April 2023 Protests Collection, 2023
Collection context
PDF Finding Aid
- PDF Finding Aid:
- Finding Aid
Summary
- Creator:
- State University of New York at Albany, Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
- Abstract:
- This collection contains the materials related to the oral history accounts of two political protests that occured in the Spring 2023 semester at UAlbany. These accounts were gathered via interview by members of Dr. Rajani Bhatia's Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Research Seminar class.
- Extent:
- 2.22 GB
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Preferred citation for this material is as follows: Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, April 2023 Protests Collection, 2023. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York.
Background
- Scope and content:
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This collection contains materials from a Fall 2023 Research Seminar Class taught for the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at UAlbany taught by Dr. Rajani Bhatia. During the course, students interviewed eight participants and/or observers of the political demonstrations and protests that occured in April of the Spring 2023 semester to create a public record of experiences, resulting in audio and video files of the interviews and automated transcripts. Also included are interview conduction materials, photos and videos taken during and after the protests, and news articles from the time of the protests. The collections also contains materials regarding the response from UAlbany administration including a Free Speech Symposium from the Fall 2023 semester, as well as statements from students, the involved student groups, and the Professor that was arrested during the April 14 event.
- Biographical / historical:
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On April 4, 2023, the Turning Point USA's (TPUSA) chapter at the University at Albany (UAlbany) held a "Free Speech" event with guest speaker Ian Haworth. This event was protested by various members of the UAlbany community alleging that the event created an unwelcome space for the LBTQA+ community on campus. The protest included members of the UAlbany Chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) which is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
The "Free Speech" Event hosted about fifteen participating students while over one hundred students attended in protest. The University Police Department eventually moved the event from the transfer lounge, when the protesters prevented the event from proceeding, to the third floor where there was more controlled access. Two student protesters were arrested for their participation, one for disorderly conduct and the other for second degree governmental obstruction. The protest began to disperse after three hours.
On April 14, 2023, the Created Equal and New York State Right to Life groups gathered on the UAlbany campus for a Pro-Life event. The event included a television display of abortion-related imagery and group members approaching passerby students with pamphlets and questions. The event began at 9 AM and by 1 PM, one hundred students had gathered to protest the event.
Adjunct sociology professor Renee Overdyke was arrested just before 2 PM after attempting to unplug the television screen and was charged with resisting arrest, distrurbing lawful assembly and second degree obstruction of government administration. These charges were later dropped. The event members ended their demonstration just before 3pm and the protesters dispersed soon after.
After these two events, the AWSS 490Z Research Seminar class in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies taught by Dr. Rajani Bhatia conducted interviews for a oral history essay assignment. The purpose of the research was to create a public record from participants and/or witnesses of the protests.
- Acquisition information:
- All items in this collection were donated to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives in 2024 by Dr. Rajani Bhatia, who taught the AWSS 490Z Research Seminar class in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
- Processing information:
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Although the terms 'counter protest' and 'protest' are used interchangeably in these materials, they will be preserved as 'protests' as the events that they were responding to were technically not protests, but demonstrations. 'Counter protest' would be more appropriate if they were reacting to an already occuring, or planned protest, instead of events happpening on campus.
The term 'counter protest' within the materials will not be replaced so as to not change the content, but will be replaced in the description. Arrangment materials referring to 'protests'and 'protesters' are synonymous with the collection's reference to 'counter protests.'
Processed in 2024 by Meghan Slaff.
- Arrangement:
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This collection is arranged into four series, each arranged alphabetically.
Using these materials
- Access:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- Restrictions:
-
Access to this collection is unrestricted.
- Terms of access:
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This page may contain links to digital objects. Access to these images and the technical capacity to download them does not imply permission for re-use. Digital objects may be used freely for personal reference use, referred to, or linked to from other web sites. Researchers do not have permission to publish or disseminate material from these collections without permission from an archivist and/or the copyright holder. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and/or by the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. More information about U.S. Copyright is provided by the Copyright Office. Additionally, re-use may be restricted by terms of University Libraries gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. The University Archives are eager to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified so that appropriate information may be provided in the future.
- Preferred citation:
-
Preferred citation for this material is as follows: Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, April 2023 Protests Collection, 2023. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York.