Eisenberg, Frances R., 1905-

Frances R. Eisenberg was an English and journalism teacher at Canoga Park High School in Los Angeles, CA; she was charged with teaching communism in her classes in 1940s; during the early 1950s as an English teacher at Fairfax High School, she was charged with disloyalty; was fired for failure to answer questions before the state senate fact-finding committee on un-American activities in California; she was an active member and executive officer of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Federation of Teachers during the 1940s-50s, and chairman of the Teachers Defense Committee in 1954.

Biography

Historical Context: Blacklisting and the McCarthy Era

The individual collections within the Blacklisted Teachers in Los Angeles Collection share a common historical framework, the Anti-Communist fervor of the Cold War Period and what is commonly referred to as the McCarthy Era. After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in the ideological battle known as the Cold War. The identification of communists and other radicals through the use of federal and state legislative investigative committees and the punishment of those identified through firing and blacklisting comprised a successful U.S. tactic. The investigations spread from federal and other government employees to the entertainment industry, the professions, labor unions, and the private sector. The major players in these campaigns included, on the Federal level, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). In California major players included California State Assemblyman (later State Senator) Nelson S. Dilworth, and State Senators Jack B. Tenney and Hugh M. Burns. All three served on the Joint Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities in California (1945) and first Tenney and later Burns chaired the [California] Senate Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities. Of special note are the Levering (1952) and Dilworth (1953) Acts. The Levering Act made refusal to fully cooperate with any state committee grounds for firing a teacher and the Dilworth Act gave local school boards investigating authority and also required that all teachers sign an oath denying any Communist affiliation.

Biography

Frances Robman Eisenberg was a teacher, unionist, and activist fired from the Los Angeles Unified School District for refusing to answer question concerning Communist Party membership before a state committee. She was an active member of the Los Angeles Federation of Teachers, serving as newsletter editor. Later she was active in the US-China People's Friendship Association (USCPFA) and local (West Hollywood) social and economic issues. She died August 3, 1996.

Eisenberg was born June 19, 1905, in Wisconsin. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and the family moved to Colorado and then to Los Angeles. She attended Los Angeles High School, UCLA (graduating in 1928), and received her teaching credential from USC. She then took a job with the Oakland Unified School District in Northern California. She married Meyer Eisenberg, a widow with three children, in 1931 and returned to Los Angeles.

Eisenberg came to Canoga Park High School as a journalism teacher in 1936. In her 15 years at Canoga Park she supervised an award-winning newspaper (Hunter's Call), taught English and Senior Problems. In 1946, she and a fellow teacher, Blanche Bettington, were called before the Joint Fact Finding Committee on Un-American Activities in California (Tenney Committee). A subsequent school board investigation found insufficient evidence for dismissal, but in 1950 she was forced to transfer to Fairfax High School. While at Fairfax, she pioneered in teaching "Negro" history. However in 1952, she was called before the California State Burns Committee investigation of the Los Angeles Housing Authority (she had supported low-income housing). Her refusal to answer questions concerning Communist Party membership and about associates led directly to her firing under the provisions of the recently passed Dilworth Act [see above]. After exhausting her appeals, she left Fairfax High in February 1954. After her dismissal, she was active in the Teachers' Defense Committee (TDC) and Women for Legislative Action. She wrote articles and speeches on education and free speech issues. For the next twenty years she tutored numerous students. Eisenberg and other blacklisted teachers applied for reinstatement in 1977. In 1980, the case was settled, she was awarded three years back pay, and was now considered a retired - instead of a dismissed - teacher.

The Eisenbergs were friends with W.E.B. DuBois and his wife, author Shirley Graham. They were also major supporters of artist Charles White. Eisenberg went to China in 1973 and 1980 and became active in the US-China People's Friendship Association. This led to her teaching a Los Angeles Board of Education Sponsored in-service training workshop for teachers: "Roots of Chinese-American Culture: Exploring the New China." In 1987, she established a scholarship fund at Los Angeles Southwest Community College. Her 90th Birthday Party benefited KPFK Radio and she was actively involved in several other labor and economic issues.

Biography

Frances R. Eisenberg was an English and journalism teacher at Canoga Park High School in Los Angeles, California; she was charged with teaching communism in her classes in 1940s; during the early 1950s as an English teacher at Fairfax High School, she was charged with disloyalty; was fired for failure to answer questions before the state senate fact-finding committee on un-American activities in California; she was an active member and executive officer of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Federation of Teachers during the 1940s-50s, and chairman of the Teachers Defense Committee in 1954.