Oscar Shaftel and the Menace of McCarthyism
In 1953 he was one of three Queens College faculty members fired for citing the Fifth Amendment and refusing to answer questions about Communist affiliation in academia before the Senate Internal Security Committee. This McCarthyistic purge had long-lasting repercussions for Queens College, New York State, and more personally, Shaftel’s family. Through it all, Shaftel never gave up the fight for restitution, which he finally won thirty years later.
Oscar Shaftel and the Menace of McCarthyism shines a light on this dark and debilitating chapter in American history, as well as the heroic fight waged by Shaftel and others for democratic, First Amendment rights. The exhibit also publicizes unique resources held by Queens College Special Collections and Archives that tell this story.