Madeleine Golde - Interview 01-23-2015 - Final
Channel: Washington, D.C. Lessons of the Sixties
Date: 2019-08-20

Madeleine Golde came to Washington, DC in 1967  in the era of President Johnson’s Great Society programs to try to make a difference in terms of social programs for the poor.   During her seven years in HEW, she was an outspoken activist against the war in Vietnam within the federal bureaucracy, including helping to form  government-wide anti-war organizations; launched an underground newspaper, The Advocate, that circulated widely throughout the Dept for 5 years, tackling issues ranging from treatment of minorities in HEW, to effectiveness of HEW programs and free speech rights for employees; and helped and played an important role in activating a moribund union local in her Department. For the past 40 years, she has continued to be an active participant in advocating for the rights of workers and the protection of our communities. This interview addresses Madeleine Golde’s anti- Vietnam organizing in the federal government beginning in 1967.  As a former employee of the the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, she also speaks to the establishment of The Advocate, an employee- run underground newsletter, the take-over of a moribund union local, and the spread of activism throughout the government from 1967-1974.