Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND)

Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND) began as the Women's Party for Survival (WPS), founded by Helen Caldicott in Boston in 1980. The WPS was engaged in public education and advocacy for nuclear disarmament, encouraging women to oppose the arms race, educating others on its dangers, and calling on their elected representatives to bring about change to U.S. nuclear policy. Its politics were moderate, and although it was not explicitly a feminist organization, its principles were based on a polite, maternal pacifism. Owing much to Caldicott's savvy networking, WPS chapters and affiliates soon formed across the United States. Educational programs, lobbying workshops, and demonstrations-the largest held annually on Mother's Day-promoted the idea that women could take leadership in organizing on what WPS regarded as the most significant issue facing humanitythe nuclear arms race.