Call Number:

DG.222

Repository:

Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Extent:

12.5 linear ft. (12.5 linear ft.)

Preferred Citation:

[Items], in the Cora Weiss Papers (DG 222), Swarthmore College Peace Collection.

Date:

1960- (bulk)

Creator:

Weiss, Cora, 1934-, Baez, Joan, Coffin, William Sloane, Jr., 1924-2006, Ershova, Elena Nikolaevna, Falk, Richard A., Fonda, Jane, 1937-, and Weiss, Peter, 1925-

Abstract:

Cora Weiss is a peace and social justice leader and activist. She is a supporter of the United Nations, an early member of Women Strike for Peace, a leader in the anti-Vietnam war movement in the United States. In the 1970s Weiss was the director of the Riverside Church (New York, NY) Disarmament Program. Weiss was also active with SANE, SANE/Freeze, Peace Action, and The Hague Appeal for Peace. Weiss became president of the International Peace Bureau in 2000. She has always been active in women's peace issues, hosting the first women's radio program in New York City in the 1970s, attending women's disarmament summits in the former Soveit Union, the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, and many other events. Weiss is the recipient of numerous peace awards from all over the world.

Cora Weiss is a peace and social justice leader and activist. She is a supporter of the United Nations, an early member of Women Strike for Peace, serving on the National Board of WSP from 1961-1973. Weiss was a leader in the anti-Vietnam war movement in the United States: involved with organization of demonstrations, including the largest on November 15, 1969 in Washington, DC. She was the co-chair and director of the Committee of Liaison with Families of Servicemen Detained in North Vietnam (1969-1972). As part of this group Weiss organized the exchange of mail between families of prisoners of war in Vietnam. This exchange revealed and names of those alive. Weiss and the COL arranged for the return of some POWs. In the 1970s Weiss organized the group Friendshipment to provide humanitarian relief to Vietnam (1972-1980). Beginning in 1978 Weiss ran the Riverside Church (New York, NY) Disarmament Program (1978-1988). With her growing interest in the anti-nuclear movement Weiss was active with SANE, as it combined with the nuclear freeze campaign (1986-2000) and later became Peace Action. Weiss was the president and a co-founder of The Hague Appeal for Peace, 1996-date. Always interested in the international aspects of the peace movement Weiss was president of the International Peace Bureau from 2000-2006. Weiss has always been active in women's peace issues. She hosted the first women's radio program in New York City in the 1970s, met with Vietnamese women during the war, attended women's disarmament summits in the former Soveit Union, participated in the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, and many other events. Weiss is the recipient of numerous peace awards from all over the world.

Includes correspondence, administrative files, flyers, manuscripts, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, publicity materials, notebooks, periodicals, and reference material regarding Cora Weiss's involvement with: Women Strike for Peace, 1962-1973; Vietnam War antiwar work: 1968-1975; Committee of Liaison with Families, 1960s-1972, Friendshipment, 1970s-1980, broadcasting on radio station WRVR, 1974-1976; Church World Service, including wheat shipment program to Vietnam, 1978; Riverside Church Disarmament Program, 1978-1986; memorials to Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, 1986; Nicaragua/Honduras Education Program, 1983-1986; SANE/Freeze and its merger to become Peace Action, 1985-1991; Women for a Meaningful Summit, 1988-1989; International Peace Bureau, 1995-2006; Hague Appeal for Peace, 1997-2000; also includes: Cora Weiss's Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency files released through the Freedom of Information act; photographs, posters, audiocassettes, reel to reel audio tapes, slides, and videorecordings. Correspondents include: Joan Baez, William Sloane Coffin, Elena Ershova, Richard Falk, Jane Fonda, Peter Weiss

This collection is unprocessed and this finding aid is a temporary one. The files have been arranged into a loose chronological order. Files on Cora Weiss obtained under the Freedom of Information Act may be found at the end of the boxes of personal papers in this collection.