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Finding Aid to the Sharon Martinas Papers
asc.2004.5
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Title: Sharon Martinas papers
Date (inclusive): 1961-1975, bulk 1967-1969
Creator:
Martinas, Sharon
Extent:
5.09 Cubic Feet
(16 boxes)
Collection number: asc.2004.5
Repository:
Special Collections and Archives, J. Paul Leonard Library
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722
(415) 338-1856
Abstract: This collection contains material collected by Sharon Martinas pertaining to the 1968-1969 San Francisco State College student-led
strike. It consists of subject files containing ephemera, position papers, newspapers, scrapbooks of clippings, posters and
other materials related to the strike.
Location: Collection is available onsite.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English.
This collection is open for research. Personal information on some documents has been redacted per donor instructions (September
14, 2015).
Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been assigned to San Francisco State University. Some materials are in the
public domain; transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the
written permission of the copyright owners. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the
public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests
exclusively with the user.
[Identification of item], Sharon Martinas Papers, Accession # 2004.5. San Francisco State University, J. Paul Leonard Library,
Special Collections and Archives.
Related materials providing additional information on the 1968 strike at San Francisco State College may be found in the following
collections in this repository: Ecumenical House Papers, Hyink Family Papers, EOP Records, Dr. Richard H. Fine Papers, Nacio
Jan Brown Papers, John Levin Papers, and Harvey Yorke Records.
Related materials providing video documentation of news media coverage of the 1968 strike is available online as a part of
the J. Paul Leonard Library Bay Area Television Archive's San Francisco State Strike Collection.
The records pertaining to the 1968 San Francisco State College student strike, the SF State Legal Defense Committee and the
Community Services Institute were donated by Sharon Martinas, accession number 2004/5.
Processed by Helene Whitson and Daniel Elash, December 2002-August 2003.
Arranged as received. folder numbering is continuous throughout collection. A document (box list) listing the contents of
each folder is located in box 16, folder 296.
Sharon Martinas was a San Francisco State College lecturer during the strike. She was actively involved in supporting the
strike. She helped to develop the SF State Strike Legal Support Committee and the Experimental College. She went by the name
Sharon Gold during the strike.
About the 1968-1969 San Francisco State College Strike
The San Francisco State College student strike, lasting from November 1968 to March 1969, was the longest running academic
strike in U.S. history. It began after a series of events, starting in May 1967, increased political organizing and tension
on campus. [For more detail see Helene Whitson's "Strike! A Chronology, Bibliography, and List of Archival Materials Concerning
the 1968-1969 Strike at San Francisco State College"]
The strike was led by the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition of Black, Latinx, Filipino and Asian student groups.
The strike also had support from progressive white students, community groups, the Parents Strike Support Committee, and faculty
members who joined the picket line.
The strike was waged under the tenure of three college presidents. The first two, Presidents John Summerskill and Robert Smith,
resigned. It ended under the tenure of President S.I. Hawakaya, who became known for ripping the wires out of the audio system
during a student rally.
The major outcomes of the demands were the establishment of the School of Ethnic Studies, which was the first in the nation,
and faculty positions, funding and staffing for an Economic Opportunity Program (EOP), increased enrollment of students of
color, and protection of students involved in strike activities.
This collection contains material produced and collected by Sharon Martinas pertaining to the 1968-1969 San Francisco State
College student-led strike. It consists of subject files containing position papers and newspaper clippings. In addition to
the 1968 strike, the Martinas papers chronicle the process of raising and providing funding for the legal defense of arrested
strikers, and the development of the Experimental College. There are materials from the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF)
and its member student organizations, including the Black Student Union (BSU), the Philippine-American Collegiate Endeavor
(PACE), the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), the Mexican-American Student Confederation (MASC), the Intercollegiate
Chinese for Social Action (ICSA), and the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA). The collection also contains documents
produced by the San Francisco State College administration in reaction to the strike and student demands, including statements
by SFSC President S.I Hayakawa.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Francisco State College -- Student strike, 1968-1969.
San Francisco State College -- Faculty -- Political activity.