Podcast appearances and mentions of wagner archives

Stephen Petrus is director of Public History Programs at LaGuardia and Wagner Archives and co-author of the book Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival (2015). He joins me to discuss the movie A Complete Unknown, which tracks a brief but critical moment in the life of Bob Dylan, when his rise to stardom intersected with the wider social and political project envisioned by American folk musicians, fans, and organizers. Check out Dylan's Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.  For a deeper look at the folk scene from which Dylan emerged, don't miss Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)  Subscribe to the Nostalgia Trap Patreon to support the show and access our huge library of bonus content, videos, News Trap episodes, and more.

Alissa Wilkinson, movie critic at The New York Times, and Stephen Petrus, director of Public History Programs at LaGuardia and Wagner Archives and co-author of the book Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival (2015), discuss the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, and reflect on the singer's legacy as portrayed through film. 

Stephen Petrus, director of Public History Programs at LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College and curator of “The Battle for Intro. 2: The New York City Gay Rights Bill, 1971 – 1986", talks about the work he and his students did in putting together a digital exhibit on the New York City Gay Rights Bill, which passed after a long fight between advocates and opponents, and Allen Roskoff, civil rights activist, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, and the co-author of the nation's first gay rights bill, recalls his involvement in the bill and the activism that led to its passage.

Kathleen talks with Molly Rosner, Director of Education Programs at the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College, about her book, Playing with History: American Identities and Children's Consumer Culture.

Cynthia Tobar, Head of Archives at Bronx Community College, talks with Molly Rosner, Assistant Director of Education Programs at the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College and Summer Walker, a student in la Guardia’s Commercial Photography program, about their project Portraits of an Epicenter: NYC in Lockdown.

Richard Lieberman is the head of the La Guardia and Wagner Archives, which just happens to be housed at LaGuardia Community College, my home campus. In this interview, we touch on a lot of great topics, ranging from the importance of faculty-led projects, to Wikipedia, to Ed Koch’s mayorship. If these seem like disparate strands, then you’ve never met Richard, who masterfully ties together the strands of history.

Stephen Joseph was commissioner of health of New York City from 1986-1990. Already considered one of the most challenging public health jobs in the United States, Joseph took the position when New York City was at the epicenter of the AIDS crisis. While Joseph was supported by the Koch Administration, he faced opposition from the public and activists over issues such as disease reporting, contract tracing, education, and the needle exchange. In this podcast, Joseph discusses his support of the needle exchange as a means to stem the spread of AIDS amongst intravenous drug users and the subsequent public resistance to the program. ​   This oral history with Dr. Joseph was conducted by students at LaGuardia Community College as a part of the Koch Scholars program run by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. You can read the transcript in its entirety here: http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/FILES_DOC/Koch_FILES/ORAL_HISTORY/08.100.0039V0039.PDF  

Stephen Joseph was commissioner of health of New York City from 1986-1990. Already considered one of the most challenging public health jobs in the United States, Joseph took the position when New York City was at the epicenter of the AIDS crisis. While Joseph was supported by the Koch Administration, he faced opposition from the public and activists over issues such as disease reporting, contract tracing, education, and the needle exchange. In this podcast, Joseph discusses the differences between the New York and the San Francisco models and the political implications of estimating the numbers of people infected with the AIDS virus. Joseph details what he considers the pivotal moment in the rupture between the gay community and the Koch Administration.     This oral history with Dr. Joseph was conducted by students at LaGuardia Community College as a part of the Koch Scholars program run by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. You can read the transcript in its entirety here:  http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/FILES_DOC/Koch_FILES/ORAL_HISTORY/08.100.0039V0039.PDF

In what TheNew York Times today has labeled, “one of the most significant roundups ofpolice supervisors in the recent history of the police department,” the U.S.Attorney for the Southern District has arrested 3 NYPD commanders on federalcorruption charges. The commanders are accused of accepting free overseas anddomestic trips, expensive gifts and sending security business to a privatecompany in exchange for acting as chauffeur, bodyguard and concierge to twobusinessmen. Theseallegations echo those uncovered by the Knapp Commission in 1970, whichrevealed a far broader and enduring corruption scandal by the policedepartment.  Listen to the recentlyrecorded podcast by The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives with Michael Armstrong,Chief Counsel to the Commission, and Jay Kriegel, Chief of Staff and SpecialCounsel to Mayor John V. Lindsay as they discuss their own memorable roles inthe Commission.  Moreover, they discussthe political climate surrounding the Commission, the roles of PoliceCommissioner Murphy and Leary, and the oftentimes bizarre, even violent, natureof police corruption itself.

Sam Roberts of the New York Times speaks on labor history at the unveiling of the 2016 Working People calendar, outlining important labor milestones from the Tompkins Square Blood or Bread Riot of 1874 and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 to the more recent Occupy Wall Street movement and formation of the Working Families Party.  Roberts notes the steep decline in unionization and the importance of labor unions in NY history and political culture.  The 2016 Working People calendar is produced in partnership between the City University of New York, the New York Times in Education program and the New York City Central Labor Council, and is designed by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives of the LaGuardia Community College.

At the launch party of CUNY's 2011 Health in America calendar, Professor Richard K. Lieberman, director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, described the horrible details of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire that killed 146 mostly Italian and Jewish young females. This fire sparked public outrage over unsafe working conditions and led New York State to establish a Factory Investigating Commission, which toured factories throughout the state and recommended dozens of new laws to safeguard workers, 36 of which were ultimately passed.

Professor Richard K. Lieberman, director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, describes the rich history of the Steinway & Sons piano company from its origins in the mid-nineteenth century through its rise to becoming one of the foremost piano makers in the world. A CUNY-TV presentation for Admission Services (March, 2004).

Dr. Richard K. Lieberman, Director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, discusses public higher education's history-- the creation of the G.I. Bill after WWII, the resulting surge in college attendance, and the racial inequalities that veterans of color faced in education.  (New York Times building, November 11, 2009)

Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was one of the greatest mayors in US history.  New Yorkers agree-- they reelected him twice.  The Progressive Republican ran the city from 1934 to 1945, managing to turn around the city after the Depression, defeat Tammany Hall, and crack down on the mob starting with having Lucky Luciano arrested on LaGuardia's very first day in office.  A straight shooter with zero tolerance for bullshit,  this is the guy who said  "Prohibition cannot be enforced for the simple reason that the majority of American people do not want it enforced and are resisting its enforcement." To check out after listening: Bette Davis is a gun moll who testifies against her mob boss in The Marked Woman, based on the prosecution of Lucky Luciano. The Pulitzer Prize- winning musical Fiorello! For a ton of information on everything related to LaGuardia, go to the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at CUNY. Follow Fiorello on Twitter, courtesy of WNYC. (He REALLY cares about food.)