Looking Back to See Our Way Forward

In response to this morning's headlines about Donald Trump's election and my concern about future rights and liberties, I searched for inspiration in the archives. I found it in the Barbara Cameron Papers.

Cameron, a Native American activist, lesbian, and writer, gave a speech shortly after Ronald Reagan's election to the presidency in 1980.

[Freedom of Women], p.1 (Barbara Cameron Papers)

[Freedom of Women], p.2 (Barbara Cameron Papers)

Her remarks address freedom for women, specifically, but she writes more broadly to include the challenges faced by all marginalized communities. Here are a few more pages to give you a taste of Cameron's eloquence.

[Freedom of Women], p.4 (Barbara Cameron Papers)

[Freedom of Women], p.6 (Barbara Cameron Papers)

You can find the entire speech in the Barbara Cameron Papers, available in the San Francisco History Center, 6th floor, Main Library.