Goltz (James) and Jean Wood ethnographic fieldwork research on the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative, Los Angeles chapter, 1975-1979

Summary

Title:

James Goltz and Jean Wood ethnographic fieldwork research on the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative, Los Angeles chapter

Dates:

1975-1979

Creators:

Goltz, James D.

Abstract:

Ethnographic fieldwork research materials of James Goltz and Jean Wood regarding their study of the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (CABI), Los Angeles chapter, conducted in 1978-1979. The collectin includes 29 interviews with members of CABI as well as field notes, administrative records, media clippings, and promotional materials. CABI was formed when Senator John Briggs introduced California Proposition 6, the "Briggs Initiative," in 1978 to prohibit gay and lesbian people as well as those who advocated for gay and lesbian rights from working in public schools.

Extent:

0.8 Linear Feet 2 boxes.

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] James Goltz and Jean Wood Ethnographic Fieldwork Research on the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative, Los Angeles Chapter, Coll2014.003, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Background

Scope and content:

Ethnographic fieldwork research of James Goltz and Jean Wood regarding their study of the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (CABI), Los Angeles chapter, conducted in 1978-1979. The collection includes audio recordings and transcriptions of 29 interviews with members of CABI as well as field notes, administrative records, media clippings, and promotional materials.

Biographical / historical:

In 1978, Senator John Briggs introduced California Proposition 6, the "Briggs Initiative," to prohibit gay and lesbian people as well as those who advocated for gay and lesbian rights from working in public schools. The Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (CABI) formed in the spring of 1978 to fight the proposition. Multiple CABI chapters formed across California, the largest of which were in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. CABI's efforts contributed to the defeat of the proposition in the November 1978 election by a margin of 58% to 42%.

The impetus for the research was a two-quarter graduate seminar at UCLA on Ethnographic Fieldwork conducted by Professor Robert Emerson (Sociology 217A and B). Students were instructed to select a setting in which the principles of participant observation, in-depth interviewing, field-note taking, document collection and other ethnographic methods could be practiced. James Goltz and Jean Wood chose the The Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (CABI) chapter in Los Angeles and conducted interviews with members, attended meetings, and participated in demonstrations and public actions, including picketing a fast food restaurant whose owner had made contributions to the passage of the initiative. All interviews were conducted in-person using a standard questionnaire. The papers written by Goltz and Wood for the seminar are not included in the collection.

Source: Box 1/folder 1, James Goltz Ethnographic Fieldwork Research on the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative, Los Angeles Chapter, Coll2014.003, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Acquisition information:

Donated by James D. Goltz, January 10, 2014.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Lizzie Hernandez, January 17, 2014.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Separated material:

Separated to the ONE audiovisual collection

Audiocassette interviews with Jinx Beers, Steve Brooks, Nancy Brown, Cedric Burns, Ann Egleston, Lee Evans,Larry Goldsmith, Wayne Heiber, Barabara Field/Steve Hockeman, Bill Hoover, Michael Itkin, Bill Jarrico, Ruth, Jessen, Steve Kent, Eugene London, Muriel Marushka, Rae Martinoff, Joyce McEvay, Susan McGrievey, Bob Nelson, John O'Brien, Bill Perdue, Sidney Plotnick, Charles Rosen, Toska Savva, William E. Smith, Jack Welch and Pat Wellner.

Audiocassette recordings titled: post-election, election night, and recollections.

Separated to the ONE button collection

"No on Proposition 6," white with blue writing and red border and torch symbol, 2.25-inch diameter.

"no 6," red with white lettering, 1-inch diameter.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Gay activists -- California -- Los Angeles
Lesbian activists -- California -- Los Angeles
Political activists -- California -- Los Angeles
Interviews

Names:

Committee Against the Briggs Initiative Los Angeles (Organization)

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Lizzie Hernandez

Sponsor:

Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2017-11-17 16:25:56 -0800 .

Restrictions:

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries 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.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] James Goltz and Jean Wood Ethnographic Fieldwork Research on the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative, Los Angeles Chapter, Coll2014.003, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Location of this collection:

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

909 West Adams Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90007, US

Contact:

(213) 821-2771

askone@usc.edu

Website