Preliminary Inventory of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance Financial Papers, 1972-1994

Collection Overview

The ALFA Archives include the organizational records of ALFA as well as other southern radical women's groups. This addition to the ALFA Archives, transferred to the Duke David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library in May, 1998, documents the financial operations of ALFA as well as providing information about the fund raising endeavors of the organization. The banking records, legal papers, and minutes from finance committee meetings provide documentation of the struggles of the organization to remain financially viable and to raise money in support of various women's issues. The financial and legal records relating to the property owned by ALFA serve to document the organization's attempt to provide a physical center around which Atlanta's lesbians and feminists could congregate and develop a mutually supportive community. This addition has not been processed but is open for use.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (ALFA) Financial Papers, 1972-1994
Creator: Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance.
Extent: 3 Linear Feet,, 1000 Items
Repository: David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Language: English.

Series Quick Links

Accession 1998-0267

Administrative Information

Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Contents of the Collection

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Accession 1998-0267

This accession is an addition to an existing processed collection of materials. The financial records in this accession document the operations, organization, and fund raising activities of ALFA from 1972 to 1993, chiefly from 1977-1993. Included in this collection are: Expense/Income ledgers, financial reports, general meeting minutes, copies of deeds and contracts, business correspondence, fund raising materials, lists of members, donations registers, canceled checks, and bank statements.

Financial Records

Finance Reports and General Meeting Minutes, 4/77 to 12/13/83. (1 notebook)

Box 1

Finance Reports and General Meeting Minutes, 1/19/84 to 1/25/93. (1 notebook)

Box 1

Records of expenses for renovations, property taxes, and other general expenses for operations of ALFA headquarters - tenant rental agreements, receipts for donations, promissory notes, receipts for mailing expenses, credit union statements, receipts for promotional expenses and miscellaneous financial and operational records.

(24 folders)

Box 1

ALFA Expenses, Income, and Savings (3 ledgers)

Finances - August 1977 to April 1979

Box 2

Finances - May 1979 to December 1984

Box 2

Finances - January 1985 to September 1993

Box 2

Expenses, Income, and Savings, Southern Feminist and Lesbian Archive - SFLA

(1 ledger)

Box 2

General Balances - February 1982 to September 1993

Box 2

Check Registers

(3 registers)

Box 2

Donations register and membership lists

(1 notebook)

Box 2

Savings account register

(1 notebook)

Box 2

Legal papers - Articles of incorporation and deeds

(1 folder)

Box 2

Miscellaneous financial records- bills, receipts, canceled checks and bank statements.

(5 folders)

Box 2

Miscellaneous financial records - receipts, bills, and bank statements.

(2 envelopes)

Box 2

Historical Note

The Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (ALFA) was founded in 1972 by a group of radical lesbians, many socialist and all feminist, who broke away from Atlanta's Women's Liberation Center and the Gay Liberation movement because they felt that neither had adequately addressed issues of concern to women as lesbians and lesbians as women. ALFA initially worked to fill a social void for and to offer a political voice to Atlanta lesbians, publicizing its efforts through a self-produced monthly newsletter, The Atalanta. Over the years, as the political and cultural climate changed and lesbians created new avenues through which to pursue their interests, ALFA struggled to find a clear and unique sense of purpose; this historically telling struggle is well-documented by ALFA itself, in minutes and mailings to its membership. In spite of its eventual decision to disband, ALFA remains known as one of the oldest lesbian feminist organizations in the United States, and a pioneer in the fight for lesbian, gay, and women's rights.