Search

The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) records consist of materials distributed by BAMN to members at the University of Michigan via email for school years 2017/18 and 2018/19. Topics discussed include Richard Spencer speaking on campus; immigration policies of the Trump administration, especially the separation of families at the US border with Mexico and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); the appointment and confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court; and other anti-Trump advocacy.

The collection is arranged chronologically by when the materials were sent to membership. A handful of emails included attachments - these materials were collected into digital folders by the processing archivist to reflect the relationship between the original email and its attachments.

This collection documents the organizing efforts of the By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) membership at the University of Michigan between 2017 and 2019, advocating in support of Affirmative Action; asylum seekers and detained immigrants at the border of the United States and Mexico; and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) act. They also organized against Richard Spencer's request to rent space and speak at the University of Michigan; the confirmation of (now U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice) Brett Kavanaugh; and the political actions of Donald Trump while he was President of the United States.

Student activist who was involved with SDS, co-founded Kalamazoo Gay Liberation at Western Michigan University in 1970, and was involved with the Gay Liberation Movement at Michigan State University in the early 1970s. Greg Kamm later became an ESL teacher and served in the Peace Corps before teaching English in Thailand, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. Collection includes photographs, personal journals, and papers documenting Kamm's involvement with various organizations.

Due to his involvement with SDS in the late 1960's and the Gay Rights movement in the early 70's, the Greg Kamm papers are a highly valuable resource for scholars and citizens interested in the history of student activism in Michigan. The papers are especially important for understanding the evolution of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender rights in the state because Kamm, as cofounder of Kalamazoo Gay Liberation and an officer of the Gay Liberation Movement at MSU, was intimately involved with the movement in the years immediately succeeding the Stonewall riots. At the same time, materials related to Kamm's experiences abroad as a traveler and ESL teacher offer a Michigander's view of the world and his 31 years' worth of journals provide a fascinating insight into Kamm's transitions from activism to eastern philosophy and, ultimately, to the consolation of his early Catholicism. The Greg Kamm papers are divided into four series: Biographical Materials, Student Activism, Visual Materials, and Journals.