Song of the day:
Video of the day:
Women’s History Month
On this day in…
1886, Lucy Hicks Anderson, a Black trans woman, was born. When she entered school, she insisted on wearing dresses and calling herself Lucy. Since the term transgender hadn’t been invented yet, when Lucy’s mother took her to the doctor for an explanation of her strange behavior, the physician encouraged her to raise Lucy as a girl and not a boy. In 1944 Lucy married a soldier in California, which led to troubles. When the government found out that Lucy had been born male, she was prosecuted for receiving checks as a wife of a US Army soldier. “I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman,” Anderson told reporters in the midst of her trial. “I have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a woman.” Both Lucy and her husband were sent to prison. Once free, Lucy moved to Los Angeles where she lived until she died in 1954.
1899, Elizabeth Wood, the first Executive Director of the Chicago Housing Authority, was born. She worked to structure city management of three housing projects built by the Federal Public Works Administration, including the Jane Addams, Julia C. Lathrop and Trumbull Park Homes.
1917, Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) took her seat as the first female member of Congress.
1933, Frances Perkins becomes United States Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the United States Cabinet.
1948, Jean O’Leary, a lesbian and gay rights activist, was born. She was the founder of Lesbian Feminist Liberation, one of the first lesbian activist groups in the women’s movement, was an early member and co-director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Soul of a Nation
On Tuesday night a mini-series called Soul of a Nation premiered on ABC. The first episode was titled Reckonings and y’all, it was excellent. I highly recommend checking it out.
The show is defined like this: “Exploring the authentic realities of Black life by exploring specific themes, including spirituality, Black joy, activism in sports and the racial reckoning that erupted after George Floyd's death.”
Celebrating Service
This week at work we’ve been celebrating the service years of our staff members, from 10 to 40 years. Normally we do this event in person but of course this year it’s all been virtual. We weren’t sure how it was going to turn out but so far it’s been great. If you’re interested in seeing what we did, you can visit the Spartan Service Celebration webpage.
Happy Birthday
Today is my friend Robyn’s birthday. Robyn and I met in college, and while we haven’t lived in the same place since, we’ve stayed in touch over the years and get to see each other every now and then. It’s been a while since our paths have crossed thanks to the pandemic, but I have no doubt they’ll cross again soon. So until that time…Happy Birthday, Robyn-O!
Have you gotten your first vaccine dose yet? I was thinking that your appointment was this week.