Frances Schwartzberg was interviewed by Emma Kerr on April 9, 2022 via Zoom.

Narrator
Frances Schwartzberg was born in New York State in the 1950s, where she grew up and attended school in what she describes as a “diverse” school district and community. She began her activist work in New York as a teen, when she became involved with the United Farm Workers boycotts of the 1960s, and continued this work when her family moved to Amherst while she was in high school. Schwartzberg attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received her undergraduate degree in Art History and participated in a multitude of other activist causes, including women’s anti-nuclear work and anti-apartheid organizing. Schwartzberg has had a variety of jobs, including legal advocacy for those with disabilities and HIV/AIDS, and has been involved with organizations such as Valley Women’s Voice newspaper, Undercurrents radio show, and Venture Out, a former LGBT outing club. She also served briefly as a board member for the Haymarket People’s Fund, and worked with the Gay and Lesbian Activists (GALA) in organizing several of Northampton’s early Marches for Liberation. Schwartzberg received her Master’s degree in nursing from UMass Amherst, and currently works as a nurse practitioner for a large multinational company. She is a foster parent to a now-adult woman, a caretaker for her mother, and a firm believer in social justice and equity. She attends Northampton Pride regularly, and is looking forward to reconnecting with her community when she retires.

Abstract:
In this interview, Fran Schwartzberg reflects on her childhood in New York, where she first became involved in activist causes. She speaks about her experiences in the Pioneer Valley as a teen, and the way activism shaped her time at UMass Amherst. Schwartzberg emphasizes her beliefs in equity and justice, and how they have shaped her career from her bachelor’s degree in art history, to her current job as a nurse practitioner. She discusses her involvement with GALA and the early Northampton Pride organization, as well as her experiences with recent Pride Parades. She also shares her experiences as a foster parent, and as a soon-to-be retiree.

Interviewer:
Emma Kerr is a student in the Department of English Language and Literature at Smith College, Class of 2022.

Format:
Interview recorded on a MacBook Pro via the Zoom Video Conferencing app.