Forever Activists

In the late 1930's, Spain was embroiled in a civil war which prefigured the conflicts of World War II. Approximately 3,000 volunteers from the U.S. joined a special unit fighting on the Republican side against the fascists and Nazis. They were called the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Only one-half survived the war and returned.

Forever Activists explores the subsequent careers of a number of those who fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, including a 50th anniversary reunion in Spain in 1986. Over the years, they were active participants in the civil rights struggles, the peace movement, the anti-colonial movement, anti-Vietnam war, and anti-Iraq war. The Brigade was the first, fully integrated American fighting force with African officers.

Guest speakers will include; Peter Hartzman, whose mother was a nurse, and father, an ambulance driver, in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade; Peter Carroll, historian & Board member of Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives; Nancy and Len Tsou, researchers and authors dedicated to chronicling the Chinese and other internationals who came to Spain to fight with the International Brigades.

Peter will also talk about the restoration of the largest U.S. monument dedicated to the volunteers who fought fascism in Spain, (at the end of San Francisco's Market St.), which is near completion, and the rededication ceremonial event scheduled for May 3rd