Lessons of the Sixties: A history of local Washington, DC activism for peace and justice from 1960-1975: Joann Malone papers
Scope and Contents
Lessons of the Sixties is an organization dedicated to documenting the efforts and lessons learned by local DC Metropolitan Area activists, students, organizers and those who dreamed of building a better world through new ideas, political advocacy, local organization building, and other means in the years 1960-1975. Since 2010 the Institute for Policy Studies has served as the organizational home for the Lessons of the 60s providing office space and infrastructural support. Joann Malone deposited these papers with the project and the project donated them to GW to become part of the complete record of the history this project is preserving through its efforts. This collection contains various bound publications, news clippings, buttons and armbands from and collected by Joann Malone. The material dates between 1963-1990. In addition to documents about Malone, there are publications that she has collected about communism and civil rights movements.
Dates
- Circa 1963 - Circa 1990
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Biography
Joann Malone was a member of the Sisters of Loretto for almost twelve years, her first teaching assignment beginning in Montgomery Alabama in 1963. The Civil Rights Movement transformed her into an activist for life in efforts to end poverty, war, racism and sexism. After hearing Thich Nhat Hanh speak in 1968 about the war in Vietnam, she joined the DC-9 in an action in DC against Dow Chemical’s production of napalm, nerve gas and defoliants. Her “claim to fame” is being the first nun in US history to commit five federal felonies, be convicted and face 35 years in prison. Once the DC area became a permanent home, she continued working with revolutionary groups, organizing unions at area factories and hospitals and teaching Social Studies in DC and MD public high schools for twenty-one years. She worked at IPS on a prison project, wrote for Off Our Backs, was a member of the DC Unite to Fight Back and of Earth Onion Women’s Improvisational Theater.
Extent
2 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Lessons of the Sixties is an organization dedicated to documenting the efforts and lessons learned by local DC Metropolitan Area activists, students, organizers and those who dreamed of building a better world through new ideas, political advocacy, local organization building, and other means in the years 1960-1975. Since 2010, the Institute for Policy Studies has served as the organizational home for the Lessons of the 60s providing office space and infrastructural support. Since 2010 the project volunteers have interviewed more than 80 local activists, students, organizers and those who dreamed of building a better world through new ideas, political advocacy, local organization building, and various other means in the Washington, D.C. area in the years 1960-1975. At times during the interviews the interviewees would use personal records as examples or memory prompts. Those records were also donated to GW Special Collections and comprise a more encompassing collection of records of this time period in Washington D.C.'s history.
Joann Malone deposited these papers with the project and the project donated them to GW to become part of the complete record of the history this project is preserving through its efforts. The Joann Malone portion of the Lessons of the 60s project contains documents and objects from Joann Malone, a former nun who became an activist during the Vietnam War. The documents were either owned by or collected by Joann Malone between 1963-1990. The collection contains various bound publications, news clippings, buttons and armbands.
Arrangement
The documents retain original order and are arranged thematically.
Physical Location
Materials are stored off-site, and will require additional retrieval time. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Lessons of the Sixties, February 7, 2017 (2017.005)
- Communism Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Protest movements Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Source
- October League (M-L) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Lessons of the Sixties: A history of local Washington, DC activism for peace and justice from 1960-1975: Joann Malone papers, 1963-1990
- Author
- Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository
