The National Organization for Women was founded in 1966 in response to the failure of the Equal employment Opportunity Commission to enforce a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and to presidential studies on the lack of equal rights women faced on a daily basis. Local chapters of NOW were formed across the country as the women’s rights movement flourished.
France M. Crater, a life-long advocate for civil rights, founded the Nashville Chapter of NOW in 1971, published the monthly newsletter, served as public spokesperson, and lobbied the State Legislature for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.