And they never forget it. Not long after arriving in New York, 17-year-old Marsha met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. So, I mean, there are so many ways in which the argument against trans women being women also erases swaths of cisgender women who don't have those particular experiences. Willis: First of all, anytime a celebrity tweets, I'm like, "How you got time for this?" She also created and wore elaborate crowns of fresh flowers. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. For example, dancing with a person of the same sex as well as cross-dressing were illegal. Sewall Chan, Marsha P. Johnson, Overlooked. And it's just a reminder that we've been here and it's a reminder we're gonna be here. We have been fighting to be respected, fighting to live for centuries. And so when I think about womanhood, we have to be expansive with all of these gender categories. In 2020, New York State named a waterfront park in Brooklyn for Johnson. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum, 2022. Oops! Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. In 2012, the New York Police Department reopened the case into Johnsons death. Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American, activist from New Jersey, whose work in the 1960's and 70's had a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ community. WebMarsha was an eccentric woman who was known for her exotic hats and jewelry which stood out to the public and attracted attention to her. Sylvia Rivera. National Womens History Museum. . Together, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera continue to inspire the fight for justice that has not been won. A monument dedicated to Marsha P Johnson, the late African-American transgender activist and pioneer, will be unveiled in New York in 2021. 1893-1894. She brought some serious thoughts to this gay audience. Show more Show more In 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. Lee: Her lavish outfits were often made from thrift store finds, gifts from friends, and items she found on the street. She wanted to protect young transpeople living on the street by giving them a home. Lee: I'm Trymaine Lee, and this is Into America. What was Marshas role in the Stonewall uprising, and how did it shape the rest of her life? So, like, what are you doin'? Marsha had a reputation for being generous and kind. It feels like a revolution. No quote encapsulates .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Marsha P. Johnson more than Pay It No Mind. After all, thats what she said her middle initial stood for. 1989-1990. And then the last thing I'll say is, you know, you brought up the contours of womanhood. Johnson: And Sylvia Rivera and them were over in the park having a cocktail. The first STAR House was in the back of an abandoned truck in Greenwich Village. Almost 30 years on from her death, Johnson is getting the attention she was denied when she was alive, with tales of Black trans women continue to face disproportionate levels of violence. On July 6, 1992, Johnsons body was found in the Hudson River. As the officers began to arrest people for violating various discriminatory laws, the patrons of the Stonewall fought back. Johnson, an African American self-identified drag queen and activist, was also battling exclusion in a Willis: I think it's all of the above. Sylvia Rivera, National Park Service,https://www.nps.gov/people/sylvia-rivera.htm. And I think that we have to be able to hold that. I'm not too friendly with them. You may wish to start with a screening of. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. Our executive producer is Ellen Frankman. Apr 21, 2023. Marsha taught Sylvia how to apply makeup, live on the street, and look out for trouble. Along with Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera started the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) around 1971. You can't say that it's about having a particular set of chromosomes. We'll be back next week. It was difficult for Marsha to find work. How have Indigenous people exercised sovereignty and self-determination in the modern world? Cemetery Name: Marsha P. Johnson grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with her mother. Nicols Enrquez de Vargas (artist), Portrait of Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz, ca. Lee: How do you move through these movement spaces that, you know, the bounds of white supremacy are still there? But I will say I don't think that this is just a moment for Black trans people. Into America is produced by Isabel Angel, Allison Bailey, Aaron Dalton, Max Jacobs, Barbara Raab, Claire Tighe, Aisha Turner, and Preeti Varathan. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Now they are getting a statue in New York, Brooklyns East River State Park renamed in honor of late LGBTQ activist and trans icon Marsha P. Johnson. Lee: I want to ask you though. And it's not just Black trans women. Willis: I definitely think that names like Marsha P. Johnson were forgotten intentionally. Now they are getting a statue in New York Dissident News has received the exclusive full transcript for the entirety of the RFK announcement speech. Jen Carlson, Activists Install Marsha P. Johnson Monument in Christopher Park, Gothamist, August 25, 2021, https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/marsha-p-johnson-statue-bust-christopher-park, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, https://marshap.org/, By Emma Rothberg, Ph.D. | Associate Educator, Digital Learning and Innovation. Oportunidades Iguales Para Las Mujeres En El Trabajo y La Educaccion, Womens Strike for Equality, New York, Fifth Avenue, 1970, Eugene Gordon photograph collection, 1970-1990. ' In 2001, she was marching in New York City Pride Parades and living in Transy House. Chicago Rothberg, Emma. Overwhelmingly, Black people are around other Black people, right? Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. ", On Mental Health: I may be crazy, but that don't make me wrong., On Distrust: I got robbed once. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. I think about our media outlets and how often we don't have spaces like this, Trymaine, where a Black trans woman can come on and be in dialogue with a Black cis man about the state of the world. She began dressing almost exclusively in womens clothes and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson. Since the term transgender wasnt used during her time, she identified as gay, transvestite and as a drag queen, using the pronouns she/her. My revolutionary blood was going back then. WebHappy Birthday, Marsha! Rivera said in an interview in 2001 that while she did not throw the first Molotov cocktail at the police (a long-enduring myth), she did throw the second. I think when you're close to people it does hurt in a particular way. Is there a confluence there? She was the fifth of seven children born to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne. I think about just two days after George was murdered, Tony McDade was murdered in Tallahassee, Florida, a Black transgender man. WebMarsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. 'Cause it's like you're only cherished if you're dead, or you're only cherished if you can be in the spotlight and in some ways serve this desire of a cis person for you to be a spectacle, right, so they can add another layer of distance to you. If you walked down Christopher Street, Marsha would receive you in the manner of a gracious host. But do we have a good enough holistic nuance view of that violence? In 2021, New York City will unveil a monument to Rivera and Johnson. However, young Marsha enjoyed wearing clothing made for girls. That interview originally appeared on his show, Making Gay History. She sometimes lived with friends. Were the front-liners. She was booed off the stage. Lee: What do you think it would take to get that kind of allegiance, especially among Black folks, right? The first STAR House was in the back of an abandoned truck in Greenwich Village. Crowd: Black trans lives matter. Willis: And so let today be the last day which you ever doubt Black trans power. Despite her joyous personality and ever-present smile, Johnson experienced hardship. Why did Marsha move to New York City? While it was in use during Marshas life, this term is now considered offensive and has been replaced with other terminology, such as transgender. Susan Devaney, Marsha P Johnsons Activism Matters Now More than Ever, Vogue UK, June 6, 2020, https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/who-was-marsha-p-johnson, Meilan Solly, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonian Magazine, June 3, 2019, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/, Hugh Ryan, Power to the People: Exploring Marsha P. Johnsons Queer Liberation, Out, August 24, 2017, https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2017/8/24/power-people-exploring-marsha-p-johnsons-queer-liberation, Sewall Chan, Marsha P. Johnson, Overlooked, The New York Times, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-marsha-p-johnson.html?mtrref=&mtrref=undefined&gwh=7FAC77AD0450CB8215713140B8184F62&gwt=regi&assetType=REGIWALL. And that fearless attitude exemplifies how the Black transgender activist lived her life, leading the charge for LGBTQ+ rights every step of the way and helping instigate the Stonewall Inn uprising that sparked the gay pride movement. Why do you think Marshas life has started to gain more attention in recent years? Willis: Of course. Marsha was often alone with strangers in hotel rooms and cars. On July 6, 1992, Marshas body was found floating in the Hudson River. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. May 31, 2022 6:30 AM. I would love for there to be a massive mobilization of allies of Black folks. Hope y'all enjoy the long holiday weekend. Lee: You know, of course we've had this conversation around feminism and other movements before, whether women who are part of the movement are Black first or are they women first, gender first. Johnson was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement. What tensions existed within the gay liberation movement? The film stars Mya Taylor as Johnson and Eve Lindley as Rivera.. Special thanks to Eric Marcus, founder and host of the podcast Making Gay History, for the use of his 1989 interview with Marsha P. Johnson. How do you actually navigate those spaces? [5] The parks updates will include a litany of updated facilities such as a public restroom and an educational hub. For six nights, the 17-year-old Rivera refused to go home or to sleep, saying Im not missing a minute of thisit's the revolution!, Rivera resisted arrest and subsequently led a series of protests against the raid. Yet this was not the first time Rivera was directly involved in activism. 1750. Is it education? A person who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth. Episode Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970. NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Growth and Turmoil, 1948-1977 / Growing Tensions / Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson. WebMarsha was a fixture in the West Village, known and adored by everybody. Willis: Well, you know what is interesting is we've gotta get out of this space of thinking that transgender people are having some kind of magically different gender experience. Much of Marshas life story has been pieced together through interviews featured in the documentary. I really appreciate it. Young trans women like Marsha were particularly vocal that night because they felt they had nothing to left to lose. Willis: Right. WebIn December 1970, Liza Cowan of WBAI saddle down with members of and novel formed Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (or S Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor: Culinary Anthropologist, Dr. Wangari Maathai: The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Towards Hawaiian Sovereignty: Legacy of Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38099161, https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/who-was-sylvia-rivera, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/20/nyregion/sylvia-rivera-50-figure-in-birth-of-the-gay-liberation-movement.html, https://npg.si.edu/blog/welcome-collection-sylvia-rivera, https://ag.ny.gov/civil-rights/sonda-brochure, https://www.nps.gov/people/sylvia-rivera.htm, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/forgotten-latina-trailblazer-lgbt-activist-sylvia-rivera-n438586, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/, https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/02/26/a-woman-for-her-time/, https://www.out.com/pride/2019/5/21/how-sylvia-rivera-created-blueprint-transgender-organizing.
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