In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On June 9, 2022, Jones met with longtime University of Michigan faculty member, Director of the Bentley Historical Library, and former Ypsilanti mayor pro-tem, Terrence McDonald. McDonald began his career in Ypsilanti politics by volunteering for Pete Murdock, during which his wife worked on the city council. After McDonald's wife convinced him to run for council in the next election he launched a campaign, and was eventually appointed in 1994. He got to know a lot about civic life in Ypsi, and recalls how Depot Town businesses and community members interacted before the ordinance efforts kicked off. Of course during his career in office, McDonald became involved in the efforts and collaborated with, managed, and listened to different communities in the city so that everything might go more smoothly. In this interview he gives in-depth detail at how a new city charter impacted the way council functioned and how that played into the passage of 1279, and how much goes in to working with council-members and their constituents efficiently.

Terrence McDonald, Oral History Interview, 2022

Eastern Michigan University Archives