California NOW

Diane Middlebrook, noted feminist biographer and intellectual, passes away

Diane Middlebrook, noted feminist poet, biographer and teacher died Saturday in San Francisco of terminal cancer. Middlebrook became famous largely for her biographies of 20th century women poets and authors, most notably those of Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath. Her work affirmed and celebrated the complex women behind the public personas, and made literary history accessible to scholars and laypeople alike. Middlebrook was also deeply involved in a life of intellectual discovery and creative exploration through literary salons and her time at Stanford. Said one of her contemporaries, “... Diane was interested in people, especially in women and what they were encountering in their professional lives.” “[She] was fabulous at drawing us out, making an environment where women could talk about their dreams, about things they wanted to invent and do," said San Francisco artist Squeak Carnwath. A pioneer in feminist academia, Middlebrook’s articulate voice will be sure to influence generations of intellectuals in years to come.

Inspiration from the Past: It's About Change, Sisters!

Just now, I'm preparing for my final for that women's history class you have all had to hear about.  Even in the very last class we hit a disagreement.   The great part is that one of the question options for the final asks us to explain why the first wave was a success and the second was a failure.  No bias there, eh?  I can't wait to write my response.  By chance I met another graduate student yesterday who is in the same class-he shared my frustration.

As I sit here and study the first and second wave I am struck by the similarities that we in the third wave share with our predecessors.   We continue to struggle against those who claim they are protecting "traditional roles."  The anti's have been making this claim since the nineteenth century!  What they don't seem to understand is that traditional society as they see it never existed.  There have always been women who stood up to tyranny, worked outside of the home, demanded safety, voiced political opinion, sought education, etc.   

What I have come to believe is that as activists we must truly embrace change.  We are demanding that the world around us change: we can expect no less from ourselves.  It can be scary and uncomfortable.  It can shake us to our very core.  But if we expect revolution we must first be willing to accept it for ourselves.   Such daring and courage is what I admire most in the women who have come before me, and what I wish for all of us in the movement today.

Thank You, Sarah Hale!

If you enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving, you have Sarah Hale to thank!

The story of Hale's persistent effort to make Thanksgiving a national holiday was one I didn't know until I read the children's book Thank You, Sarah! to my kids. We also read several books about the Wampanoag Indians (including this one), who were living in Plymouth when the Europeans arrived, and we studied the myths around Thanksgiving, of which there are many. [See Lani, you gotta homeschool your kids and then they can make hand-print turkeys and learn the real history of the holiday!]

Hale sent letters and petitioned presidents for 38 years before President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

Although I agree the holiday should more appropriately be a day of mourning for the loss of American Indian life at the hands of the Pilgrims, this book about Hale has a real feminist message, and ends with the statement: "Pick up your pen. Change the world." That sentiment I can celebrate.

Ms. Pac Man: Feminist Crusader?

Dalai Lama May Break Tradition to Select Successor

The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama is considering breaking with centuries of tradition and choosing a successor while he is still alive. The tradition is that senior Tibetan officials, guided by dreams and signs, identify the young child. Due to China’s 1950 invasion and since control over Tibet, the 72 year old Dalai Lama is concerned that China will try to control the process. When he picked a 6 year old boy to be the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama, China detained the boy and selected a replacement who was loyal to Chinese Rule.

In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun, the Dalai Lama said “If China selected my successor after my death, the people of Tibet would not support him as there would be no Tibetan heart in him.” Buddhists believe the current Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of his predecessors.

How do we define feminist success?

I frequently find myself cringing while sitting in my women's history class.   Considering that United States Women's History is my graduate focus this is not good news.    Apparently this professor and I make for a very poor match.  Most recently she explained to the class that the second wave of the feminist movement was a failure because it didn't achieve it's goal of constitutional equality.  I sat in class wondering if I had heard her correctly.  Unfortunately, I had. 

Where do I start?  While the fight for the ERA was an incredible part of the second wave, I find it hard to buy her logic that this was THE ONLY goal of the movement.  More than that, however, was her way of defining success.  It is true that we are still fighting for constitutional equality.  But consider the gains of the last 40 years: legalized abortion, rape crisis centers, Title IX, exposure of sexual harassment in the workplace, women as CEO's, not to mention the field of women's history!   And even beyond the legal and political victories we must consider the personal victories as well.  The second wave created a feminist consciousness that remains with us today.  It is a part of each of us who are continuing the work started many years ago.

We cannot let patriarchal values define our movement as a success or a failure.  There are more stops along the line of achievement than the binary of win or lose.  Let us keep in mind the importance of each feminist step we take, in each battle we fight, regardless of the outcome.

We'll see how my professor responds to this argument...