$15, a bag of clothes, and a fierce attitude. This is, according to a 1992 documentary by director Michael Kasino, what Marsha P. Johnson brought to New York, right after graduating high school and just before changing the course of history. Photo credit: USA/Netflix Johnson was born in August 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey under … Continue reading Marsha P. Johnson: The Power of a Queen – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Note: This essay contains names and images of people who have died. Photo via QUT.edu.au Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920 – 1993) was an Australian poet, Aboriginal rights activist, political activist, and educator whose birth name was Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska (Kath). She was a proud Noonuccal woman from Minjerribah (which is also known as North Stradbroke … Continue reading Oodgeroo Noonuccal (born Katherine Walker) – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy was born on August 23, 1931 in Paris, France. Sounds like the beginning to a normal story, right? However, Jacqueline, better known by her stage name, Coccinelle (meaning ‘ladybug’), was anything but ordinary in her time. This Marilyn Monroe lookalike was a French actress, entertainer, and a pioneering transgender activist for LGBTQ+ … Continue reading Coccinelle: The Power of Being Unapologetically You – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Born June 17, 1865, Susan La Flesche Picotte ignored what was expected of a Victorian Native American woman, to become the first female Native American doctor. Historyreaders.com tell us Susan was the daughter of bi-racial parents, who each had white fathers and Native mothers. Her father, Joseph La Flesche, also called Iron Eye, was chief … Continue reading Susan La Fiesche – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
It is not possible within the confines of a blog post to list all the accomplishments of Ida B. Wells-Barnett. Her career was the embodiment of the term intersectionality – decades before the term was coined. She had her hands in women's suffrage, prison reform, desegregation efforts, fighting corruption in local politics, education reform, breaking … Continue reading Ida B. Wells – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Mary Crow Dog (nee Brave Bird). September 26, 1954 – February 14, 2013. Sicangu Lakota. Mother, grandmother, activist, writer. Beginning on February 27, 1973, the leaders of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and 200 Oglala Lakota people occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota for 71 days. This action was a result of the … Continue reading Mary Crow Dog (aka Mary Brave Bird) – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
In December 2018, I visited the Museum of the City of New York with my public history classmates from the CUNY Graduate Center. We has spent the semester studying how to make effective exhibits and engage with the public. Our main focus was to see 'Rebel Women: Defying Victorianism' which was a great little exhibit. … Continue reading Rebel Women: Defying Victorianism at the Museum of the City of New York
History Is Important 