the multifaceted group of women who were committed to (or mightbe committed to) women’s liberation. Empowerment for women was considered both possibleand attainable only within the context of this type of common identity. Therefore, by organizingcollectively these women would acquire capacity to become a force with which to be reckoned. Equally important, as a cohesive group, the women would be difficult to divide and suppress. According to the ideology of women’s liberation, the solidarity of those joined in sisterhoodguaranteed not only the ability, but also the means required to obtain their goal of equaleconomic, political, and social rights for women. In the United States, where a patriarchal society dominates, an isolated woman lackspersonal and political power and carries little, if any, influence. Indeed, the majority of females inthe women’s liberation movement clearly understood from earlier experiences that the solitaryvoice of a woman would be treated by men as inconsequential, and would therefore have littleimpact in the political arena. The women’s movement steadfastly believed that a communal voice,expressed en masse, and delivered as a unified message, would carry behind it the influence andclout to actuate change. Initially, the movement consisted of numerous small informal local groups, concentrated inthe eastern cities. Participation in the groups increased through personal relationships. By theearly 1970’s, tremendous excitement was generated among women, and almost immediately likeminded groups began to spring up throughout the United States. Within these widespreadgroups, there were several areas of conflict and disagreement - particularly about race, class andsexual orientation. There exists in women’s shared condition a host of differences: “Women withtheir multiple identities, allegiances, and needs complicated the assumption that there was oneuniversal identit...
