Guide to the South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project
SJSU Library Special Collections & Archives
© 2009
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Guide to the South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project
Collection number: MSS-2006-06-30
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
Finding aid funded by the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
- Processed by:
- Elizabeth Lopez
- Date Completed:
- 2010
- Encoded by:
- Elizabeth Lopez
- Reviewed by:
- Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen
© 2009 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Title: South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project
Dates: 2006-2010
Bulk Dates: 2006
Collection number: MSS-2006-06-30
Creator:
San Jose State University, Special Collections & Archives
Collection Size:
3 custom boxes,
1.25 linear feet
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, 2006-2010 (bulk 2006) consists of thirteen digital recordings and
complete transcriptions documenting the experiences of women in politics in San José and Santa Clara County. The interviewees
include: Blanca Alvarado, Joan Goddard, Susan Hammer, Janet Gray Hayes, Linda J. LeZotte, Dianne McKenna, Madison Nguyen,
Sally Reed, Lu Ryden, Leona Egeland Siadek, Lee Sturtevant, Susanne Wilson, and Zoe Lofgren. This collection is arranged into
one series: Series I. South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, 2006-2010 (bulk 2006).
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections &
Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to
the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections
& Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital
reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, MSS-2006-06-30, San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Collection processed and EAD encoded by Elizabeth Lopez. Reviewed by Danelle Moon.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
The South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project was funded by a CSU Research Grant from 2005-2006. This oral history
project resulted in thirteen digital recordings and complete transcriptions documenting the experiences of women in politics
in San José and Santa Clara County. The interviewees include: Blanca Alvarado, Joan Goddard, Susan Hammer, Janet Gray Hayes,
Linda J. LeZotte, Dianne McKenna, Madison Nguyen, Sally Reed, Lu Ryden, Leona Egeland Siadek, Lee Sturtevant, Susanne Wilson,
and Zoe Lofgren.
In this time period, San José and Santa Clara County become known as the "Feminist Capital" of the nation, starting with the
mayoral success of Janet Gray Hayes, who became the first elected female mayor in the United States of a city of 500,000.
Her political ascendancy represented a watershed for female office holders in the U.S., and this key victory opened a floodgate
for female participation in almost every level of California government, from the Mayor's office to the California Assembly,
and eventually Congress. As a result Santa Clara County and specifically the city of San Jose became know as the "Feminist
Capital of the Nation." This combined with the success of other female candidates across the U.S. led a number of national
magazines to run stories on the role of women, feminism, and politics.
Time,
People,
U.S. News and World Report, and even some international papers carried stories highlighting the success of these female candidates. Gray Hayes was featured
in a number of articles, alongside Diane Feinstein of San Francisco, Jane Byrne of Chicago, Isabella Cannon of Raleigh, North
Carolina, Carole McCellan of Austin, Texas, and Margaret Hance of Phoenix, Arizona. In 1979 the
U.S. News and World Report ran a story highlighting the recent victories of women in politics across the U.S. According to this report 750 cities had
female mayors out of 18,800 municipalities-women were making clear inroads into politics at all levels. From 1975 to 1979
the number of women in public office increased from 4.7% to 10.9%, with the largest increase at the local and state levels.
These pioneering women worked directly and indirectly for equal rights and equal participation in the political process. Some
of them played a key role as the first recognized political figures in San José and the larger Bay Area, while others worked
as activists and lobbyist for the Equal Rights Amendment, the environment, civil rights, including outlawing marital and date
rape, and reproductive rights. Each narrator was asked to reflect on her political and social experiences from the 1960s to
the present, with the objective to document women's experience through the political process, as politicians, and as non-governmental
lobbyists and activists. This project provides a deeper understanding of the important role that women have played in Bay
Area politics, and will advance historical understanding of the important events, activities, and resulting policies that
transformed the political landscape and opened up new opportunities for women, despite the failure to ratify the Equal Rights
Amendment.
Flammang, Janet A. "Female Officials in the Feminist Capital: The Case of Santa Clara County,"
Women's Political Quarterly 38 no. 1 (March 1985).
Flammang, Janet A.
Women's Political Voice: How women are Transforming the Practice and Study of Politics (Temple University Press, 1997).
Matthews, Glenna.
Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream: Gender, Class, Opportunity in the Twentieth Century (Stanford University Press, 2003).
Philip J. Trounstine and Terry Christensen.
Movers and Shakers: The Study of Community Power (St. Martin's Press, New York, 1982).
Susan Hammer Papers. San José State University Archives Collection.
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6r29r199
Janet Gray Hayes Papers. San José State University Archives Collection.
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt4v19r0fx
Dianne McKenna Papers. San José State University Archives Collection.
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt767nc8vv
Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, San José State University.
The South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, 2006-2010 (bulk 2006), consists of thirteen digital recordings and
complete transcriptions documenting the experiences of women in politics in San Jose and Santa Clara County. The interviewees
include: Blanca Alvarado, Joan Goddard, Susan Hammer, Janet Gray Hayes, Linda J. LeZotte, Dianne McKenna, Madison Nguyen,
Sally Reed, Lu Ryden, Leona Egeland Siadek, Lee Sturtevant, Susanne Wilson, and Zoe Lofgren. The core collection also includes
documentation on the development of the project, research files, oral release forms and other supporting documentation required
by the Human Subjects-Institutional Review Board at SJSU.
The project was funded by a CSU Faculty Research Grant from 2005-2006. Danelle Moon, Director at the SJSU Special Collections
and Archives, served as the principal investigator for the project. Graduate student assistants, Majorie Bryer, Jane Cooper,
Karen Clementi, Amy Fonseca, and Aime McNamara provided research assistance and participated in the interview process. Special
Collections staff transcribed the interviews with the exception of Linda LeZotte's transcript, which was funded by the City
of San Jose.
This collection is arranged into a single series: Series I. South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, 2006-2010
(bulk 2006).
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Feminism -- California -- Santa Clara County -- History
Oral history -- California -- Santa Clara County
Feminism -- United States -- History
Women -- Political activity -- Santa Clara County
Equal rights amendments -- United States
Women -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Interviews
Collection Contents
SERIES I: South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, 2006-2010 (bulk 2006)
Series Scope and Content Summary
The South Bay Second Wave Feminist Oral History Project, 2006-2010 (bulk 2006), consists of thirteen digital recordings and
complete transcriptions documenting the experiences of women in politics in San Jose and Santa Clara County. The interviewees
include: Blanca Alvarado, Joan Goddard, Susan Hammer, Janet Gray Hayes, Linda J. LeZotte, Dianne McKenna, Madison Nguyen,
Sally Reed, Lu Ryden, Leona Egeland Siadek, Lee Sturtevant, Susanne Wilson, and Zoe Lofgren. The collection also includes
documentation on the development of the project, research files, oral release forms and other supporting documentation
required by the Human Subjects-Institutional Review Board at SJSU. All of the interviews took place at the homes or offices
of the interviewees, and the interviews of Susanne Wilson took place over the course of the Summer of 2006. Of those
interviewed, Blanco Alvarado, Susan Hammer, Janet Gray Hayes, Linda J. LeZotte, Dianne McKenna, Maidson Nguygen, Lu Ryden,
Susanne Wilson, and Zoe Lofgren were elected officials in local government, and Lofgren is currently a member of Congress.
Leona Egeland Siadek was elected to the California State Assembly, serving between 1974-1980, and Sally Reed served as the
Assistant City Manger of San Jose and went on to become the Santa Clara County Board Executive. Joan Goddard was a labor
activist and librarian, while Lee Sturtevant, a labor activist, worked behind the scenes in the local democratic party in
San
José.
This series is arranged alphabetically by interviewee last name.
Access Note: Donor Agreements in Box 3 are restricted.
Box 1
Interviews: Alvarado-LeZotte, 2006-2007
Box 2
Interviews: McKenna-Sturtevant, 2006-2008
Box 3
Interviews: Wilson, 2006