by Colleen Jenkins, 2016 Tom Desilets Memorial Intern
August 2, 2016
Last week, after being accused by our Director of being “one of those kids” that isn’t paying enough attention to politics, I sat in on a meeting regarding an upcoming program on “grassroots political action” in Framingham in the late 1960s. I am familiar with what happened in the 60s, but I really couldn’t give you specific details as “modern history” has never been my strong suit.
Joining the meeting were Framingham locals Bob Dodd, Paul and Liz Fideler, and Judith Riegelhaupt. Each was a member of the group Framingham ACTION, which consisted of Framingham citizens “who wanted to increase citizen participation in government and politics” in reaction to the draft for the Vietnam War. What they had to say about their experiences was fascinating and, I think, would be fascinating to people who do know a lot about the late 60’s and those who do not.
The group took turns telling stories about their political activism in the late ‘60s. I’m not proud to admit this but I was lost through a lot of it. There were a lot of names that they were all using as second nature that I had never heard before, such as Margaret Mead (Cultural Anthropologist), and political activist Noam Chomsky. [Framingham ACTION members organized famous people, like Mead and Chomsky, to speak in Framingham regarding Civil Rights.] Paul Fideler was a professor at Framingham State College and led a small number of students in a protest of the Vietnam War on campus during a Senator Ted Kennedy speech.
It was an odd realization for me to sit and listen to these men and women who had a part in Framingham’s political history because I forget that there are people who lived through major events and can still share their experiences. I spend so much time going through historical documents that I forget there were living people who wrote those documents. Sitting in on this meeting was a great experience because it reminded me that history does not have an end date. There are still plenty of people, in Framingham especially, that are involved in historic events every day.
Our meeting ended with an important question: where did all this passion and commitment go? Paul, Bob, Liz and Judy have shown that if we want the passion of everyday citizens back in our political system, it is within every person to voice their ideas and opinions. Whether that’s through organizing movements, writing well-informed blog posts that promote conversation, or simply educating ourselves, everyone can do something to influence their own history, no matter how small. I’m glad I was at the FHC this summer to be reminded of that.
Speaking of influential people from Framingham that I am surprised I never knew about, I just learned that the founder of the Red Cross was from Framingham. Clara Barton lived during the Civil War era, and led her organization with the tagline “If I can’t be a solider, I’ll help the soldiers.” She also established the first women’s reformatory prison in Framingham. I found out about Barton through our digitization process of our General Resource Files. I’m learning all about Framingham’s history while simultaneously making information more accessible online. Really, it’s a dream come true for a historian like me! “This conflict is the one thing I’ve been waiting for, I’m well and strong and young.” – Clara Barton