Scope and Content Note
The records of People for the American Way and People for the American Way Foundation (PFAW/F) document the operational history and activities of the organization from its founding in 1981 through 2011, with the bulk of the records created between 1989 and 2006. The majority of the printed matter is in English, with some documents in Spanish. The collection documents PFAW/F's field campaigns and projects, public policy initiatives, and litigation actions. The earliest files in the collection capture the tension between church and state in the 1980s and PFAW/F's response to the growing political influence of the religious right represented by such organizations as the Christian Coalition and Moral Majority, Inc. and individuals such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. The files from the 1990s reflect PFAW/F's growing involvement in state and local politics through field work and grassroots activism, and focus on issues such as censorship, reproductive rights, and the federal judiciary. The files from the 2000s document PFAW/F's focus on school vouchers, voter disenfranchisement, and the Supreme Court, as well as efforts to build relationships with progressive religious leaders and younger generations of activists. The main groups of records are arranged by function and are organized into the following series: Administrative Files , Office of the President Files , Issue and Field Program Files , Publicity and Marketing Files , Legal Files , Collaborations and Associated Organizations , Restricted , Closed , Oversize , and Digital Files . Although the original organization of the files by PFAW/F has been maintained, some rearrangement was undertaken to achieve consistency.
The Administrative Files detail the mission and organizational history of PFAW/F, as well as program planning as evidenced through annual reports, presidents' reports, committee meeting files, and proposals. Of note are the Board of Directors meeting books, which frequently contain meeting minutes, department and committee reports, annual program plans, and issue discussions. PFAW/F maintained files for many individual board members, the most prominent being Chairman of the Board John H. Buchanan and founder Norman Lear. These files document their roles as prominent spokespersons for PFAW/F during the 1980s. Lear's files also contain correspondence with President Ronald Reagan in which they discuss the political influence of the "Christian Nation Movement." Other administrative files include financial records such as annual statements, budgets, treasurers' reports, and membership files detailing PFAW/F's fund-raising efforts through direct mail campaigns, events, and telemarketing.
The Office of the President Files contain the files of PFAW/F presidents from 1981 to 2009 including Anthony T. Podesta (1981-1987), Arthur Kropp (1987-1995), Tom Andrews (1995-1996), Carole Shields (1996-2000), Ralph G. Neas (2000-2007), Kathryn Kolbert (2008-2009) and Michael Keegan (2009). The files mainly consist of correspondence, speeches, and subject files that reflect the trends and organizational direction of PFAW/F during each president's respective tenure. The files of Art Kropp and Carole Shields feature most prominently within this series.
The largest series, the Issue and Field Program Files , documents the organization's campaigns, public policy efforts, and initiatives focusing on such issues as countering the religious right, freedom of choice, school vouchers, gay and lesbian discrimination, censorship, and the influence of presidential elections on the selection of Supreme Court judges. Background research on these and other topics exists in the form of briefing books, surveys, and focus group transcripts. Most of PFAW/F's field campaigns began in the 1990s and include such programs as Artsave, the National Network on State Election Reform, Capital Volunteers, First Vote, and, most notably, the Election Protection Coalition, a program established in the wake of the 2000 elections to challenge voter suppression and hold public officials accountable for conducting fair and accurate elections. Many files also relate to PFAW/F's Supreme Court campaigns from the 2000s such as "Save the Court," "Protect the Court," "Take Back the Court," and "You Be the Judge." The files of field director Mary Jean Collins feature prominently in this series and range from 1995 to 2006. These files document the planning behind many of the field programs. The series also includes documentation of various conferences, conventions, and workshops organized by PFAW/F. Though based in Washington, D.C., PFAW/F maintained offices at various times in New York, California, Florida, Colorado, Ohio, and North Carolina. The field activities of these regional offices are also detailed within this series. The Public Policy files mostly document PFAW/F's lobbying plans and efforts to exact change on national issues involving education, civil rights, and the separation of church and state. There is crossover among issues and topics throughout this series, as it was often difficult to determine the office of origin for many files during processing.
The Publicity and Marketing files contain publications, press files, and advertising materials created by PFAW/F from 1981 to 2009. The publications include reports, surveys, essays, handbooks, and white papers focusing on issues at the center of the organization's public policy initiatives and field campaigns. In addition to original research, publications also include the multivolume Hostile Climate, an annual state-by-state report of anti-gay activity, and Attacks on the Freedom to Learn, a similar annual report detailing cases of textbook censorship. PFAW/F News and PFAW/F Forum chronicle the activities of the organization from 1985 to 2006, though there are some gaps in the volumes and issues within these periodicals. The press files are extensive and contain press releases, statements, advisories, op-eds, clippings, and media kits dating mostly from the late 1980s to early 2000s. This series also contains print advertisements from media campaigns involving Judge Robert Bork, flag burning, censorship, and access to information. Event files document the 1982 Emmy nominated I Love Libertytelevision program and Spirit of Liberty awards from 1986 to 2007. This series also contains files on the development of PFAW/F's website in the late 1990s.
The Legal Files contain materials generated by PFAW/F's legal department from 1981 to 2008 and include correspondence, litigation research, and administrative files involving departmental and organizational legal matters. Court case files document the cases for which the PFAW/F legal team provided legal assistance, as well as amicus briefs and litigation dockets detailing potential cases PFAW/F considered supporting. Most cases involve the separation of church and state within public schools and document PFAW/F's involvement in the cases Gibson v. Lee County School Board, Mozert v. Hawkins, and Herdahl v. Pontotoc County School District. Also of note within this series are the Judicial Nominations Network files (filed under Nominations Network) which document a formal network of lawyers established by PFAW/F in the 1980s to monitor Supreme Court and circuit court judicial nominations.
The Collaborations and Associated Organizations series contains meeting books, reports, promotional materials, publications, and planning documents for many of the organizations PFAW/F established to foster relationships within specific demographics. These organizations include the African American Ministers Leadership Council, a group of ministers brought together to promote positive school reform and civic participation; the Partners for Public Education, a collaboration with the NAACP to develop a grassroots effort to strengthen and improve public schools; the Progressive Religious Partnership, a network of progressive clergy to give a voice to faith groups not represented by the "religious right"; the Young Elected Officials Network, a program to encourage and support young progressive state and local officials; and Young People For, a leadership development program to provide long-term support to progressive student leaders.
The Digital Files series contains images, textual material, and a database. File formats include .pdf, .jpeg, .gif, .doc, .txt and .xls. Access copies were created from the original CD-Rs and 3.5" floppy disks. The series is arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.