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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 January 3, 2022, Jones talked to community organizer, activist, and member of Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, Lisa Zuber. Zuber had close ties to the ordinance early on thanks to her work with PFLAG in Ann Arbor, which granted her the opportunity to speak at the very first council meeting. She became an important figure in the ordinance campaigns from there, eventually taking on the role of volunteer coordinator in YCFE. Zuber worked tirelessly alongside her fellow community members and organizers, and ensured that all the canvassing and cold-calling ran smoothly. During the course of the campaigns, she formed a relationship with former city council-member John Gawlas, and they married on the anniversary of the ordinance's defense. In this interview, Zuber describes the level of coordination and work it took to successfully organize volunteers for the campaigns, the highs and lows of the movement, and how she's seen Ypsi change since then.

Interview Date

1-3-2022

Keywords

Eastern Michigan University Archives, EMU Oral History Program, Tri-Pride, community orgs, community activism, PFLAG, WRAP, HIV-AIDS, LGBTQ allies, nondiscrimination ordinance, Depot Town, Ypsi, Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti history, grassroots activism, Citizens for Community, 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

Lisa Zuber, Oral History Interview, 2022

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