Established in 1971 by Donna Ippolito, Marge Everett, Karen Ney, and Kathy Rowley, the magazine devoted their publications on feminist journalism, essays on controversial topics, and lesbian writing.
Describing itself as a "feminist journal of art and politics,"[1] their content also included book reviews, biographies, and interviews.
Janet Ruth Heller, one of the founders of a similar magazine called Primavera, explained that the name Black Maria was "chosen by the collective because it refers to the black paddy wagons used by the police to cart the early American suffragettes to jail.
[The] title reveals the editors' awareness of women's history and political issues.
The preface of the first issue in December 1971, which was written by the founding editors, explains Black Maria's origins:"Black Maria was conceived many months ago among several women who were then part of a rap group affiliated with the Chicago Women's Liberation Union.