During the tumultuous spring of 1970, as anti-war sentiment and civil rights activism converged, a typed open letter by Library Assistant Florence McDonald (mother of Joe McDonald) boldly demanded that her colleagues reckon with the moral implications of remaining silent. This item, titled “Am I Being Too Emotional…?,” emerged in the wake of the Jackson State shootings in Mississippi, where Black students were killed by law enforcement just days after the highly publicized Kent State tragedy.
Against this backdrop of domestic upheaval and widespread protests against the Vietnam War, McDonald’s letter urged library workers to recognize their shared responsibility and leverage their collective power to challenge injustice.
Historical Context
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw nationwide protests against U.S. foreign policy—particularly the war in Vietnam—and against systemic racism that continued to plague American institutions. While the Kent State killings became a flashpoint for anti-war protest, the lesser-known killings at Jackson State underscored the racial disparities in public outrage and coverage. McDonald’s letter fiercely critiques the “immoral foreign policy” of the United States, highlighting the broader crisis of conscience many Americans faced as they watched events unfold.
Strategy and Purpose
McDonald’s approach centered on rallying her immediate community—fellow library employees—to use their positions and work time for constructive political action. She framed libraries not as passive repositories but as potential incubators of protest: rather than operate “business as usual,” she insisted that library workers should engage in direct activities (meetings, organizing, protest) aimed at halting “this mad plunge towards destruction.” By invoking the responsibility of Americans (and especially knowledge workers) to speak out, McDonald effectively tied everyday labor to broader sociopolitical change.
Language, Imagery, and Symbolism
- Directness and Urgency: McDonald’s text is unapologetic and pressing, questioning whether she is “too emotional” in the face of real-world atrocities. The rhetorical implication is clear: silence is complicit.
- Historical Allusions: She compares American inaction to that of Germans during the rise of Nazism, signaling the grim potential of standing by while atrocities multiply. This was a potent historical analogy for readers at the time, raising moral stakes to a crisis level.
- Collective Identity: Phrases like “We are citizens, children, mothers, fathers” emphasize shared humanity and underline the need for broad-based solidarity, reflecting the spirit of 1960s and 1970s grassroots organizing.
- Worker Power: By advocating that “every library employee must be allowed” space to act politically, McDonald recognized the power of collective labor: the library staff’s involvement and disruption of daily routines could itself become a potent form of protest.
Efficacy and Legacy
While it is difficult to pinpoint the immediate outcomes of this specific letter, it illuminates a larger pattern of workplace-based activism that spread across campuses and institutions in the 1970s. Calls to turn spaces traditionally viewed as “neutral”—libraries, classrooms, offices—into spheres of protest helped galvanize workers to consider moral and political responsibilities beyond their job descriptions. Over time, such efforts contributed to broader discussions about academic freedom, the role of intellectual labor in social movements, and the importance of direct engagement in civic life.
The letter resonates as an early articulation of what would become a more widespread movement—one that recognized librarians, archivists, and educators as frontline participants in battles over information, truth, and justice. This powerful call to action reminds us that protest does not always wear the same face or happen in the same streets; it can be as immediate and urgent as a typed page urging colleagues to find courage within their daily routines.
Special thanks to the USC Digital Imaging Lab for their support in digitizing this item.
