Into the Archives with Charles Francis - Archive Activism: Memoir of a "Uniquely Nasty" Journey

Dallas native Charles Francis will provide a look into his  "memoir of activism" called Archive Activism: Memoir of a "Uniquely Nasty" Journey, published by University of North Texas Press.  

Archive activists "discover documents and other important materials often classified, 'gone missing,' or sealed that somehow escaped the fireplace or shredder. It is an approach to LGBTQ advocacy and policy activism based on citizen archivery and original archival research to effect social change."

Research=Activism is the formula growing out of Charles Francis’s personal story as a gay Texan born and raised during the 1950s and 1960s in Dallas. The rescues range in time and place from Francis’s first encounter with a raucous, near-violent religious demonstration in Fort Worth to attics loaded with forgotten historic treasures of LGBTQ pioneers. 

Archive Activism tells how Francis helped Governor George W. Bush achieve his dream of becoming president in 2000 by reaching out to gay and lesbian supporters, the first time a Republican candidate for president formally met with gay and lesbian Americans. This inspired Francis to engage with deleted LGBTQ history by cofounding the new Mattachine Society of Washington, DC, a history society with an edge to advocate for full LGBTQ civil equality, in 2011.

Charles Francis is an advocate for LGBTQ civil equality. He is a retired public affairs consultant who has worked for the largest public affairs firms and their corporate clients worldwide. He and his family live in Washington, DC, and Homer, Alaska.  

This program was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. 

*No registration is required*