In the spring of 1971 Dr. Sharon Strom, History professor at the University of Rhode Island, was introduced to Florence Hope Luscomb by Steven Halpern, a personal friend of Strom's and former housemate of Luscomb's. Dr. Strom, who was teaching a course on social reform in the United States, invited Florence Luscomb to speak to her students about the experiences Florence had as an activitist during the suffrage campaign in Massachusetts during the early part of the 20th century. From March 1972 to August 1973, Strom and Halpern interviewed Florence Luscomb. During these interviews Luscomb discussed her involvement with the suffrage movement of the early 20th century, her life at Tamworth, NH, political activities, and her family history. In addition, she talks about her visits to China and Cuba during the 1960's, her involvement with labor movement, and the women's movement of the 1970s. Although a committed progressive, Ms. Luscomb has been described as a pragmatic person who allowed her views to be shaped by the issues in which she was involved. She saw herself as guided by American democracy and its cornerstones: civil liberties and equality. Her interviews reflect those beliefs, even when at the time of these interviews she was advocating that the women's movement included not just the radical feminists, but women from all socio-economic and racial backgrounds. These interviews were the foundation for Sharon Strom's book, Political woman: Florence Luscomb and the legacy of radical reform, published in 2001. The interviews were recorded on cassette tapes and were transcribed. Included in this collection is a May 3, 1973 recording of a talk given by Luscomb at the University of Rhode Island. It is recoded on two cassette tapes, tape two of the recording is separated from it's reel. The talk and interviews conducted in August 1973 are not transcribed. Only a transcription of the interview of July 18-19, 1972 exists in the collection.
