Television Preservation

 “She understood the power of media to shape public opinion,” but capturing the traces of that power in the products of television became a “compulsion.” - Mike Metelits, Stokes' son [2]

Stokes' most famous activity is her work in preserving television, particularly mainstream news programs, which she began in 1979 until her death in 2012. Stokes was not only a librarian, but also a left-wing political activist that was surveilled by the FBI as a result of her communist ties. [2] This experience appears to have influenced her decision to record television media as her archive of materials serves as a counter to potential historical re-interpretations of what occurred within the timespan she recorded. As Stokes was able to capture history and narratives as they were created, her preservation efforts are also an act of activism against institutional interference in memory.