Documenting the Now: SEIU Archivist Sarah Lebovitz on Using Archives to Empower the Future

SEIU archivist Sarah Lebovitz explains how her background in anthropology informs her work as an archivist, preserving and revealing the experiences of underrepresented groups. She recounts successful SEIU actions including the implementation of needlestick protocol for healthcare workers and the organization of women office workers in SEIU District 925, which served as inspiration for the classic 1980 film 9 to 5, starring Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda (whose oral history about the movement is available at the Reuther Library). Lebovitz describes the challenges and opportunities of archiving social media and digital content, and making archives more accessible and interactive for researchers. She and host Dan Golodner discuss the challenge of convincing union organizers and members that the work they’re doing today is historically important and worth documenting. Related Collections SEIU archival collections at the Reuther Library SEIU District 925 Records SEIU District 925 Legacy Project Oral Histories SEIU Oral Histories More Information Documenting the Now Omeka Episode Credits Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English Host: Dan Golodner Interviewees: Sarah Lebovitz Sound: Troy Eller English With support from the Reuther Podcast Collective: Bart Bealmear, Elizabeth Clemens, Meghan Courtney, Troy Eller English, Dan Golodner, and Paul Neirink