#emmagoldmanpapers

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Dr. Falk in St. Louis!

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On this day in 1919...

Did you know that Emma Goldman was a vocal opponent of the prison system? In an interview with the The New York Call on October, 9, 1919 – 98 years ago today – Emma Goldman described the abhorrent conditions that prison laborers were subjected to – an experience she had suffered firsthand while serving her sentence at the Missouri State Penitentiary:

“Civilization claims to have advanced, and in no country do we hear so much about prison reform as in our own…yet what can we say for the state of Missouri when the head of their female department is woman in charge of 90 women prisoners who has discretion over their life and death?

“First, the women are deprived of their recreation; second, they are locked up in their own cells for 48 hours, from Saturday to Monday, on a diet of bread and water and then expected to begin their task Monday in their weakened condition; third, they are sent to a blind cell, a cell 52 inches by 104 inches, with an aperture of 7 inches by 1 ½ inches, supplied with one blanket, two pieces of bread and two cups of water a day.  In this tomb they are kept three to 22 days.” 

(The New York Call, 1919)

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October Newsletter: Emma on Racial Injustice

“[After] almost half a century of so-called freedom, the Negro Question is more acute than ever… Hardly a day passes without a Negro being lynched. … Nowhere in the country does the Negro enjoy equal opportunity with the white man—socially, politically, or economically, notwithstanding his alleged Constitutional rights… Race hatred is not limited to the Negro. To a lesser degree other races and nationalities also suffer from the same narrow-minded spirit.”

“The Situation in America” - Emma Goldman’s report to the International Anarchist Congress, Amsterdam, August 1907 — published in Mother Earth, September 1907.

Dearest Emmassaries,  

In 1907, Emma Goldman identified and lamented the problem of racial inequality — still plaguing our nation now 110 years since she spoke. Although racism was not her primary focus, the inspiration and courage with which she fought against injustice lives on. Help perpetuate her wisdom and insight! The best way to do that would be to multiply yourselves as monthly donors: see how to do so below.

As ever, we are inspired by our project’s Principal Investigator at UCB, Professor Leon Litwack, — among the greatest historians of the plight of African Americans — whose array of pathbreaking books include his Pulitzer Prize-winning Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery, and Trouble In Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow. What a privilege it is to have the support and guidance of Leon, a forward-thinking scholar whose works continue to have a profound impact on the study of American history. His book How Free is Free? The Long Death of Jim Crow inspired the new film The Long Shadow and launched him into stardom!

Because of your generous donations, we have been able to raise over $70,000 since last June — in large part due to our many donors who chose to commemorate Emma’s June 27 birthday by pledging to send monthly donations of only $27 only through April of next year. Now only 740 such sustainers are needed for funding the 700 page book and finding a home for the 40,000 document collection.

Unfortunately our funds are projected to run out by the end of November 2017. As we are a non-funded project of the University of California, Berkeley, the EGP depends upon the contributions of our wonderful donors to sustain us as we complete our 4th and final volume, otherwise, the university ONCE AGAIN will move to SHUT US DOWN. Our minimum UCB required operating budget is $20,000 per month; our necessary budget is $27,000 per month. Right now, as we are preparing high quality visuals, vetting all previous edits and beginning to finalize the writing for the ancillary sections of the forthcoming volume, your support matters more than ever. Timely donations will extend our work through the winter.

Preserving the written legacy of those who, like Emma Goldman, dared to confront injustice, and whose eloquence, passion, and perseverance — whose life stories are in themselves wellsprings of hope — can serve as sustenance to all who face the challenges of distressing times.

Please consider contributing to the Emma Goldman Papers today — to honor the contribution of one of the greatest proponents against injustice everywhere!

To pledge a recurring donation, click here, enter the desired amount for each payment, and on the next screen, select, “recurring.” If you are not able to pledge a recurring donation right now, we of course always appreciate a one-time donation.

THANK YOU TO OUR DEVOTED DONORS FOR YOUR CONTINUED GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT!

Hurrah! The Emma Goldman Papers stands united against hate!

Ever grateful for you generosity and support,

Candace, Dan, and our student staff Gabrielle, Guive, Austin, and Hannah, as well as our faithful local outreach committee.

Source: Emma Goldman Papers

Source: Emma Goldman Papers

✢ DONATE HERE ✢

You can make your tax-deductible donation to the Emma Goldman Papers online at http://givetocal.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=39.

Or send a check by mail, payable to the UC Berkeley Foundation, earmarked for the Emma Goldman Papers, to:

The Emma Goldman Papers

University of California

2241 Channing Way

Berkeley, CA 94720-6030

A reminder that our treasure trove is free and accessible to all:

https://archive.org/details/emmagoldmanguide00falk and

https://archive.org/details/emmagoldmanpapers.

You can also follow Emma's lecture tours and Project news on:

Facebook: @EmmaGoldmanPapers and @FriendsoftheEmmaGoldmanPapers)

Twitter: @EmmaGPapers

[phone] | [email protected] | http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/goldman

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July Newsletter: Resist All Evil

Dear Emmassaries,

At the Emma Goldman Papers Project, we often have a sense of déjà vu while researching the World War I era. But even we are surprised by the many parallels to our current national predicament.

Take a look, for example, at the Table of Contents for the 1915 issue of Mother Earth—almost a century ago.

Featured in this edition of the magazine are Emma Goldman’s “Observations and Comments,” in which she addresses the issues of prison reform, police harassment and overreach, and reports on the positive reception to her talk on Ibsen’s play “An Enemy of the People” in Los Angeles. Alexander Berkman’s “Labor on Trial” critiques the increasing intimidation of labor by an alliance of big business and government, and advocates a militant approach centered on strikes and direct action. The issue’s concluding essay is a scathing attack on eugenics as advocated in William Robinson’s “The Limitation of Offspring”—testimony to the magazine’s early stance in favor of reproductive freedom.

From the necessity for free speech to the role of a truly independent press, the issues they faced in their time were eerily similar—including the problem of fake news. Dr. Michael A. Cohn mocked the prevailing editorial practice in “The Press”: “Give them stories; never mind facts.”

These pages of Mother Earth magazine remain an antidote to despair. They testify to the enormous courage and mutual cooperation of a minority dedicated to fighting back against repression, fear, and disinformation.

During these times that literally try our souls, it is more important than ever to recall the courage of those who, like Emma Goldman, stood up to injustice, advocated freedom, and envisioned a more equitable world.  

We hope that you, too, will be inspired to join forces with us not only to preserve the documents vital to Emma Goldman’s written legacy, but also to perpetuate the radical spirit of those who refused to yield to intimidation.

In the words of the opening poem by Paul Eldridge: “Resist All Evil!”

Reaching Out

For a quick update on our project, we invite you to listen to this recent radio interview with Candace on KPFA’s show ‘Against the Grain’: “The Irrepressible Emma Goldman,” easily accessible online.

Raising Funds to Seize the Moment Please consider contributing to the Emma Goldman Papers today — to honor the contribution of one of the greatest proponents against injustice everywhere!To pledge a recurring donation, click here, enter the desired amount for each payment, and on the next screen, select, “recurring.” If you are not able to pledge a recurring donation right now, we of course always appreciate a one-time donation.THANK YOU TO OUR DEVOTED DONORS FOR YOUR CONTINUED GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT!Hurrah! The Emma Goldman Papers stands united against hate!

Ever grateful for you generosity and support,

Candace, Dan, and our student staff Meghan and Alex as well as our faithful local outreach committee.

Closing Message from Emma Goldman

“We do not know where the forces of reaction will land us. But wherever we shall be, our work will go on until our last breath. May you, too, continue your efforts. These are trying but wonderful times. Clear heads and brave hearts were never more needed. There is great work to do. May each one of you give the best that is in him to the great struggle, the last struggle between liberty and bondage, between well-being and poverty, between beauty and ugliness. Be of good cheer, beloved comrades. Our enemies are fighting a losing battle. They are of the dying past. We are of the glowing future.”

✢ DONATE HERE ✢

You can make your tax-deductible donation to the Emma Goldman Papers online at http://givetocal.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=39.Or send a check by mail, payable to the UC Berkeley Foundation, earmarked for the Emma Goldman Papers, to:The Emma Goldman PapersUniversity of California2241 Channing WayBerkeley, CA 94720-6030A reminder that our treasure trove is free and accessible to all:https://archive.org/details/emmagoldmanguide00falk and https://archive.org/details/emmagoldmanpapers. You can also follow Emma’s lecture tours and Project news on:Facebook: @EmmaGoldmanPapers and @FriendsoftheEmmaGoldmanPapers)Twitter: @EmmaGPapers [phone] | [email protected] | http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/goldman