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Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Series
Title
Oral history interview with Jamie G. Partridge
Date(s)
- 2020-02-07 - 2021-04-23 (Creation)
Extent
17.3 gigabytes; 30 audio files (WAV, 27 hr., 41 min., 28 sec.) + index (87 pages)
Name of creator
Biographical history
James "Jamie" Gilbert Partridge was born in Berkeley, California, in 1949. His family later moved to Washington state and then to Lake Oswego, Oregon. He attended Dartmouth College, and dropped out in 1968. The next year, he returned to Portland. He earned a Medical Lab Tech certification from Portland Community College, and studied at Portland State University. He was involved with six labor unions, including the Teamsters, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). From 1984 to 2011, he was a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. He was a contributor for the Socialist Worker publication, an organizer for Communities and Postal Workers United, and a programmer for KBOO, a community radio station in Portland.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This oral history interview with Jamie G. Partridge was conducted by Stephanie Vallance in thirty sessions from February 7, 2020, to April 23, 2021. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program, which collects oral histories of individuals who have advocated for working people of Oregon, including public figures, union members, and workers. Sessions 1 through 4 were conducted at Partridge's home in Portland, Oregon. The remaining sessions were conducted using Zoom video conferencing software due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In sessions 1 through 5, Partridge discusses his early life and the development of his political beliefs during the 1960s and 1970s, including his experiences during the 1967 "Summer of Love" in San Francisco, California, his involvement with the Black Panthers, and his friendship with Portland police officer Tom Potter.
In sessions 6 through 8, Partridge discusses his involvement in the Freedom Socialist Party, the co-parenting arrangement he entered with a former student, and his involvement with the Central American Solidarity Committee in the 1980s. He also begins to discuss campaigning for Jesse Jackson.
In sessions 9 through 15, Partridge discusses his involvement in the Rainbow Coalition, campaigning for Jesse Jackson, and his involvement in Jobs with Justice. He also talks about his career as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.
In sessions 16 though 19, Partridge discusses his career as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and his involvement with the postal workers union.
In sessions 20 through 24, Partridge discusses his involvement in Jobs with Justice. He talks about the 2006 Great American Boycott, and about his radio show on the Portland station KBOO.
In sessions 25 through 30, Partridge talks about his involvement in the postal workers union after his retirement in 2011, discusses his involvement with the Democratic Socialists of America, and reflects on the oral history experience.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Stephanie Vallance, June 2021 (RL2021-058).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Jamie G. Partridge, by Stephanie Vallance, SR 1347, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
General note
Forms part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.
Sources used
Archivist's note
Sarah Stroman
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Vallance, Stephanie (Contributor)
- National Association of Letter Carriers (U.S.). Branch 82 (Portland, Or.) (Subject)
- Portland Jobs with Justice (Subject)
- National Rainbow Coalition (U.S.) (Subject)