Author Elaine Elinson Visits Notre Dame

Author Elaine Elinson Visits Notre Dame

By Isha Trivedi '19

On Thursday, April 12, author and former journalist Elaine Ellinson came to ND to speak to the Class of 2019 on the topic of her 2009 book, Wherever There's a Fight: How Runaway Slaves, Strikers, Suffragists Immigrants, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California.

Ellinson’s book studies the history of the fight for civil liberties in the state of California and highlights the work of various activists that has gone unnoticed in the arc of history. 

In the study of American history, certain figures are much more recognizable than others. From Martin Luther King to Rosa Parks to Cesar Chavez, there are a number of people whose names remain at the forefront of our memory in the context of the fight for civil liberties in the 20th century. While these individuals accomplished amazing things, there were many others. From Charlotte Brown, to Freddy Fuentes, to Fred Korematsu, there are countless advocates and lobbyists who have gotten lost in the history books. Ellinson’s book covers a wide variety of relatively unknown activists who advocated on behalf of a variety of issues––from LGBTQ+ rights to the rights of Native Americans to the rights of differently-abled people. 

Ellinson’s talk was enlightening and introduced students to many aspects of history that are often forgotten. In addition to inspiring students to look at future career options through a new lense, the stories reinforced concepts of inclusion and exclusion being studied in English calsses.