#hearwhatshesaid

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I haven’t posted here in a while but found myself in a rabbit hole on this last day of Women’s History Month 2024.

It started with the song Jeepers Creepers, which until today I thought was just a jingle to advertise sunglasses in the 70s.

Ethel Waters recorded the first known version in November 1938, just a few months before Louis Armstrong’s recording in 1939.

Original music composed by Harry Warren and lyrics by Johnny Mercer for the 1938 movie Going Places, in which Armstrong performed.

Ethel Waters was also the first African American woman to integrate Broadway when composer Irving Berlin awarded her a starring role in his Broadway musical, As Thousands Cheer.

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Feminine voices for peace ☮️

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Mallory McMorrow leading the way, staying in Michigan to build on and solidify the hard-earned transformation of state government rather than going for an open US Senate seat.

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“…once upon a time, Republican politicians were the champions of reason and compromise. Famously, on June 1, 1950, Senator Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican from Maine, stood up against Republican Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin and his supporters, who were running roughshod over American democracy.”

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Born on this date in 1910, Lucy Covington, a woman who spoke up and fully committed to save her family heritage, culture, and rights to land granted to them. As a member of the Colville tribal council during the late 1950s, she used personal funding to travel to Washington DC to lobby against termination. Some members in the council were resistant, excited for short term rewards of selling out. Over time, she changed their mindset and the termination bill defeated in 1971.

She influenced her own tribe as well as others around the US who were being pressured to give up their land rights and cultural history. I found this video that covers the topic well, with much commentary from Lucy, who died in 1982.

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Today marks one year since we lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

What can I say that we don’t already know about this amazing human being and her powerful words and support of equal rights.

I found this PBS interview from 2016 where she talks about where Notorious B.I.G. originated.

It was created by a second-year NYU law student, right here on Tumblr! @notoriousrbg Is that you?

“Anger is a useless emotion, it doesn’t get you anyplace. Do something positive instead.”

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I’m always looking for ways to commemorate women’s achievements in history. This morning I was inspired by an article about Sybil Ludington, a teenage girl heralded as a Revolutionary War hero for her actions on this date in 1777 (April 26). After a bit of research it appears the story may be more folklore than reality but I’m choosing to share it anyway for its inspirational value and relevancy to America’s current political chaos. Her story has evolved and been embellished over the years, inspiring Americans to action during times of threats to freedoms that we too often take for granted.

“Ludington was the daugher of a local militia commander. When Col. Henry Ludington received news that British troops were attacking Danbury, he had to stay to rally the response effort, while the messenger who reached him was unfamiliar with the area. So Ludington mounted off and rode 40 miles, warning people along the way, on this day in 1777.”

Her story was “picked up in the twentieth century and has been repeated numerous times, Hunt writes. Its central figure, Sybil Ludington, has changed to meet the times. Ludington has been a patriotic, pro-America youth during the 1950s Communist scares; an ahead-of-her-time feminist icon in the 1960s and 1970s; and a classroom staple drawing fire from conservative groups on the lookout for left-wing politics in schools.”

“Sybil Ludington has embodied the possibilities—courage, individuality, loyalty—that Americans of different genders, generations and political persuasions have considered to be the highest aspirations for themselves and for their country. The story of a lone, teenage girl riding for freedom, it seems, is simply too good not to be believed.”

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Hallelujah! Please share and amplify this courageous woman’s voice in whatever way you can. I’m inspired, we can turn this around. 

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I first became aware of Heather Cox Richardson during 2020 political and pandemic turmoil, while participating in an online “notorious nasty women” group. More recently I’ve started reading her daily blog. Seeing this Women of the Year award honoring her contributions is cause for celebration!

I think that as you age, if you’re lucky enough to be one of those people who get older, it creates a different way of looking at the world and maybe a different skill set. Makes you feel like you really are you.

I am close in age with Professor Richardson and she is in a group of women who inspire me to know I am just getting started, having all the insights of age and experience to propel me. It’s not time to slow down, I don’t want to retire, I want to give and live and love until my last breath.

The key is to start, do something, see where it leads, be open to how your gifts and the needs of those you touch gloriously intersect when you’re fully present. Don’t shut down because you think it’s too late or you’re too old. Don’t listen to anyone who says what you should or shouldn’t do. These are your gifts, uniquely yours. Never let yourself be co-opted by people with dubious intentions.

We all have fire inside of us, let’s not allow it to slowly burn out in mediocrity. Instead, let’s ignite and fan the flames to keep love and truth and hope alive. ❤️

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” -Albert Schweitzer

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September 21, 1968: Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley PTA #1 in Pop and Country

At age 23, after recording a song written by Story Teller Tom T. Hall from his life experience, Jeannie C. Riley becomes the first women to top the Billboard 100 Charts for Pop and Country. I was 4 years old at the time but remember hearing the song a lot. Right along with Nancy Sinatra singing These Boots Are Made for Walking.

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I heard Allison Russell for the first time during Farm Aid on Saturday. I’m also seeing others in my community with a similar message, speaking up and protecting future generations.

One of my favorite parts of the article is when she tells her 8-year-old daughter "the buck stopped with me. The intergenerational abuse stopped with me. It's never going to touch you."

Speaking about her album, Outside Child, she said, "There's a story of intergenerational trauma. But there's also a story of intergenerational resilience and strength and ability to survive. I wanted to amplify and uplift that."

https://www.tennessean.com/in-depth/entertainment/2021/09/23/allison-russell-outside-child-folk-music-nashville/5539898001/

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Dr. Elizabeth Stern: Using Cytopathology to Improve Women’s Health

Born September 19, 1915, Elizabeth Stern was a pioneer in the field of cytopathology, specifically the study of cervical cancer cell progression. In a paper published with colleagues in September 1974, the group provided a proven quantitative scale to measure presence and stage of cancerous cervical cells. 

She used this scale in future studies as a control variable to compare samples from populations of women who were taking a high-potency oral contraceptive vs those who were not. Her findings were published in 1977, showing that women taking the pill were 6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer. By 1979 sales  decreased dramatically, causing the higher potency pill to be pulled from the market and replaced with lower dose alternatives.

Elizabeth Stern devoted her life to making other people’s lives better. Perhaps one of her biggest legacies can be seen in modern Pap screening technology. Stern developed a liquid-based sampling system to isolate and enrich the cervical epithelium, and helped define cellular criteria for computer programs. Her work revolutionized screening for cervical cancer and is still widely used in facilities around the world.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/voices/one-more-pioneering-woman-in-science-youve-probably-never-heard-of/

https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/34/9/2358.short

https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/jax-blog/2016/september/elizabeth-stern-influenced-womens-health-initiatives#

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Born on September 16, 1887: Nadia Boulanger, Mentor of Modern Composition

Today I learned about Nadia Boulanger and her younger sister Lili, who was born in 1893. Both of their parents were musically gifted. Lili had perfect pitch so she excelled at concerts and competitions. In late 1907 Nadia changed focus to conducting and teaching while Lili found success composing and performing. 

After Lili’s untimely death at age 24, Nadia toured extensively, programming her music along with her sister’s compositions, which included an unfinished opera. She moved to the US in the 1920s, mentored and toured with Stravinsky, then returned to Paris in 1946.

Nadia’s career spanned continents and decades, influencing and evolving musical genius world-wide. Quincy Jones is a name that popped out at me, as well as Aaron Copland and Burt Bacharach. The others are a rabbit hole for another day.

I’m including a couple of links. Searching youtube works well too, especially for the programs from August 2021. I love what she said about being a woman: “I’ve been a woman for a little over 50 years and have gotten over my initial astonishment.” I can’t stop laughing when I read it.

https://www.bard.edu/news/bard-music-festival-returns-with-nadia-boulanger-and-her-world-aug-6-15-2021-06-14

https://classicalmusicindy.org/nadia-boulanger-mentor-of-modern-composition/#

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Rachel Carson, Silent Spring published September 27, 1962

There is no way I can adequately express my gratitude to Rachel Carson for her courage in researching and publishing this wake up call to humanity on this date in 1962.

I have so many thoughts about Silent Spring, so much emotion about her message and how close we came to allowing political and financial influence shepherd us over the hill to our destruction.

Today I focus on the work itself, Silent Spring, written from the perspective of a well educated researcher who spent years studying human-inflicted abnormalities in our physical environment, particularly those introduced via soils, rivers, and aquifers.

Rachel Carson identified patterns and drew conclusions that could not be refuted. She saw an urgent issue and made sure the right people were informed and motivated to care.

This challenge faces us today. And it’s significantly more complex after almost 60 years. How do we get enough people to care, to shift public opinion? How do we convince people that prevention is key to our survival?