In June 1974, in Seattle, the feminist newspaper From the Ground Up publishes its first issue. The first issue contains articles about unions for clerical workers, about CLUW (Coalition of Labor Union Women), an abortion horror story, COYOTE (the prostitutes' organization Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), a letter from a lesbian about cops coming down on a gay bar in Pioneer Square, a story from a ward clerk at Group Health describing poor working conditions for hospital workers, a second article about Group Health complaining that Group Health does not cover birth control pills, a letter denouncing the treatment of women prisoners at the Purdy Treatment Center for Women, a book review, and an article criticizing inadequate daycare.
Following is the text of the statement of principles printed on the front page of the first issue:
"Another Separate Piece," From the Ground Up's statement of principles
"From the Ground Up is published by a group of angered and presumptuous women; angered because we have not "come a long way, baby" and presumptuous enough to feel we can change the position of women. [Note: "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" was the advertising slogan of Virginia Slims cigarettes.] We are determined to develop from our individual and common experiences a feminist point of view towards ourselves and our world. We have chosen to put out a monthly newspaper both to communicate to others and to provide a means -- working together -- to develop our common and individual viewpoints.
We see ourselves as another separate piece of a currently shattered and fragmented Women's Liberation movement. Many of us have been involved in groups and activities of the Women's Liberation movement in the past. Many of us have worked together and known each other for several years. Some of us have recently sought in vain active women's groups or activities in which both to participate and to find support.
The shattering of the Women's Liberation movement has left our energies dispersed, offering us only specific project groups in which to deal with our needs, i.e. rape relief, divorce, health care, abortion, women's studies, child care.
We are women of diverse experiences, attitudes and ages -- some of us working, some students, some of us lesbian, some straight; most of us white, but not all, some of us with children, some without -- who need to focus our energies as women. From the Ground Up expresses our feeling that we must build again from the ground up a sisterhood based on shared experiences, commonly defined goals and a deeper understanding of ourselves in relation to the world around us. It expresses our need to experiment with new methods of liberating ourselves and other women. We will examine in our paper Seattle events in the light of our experiences as women -- our point of view, then, is feminist.
From the Ground Up also expresses our shared political outlook. Each of us comes to the group convinced that we cannot divorce our political lives from our personal lives. Our bodies and our minds are ourselves, just as the various roles we play as women are one person. Our politics are a part of our everyday lives.
While individually we hold differing political positions, all of us view our personal experience in the context of a determination for social and political change. From the Ground Up will criticize, explore, expose and discuss. We see our lives as both personal and political; our view of the world as a personal-political women's view -- as feminist.
Our consciousness is a product of the Women's Liberation movement and the radical movement; we identify with those around the world who also work towards social and political change.
Why another feminist newspaper? We are dissatisfied on the one hand with the distorted coverage found in the mass-media of events affecting women. Women's issues, ideas, and spokeswomen chosen by the mass-media for coverage are either "cute" or "safe." We are dissatisfied, on the other hand, with the women's press in our area. While there is information concerning up-coming events in Seattle, there is very little criticism, discussion, or informed reporting available on issues which affect women. We presume to think we can publish a critical and informed newspaper. We invite other women who share our interest in developing a feminist newspaper to join us in this endeavor.
-- the staff
Betsy Bengamin
Pauline Byrne
Janey Creighton
Kathi Dowd
Helen Dunn
Marilee Lahn
Judith Luckert
Lee Mayfield
Nancy McGraw
Jody Olvera
