Helen Sommers: An Oral History

Chapter 3
Seattle draws Helen
to the Northwest
Monahan: After you earned your masters degree
in economics from the University of Washington,
did you start to work in Seattle?
Representative Sommers: Actually, no, I didn’t begin
working right away. I had become very active in
the National Organization of Women (NOW) in
1970. NOW was a fledgling women’s organization
that was just taking roots in Seattle and I became
involved in it. I think I was born a feminist!
I also became active in the League of Women
Voters. But the League wasn’t focused on the feminist
movement at the time. Their effort was more
focused on major government policy, which was
also of great interest to me.
Some of our League members, like me, were also
feminists in NOW. We decided it would be appropriate
to raise women’s issues in League meetings.
We were interested in changing state laws that
were restrictive to women. NOW encouraged us to
become part of the establishment; infiltrate, if you
will! While the general response was very positive
from other members of the League in our meetings,
I believe League leadership thought it was too big
a jump for the League to take at that time.
In 1971, I was elected the second president of the
Seattle-King county chapter of NOW in Washington
state. We sought to change some of the local
and state laws to support the women’s movement.
Early on, we met with Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman
and he agreed to form an advisory committee, which
led to the formation of the first Seattle Women’s
Commission. As president of NOW, I was named
to the commission. Mayor Uhlman was interested
in our issues and he formed the commission to
promote full and equal participation of women in
the affairs of Seattle and to establish programs for
equal opportunities for women in Seattle. I believe
the mayor appointed seven members and the City
Council appointed seven members.
I remember Mildred Henry, an official of the
Seattle-King County Economic Opportunity Board
who was director of the Women’s Division at the
Seattle Office of Human Resources. Mildred was
responsible for putting the panel’s recommendations
into practice. Mildred had previously had served in
the House from southwest Washington (1957-1965).
Mildred and her husband, Senator Al Henry, served
together in the 17 th district for many years.
Monahan: As president of NOW, and a member of
the Seattle Women’s Commission, you and your
members also went to Olympia to meet with Governor
Daniel J . Evans to talk to him about women’s
issues important to your organization. Is that right?
Representative Sommers: Yes, we did, and we were
pleased that he was very receptive
to our issues and
concerns. The first thing we
talked to him about was proclaiming
“Women’s Day” to
occur on the 50 th Anniversary
of Suffrage for Women, which
gave women the right to vote.
Gov. Daniel J. Evans was
governor from 1965-77. In
1983 he was appointed and
then elected to the U.S. Senate.
He retired in 1989 and
moved back to Seattle
He did establish “Women’s
Day,” as we requested. And
he also established a Washington
State Women’s Commission
to look at issues,
statutes and opportunities
for women. This was kind of a beginning of getting
our issues considered in the Legislature . We lobbied
for a state Equal Rights Amendment and for legislation
to give married women equal access to
credit and community property.
Evans, a Republican, has often been described
as “passionately moderate.” He was a very good
governor for Washington. He served three terms
from 1965 to 1977. At the end of his third term
he decided not to run for reelection to a fourth
term. He was named President of The Evergreen
State College when it opened in 1981, a fledgling
institution. TESC honored him with the Daniel J.
Evans Library.
In 1983, Washington’s legendary U .S . Senator
Henry M . Jackson died. “Scoop” Jackson had