Judy Collins revisits her '64 concert. Dad tells Congress about his trans daughter. APN Auction includes original Spock ears from Star Trek, signed M*A*S*H script, Free to Be, You & Me goodies, and more
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #105 APRIL 6, 2021
I tried to celebrate the warm weather with a preponderance of uplifting items but reality kept intruding. So you'll find happy items interspersed with the suffering of trans kids, Asian-Americans, victims of gun violence, Jews of color, & others for whom the beauty of spring is being besmirched by discrimination & hate.
POLITICS & GENDER
* Riveting testimony from Brandon Boulware, a Missouri lawyer, son of a minister, father of four including a transgender daughter. Bouware tells Congress how relentlessly he used to make his daughter wear boy's clothes, short hair, & play on boys' teams. The result? "I had a child who did not smile," he said before describing what changed his mind and pleading with lawmakers to oppose a bill that would bar transgender girls from girls' teams.
MUSIC
* This past February Judy Collins performed live in NYC to an empty house in Town Hall where she reminisced about her legendary 1964 Concert, sang some of her classic songs and told stories about her encounters with other folk music titans. You can buy tix here to watch a video of this historic performance on April 16, 17, or 18 and get 72 hours of online access to the Feb. concert. To prepare, you might check out Christiane Amanpour's interview with Judy about her remarkable 60-year career as a singer/activist. Or read Sheila Weller's article in AARP magazine about Judy at 81.
* Speaking of music and women of a certain age, the new issue of Persimmon Tree: An Online magazine of the Arts by Women Over 60, includes Gena Raps' interview with Alina Bloomgarden (above) founding producer of Jazz at Lincoln Center and founder of Music on the Inside Inc. which brings music education and mentorships to incarcerated people. If you like what you see, subscribe to Persimmon Tree here.
MORE ON ELDERS
* Here's my short piece on "The Plague of Ageism" reprinted in The Forward from the Jewish Book Council's wonderful Passover feature, "Dwelling in a Time of Plagues" My essay begins: 'I used to think old people were either cute or sad. The cute ones were Kirk Douglas or Ruth Bader Ginsburg doing push-ups, and gray-haired couples animatedly talking to each other or walking hand in hand in the park. The sad ones were stooped, infirm, inept, crotchety, disheveled, occasionally incoherent, and mostly invisible."
WOMEN
* Su Min, a 56-year-old homemaker, became a one-woman consciousness-raising group when she packed a mini-fridge & rice cooker, left her oppressive domestic duties & abusive husband behind & embarked on a solo road trip across China. Six-months later, with millions watching her video journals of the trip, she's a feminist icon. I admire not just her courage & grit but her research skills and organizational competence. Don't be surprised if Ms. Min sparks an army of discontented wives to do the same.
JEWS
* ANU: The Museum of the Jewish People which just opened in Tel Aviv, looks like a "must see" for your next trip to Israel. Until then, here's a virtual tour of the Musuem.
* Touching, shameful, painful, this letter to the American Jewish community from Mira Baum, above, an Asian-American Jew, should shake us up enough to stop "othering" Jews of color.
* For those whose Hebrew is rusty, the pendant above spells "chai" which means "life."
INTERNATIONAL
* Does the world really need all these nuclear submarines?
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
* The grassroots group, Standing Together (Omdim B'yachad), organizes Jews and Arabs around campaigns for peace, equality, and social justice. ST activists recognize the interconnectedness between economic disparities in Israeli society, the occupation of the Palestinian territories, erosion of democratic freedoms, and the hardships faced by Arab-citizens of Israel, the LGBTQ community, women, and immigrants.
* Auction! Auction! Read all about it! As a longtime board member and former Chair of Americans for Peace Now, I'm delighted to give you advance word about the fabulous auction offerings donated by celebrities and supporters of APN. For instance, from Mandy Patinkin & his wife, Kathryn Grody, lunch with them in NYC; from Gloria Steinem, an autographed book and T-shirt plus a pair of her signature aviator sunglasses; from Alan Alda, a signed original script of M*A*S*H; from Susan Nimoy, a pair of Leonard Nimoy's original Spock ears (above) and an autographed photo; from Aviva Meyer, a week's stay at her charming house in France; from Marlo Thomas, a basket of FREE TO BE, YOU AND ME goodies: from cookbook author Joan Nathan, an online cooking lesson, and much, much more.
Americans for Peace Now (sister organization of Shalom Achschav, the preeminent peace organization in Israel), educates & advocates for a just, lasting, negotiated solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Your tax-deductible bids will support APN's work. The auction will be online from April 11-20,. Click here to register. Just type your email address, put "Send auction link" in the subject line, check "I'm not a robot," then hit Submit.
ANTISEMITISM, RACISM, UGGHH!
* Is there no end to this crap? A man on parole Massachusetts high school team used antiSemitic words to call football plays. I'm glad Jay Leno apologized for his past antiAsian jokes but sad that it took a huge spike in antiAsian violence to make him do it. After photos surfaced of them wearing and holding racist symbols at a campus event in 2014, three University of South Alabama professors have been put on leave.
* We need to distinguish among evils, argues Katha Pollit, in The Nation. I agree with her critique of the withdrawal by Dr. Seuss' estate of some of his unwoke books. (Above, an offensive illustration from "And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street.)" This fuss plays into the right-wing attack on cancel culture and distracts from the larger fight for more funding for school libraries, updated text books, (plus musical instruments, guidance counselors, school nurses & infrastructure repair). Meanwhile, old kids classics that contain objectionable illustrations & stereotyped characters should be used by anti-racists as a teachable moment.
RAMADAN MUBARAK NEXT MONDAY NIGHT TO MY MUSLIM SUBSCRIBERS