Commons Conversations was a summer series of interviews in which campaigners shared their experiences and insights into activism, learning in movements, radical history and more. The program was broadcast by Community Radio 3CR and produced by the Commons Social Change Library, a website containing over 1000 resources for campaigners, which can be accessed for free at commonslibrary.org

This episode features an interview by Commons Librarian Holly Hammond with novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and historian Sarah Schulman. They discuss the nature of effective coalitions, the challenges of accurately documenting social movements, and lessons from campaigns led by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) during the 1980s and 1990s. A participant in the campaigns, Schulman’s book, Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993, is based on over 200 interviews with those involved in the fight for healthcare and justice for people living with AIDS and HIV.