Marjorie and Paul Colvin papers HLL.2019.003
Allyson Eddy Bravmann, edited by Allison Ransom
Holt Labor Library at CSU Dominguez Hills
September 2019
Contributing Institution:
Holt Labor Library at CSU Dominguez Hills
Title: Marjorie and Paul Colvin papers
Creator:
Colvin, Marjorie
Creator:
Colvin, Paul
Identifier/Call Number: HLL.2019.003
Physical Description:
3.34 Linear Feet
Physical Description:
8 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1957-1991
Abstract: This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Marjorie and Paul Colvin, members of the Socialist Workers
Party and political activists who protested against the Vietnam war and other U.S. interventions during the 1960's and 1970's.
It includes meeting notes, flyers, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to the various organizations and movements
they were involved with.
Language of Material: Collection material is in English.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Allyson Eddy Bravmann in August, 2007 at the Holt Labor Library in San Francisco, California.
In 2019 Allison Ransom edited the finding aid in ArchivesSpace at the Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State
University, Dominguez Hills.
Preferred Citation
Biographical/ Historical
Paul Colvin was born in Flint, MI. His mother was a member of the Proletarian party, and took him to meetings as early as
age 7. In 1943 at age 18, he met a member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in Burbank, CA, and in 1946 he became a SWP
sympathizer while attending the University of California at Los Angeles. Having served in the Navy during World War II, Paul
worked as a merchant seaman between semesters. He began attending SWP meetings in 1949, but the House UnAmerican Activities
Committee closely watched the maritime industry and the radical sympathizers within it. An informant in the Party turned him
in, and he lost his seaman's papers in 1954, the same year he became an official member of SWP.
The national SWP selected Paul to attend the Trotsky School at Mountain Spring Camp in Washington, New Jersey. He spent the
1959-1960 school year there, studying Marx's
Capital and American history. Afterwards, the Party asked him to be an educator in San Francisco teaching young party members about
capitalism and political issues.
During the Vietnam War, Paul led the logistics committee for several antiwar demonstrations, which entailed gathering permits,
banners, insurance, police, food, sound equipment, creating the march route, and raising funds to ensure the success of each
event. He kept a file of people who were regular march monitors and collection volunteers; at one point he had nearly 700
names. At the time he worked the night shift at the
San Francisco Chronicle, which allowed him to engage in political action during the daytime.
Paul was a member of SWP for 29 years and was part of a group that was expelled in 1983. He helped form Socialist Action,
of which he was a member for 18 years. In the 1990s, he was active in the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. He went on
to form Socialist Workers Organization, which publishes Socialist Viewpoint. In 2006, he joined the Workers International
League.
Marjorie Colvin came from a religious, apolitical family in Texas. She attended the University of Texas at Austin where she
was an anti-segregation activist. She moved to San Francisco with her daughter in 1960 and met Paul in 1961. She was a social
worker at a geriatric hospital and later for the California Department of Employment. She received a M.A. in anthropology
from San Francisco State College, for which she wrote her thesis on an Apache person she met through the Department of Employment.
That association led to her later involvement with the American Indian Movement and Dennis Banks.
She became a member of the Socialist Workers Party in October 1962, after participating in a demonstration concerning the
Cuban Missile Crisis, and remained a member until the late 1970's. Marjorie was one of the top signature gatherers during
the Proposition P campaign, collecting over 1,000 names to help get the measure on the ballot. Prior to joining the SWP, she
was active in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in San Francisco in 1961 as well as the Communist Party.
Marjorie worked for the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco for 29 years as a drug counselor, mental health therapist,
and an advocate for workers' rights. A women's detoxification center at the clinic's Mission Street location in San Francisco
is named in her honor.
Scope and Contents
The Marjorie and Paul Colvin papers (1957-1991) consist of meeting notes, flyers, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and
other documents concerning the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (FPCC), Proposition P (San Francisco 1967), Proposition J (San
Francisco 1970), anti-Vietnam war activities and the Dennis Banks Defense Committee, in which the Colvins were active in during
the 1960's and 1970's. The collection also includes correspondence with the Socialist Workers Party national organization
in New York, which provides insight into the party's position on activism in the San Francisco Bay Area. The collection contains
significant holdings on the New Mobilization Committee (National and West), the GI Civil Liberties Defense Committee and planning
materials for antiwar demonstrations in San Francisco between 1967-1971.
Custodial History
The Marjorie and Paul Colvin papers were donated to the Holt Labor Library in San Francisco, California in 2004, and were
acquired by the Gerth Archives and Special Collections at California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2019.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series: Series I. Fair Play for Cuba Committee, 1958-2002; Series II. Propositions P and
J, 1967-1971, bulk 1967; Series III. Anti-Vietnam War Organizations and Events, 1957-1991, bulk 1967-1969.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Socialism -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- United States
Student movements -- Political activity -- 20th century
Socialist Workers Party--United States--20th century
Cuba -- History -- Revolution, 1959
Fair Play for Cuba Committee Series I.
1958-2002
Language of Material: English.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
Series I. contains minutes, press releases, speeches, and correspondence, primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area's chapter
of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, as well as from other chapters in the United States and Canada. Also included are notes
from the Committee's 1961 National Conference and newspaper clippings related to the Committee.
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
1960-1986
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 1
Constitution
1960
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 2
Bay of Pigs Invasion
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 3
Film Project
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 4
"Organizational Minutes and Materials"
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 5
Ray Duren and Nicolas Guillen Speech
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 6
Robert F. Williams Speech
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 7
Correspondence
1961-1962
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 8
Minutes and Newsletters
1961-1962
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 9
Pamphlets
1961-1962
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 10
Cuban Missile Crisis
1962
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 11
Asher Harer Talk, Santa Cruz
1986
Language of Material: English.
Other Chapters
1960-1963
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 12
Los Angeles
1960-1962
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 13
National, General
1960-1963
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 14
National, National Conference
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 15
Other U.S. Chapters
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 16
Palo Alto, California
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 17
Tampa, Florida
1961
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 18
Canadian Chapters
1961-1962
Language of Material: English.
Related Organizations
1959-1962
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 19
Socialist Workers Party (SWP)
1959-1963
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 1
Amigos de Cuba
1959-1991, bulk 1961
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 2
Other Organizations
1960-1962
Language of Material: English.
Media
1957-1982
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 3-4
U.S. and Cuban Relations
1957-1982, bulk 1961
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Contains newspaper clippings and magazine articles.
box 2, folder 5
Clippings, FPCC
1960-1961
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 6
Right Wing on Cuba
1960-1961
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 7
Fidel Castro Speeches
1960-1962
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 8-10
Cuban Media
1960-1982
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Contains articles regarding U.S. and Cuban relations, arts and culture, and "Radio Havana."
Propositions P and J II.
1967-1971, bulk 1967
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Series II. chronicles the campaigns for 1967 and 1970 San Francisco ballot measures to offically oppose the Vietnam War. Included
are meeting notes, petitions, newspaper clippings, and lengthy reports written by the Colvins and Asher Harer for the Socialist
Worker's Party.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Proposition P, 1967
1967-1969, bulk 1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 1
"Declarations of Candidacy, Including Statements of Qualifications of Candidates; Propositions together with Arguments and
Statements of Controller; Relating to Costs to be voted on at General Municipal Election to be held November 7, 1967"
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 2
Pre-Campaign Meeting Notes, Petition Drive
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 3
Pre-Campaign Clippings
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 4
Campaign meeting notes
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 5
Campaign Flyers and Talking Points
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 6
Participant Lists
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 7
Events and Publicity
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 8
Financial Records
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 9
Election materials
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 10
Campaign Clippings
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 11
Post-Election Clippings
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 12
Post-Election Meeting Notes
1967-1968
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 13
Post-Election Correspondence
1967-1968
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 14
Post-Election Socialist Workers Party and Young Socialist Alliance reports and notes
1967-1968
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 15
Asher Harer Campaign Review for Socialist Worker's Party
1968
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 16
Post-Election, Paul Colvin Campaign Review for Socialist Worker's Party
1968
Language of Material: English.
box 3, folder 17
Post-Election, Marjorie Colvin memo to New Mobilization Committee
1969
Language of Material: English.
Proposition J, 1970
1968-1971, bulk 1970
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 1-2
Precinct Lists
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 3
Petition Volunteers
1970
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 4
Call Sheets
1970
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 5
General Campaign Materials
1970-1971
Language of Material: English.
Anti-Vietnam War Organizations and Events
1964-1971
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Series III. contains meeting notes, flyers, correspondence, clippings, and other documents that reflect the activities of
various civilian, GI, veteran, and student-led anti-Vietnam War organizations, and other political organizations.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Anti-War Organizations
1964-1970
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 6
Vietnam Committee
1964
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 7
Socialist Worker's Party on Vietnam
1965-1970
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 8
Jeannette Rankin Brigade
1968
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 9
GI's United Against the War in Vietnam
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 10
Peace and Freedom Party
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 4, folder 11
Presidio 27, National Committee for the 27, GI Association
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 1
Student Mobilization Committee
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 2
Veterans for Peace in Vietnam
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 3
Organized Labor on Vietnam
1968-1970
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 4
American Committee for Solidarity with the Vietnamese People
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 5
GI-Civilian Alliance for Peace (GI-CAP)
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 6
GI Civil Liberties Defense Committee, Fort Jackson Five
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 7
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 8
Vietnam Moratorium Committee
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 9
Women for Peace
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 10
Bay Area Peace Action Council (BAPAC)
1969-1970
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 11
New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, National Chapter (New Mobe)
1969-1970
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 1
New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Western Chapter (New Mobe West)
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 2
Peace Action Council of Southern California
1970
Language of Material: English.
Other Organizations
1964-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 3
Area 2 Block Council, Committee to Save the Fillmore
1964
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 4
Black Panthers
1968
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 5
Japan Congress Against A and H Bombs
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 6
US Committee for Justice to Latin American Political prisoners (USLA Justice), Committee for Latin American Solidarity
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 7
Citizens for Lowering the Voting Age
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 8
Dennis Banks Defense Fund, March and Rally
1976
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 9
Miscellaneous Organizations
1964-1969
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Includes documents reflecting the activites of the Northern Californians to Abolish the House Un-Americans Committee, the
American Friends Service Committee, and the Laotian Patriotic Front, among others.
Events
1965-1971
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 10
Vietnam Day Committee
1965-1966
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 11
Spring Mobilization
1967
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 12
Anti-War Demonstration, San Francisco
April 27, 1968
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 13
Democratic Party National Convention
1968
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 14
GI March for Peace
October 12, 1968
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 15
San Francisco State College Student Strike
1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 6, folder 16
GI-Civilian Easter Peace March
March 5, 1969
Language of Material: English.
box 7, folder 1
GI-Civilian Easter Peace March, Financial Records
1965-1969, bulk 1968-1969
Language of Material: English.
box 7, folder 2
Fifth Avenue Peace Parade
April 5, 1969
Language of Material: English.
box 7, folder 3
Anti-War Conference, Cleveland, Ohio
July 4-5, 1969
Language of Material: English.
box 7, folder 4
November 15th Action
1969
Language of Material: English.
box 7, folder 5
Peace Action Council Anti-War March
April 24, 1971
Language of Material: English.
box 7, folder 6
Various Anti-War Demonstrations
1969-1970, undated
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Contains flyers, newspaper articles, and press releases regarding the various Anti-War demonstrations, including the Moratorium
to End the War in Vietnam, a Berkeley, California "Draft Card Turn-In," among others.
box 7, folder 7
Donor and Participant Lists
1967-1970
Language of Material: English.
box 8, folder 1-3
Newspaper Articles
1964-1970
Language of Material: English.