Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigeneity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, 1960-2000

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Summary

Abstract:
A collection of materals produced by groups, both within and outside Stanford Medicine, that sought to address issues related to race, ethnicity, indigineity, and/or gender at Stanford Medicine, largely between the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is chiefly comprised of newspaper articles, but it also contains press releases, booklets, photographs, flyers, committee reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, and staff roll sheets. The materials are organized by the groups responsible for their creation.
Extent:
2.08 Linear Feet 5 short archives boxes, 5W x 12 1/2L x 10 1/2"H each.
Language:
English .

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of materals produced by groups, both within and outside Stanford Medicine, that sought to address issues related to race, ethnicity, indigineity, and/or gender at Stanford Medicine, largely between the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is chiefly comprised of newspaper articles, but it also contains press releases, booklets, photographs, flyers, committee reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, and staff roll sheets. The materials are organized by the groups responsible for their creation.

Most materials came from groups established by the Stanford School of Medicine and University Hosptial. Many of these groups, such as the Council on Diversity and the Program for Women in Medicine, were responses to the concerns that female activists, activists of color, and groups such as the Black Student Union and La Alianza Latina voiced about work and life at Stanford.

Topics of interest may include the April 1971 Hospital sit-in led by the Black United Front to protest the firing of Hospital maintenance worker Sam Bridges, the Supreme Court case Zurcher v. Stanford Daily (part of the fallout from the sit-in), the April 1971 Hospital work stoppage (also potentially the result of the sit-in), and Stanford's efforts to attract women and people of color to its faculty and student body.

Biographical / historical:

La Alianza Latina was a Stanford Hospital-based employee group that formed in the summer of 1970. Initially, its purpose was "to accurately represent the interests of all Latin employees at the Stanford University Medical Center…to combat individual and institutional racism which has led to de facto segregation within some departments at the Medical Center…[and] to be informed, active employees contributing to the betterment of the Stanford University Medical Center."(1) By 1976, however, its scope had expanded to include all employees.(2) Among its first acts was to sponsor the hiring of a Latino representative—Walter Torres—to the Hospital's Personnel Office.(3)

Founded as the Minority Relations Committee in 1968, the Black Advisory Committee is a Stanford Hospital-based employee group meant to "advise the Director of the Hospital in those matters concerning Black employees."(4) Members were initially volunteers, but by 1971 were elected by Black hospital staff. (5) Notable achievements include the creation of the Integrated Assistant Program (later called the Physician's Assistant Program), the establishment of the "Black Personnel Interviewer" and "Black Counselor" positions, the setting of the minimum wage for the Hospital to $450/month, and the placement of Black employees into the X-Ray Technician program.(6)

The Black Student Union was an organization of Black students in higher education, of which the Stanford branch was just one part.(7) Its members worked with the School of Medicine to bring more students of color to Stanford in the 1970s. The group also published The Real News and Street Wall Journal—newspapers discussing civil rights on campus and aimed at Black students.

The Black United Front was a coalition which included Stanford's Black Student Union. On April 8th, 1971, in an effort to protest the firing of Black maintenance worker Sam Bridges, this group led a rally that became a 30-hour sit-in inside the University Hospital's administrative wing. The sit-in's eventual dissolution by Palo Alto police—which culminated in a brawl between officers and protesters that saw dozens of arrests and injuries, and about $100,000 of propery damage to the hospital itself—laid the groundwork for a host of court cases, including Zurcher v Stanford Daily.(8)

The Professional Women of Stanford Medical School was group organized in 1969 "as a direct result" of Katharine Dexter McCormick's $5 million bequest to Stanford.(9) It established the McCormick Lectureship, a program that invites leading women in science to give presentations at the University.(10) The group's main goal was to "improve the opportunities for all women in medicine and health sciences at Stanford," and it was responsible for the publication of two recruiting booklets aimed at prospective female medical students.(11) They also proposed the creation of an Office of Women's Affairs at the Medical School, which would have dealt with "problems affecting women in all branches of the health sciences."(12)

The Stanford Raza Medical Association was a group led for some time by Fernando Lopez, whose criticism of Stanford Medicine (which he called a "place where institutional racism is openly supported") sparked debate.(13)

The Council on Diversity was a group founded by the School of Medicine in 1992 to "[advise] the dean and department chairs on issues on gender and diversity."(14) One of its most significant contributions to the School was its 1994 established of the "Junior Faculty Mentoring Program" to help ease feelings of isolation among faculty. The program received nationwide attention in 1998 when its codirectors were invited to Washington DC to discuss it.(15)

The Faculty Senate is a group comprised of elected faculty members, and "the main instrument for faculty participation in setting policy and making decisions on academic affairs."(16) Working with groups like the Black Students Union, it developed committees—such as the Minority Student Search Committee and the Minority Admissions Committee—and programs to boost application and acceptance rates for students of color.

The Program for Women in Medicine was a membership-based group created by the School of Medicine in 1990 to "foster personal and professional growth among women in the medical sciences through regularly scheduled forums, seminars, workshops and publications."(17) It hosted yearly symposiums.(18)

Stanford University Hospital's Affirmative Action Committee, established in 1973, was created to "aid in coordinating efforts to provide effective job training, job opportunity, and career ladders for members of racial as well as ethnic groups and women."(19) It was responsible for the Hospital's Affirmative Action Program.

The Women's Health Initiative was a "long-term national health study that focuses research on…preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women."(20) Stanford joined its coalition of research centers in 1994.(21)

The Women's Wellness Clinic, part of the Department of Psychiatry, conducted studies on treatments for premenstrual syndrome (PMS).(22) The clinic was a collaborative effort with School of Medicine "colleagues in [obstetrics and gynecology]."(23)

Venceremos was a Chicano political activist group founded in Redwood City in 1969. After Stanford Professor H. Bruce Franklin and his Maoist revolutionaries joined in 1971, the group turned towards more militant forms of activism.(24) It also ran a college campus in Redwood City in collaboration with the Nairobi Corporation.(25)

(1) "Latins in Medical Center Form La Alianza Latina." Medical Center Memo, June 1970. Box 1, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(2) "Involvement is Key By Membership of La Alianza Latina Group." Medical Center Memo, 1976. Box 1, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(3) "Latin Representative Joins Personnel Office Staff." Medical Center Memo, August 1970. Box 1, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(4) "The Black Advisory Committee Informational Sheet." February 22, 1974. Box 1, folder 2, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(5) "Black Hospital Employees Elect 9-Member Advisory Committee." Medical Center Memo, July-August 1971. Box 1, folder 2, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(6) "The Black Advisory Committee Informational Sheet." February 22, 1974. Box 1, folder 2, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(7) "Minorities: the talent search is on!" Reprint from summer 1969 issue of Stanford MD by the Stanford Medical Alumni Association. Box 1, folder 3, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(8) April 11, 1971 press release. Box 1, folder 14, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(9) February 27 1980 press release. Box 2, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(10) April 15 1977 press release. Box 2, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(11) Letter to potential Professional Women of Stanford Medical School member, February 1975. Box 2, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(12) "Office of Women's Affairs Proposed by Professional Women of Stanford Medical School" article. Box 2, folder 1, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(13) Lopez, Fernando. "UCMI goals are not being fulfilled at Stanford Medical Center." Stanford Daily, May 9, 1990. Box 2, folder 4, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(14) "Background: Women in Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine." Press release. Box 2, folder 5, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(15) Richter, Ruthann. "Mentoring program offers model for other schools." News from Stanford University Medical Center, July 6, 1998. Box 2, folder 5, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(16) "About Us." Stanford Faculty Senate. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://facultysenate.stanford.edu/about-us.

(17) "Stanford opens new program for women in medicine with conference on women's issues." Press release. April 27, 1990. Box 3, folder 7, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(18) "Women in Medicine and Medical Sciences Symposia" packet. Box 3, folder 7, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(19) "Affirmative Action Committee Established." Medical Center Memo, April 1973. Box 3, folder 9, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(20) Karen Riggs, correspondence with M.A. Malone, February 21, 1997. Box 4, folder 10, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(21) "NIH picks Stanford for research center." San Francisco Examiner, October 14, 1994. Box 4, folder 10, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(22) "Women with PMS sought for study." Stanford Report, May 21, 1997. Box 5, folder 2, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(23) Jones-Bey, Hassaun. "Women's Wellness Clinic focuses on hormones, mood." Stanford Report, February 12, 1997. Box 5, folder 2, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

(24) "Stanford: Where War and Business Meet, 1972." Stanford Stories from the Archives. Accessed November 27th, 2024. https://exhibits.stanford.edu/stanford-stories/feature/1970s.

(25) "Dispute widens between Nairobi and Venceremos." Palo Alto Times, June 9, 1971. Box 5, folder 4, Collection on Race, Ethnicity, Indigineity, and Gender in Activism and Policy at Stanford Medicine, Medical History Center, Stanford University Lane Medical Library.

Arrangement:

These records are arranged in twelve series:

La Alianza Latina

Black Advisory Committee

Black Student Union

Professional Women of Stanford Medical School

Relevant Campus Report and other newspaper articles

Relevant Stanford Daily articles

Stanford Raza Medical Association

Stanford School of Medicine

Stanford University Hosptial

Articles on and materials from events possibly connected to activist groups

Venceremos

"La Alianza Latina" contains press releases, newsletters, and correspondence relating to the activities of the Alianza Latina hospital employee group, including their blood drive, elections and election disputes involving United Stanford Employees, creation of the hospital's Employee Advisory Council, their rendition of the play "Cuauhtemoc," their "Declaration of Intent and Purpose," and the "Annual Report of La Alianza Latina Advisory Committee Activities July 23, 1975." Also included are photographs of members, including Chairperson Olga Guera, Secretary-Treasurer Miriam Macias, and Vice Chairperson Noney Bodger/Fuller. Duplicates some material in the "Black Advisory Committee" series.

"Black Advisory Committee" contains press releases, newsletters, and articles relating to the activities of the Black Advisory Committee hospital employee group, including their elections and election disputes involving United Stanford Employees, the Ernest Lewis v BAC case, negatives and photographs of members and the organization's 1975 Juneteenth celebration, and their sickle cell anemia testing program. Duplicates some material in the "La Alianza Latina" series.

"Black Student Union" contains materials related to the group's work with the School of Medicine to raise admission rates for students of color, as well as demands for reparations from Stanford and self-published newspapers discussing civil rights on campus, among other topics. Please note that further materials on recruiting students of color can be found in the "Faculty Senate materials on issues facing students of color" and the "Recruiting students of color" subseries.

"Black United Front" contains materials related to the April 8-9, 1971 hospital sit-in, largely articles and press releases produced in its aftermath regarding resulting court cases such as the Leo Belize and Christopher Laury assault and sit-in trials, the John Dolly firing case, the Sam Bridges firing case, and Zurcher v Stanford Daily. However, Hospital internal communications and photographs created before and during the event are also present, as are materials on the efforts of the group to have charges against arrested and fired protesters dropped.

"Professional Women of Stanford Medical School" contains newsletters, articles, and press releases on the group's work, such as its meetings, hosted lecturers, and the activities of its members. Also contains the group's proposal for an Office of Women's Affairs, its statement to the Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare on the Rights and Responsibilities of Women, and its report on women's issues at Stanford.

"Relevant Campus Report and other newspaper articles" contains Campus Report issues that feature articles on events and topics relevant to the collection, such as the Hospital sit-in and various incidents of arson and bombing potentially related to activist causes. Special issues discuss Stanford's affirmative action plan and the September 1974 "Report of Minority Student Concerns." It also contains the Tuesday, April 13th, 1971 issue of the Palo Alto Times.

"Relevant Stanford Daily articles" contains Stanford Daily issues that feature articles on events and topics relevant to the collection, such as the Hospital sit-in, the Black employee work stoppage, demands made by activist groups to Stanford leadership, and various incidents of arson and bombing potentially related to activist causes.

"Stanford Raza Medical Association" contains Raza President Fernando Lopez's editorial accusing Stanford Medicine of racism, as well as reactions to it.

"Stanford School of Medicine" contains a wide variety of materials, including reports, articles, papers, photographs, and press releases, relating to race and gender issues among students and faculty at Stanford, as well as groups formed to address them, like the faculty senate with its Minority Admissions Committee and Minority Student Search Committees, and the Program for Women in Medicine. Note that the file "Female student recruitment" features materials related to trends of admission for women across the country as well as Stanford. Note also that "Recruiting students of color" similarly includes national trends and discussions. Booklets produced by the school to attract students of color are also present.

"Stanford University Hospital" also contains a wide variety of materials, including annual/progress reports, program drafts, meeting minutes, meeting announcements, correspondence, newsletters, press releases, photographs, and articles relating to the Hospital's Affirmative Action Committee, female employee/employee of color recruitment efforts, and the activities of minority employee groups. Also includes articles detailing discussions of and accusations against Stanford for sex discrimination such as that of Colleen Crangle, as well as materials (including attendance charts) on the April 1971 work stoppage, and the programs offered to employees of color for training in laboratory work.

"Articles on and materials from events possibly connected to activist groups" contains articles on incidents of bombing, bomb threats, and arson on campus, including the Junipero dorm fire and the President Lyman office bombing. Also includes items donated as part of the Hospital sit-in collection but which lack the context to be placed with those materials. Note that the item "87 admits" is assumed to be a list of students of color admitted to medical colleges across the country, and the notice "to brothers, sisters and concerned persons" may either be from sit-in participants or the staff of the activist-run information center in the Hospital.

"Venceremos" contains articles on the Dr. Jose Aguilar tenure dispute, as well as on the group's involvement in the Hospital sit-in and its other encounters with Stanford administration.

Accruals:

On May 14, 2025, one folder of materials was received from the University Archives branch in Redwood City (Stanford Redwood City, SRWC) after an archivist there recognized the materials' connection to this collection. The materials are named below and were added to the collection as described.

- ["Admission of Minority Students" pamphelet, 1977-78] was added to Box 3, Folder 8 (the "Publications aimed at female students and students of color" subseries of the "School of Medicine" Series)

- [Medical Center News Bureau report on Stanford School of Medicine's minority enrollment program] was added to the "School of Medicine" Series as the new Box 3, Folder 9. The former Box 3, Folder 9 (the "Affirmative Action Committee and program" subseries of the "University Hospital" Series) and all subsequent folders were renumbered accordingly.

- A report on the Minority Admission Committee's history sent from John L. Wilson MD to Clayton Rich MD on October 5, 1971 was added to Box 2, Folder 6 (the "Faculty Senate materials on issues facing students of color" subseries of the "School of Medicine" series).

- A "Report of the Faculty Senate Meeting of December 13, 1968" discussing the Search Committee on Minority Students was also added to Box 2, Folder 6.

- An update on Faculty Senate meetings on June 6 and June 20, 1969 mentioning the replacement of the Minority Student Search Committee with the Minority Student Admissions Committee was also added to Box 2, Folder 6.

- "Recommendations" for the Minority Admissions program were also added to Box 2, Folder 6

- A 1973 "Report of the Senate Committee on Admissions Policy" was also added to Box 2, Folder 6.

Material specific details:
The Real News (Box 1, Folder 6) contains offensive language used to refer to African Americans. Similarly, "Affirmative Action Committee and program" (Box 3, Folder 9) contains outdated terminology once used to refer to gender non-conforming people. Stanford Medical History Center collects and makes these materials available to facilitate scholarly research and education, and does not endorse the viewpoints within.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
Lane Medical Library & Knowledge Management Center
300 Pasteur Drive, Room L109
Stanford, CA 94305-5123, US
Contact:
(650) 725-8045
medhistory@lists.stanford.edu
Website