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Title
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Myrna Yeakle and Joan Sheard, Oral History Interview, 2022
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Performer
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Myrna Yeakle and Joan Sheard
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Interviewer
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Matt Jones
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Description
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On January 27, 2022, Jones met with former members of Citizens for Community and Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, and former EMU faculty, Myrna Yeakle and Joan Sheard. Yeakle and Sheard were both professors in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and had met while working together. During their careers at EMU, they became trusted members of the community amongst their fellow LGBT colleagues, including Kathleen Russell. Yeakle and Sheard hit the ground running once they found out about the Tri-Pride incident, and met with neighbors and community organizers to push for an ordinance. Because of their experiences with hate and discrimination, and their status as an established "out" couple, they felt they had a responsibility to support the efforts to make the Ypsi community a more welcoming and safe space. Like other participants in this project, Yeakle and Sheard became important figures during the campaigns, working as Outreach officers within YCFE. In this interview, they shared their experiences as LGBT faculty on EMU's campus and how that translated to the Ypsi community, how important it was for the ordinance to be passed, and the broader implications of it all.
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Exact Date
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01-27-2022
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Subject
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Eastern Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University Archives, EMU faculty, EMU Oral History Program, Ypsilanti, Ypsi, Ypsilanti history, Tri-Pride, Kathleen Russell, Jim Toy, Citizens for Community, Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, nondiscrimination ordinance, social justice, community orgs, community activism, Depot Town, LGBTQ activism
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Collection Location
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013.OH_OOTM
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Run Time
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1 hour, 31 minutes, 3 seconds
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Language
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English
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Rights
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Copyright to the audio resource and its transcript is held by the content creator, author, artist or other entity, and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any other format without written permission of the copyright owner, Eastern Michigan University Archives (lib_archives@emich.edu).
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