Researchers operating an oral history program are archiving the experiences of activists involved in passing the Equal Rights Amendment are looking for more people to share their stories.

Activists, both men and women from across Oklahoma, have already participated in the oral history project called “Red Dirt Women and Power,” said Martha Skeeters, women’s and gender studies program associate professor.

“We are transcribing and archiving these interviews for use by scholars, students and the public,” Skeeters said.

The stories of these activists are being saved because the push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment is an important part of Oklahoma and the nation’s history, Skeeters said. The Equal Rights Amendment, she said, would have put women in the constitution.

The camping for ratification lasted 10 years, and Oklahoma was considered a state in which there was some hope of ratification.

“But when all was said and done, it failed in Oklahoma,” Skeeters said.

“Red Dirt Women and Power” is also important because the movement from the 1960s to the 1980s was part of social change of the time.

“Everybody hears about the 1960s and the social change that occurred,” Skeeters said. “The women’s movement was a part of that.”

There was a coalition of organizations and individuals who worked to get the amendment passed by lobbying the legislature, working in campaigns to get pro-ERA legislatures elected, educating the public by holding meetings and appearing on television and radio programs, Skeeters said.

“It was really an all-out campaign,” she said.

Those who were activists in Oklahoma came from cities such as Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Bartlesville and Norman.

“But were particularly interested to interview women from smaller towns,” Skeeters said. “The records show there was involvement from activist all over the state. And so we’re just trying now to make contact with activists from these smaller communities.”

About 25 activists have already given interviews, said Julie Stidolph, a women’s and gender studies program graduate research assistant who is a co-investigator in the project.

The movement failed in Oklahoma, it was defeated by a narrow margin, Stidolph said.

“It was not just a shot in the dark,” she said. “The equal rights amendment had a real chance to pass in Oklahoma.”

The near success of the movement shows there is a large group of people in Oklahoma that support gender equality and women’s rights.

“Even if they weren’t successful in this particular way,” Stidolph said.

Caitlyn Wright, president of the Women’s and Gender Studies Student Association, said because the Equal Rights Amendment was not passed, people often forget the important role the failed amendment still played in terms of the organization of activists and in women’s rights in Oklahoma.

“We forget about that because history is written by the people who win,” said Wright, women’s and gender studies senior.

Wright said it is important to remember the voices of the activist who made an impact, and who were great organizers.

“What they did was really noble and needs to be remembered,” she said.

The oral history project is also a great way for younger men and women who are interested in women’s rights issues to listen to voices from the past, she said. Wright said the project is also important because people will be able to hear and see the activists and their words.

“Nothing is being re-worded, and words aren’t being placed in anyone’s mouth,” she said.

There is an importance in listening to people’s stories, instead of reading them, Wright said.

“You can’t put everything in a textbook,” Wright said. “And stories are really powerful.”