The National Organization for Women (NOW), San Diego Chapter, was formed in 1970 to lobby for the enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and works toward the elimination of discrimination against women in job and educational opportunities. During the 1970s and 1980s, San Diego NOW fought for reproductive rights, displaced homemaker rights, legal protection against domestic violence, representation of women in the media and politics and many other issues. The chapter organized many events and workshops, including the Susan B. Anthony Awards.

Parts of the collection were donated by Joan T. Casale. Casale, who joined the SD Chapter in 1973 to fight for the ERA, employment, and education rights. From 1973 to 1975, she served as the editor of the SD NOW Newsletter. In 1976, she served as executive vice president of the chapter. In 1977 and 1978, she served as president of the chapter. Under her leadership, NOW continued to fight for reproductive health and abortion rights, employment, education and other equality issues. She fought Catholic Bishop Leo T. Maher’s excommunication of NOW members from the Catholic Church for publicly supporting freedom of choice on abortion. (Casale was raised Catholic, and attended Catholic schools in Pennsylvania, but resigned from the church in 1967.) Casale also authored two one-act plays on women's history on women's suffrage and labor respectively.