Other
Pollach, Edith (audio interview #3 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the third of four interviews with Edith Pollach. The interview consists of two tapes. It was conducted by a friend of Pollach's. The audio quality of the interview is good. 2/9/1999
- Date
- 2020-10-21
- Resource Type
- Creator
- Campus
- Keywords
- Handle
- Language
- Notes
- *** File: cbepollach5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:28)... Pollach believes that the formation of COC was an important aspect in rebuilding the left and socialist movements in the US. (2:28-5:50)... Following her divorce, she felt more liberated as a woman and developed new perspectives on life. She attended the International Women's Year Conference in Mexico in 1975, and another international conference in Cuba in 1984. Both of these experiences contributed to her understanding that an international perspective is integral to understanding society. (5:50-8:06)... In the late 1950s she was involved with a cooperative movement of parents to teach children Yiddish culture and traditions. It was a secular, after-school program with very little instruction of the Yiddish language. (8:06-11:26)... She was active in the Hollywood chapter of the LWV in the late 1950s. She respected this organization because its members conducted research and in-depth analysis of issues over extended periods of time. Even though this was a time-consuming process, it was an important function of the group and provided valuable information about the areas they studied. (11:26-14:30)... In the 1960s, she was active in anti-war movements in the Los Angeles area, including the Women's Strike for Peace and Another Mother for Peace. She also organized and facilitated a junior high school student chapter of SANE, The National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, which advocated adoption of a peaceful and sane nuclear policy by the US and other nations. Her daughters participated in this group and it was a rewarding experience for her to discuss and cooperate with young people in anti-war activities. She remained in contact with many of these students and recalls meeting some of them years later at the founding convention of COC. (14:30-21:08)... From 1967 to 1972, she worked as a community organizer at the Bell Gardens Community Center, which was financed by the Presbyterian Church. One of her accomplishments there was the creation of a child care center. She also organized a chapter of the Welfare Rights Organization in Bell Gardens that encouraged poor, white migrants from the South to fight for their rights. While working there, she believes she learned a great deal about the psychology of poor, white people and that it did not significantly differ from the psychology of Blacks and members of other racial groups of the same economic status. In addition, she organized a community coalition of agencies that focused on welfare issues that were unrelated to the child care center and the Welfare Rights Organization. (21:08-24:00)... Between 1967 and 1972, while working for the Bell Gardens Community Center, she supervised undergraduate students from CSULB and graduate students from USC working toward social work degrees. When she went to work at the community center, it was the first time she'd worked with people with strong religious beliefs. They were very committed to the community and shared many of her values and principles. (24:00-26:03)... In the early 1970s, she helped organize the Los Angeles Child Care Coalition, the purpose of which was to lobby for national child care legislation. Their efforts focused on working parents and single mothers. It was a broadening experience for her to deal with parents and other people in professional organizations interested in child care issues. She participated in demonstrations and also testified at hearings related to child care legislation. (26:03-27:20)... Her husband was teaching education courses at CSULB which meant driving a considerable distance from their home in Mar Vista. He suffered a heart attack and his doctor advised him to move closer to his workplace. So they moved their family to Long Beach in 1967. There she joined the Long Beach chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Legislative and Peace Committee. (27:20-30:09)... When the United Farm Workers organized lettuce and grape workers in the middle of the 1970s, she and her daughters became active in the lettuce and grape boycott in the Long Beach area. The farm workers sent men and women to cities around the country to organize the boycott. She and her daughters demonstrated outside stores by asking shoppers not to buy lettuce or grapes during the boycott and also participated in a march in Delano. (30:09-31:01)... In the early 1970s, she was one of the founding members of Long Beach Area Citizens Involved, a group that focused on local problems. End of tape *** File: cbepollach6.mp3 (0:00-0:58)... Members formed Long Beach Area Citizens Involved because they saw a need for organized opposition to the business-oriented policies of Long Beach city government. (0:58-10:15)... In 1973, she was hired by the American Cancer Society to develop an activity program for cancer patients in the community. The group's function was similar to a self-help group. Pollach enjoyed this position because it helped cancer patients move beyond the idea that they were victims because of their illness. The group was meant to function independent of the American Cancer Society. When the group's self-help agenda clashed with the board of the American Cancer Society, the self-help objective was abandoned and Pollach was fired from the position. The board was staffed by medical doctors who wanted a program with a medical orientation. The group eventually became I Can Survive and functioned in association with the American Cancer Society. (10:15-17:38)... The interview is interrupted in this segment when Pollach breaks to locate some notes. In May 1974, Pollach was involved in organizing the Women's Community Resource Center in Long Beach. The Center was located on the second floor of the Geneva Presbyterian Church and was a available for discussion of women's issues and provided information about child care, jobs and training. From August 1975 until the end of 1976, she helped coordinate the Center's program, and from January to June of 1977, she served as an unpaid administrator of the CETA project. She resigned in 1977 to run for the seat representing the First District on the Long Beach City Council. (17:38-22:53)... From 1976 to 1977, she was active in the Long Beach chapter of the Gray Panthers and served as president for a year. From July 1977 through May 1978, she campaigned for a seat on the Long Beach City Council. She ran her campaign from a storefront on Broadway and organized a volunteers to help in the campaign which was a grass roots effort. Pollach won 34 percent of the vote in the general election. (22:53-24:08)... She was a member of the Long Beach Health Advisory Council which opposed the closing of Long Beach General Hospital. It was known throughout the country for its alcohol rehabilitation facilities. Interests in Some members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors wanted to close the hospital and develop the property to generate income for the county. (24:08-25:24)... As a member of the Long Beach Coalition for a Fair Budget she testified at 2 public hearings dealing with housing and health care. The Coalition gained media attention as a result of the hearings. (25:24-31:01)... In 1979, she was employed as a social worker at the State Department of Developmental Services. Before that, she was "supported" by her "second husband," a man she was in a relationship with for 15 years, but never married. While working for the state, she joined AFSME, Local 2620 and eventually was elected shop steward. She transferred from the State Department of Developmental Services to the State Department of Mental Health and then to the County Department of Mental Health, where she worked from 1986 until 1991. She transferred her union membership to Local 2712 and was elected president of the local. During this period AFSME built a strong relationship with other unions representing county employees. They organized several demonstrations at mental health clinics to protest the county's decision to close mental health facilities. End of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Edith Pollach was active in many progressive groups in Long Beach. She was trained as a Social Worker and was interested in helping people make their lives better. Her local activism followed many years of political acidity in the eastern United States and in Los Angeles. This interview was conducted by a friend of Pollach's who believed it was important to record her story. Pollach's activities began in the Depression when she was a student and continued through he support of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. During World War II, she tried to enlist in the military, but was turned down for health reasons. After the war, she supported the Presidential campaign of Henry Wallace in 1948. And she continued fighting for similar causes in Long Beach. TOPICS - socialism; Committees of Correspondence; LWV; social action; anti-war activities; SANE; professional career; Bell Gardens Community Center; child care; Welfare Rights Organization; Los Angeles Child Care CoalitioLong Beach Area Citizens Involved; American Cancer Society; professional career; Women's Community Resource Center in Long Beach; political activism; Long Beach Health Advisory Council; Long Beach Coalition for a
- Rights Note
- This repository item may be used for classroom presentations, unpublished papers, and other educational, research, or scholarly use. Other uses, especially publication in any form, such as in dissertations, theses, articles, or web pages are not permitted without the express written permission of the individual collection's copyright holder(s). Please contact the CSULB Library Administration should you require permission to publish or distribute any content from this collection or if you need additional information or assistance in using these materials: https://www.csulb.edu/university-library/form/questionssuggestions-the-digital-repository-group
Relationships
- In Collection:
Items
| Thumbnail | File information | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
7354756838716953-cbepollach5.mp3 Public
|
Download |
|
|
1795056806212275-cbepollach6.mp3 Public
|
Download |