Kathleen Russell was Assistant Dean of Students and director of Project YES at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). In the mid-1990s she was a member of the campus group Tri-Pride, which is an organization of social work students and professionals committed to empowering gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people (GLBT). In the Spring of 1997, Hansen's Standard Printing refused to complete Tri-Pride's printing order for raffle tickets for it's Winter fundraiser "Halt the Hate" Vigil because it was a GLBT organization. This launched Russell's involvement in the Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, which was organized to support the passage of a city non-discrimination ordinance. Since 1997, Russell has gone on to become a leader in the EMU community, helping to organize campus-wide GLBT activities and groups, the educational outreach organization Project YES, and the Ruth Ellis Center, a center for homeless GLBT youth.
From the guide to the Kathleen Russell papers, 1997-2006, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
