“I can’t think of another book that better conveys the excitements and real-life results that can be obtained by the citizen-scholar.”
– Thomas Mallon, author of Fellow Travelers and Mrs. Paine’s Garage
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Archive Activism, Memoir of a “Uniquely Nasty” Journey (University of North Texas Press, 2023) is a memoir of activism rooted in a new way to converse with history-rescue it. Archive activists discover documents and other important materials often classified, “gone missing” or sealed that somehow escaped the fireplace or shredder. It is an approach to LGBTQ advocacy and policy activism based on citizen archivery and original archival research to make social change. This book is about recovering and harnessing the power of erased history that runs through each of us.
Research=Activism(R=A) is the formula growing out of my personal story as a gay Texan born and raised during the Fifties and Sixties in Dallas. The rescues range in time and place from my first encounter with a raucous, near-violent religious demonstration in Fort Worth to attics loaded with forgotten historic treasures of LGBT pioneers.
One of his signature discoveries with The Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. is a federal attorney’s classified assault blandly filed under “Suitability” at the National Archives: “What it boils down to is that most men look upon homosexuality as something uniquely nasty.” Archive Activism is a memoir– but also an essential roadmap– for activists from any group armed only with their library cards.
Praise for Archive Activism
“An intimate memoir and a stirring rallying cry, Archive Activism is required reading for anyone fighting the erasure of a community’s history. From the Eisenhower Administration to the January 6th insurrection, this book shows us how the first drafts of history are written — and crucially, he explains how we as citizens can correct them. His work to recover buried history has been essential for activists and historians alike, gifting us the opportunity to learn firsthand from the queer pioneers who paved the way for our generation. Without Charles Francis, my book and so many others like it would not have been possible. Archive Activism is an urgent, inspiring text that belongs on every bookshelf.”
– Dr. Eric Cervini, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Deviant’s War
“The Rainbow Community has a courageous and noble history which should never be forgotten. Charles Francis not only significantly assisted in making that history his new book is essential reading for those who need to be inspired by our history. Charles is that rare person who is a brilliant story teller, historian and activist. I am honored to know him.”
– David Mixner, author and activist
“The journey to discover history through deep archival research is a crucial part of our filmmaking process—and to get inside the story of Charles Francis’ journey to become an archival activist was thrilling and inspiring. It’s an honor to stand on the shoulders of such a dedicated and determined advocate.”
– Stephen Kijak, Director, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
“Charles Francis has written a magnificently cinematic memoir of a life of anxiety, commitment, and outright fun, populated by characters from Jayne Mansfield to David Rockefeller to George W. Bush. After leaving Dallas and spending decades in Washington as one of America’s leading public affairs practitioners, he turned to what he calls ‘archive activism,’ a mission to recover historical documents to advance social change. Charles brought gay-rights pioneer Frank Kameny’s papers to the Library of Congress, uncovered Nancy Reagan’s refusal to help a dying Rock Hudson, and found the roots of Executive Order 10450, which in 1954 declared homosexual ‘perversion’ a national security threat. Charles Francis engages his readers at once and takes them on a ride that is, at turns, horrifying, uplifting, and delightful.”
– Ambassador (ret.) James K. Glassman, former U.S. Under Secretary of State and Founding Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas
“After coming out as a proud gay man, this one-time Republican PR man has dedicated his life ever since to ‘archive activism’ – a project aimed at restoring our collective historical memory of the decades of fear and persecution visited on gay America. Nobody has done more to bring that story to life than Francis and he tells it movingly in this gripping memoir that deserves wide attention.”
– Michael Isikoff, author of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump
Charles Francis 