Pat Taub
A Riveting Documentary
To mark June as Pride month, take time to watch the riveting documentary “My Name is Pauli Murray” on Amazon Prime. Murray (1910-1985) was a legal trailblazer whose ideas influenced RBG’s fight for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall’s civil rights arguments. She was a non-binary Black lawyer, activist, poet, and priest. Murray is among those amazing woman overlooked by history.
Barbara Lee to the Rescue
Lee is the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, who has long been a peace advocate. She was the only member of Congress to vote against the Iraq war. This week she joined with Wisconsin Congressman, Mark Pocan, to introduce a bill to divert money from the out-of-control Pentagon budget to domestic social programs. Lee is on board with Rev. Barber of the Poor People’s Campaign, when she refers to “People over the Pentagon.”
A Spellbinding Read
After seeing several recommendations on the WOW Facebook page for “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek,” by Kim Michele Richardson, I decided to read it. I was not disappointed. This historical fiction occurs in 1936 and features 19-year-old Bluet, one of the last of the blue-skinned people of rural Kentucky. Bluet, as an employee of the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Service, delivers books on horseback to her impoverished neighbors. Richardson vividly describes life among Kentucky’s dirt poor during an era when children routinely died of starvation. I consider it a must read.
Borgen
On the recommendation of friends this week I watched the Danish TV series (Netflix), “Borgen,” starring Sidse Babett Knudsen. By mistake I tuned into Season 4, not aware that there were 3 previous seasons. Once I realized my mistake, I was too hooked to go back to the earlier programs. Borgen is a 53-year-old feminist, who is Denmark’s Foreign Minister. In Season 4, when threatened with a no confidence vote, she comprises her idealistic stand on climate change. Will she go the way of powerful men who fudge their principles to stay in power?
Tomorrow I’ll be joining Portland, Maine’s Gay Pride Parade. Considering the Right’s ascendency, it seems more important than ever to support my Gay and Lesbian neighbors.
