'm a British-born American raised fourth-year U.C. San Diego History undergrad with an emphasis in women's history. I am also minoring in accounting through the Rady School of Business at UCSD. My future career & school aspirations include writing, editing, genealogy, and possibly pursuing a CPA certification. Professionally, I am a business entrepreneur with ownership in two corporations (Commercial Construction Project Mgmt. and Membrane Switch Manufacturing) as their CFO/VP. I enjoy horseback riding, cooking, and kayaking for fun. Most of all, I enjoy being a wife to my husband Robert, mum to our seven amazing adult children (our youngest just graduated from UCSD in 2023). and being Nana to our six precious grandbabies.

Samantha Yip

I am a fourth year student at UC San Diego majoring in neurobiology and minoring in history. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in medicine and continue learning more about women’s history. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends, baking, as well as watching movies and documentaries.

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