And just as there's that education, there's also the education on whiteness. 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. And then the last thing I'll say is, you know, you brought up the contours of womanhood. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. WebOn what would have been Marsha P Johnsons 77th birthday, the founder of the institute that bears her name discusses her powerful, often misunderstood legacy. 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. The film stars Mya Taylor as Johnson and Eve Lindley as Rivera.. 'Cause when I got downtown, the place was already on fire and it was a raid already. Jarena Lee, 1849. Her friend Johnson brought her to the hospital and helped her get healthy again. But in this moment, in the fight for trans equality, is it more important to grow allies in the Black community or allies with other women? Willis: And so let today be the last day which you ever doubt Black trans power. The final bill passed in 2002 and prevents discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, credit, and the exercise of civil rights.. Johnson adored wearing colorful, fun outfits that she made from finds at thrift stores and discarded items; she was also often seen wearing a crown of flowers. We lose a lot of nuance there. Our executive producer is Ellen Frankman. But when it comes to this kind of allyship, especially when we're talking about Black people, right, what does it take? Apparently, the truck was not abandoned after all. Marsha P. Johnson was and is a woman impossible to forget. She was an activist, a sex worker, a drag performer, and even a model for Andy Warhol. She was at the forefront of pivotal moments in modern history. It was about the oppression and fear they felt every single day. Invite students to research recent activism around the extreme violence that trans women of color continue to face. She was arrested over 100 times. 'Cause it's like you're only cherished if you're dead, or you're only cherished if you can be in the spotlight and in some ways serve this desire of a cis person for you to be a spectacle, right, so they can add another layer of distance to you. Willis: It does hurt. You know, when I had this recent conversation with my brother, I left the conversation, you know, I was angry and I was tearful 'cause it does hurt. The Stonewall Inn uprising was also a turning point in the visibility of the gay rights movement. After graduating high school, Marsha moved to New York City with only $15 and a bag of clothes. Even when she found work waiting tables or performing in drag shows, she still made most of her money as a sex worker. June 7, 1999. AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP; ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE, Major support for Women & the American Story provided by, Lead support for New-York Historicals teacher programs provided by, In 1975, artist Andy Warhol crossed paths with Marsha and photographed her for his. Since the term transgender wasnt used during her time, she identified as gay, transvestite and as a drag queen, using the pronouns she/her. But how are you finding joy in this moment? Immediately after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, Johnson moved to New York City with one bag of clothes and $15. And I think that we have to be able to hold that. We have an issue particularly in media where we often get to be either victims, of course, and not alive, or we're a superstar or celebrity. As one of the leaders of the Stonewall Inn uprising, the Black transgender woman was an early activist for LGBTQ+ rights in New York City. Why do you think Marshas life has started to gain more attention in recent years? They fixed up the building and paid rent for nearly eight months. Crowd: Black trans lives matter. And they never forget it. I actually think we're more powerful when we have numbers. I don't relish in these ideas of being the first, or being a token, or being an only. You really can't have either one without the other. She asked Marsha to help her create a place where they could feel safe, unite, and fight for their rights. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. I am a senior. Lee: And I don't want to necessarily use the word hurt. 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. Please try again. By Emma Rothberg, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Gender Studies, 2020-2022. 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. The P stood for Pay It No Mind. To her, this was a life motto and a response to questions about her gender. However, Johnson also found a community in the city, especially after meeting Latina drag queen Sylvia Rivera. Though her life was cut tragically short, Marsha's legacy remains an inspiration to us all. Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. We'll be back next week. She actively spoke out about the transphobia in the early gay rights movement. Lot of flying. There's still a lot of behind-the-scenes educating that has to happen for cis people who don't understand transness or gender nonconformity. 1890. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. Once, she was even shot. Marsha P. Johnson: The way I winded up being at Stonewall that night, I was having a party uptown. So if we're gonna say we're getting rid of prisons, we're defunding the police, which I support, we have to be just as much or maybe more invested in building up the consciousness of our people to be able to actually hold those people who commit harm and abuse accountable in the ways that we need them to be held accountable. Johnson and Rivera arrived at Stonewall around 2am where, Johnson said in a later interview, the place was already on fire, and there was a raid already. A term to describe people who wear clothes designed for the opposite sex. And sometimes it seems obviously clear that this person was killed because they were trans. But inevitably, you are all of your identities at one time. The Stonewall uprising was an awakening for an entire generation of LGBTQ activists. To wear clothes typically associated with a different sex and is most commonly used to describe men who wear make-up and womens clothing. I think about the Stonewall riots, and there were important Black trans folks who were on the front lines during that queer militant uprising back in 1969 against the New York Police Department. I mean, I think things have definitely shifted in the last few years of my career. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an important advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those effected by H.I.V. What was Marshas role in the Stonewall uprising, and how did it shape the rest of her life? Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum. Sylvia and Marsha hustled every night to make sure their new family had breakfast each morning. And so for me it's been very important to always be a Black trans woman when I come into spaces. New-York Historical Society Library. But the fight for protection and inclusion back then is so similar to the fight we are seeing today. Sylvia Rivera | National Women's History Museum Raised by her grandmother, Rivera began experimenting with clothing and makeup at a young age. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an [3]These transgender icons will be the first to get statues in the US And then our families, right? Willis: I think a lot of it is proximity. Dissident News has received the exclusive full transcript for the entirety of the RFK announcement speech. Lee: Mostly white cisgender gay men, but also cisgender lesbians as well. Perhaps you could say that trans people may have a more drastic experience, but it's so connected to the ways that boys and men in general are told that they can't have a certain well of emotion, that they can't be intimate and have other ways of moving through the world that don't involve control and domination. Lee: Are we seeing that? Both women continued to be persistent voices for the rights of people of color and low-income queer and Trans communities for the remainder of their lives; Marshas life was cut short in 1992, though the details of her death remain a mystery. But I don't like straight men. Johnson was outspoken about the risks of tackling the Mob; her roommate at the time had been lobbying to have officials with alleged Mafia ties removed from the But the impact of STAR had already been felt by many. In 2020, New York State named a waterfront park in Brooklyn for Johnson. The term transgender wasnt commonly used in Marshas lifetime, but she identified as a transvestite, gay and a drag queen and used she/her pronouns. Encourage them to search for articles about the Marsha and Sylvia statue in New York City, Marsha P. Johnson state park in Brooklyn, and more. Honey, I promise you, I'm not. Their rage was not just about the police. What and who does she represent and why is this important? I mean how many years does it take people to see that? Thank you for having me. Willis: I think that we need all the allies. 'Cause we're all caught up in it. 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. Not long after moving to New York, then 17-year-old Johnson met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. (LAUGH) I almost don't have time to tweet on some days 'cause I'm so busy. If I can't even get the people closest to me to understand what's going on, how am I gonna get the masses to get it?" It feels like a revolution. As they watched their kids jump from a moving truck, Marsha and Sylvia realized they needed a real home. And that's something other LGBTQ+ folks, particularly white ones, need to understand. Transcript: Into Black Trans Liberation - MSNBC.com Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. Marshas friends and acquaintances strongly disagreed. Show all 45 During her speech at her New York gig, the "Born This Way" singer also celebrated transgender activist Marsha P Johnson, who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall riots. 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 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. Johnson also became an AIDS activist, later revealing in a 1992 interview that she had been HIV-positive for two years. Lee: We got COVID-19, white supremacy, uprisings. Along with Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera started the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) around 1971. At Marshas funeral, hundreds of people showed up. A decade later, Sylvia lost her battle to cancer. And I think what is consistent unfortunately is the sidelining of our voices and the sidelining of our experiences and work. No matter how marginalized you are, you can still be an oppressor. There are plenty of cis women who don't check off a lot of criterias that are considered womanhood. 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. Today, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. And we need the in-between. You can't say that it's about having a particular set of body, you know, thinking of the many women I know who have had hysterectomies, right? Willis: I think it's all of the above. I mean, I think about the early feminist movement and how people like Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Willis: First of all, anytime a celebrity tweets, I'm like, "How you got time for this?" Cooking for myself, right? Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, ca. Marsha P. Johnson | National Women's History Museum Marsha P. Johnson was a proud and outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community before it was popular to be so. 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. What challenges did she face there? Solly, Meilan, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonianmag.org, June 3, 2019,https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/.
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