Guide to the Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey papers, 1964–2006

(bulk 1968–1972)

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2022

Collection Overview

Title:	Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey papers
Date range:	1964–2006, ((bulk 1968–1972))
Creator:	Pichey, Miriam Dale
Extent:	0.75 linear foot (3 file boxes)
Abstract:	This collection contains the personal papers of Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey, Brown University graduate of the class of 1971. Materials include correspondence, clippings, posters, bulletins, and artwork by Mimi, all related to her participation in the Women's Liberation Movement and advocacy for abortion rights on campus, locally, and nationally. This collection dates from 1964 – 2006 with the bulk of materials dating from 1968 – 1972.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	MS-1U-P5

Scope & content

This collection contains the personal papers of Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey, Brown University graduate of the class of 1971. Materials include correspondence, clippings, posters, bulletins, and artwork by Pichey, all related to her participation in the Women's Liberation Movement and advocacy for abortion rights on campus, locally, and nationally. This collection dates from 1964 – 2006 with the bulk of materials dating from 1968 – 1972, and is arranged into 5 series.

Series 1, PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, 1964 – 1975, includes Pichey's proposal for "Art and Archaeology" independent concentration program, a syllabus for Louise Lamphere's course, "Anthropological Perspectives on Women," Pichey's first-year dormitory decorations, tuition records, and sketchbooks. Of particular note is a travel diary Pichey kept during a trip to Europe in the summer of 1968 just before the start of her time at Brown University. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 2, CORRESPONDENCE, 1967 – 2006, primarily contains correspondence from Pichey's friends. Of particular note is correspondence from Pichey to her family during her 1968 trip to Europe as well as correspondence from Pichey to Peter Graves contemplating whether she should attend Brown. This series is arranged by provenance and then alphabetically by correspondent's name.

Series 3, BROWN UNIVERSITY ACTIVIST FILES, 1970 – 1971, includes correspondence, position papers, and posters related to Pichey's participation in the Women's Liberation Movement through various student organizations at Brown University. Organizations represented are Pembroke Institute, Students for a Democratic Society, Women for Equal Admissions at Brown, Women of Brown United, Women's Liberation Union, and Young Socialist Alliance. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization then by record type.

See also: Pichey's A History of Women of Brown United (1970-1991).

Series 4, LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVIST FILES, 1969 – 1971, includes memos, pamphlets, and posters, related to Pichey's participation in the Women's Liberation Movement through local, national, and international organizations. Organizations represented include Boston Women United, Female Liberation, New England Women's Coalition, Toronto Women's Caucus, and Women Against the War. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization then by record type.

Series 5, PRINT MATERIAL, 1966 – 1972, includes pamphlets, booklets, journals, and position papers. Titles include "I am Furious (Female)" by the Radical Education Project, "The Now York Times" published by the National Organization for Women, "Our Bodies Our Selves: A Course By and For Women" [second printing] by Boston Women's Health Course Collective, and "Velvet Fist: Women's Liberation Paper" published by the Toronto Women's Caucus. This series is arranged alphabetically by title.

Access Points

Subject Organizations

• Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.
• Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive.

Subject Topics

• Abortion services
• Brown University--Alumni and alumnae
• Feminism
• Pembroke College (Brown University)--Alumni and alumnae
• Reproductive rights and policy
• Second-wave feminism--United States.
• Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 5 series.

• Series 1. Personal and Biographical
• Series 2. Correspondence
• Series 3. Brown University Activist Files
• Series 4. Local, National, and International Activist Files
• Series 5. Print Material

Biographical/Historical Note

Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey was born in Oakland, California in 1950 and raised in San Francisco. Her mother was a pharmacist and her father was first an engineer and then a real estate developer. Pichey entered Brown University in 1968 and graduated in 1972 in a concentration of her own formulation, Art and Archaeology. At Brown, she was heavily involved in political activism on campus and in the Providence community, particularly with the Student Mobilization Committee, an anti-war activist group, the Young Socialist Alliance, and Women of Brown United, which organized for women's rights and equal representation on campus. Upon graduation, Pichey worked in the museum field in New York and then moved to the Midwest to pursue socialist organizing. Upon return to New York, she moved on to positions in communications for the insurance industry. Moving to Boston, she completed an M.B.A. at Boston University in 1998 and performed marketing for a semiconductor electronics firm. At the end of her career, she worked in real estate management.

Throughout her career, Pichey has remained involved in activism, continuing to support anti-war movements, women's rights, gay rights, environmental issues, and civil rights including anti-deportation. In the women's movement, she focuses primarily on birth control and abortion access. She joined the National Organization for Women and established a "Never Go Back" abortion website to raise awareness of women's struggles before abortion was legal. Art has always been a major part of Pichey's life, but now that she is semi-retired, she is pursuing printmaking "with a vengeance!"

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey papers, MS-1U-P5, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Gift of Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey beginning in 1988.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Amanda Knox, on behalf of the Pembroke Center for the Teaching and Research on Women and the Brown University Library.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-08-22.
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sponsor:	Curatorial work and processing provided by the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women on behalf of the Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive, Brown University Library.

Additional Information

Related material:

Related Materials Pichey's oral history interview. Pichey's Cuban travel slides and ephemera in the "Mimi Pichey Collection on Cuban Travel (TAM.789)" at the Tamiment Library at New York University. A History of Women of Brown United (1970-1991) by Pichey Women of Brown United collection

Inventory

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