Tag: civil rights movement

Marsha P. Johnson: The Power of a Queen – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land

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$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

Oodgeroo Noonuccal (born Katherine Walker) – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land

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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

Claudette Colvin – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land

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One of the pioneers of the American civil rights movement was just fifteen when she made history, and you’ve likely never heard of her. Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger, Claudette Colvin took a similarly defiant action on another Montgomery bus. Colvin, however, … Continue reading Claudette Colvin – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land