The collection details the struggle of women in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, as part of the national effort for women's suffrage. The bulk of the collection consists of publications including various suffragist magazines and bulletins as well as duplicates of material gathered by the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association.

It also contains letters written in response to an essay and song contest sponsored by the Grand Rapids Equal Franchise Club. The essay and songs, sung to patriotic tunes, proclaim the virtues of women and their right to vote.

The newspaper clippings and citations to clippings in local Grand Rapids newspapers provide further data on the local movement. Microfilm copies of Woman Weekly (21 November 1908 - 23 January 1909) are also included. This films copies original material in other Grand Rapids Public Library manuscript collections.

The collection also includes a 1975 student paper on the Grand Rapids suffrage movement from 1910-20 within the broader national suffrage movement context.

There is much history, however, that might be added to this collection, if resources are found, to document woman suffrage in Western Michigan before 1900.