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AADL Talks To: Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary, Women's Rights Activists
Women’s rights activists Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary have been working together for over 50 years. Among their many pioneering contributions to regional and national causes are the Women’s Crisis Center, domestic violence reform, and legislation to combat job, housing, and sexual discrimination. Jan, a member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, is the founder of the Rape Crisis Center movement in Michigan and has pioneered programs for law enforcement training in the treatment of domestic violence and sexual assault. Catherine, retiring Washtenaw County Treasurer, was the youngest person elected to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and has been recognized nationally for her work fighting home foreclosures and championing the rights of women and people of color. Jan and Catherine talk about their pioneering roles in the rape awareness movement, including their writing and distribution of the influential “Freedom From Rape” publication and their involvement in the passage of Michigan’s landmark 1974 Criminal Sexual Conduct Act, which would become a national model. They also talk about their work to establish the first publicly funded domestic violence shelter in the country and offer their perspective on the continuing challenges women face in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs decision.
Media
AADL Talks To: Andy Sacks, Photographer and Documentarian
Andrew Sacks is an award-winning photographer and documentarian in the Ann Arbor area. He came to the University of Michigan in the late 1960s to study art and immediately joined the Michigan Daily newspaper, covering a variety of assignments, from sit-ins and student demonstrations to regional and national political campaigns. During this period, he also played jazz piano with various Ann Arbor musicians. Andy recalls the people and some of the many memorable events that shaped his life and work over the years. Andy’s vast photo negative collection is available at the Bentley Historical Library.
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AADL Talks To: John Hieftje, 60th Mayor of Ann Arbor, 2000-2014
John Hieftje is Ann Arbor’s 60th and longest-serving mayor, elected first in 2000, then re-elected for six consecutive terms. John grew up in Ann Arbor and discusses how the student protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s influenced his community activism and helped shape his political career. He also talks about some of the challenges he faced in office, from the Great Recession of the mid-2000s to his work on the Ann Arbor Greenbelt, polluter laws, and bicycle infrastructure. He also talks about some of the city's ongoing efforts to address climate change and affordable housing.
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AADL Talks To: Jay Cassidy, Award-Winning Hollywood Film Editor and Former Photographer for the Michigan Daily
In this episode, AADL Talks To Jay Cassidy. Jay is a Hollywood film editor known for his work on dozens of feature films. He has been nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Film Editing for Into The Wild, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. He also edited An Inconvenient Truth, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Jay came to the University of Michigan in 1967 and was a photographer and editor for the University's newspaper, The Michigan Daily. He talks with us about the political and cultural events he witnessed in Ann Arbor during the late 1960s and early 1970s and how his experience at The Daily helped shape his work as a photographer and film editor. Over 5,000 of Jay's photographs taken for The Michigan Daily are available in the Jay Cassidy Photo Collection at the Bentley Historical Library.
Media
AADL Talks To: Rick Ayers, Former U-M Student Activist and Member of the SDS and Weather Underground
In this episode, AADL Talks To Rick Ayers. Rick is faculty emeritus at the University of San Francisco where he was an associate professor of education focusing on English language arts and teacher education. In the late 1960s, Rick followed his older brothers to the University of Michigan and was soon radicalized by the civil rights and anti-war movements, participating in protests and demonstrations with the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weather Underground. Rick traces his fascinating journey as a draft dodger working with deserters in Canada through his decision to enlist in the U.S. Army where he would eventually go AWOL and live as a fugitive for seven years. Rick also shares his memories of the vibrant campus film culture and the people -- including girlfriend Gilda Radner -- who shaped his student experience at the university, and he reflects on the legacy of the 1960s protests in light of today’s political environment.
Rev. Albert Cleage of Detroit speaking at First Methodist Church after Freedom Rally March, August 26, 1963
Year:
1963
John Lewis speaking at First Methodist Church after Freedom Rally March, August 26, 1963
Year:
1963
Doris Cleage, wife of Rev. Albert Cleage, at Freedom Rally March, August 26, 1963
Year:
1963
