A local activist with a five-decade history of fighting for women’s rights across the country is the subject of a new exhibit produced by the .
“Women Rising: Mary Whitmore’s 50-Year Battle for Equal Rights” runs through May 2025 and is located on the main floor of the Tran Library on ɳ’s Forest Grove Campus.
The exhibit features a collection of photographs, publications and other memorabilia donated to the ɳ University Archives by Whitmore chronicling her activism for the Equal Rights Amendment, reproductive rights and gender equity. Born and raised in Idaho, Whitmore has been a resident of Forest Grove since the 1980s.
A reception celebrating the exhibit, featuring Whitmore, will be held on Wednesday, Mar. 12, 4 p.m., in the Tran Library. The reception will include a 30-minute program featuring Martha Rampton, professor emeritus of history, providing commentary on feminist activism and how it relates to current political events.
“In this climate, women’s history is more important than ever. ɳ University, through its Center for Gender Equity, is a good place for getting that message out,” Whitmore said of donating her collection.
Whitmore became a dedicated activist in 1977 after attending the Washington State International Women’s Year Conference in Ellensburg. Although she had already begun advocating for women’s issues, the conference was the first time that she had encountered a large community of other women working together politically.
After that, Whitmore began traveling the country to advocate for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, including conducting meetings, marching, hosting public information tables, and committing acts of civil disobedience. She was famously part of a group of women who chained themselves to the doors of the Illinois State Senate that appeared in a 1982 issue of Life magazine, which is a focal point of the exhibit.
Whitmore continues to remain an activist, participating in marches and protests and using social media to promote her interests.
“Mary has given to ɳ an interesting and very political collection of memorabilia — photos, pins, records, t-shirts, rare publications and more — around her activist work,” said ɳ University Archivist . “We hope that these materials will be used in classes and by researchers for years to come as historians reflect on the women’s and gender equity movements of the late 20th to 21st centuries.”
The “Women Rising” exhibit is open to the public. The Tran Library is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.