Connell is best known for co-writing
Rape: The First Sourcebook for Women by New York Radical Feminists, the first book to be published from proceedings of the April 1971 New York Radical Feminist Rape Conference. In January 1972, Connell and Wilson began work on what was to be a pamphlet "from a pile of (conference) notes and cassette tapes in a Bloomingdale's bag." As volunteers, they transcribed tapes, obtained rights from the conference's speakers and workshop participants scattered about the country, and added other articles for the 283-page book's fruition in December 1974. A New York State delegate to the 1977 Houston National Women's Conference and 1980 White House Conference on Families, most recently from 2002–2004, to president for the 1977–1979 term and to other offices, in 2008 Vice President of Legislation. Connell was elected president of NOW's New York State organization, NOW-NYS, from 1984–1988 when it grew to 36 chapters. NOW-NYS sponsored feminist contingents Connell lead to research international women's rights movements in England, Iceland, Norway and Spain. Connell's feminist organizing and writing/editing activities have encompassed sexual abuse and women's employment issues including anti-discrimination hiring and work/family policies such the childcare necessary to support women's employment.
Women's employment Connell's work on women's employment issues—for which she received the 1984
Coalition of Labor Union Women New York City Chapter Award She then, in 1974, co-founded the 1974–1982(?) New York Women Office Workers (W.O.W) with Annie Chamberlain and Susanne Paul and served on its staff through 1977. During her tenure in early 1976, W.O.W. through its research, filed age and sex discrimination complaints against five employment agencies and the New York State Employment Service after a woman of 50 sent to these services received no job referrals while her partner researcher of 25 with equal skills and training received referrals from all. As liaison vice president and president of NOW-NYC, between 1975 and 1979, she challenged layoffs of women during an economic downturn vis-a-vis progress they achieved with affirmative actions and started a job development program for New York City's first 40 women longshore workers. She was a 1983-1984 Assistant Commissioner for the
New York State Department of Labor she resigned after being elected president of NOW-NYS and from 1979 a Board Member of the
Workers Defense League that assists low income workers in receiving compensation when unemployed or disabled. Connell's activism to obtain more extensive childcare to support women's employment began with her chairing the NOW-NYC childcare committee in 1973. The 1978 ''The Women's Yellow Pages: Original Sourcebook for Women, New York Edition
includes two of her childcare articles "The Politics of Childcare" and "What Is Good Child Care?" from this activism. In 1988, she authored "Feminists and Families" in the August 16, 1986 issue of The Nation reprinted in a ?1988 edition of The Utne Reader'' that urged women's rights groups to demonstrate the better effects of their policies such as childcare on families than those of the right wing. ==Veteran Feminists of America==