She also did not have a permanent home during this time, and bounced around sleeping at friends homes, hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters. Are you Black first? The Stonewall uprising was an awakening for an entire generation of LGBTQ activists. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Why did Marsha move to New York City? Well, I know how to handle them. Marshas whole life seemed to be a balance between popularity and exclusion. Johnsons life changed when she found herself engaging with the resistance at The Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. Dive into the world of small businesses with this compilation of powerful quotes that celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit, community impact, and unwavering commitment of local business owners. A man pulled a gun on me and snatched my pocketbook in a car. Oh, there was a lot of little chants we used to do in those days. 'Cause when I got downtown, the place was already on fire and it was a raid already. What was Marshas role in the Stonewall uprising, and how did it shape the rest of her life? Throughout Greenwich Village, she was known as Saint Marsha. Locals admired her ability to truly be herself. But when people are close to you and they're side, maybe they're family or people that you really respect and they don't get it, does that sting a little bit? Today, a look at how racism and transphobia have pushed Black trans women to the fringe of the gay rights movement and the movement for Black lives, and what's being done to change that. Willis: I think that we need all the allies. In the 1970s, Johnson experienced a series of mental health breakdowns and spent time in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Marsha enjoyed expressing herself through her appearance. And sometimes it seems obviously clear that this person was killed because they were trans. She believed no one should hustle or live on the streets, but she knew no other way to survive. Cihak and Zima (photographer), Ida B. Wells-Barnett, ca. Johnsons father worked on the General Motors Assembly Line in Linden, NJ and her mother was a housekeeper. And the circumstances around his case admittedly are very murky. A person who does not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Turns out we're not there. The riots had already started. There are many competing stories about what Johnson did during the raid on the Stonewall Inn, but it is clear she was on the front lines. She was often abused by clients and arrested by the police. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. 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. I don't trust men that much anymore., On the Fight for Freedom: No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us., On Her Reputation: I know people think Im a stupid little street queen out there begging for change cause theres nothing else she knows how to do., On Gender Roles: I'm very comfortable around straight men. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Regardless of the true nature of her death, she was a victim of violence, including police brutality, throughout her life. We don't really talk about how we have our own conceptions of which victims are worthy of our empathy. But there's still a lot of work to be done. At the time, 1992 was the worst year on record for anti-LGBTQ violence according to the New York Anti-Violence Project. In 1990, Johnson was diagnosed with H.I.V. Though she struggled with mental health issues, Johnson was beloved for her charismatic persona. Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. Silvia Rivera died of liver cancer in St. Vincents Manhattan Hospital in 2002 at the age of 50. To learn more, check out the vocabulary resource guides from. 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. 2021.www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. Wilchins, Riki, A Woman for Her Time,The Village Voice, February 26, 2002,https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/02/26/a-woman-for-her-time/. Are we seeing a little bit of that now? In June of 2019, just as New York City was entering their month of Pride celebrations, the City announced its plans to build two monuments honoring the late Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera for their lifelong commitment to ending oppression for marginalized communities. So thank you very much for your time. She grabbed the microphone anyway, telling the spectators and other marchers, If it wasnt for the drag queen, there would be no gay liberation movement. As they watched their kids jump from a moving truck, Marsha and Sylvia realized they needed a real home. Willis: I don't think so. I mean, I think things have definitely shifted in the last few years of my career. A performance artist who typically dresses up like a woman for entertainment purposes. Is it a dropping of ego? Having difficulty finding employment, Johnson turned to sex work. There's only one thing they want to get up your dress. When you hear J.K. Rowling saying that, what's your response to that? How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? The Rudy Grillo Collection, Rudy Grillo / LGBT Community Center Archive. In 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. She began dressing almost exclusively in womens clothes and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson. And then our families, right? A person who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth. Sylvia Rivera, National Park Service,https://www.nps.gov/people/sylvia-rivera.htm. Raised by her grandmother, Rivera began experimenting with clothing and makeup at a young age. Original music by Hannis Brown. She noted that many people had to die in order for two statues to be erected. Willis: And so let today be the last day which you ever doubt Black trans power. 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. She was the fifth of seven children born to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne. (LAUGH) I almost don't--, Lee: Right. What opportunities did she find? But when it comes to Black trans life and death and the violence heaped upon them, it comes likely from inside the community. In a 1992 interview, Johnson said "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen.. Police are treating her death as a homicide. Rivera said of Johnson that she was like a mother to me. The two were actively involved in the Stonewall Inn uprising on June 28, 1969 when patrons of the Stonewall Inna gay bar in Greenwich Village in lower Manhattanrebuffed a police raid and set a new tone for the gay rights movement. I feel like what fuels a lot of the violence that may happen from Black men towards Black women comes from an innate feeling of not being man enough for whatever reason. The monuments are dedicated to their legacy and to share their stories for generations to come. In 2019, New York City announced that a statue of Marsha and Sylvia would be the first monument to honor trans women in the city. In 1973, Rivera participated in the Gay Pride Parade but was not allowed to speak, despite the amount of work and advocacy she had done. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. She was beaten for doing so and, after being attacked on a school playground in sixth grade by another student, suspended from school for a week. Marsha spent most of her life without a permanent home. Well never share your email with anyone else, Susan Devaney, Marsha P Johnsons Activism Matters Now More than Ever,. She spoke publicly about her diagnosis and how people should not be afraid of those with the disease in a June 26, 1992 interview. What was STAR, and why was it so important? Lee: Raquel, thank you so much for your time. The two became instant friends. She began performing with the drag group, Hot Peaches. She attracted the attention of many, including the pop artist Andy Warhol who included her in a series of prints in 1975 entitled Ladies and Gentlemen. In an interview Johnson did for a 1972 book, she said her ambition was to see gay people liberated and free and to have equal rights that other people have in America. She wanted to see her gay brothers and sisters out of jail and on the streets again. In another interview, she said as long as gay people dont have their rights all across Americathere is no reason for celebration. In 1980, she was invited to ride in the lead car of the Gay Pride Parade in New York City. Lee: How do you move through these movement spaces that, you know, the bounds of white supremacy are still there? And it also of course extends to folks who are nonbinary or gender nonconforming who straddle all of these struggles. Crowd: Black trans lives matter. To wear clothes typically associated with a different sex and is most commonly used to describe men who wear make-up and womens clothing. University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center. They fixed up the building and paid rent for nearly eight months. Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992), Women & the American Story, New-York Historical Society. At Marshas funeral, hundreds of people showed up. Willis: I think it's all of the above. Here are 14 quotes from Johnson that capture her spirit and endless passion for LGBTQ+ rights: On Coming of Age: I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I And that's also something that Black cisgender and straight people need to understand as well. No matter how marginalized you are, you can still be an oppressor. New-York Historical Society. Other times, it seems like the vulnerabilities and the layer of vulnerabilities that Black trans people find themselves in are those layers of vulnerability that many Black people face: poverty, abuse and trauma. The Stonewall Inn uprising was also a turning point in the visibility of the gay rights movement. Jarena Lee, 1849. WebTo the brave souls who came before us, Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Harvey Milk, Audre Lord, and igniting the fight for all of us. Episode Lee: We got COVID-19, white supremacy, uprisings. That night, police officers raided the gay bar. Our executive producer is Ellen Frankman. She was sometimes homeless and living on the streets but almost always present for decades. Immediately after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, Johnson moved to New York City with one bag of clothes and $15. She also reconciled with the gay rights movement that was now expanding to embrace the LGBTQ+ community. Willis: Of course. I don't think any of us have the luxury of focusing on one group or the other. WebIn 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. We have to be having a holistic conversation on violence that not only talks about state violence but it also talks about the violence in our own homes, in our communities. To make ends meet, she became a sex worker often getting arrested, losing count after the 100th incident. You know, and so when I think about the murders of Black trans women at the hands of Black cis men, I'm very particular about how and when and where I have those conversations because inevitably what is happening to us will be used in the service of white supremacy against Blackness writ large. The first Gay Pride Parade took place in 1970 and a series of gay rights groupsincluding the Gay Liberation Front, a more radical organization, and the Gay Activist Alliance, a more moderate and focused spin-off groupemerged. On multiple occasions, clients pulled guns on Marsha. The first pride parades started in 1970, but Rivera and other transgender people were discriminated against and discouraged from participating. And I think that we do a disservice by allowing folks who lead Black liberation movements to envision liberation as contingent on one identity or one experience. What challenges did she face there? (LAUGH) Or is it too tough? The Gay Activist Alliance (GAA), which formed in response to Stonewall, frequently rejected the role transgender peoplethe majority of whom were people of colorhad played in the uprising. Apparently, the truck was not abandoned after all. Shes said that the town had zero tolerance for LGBTQ people and as a Why do you think Marshas life has started to gain more attention in recent years? I mean, I think about the early feminist movement and how people like Sojourner Truth, Ida B. By Source, Fair use,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38099161. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum, 2022. 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. Lets take a journey through a deeply inspiring and They thought it was more likely that Marsha was a victim of an attack. We'll be back next week. And so for me it's been very important to always be a Black trans woman when I come into spaces. And people don't want to say that because I think there's this idea that the biggest enemy is white supremacy, but that is a fallacy. Transpeople were more likely to be homeless and targeted by police. Marsha P Johnson, born 24 August, 1945, holds a special place within the LGBTQ+ community for her larger-than-life spirit and trans rights activism. We should not be ashamed of who we are. Marsha P. Johnson, Id like to see the gay revolution get started If a transvestite doesnt say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite, then nobody else is going to hop up there and say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite for them. Marsha P. Johnson, Darling, I want my gay rights now! Marsha P. Johnson. To honor Johnsons life, public art will be included and interpretive park signage throughout the park will share her story. Johnson also became an AIDS activist, later revealing in a 1992 interview that she had been HIV-positive for two years. So people like Marsha P. Johnson, Zazu Nova, a Black trans elder who's still with us named Miss Major were present there and were actively invested in the fight that sprang out of that moment. Rights for LGBTQ+ people were limited and sometimes ignored completely. Dissident News has received the exclusive full transcript for the entirety of the RFK announcement speech. But life didnt start out fearlessly for Johnson. MLA Rothberg, Emma. [2] The permanent installation will be built in Greenwich Village, in a location to be determined after conversations with the community. You may wish to start with a screening of. Their tireless efforts continue to resonate as issues surrounding the health, safety, and autonomy of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Trans women are still challenged. Johnson grew up in a religious family and began attending Mount Teman African Methodist Episcopal Church as a child; she remained a practicing Christian for the rest of her life. Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970. Marshas life dramatically changed when she found herself near the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of June 28, 1969. A monument dedicated to Marsha P Johnson, the late African-American transgender activist and pioneer, will be unveiled in New York in 2021. I found a little bit of joy having this complex, smart conversation with you. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. Marsha was often alone with strangers in hotel rooms and cars. We are a movement. Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. But I'll be honest. Cooking for myself, right? 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. How Nan Goldin Waged War Against Big Pharma, How the Greensboro Four Began the Sit-In Movement, Biography: You Need to Know: Bayard Rustin, Biography: You Need to Know: Sylvia Rivera, Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Pittman Hughes. All Rights Reserved. What tensions existed within the gay liberation movement? Lee: I'm Trymaine Lee, and this is Into America. WebMarsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. Sylvia Rivera. National Womens History Museum, 2021. Rivera later said of Johnson, she was like a mother to me. As Johnson had done for herself, she encouraged Rivera to love herself and her identity. I think when you're close to people it does hurt in a particular way. Were all in this rat race together! Marsha P. Johnson, I may be crazy, but that dont make me wrong. Marsha P. Johnson, I dont think you should be ashamed of anybody you know that has AIDS.
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