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Description

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On February 27, 2022, Jones met with EMU alum and former chair-person of Tri-Pride, Kathy Palmer. Palmer found herself at EMU after learning more about the Master's in Social Work program and comparing it to others she was considering. She took up a graduate assistantship from Kathleen Russell, and was eventually picked to serve as a Tri-Pride co-chair. Palmer was only directly involved with the ordinance effort for a short time, as the Tri-Pride complaint was filed in February, and she graduated in April. Despite this, she kept close ties to the community and stayed updated throughout it all, and her "outsider" perspective gave her a new awareness of the campaigns' impact. In this interview, Palmer describes that new awareness and appreciation and shares more of the values and beliefs behind Tri-Pride and its members.

Interview Date

2-27-2022

Keywords

Eastern Michigan University Archives, EMU Oral History Program, Ypsilanti, Kathleen Russell, Ypsi, Ypsilanti history, LGBTQ activism, MSW, social work, Tri-Pride, ACLU, University of Michigan, nondiscrimination ordinance, community orgs, Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, social justice

Permission to Use

Permission to quote from this oral history should be requested from the University Archives (lib_archives@emich.edu).

Streaming Media

Kathy Palmer, Oral History Interview, 2022

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