And then our families, right? Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I'm Trymaine Lee. Steve Lickteig is executive producer of audio. But do we have a good enough holistic nuance view of that violence? Lee: How much does class play in all this? She sometimes lived with friends. Willis: It does hurt. New-York Historical Society Library. MLA Rothberg, Emma. Our executive producer is Ellen Frankman. Marsha P. Johnson | National Women's History Museum 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. Marsha enjoyed expressing herself through her appearance. And sometimes it seems obviously clear that this person was killed because they were trans. For me, I found joy in having a chance to connect with the people closest to me in new ways, in deeper ways, reminding myself to take a walk not only for exercise but for the fresh air. Despite her joyous personality and ever-present smile, Johnson experienced hardship. 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? Currently, LGTBQ+ monuments are not among the Citys public statues. As the gay liberation movement became increasingly white, middle class, and cisgender, STAR reminded everyone that transgender and gender non-conforming people deserved equal rights too. Willis: No, I think that we have to find pockets of joy. After a boy sexually assaulted her, she stopped wearing the clothes she loved and felt most comfortable in. "Don't you got money to make?". And it's not just Black trans women. Their rage was not just about the police. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? There's this idea that because we are openly gender nonconforming or having an openly different gender experience that we deserve the abuse that we may receive, and that's just not okay. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an important advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those effected by H.I.V. Once in New York, Johnson returned to dressing in clothing made for women and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson; the P stood for Pay It No Mind, a phrase that became her motto. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. 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. Well, I know how to handle them. And it's just a reminder that we've been here and it's a reminder we're gonna be here. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson Review | Tribeca 2017 She gave people clothes and food, even though she had little of her own. Marsha is one of many Black Trans And so Black women in general have had to fight against this restrictive idea of womanhood that has been contingent on a white bourgeois imagination. Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City. 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/. We fed people and clothed people. During Marshas lifetime, the term transgender was not commonly used. Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor: Culinary Anthropologist, Towards Hawaiian Sovereignty: Legacy of Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask, Dr. Wangari Maathai: The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, 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, Defying Expectations: Unsung Hero: Marsha P. Johnson and the Stonewall Riots, https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/who-was-marsha-p-johnson, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/, https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2017/8/24/power-people-exploring-marsha-p-johnsons-queer-liberation, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-marsha-p-johnson.html?mtrref=&mtrref=undefined&gwh=7FAC77AD0450CB8215713140B8184F62&gwt=regi&assetType=REGIWALL, https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/marsha-p-johnson/#:~:text=After%20graduating%20high%20school%2C%20Marsha,to%20questions%20about%20her%20gender, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera, https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/marsha-p-johnson-statue-bust-christopher-park. The two became instant friends. (LAUGH) Or is it too tough? History isnt something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities. Marsha P. Johnson, How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? The Sylvia Rivera Law Project continues her legacy, working to guarantee all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence. The intersection of Christopher and Hudson streets in Greenwich Village, two blocks from The Stonewall Inn, was renamed Sylvia Rivera Way. In 2015, a portrait of Rivera was added to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., making her the first transgender activist to be included in the gallery. Lee: I'm Trymaine Lee, and this is Into America. May 31, 2022 6:30 AM. 'Cause when I got downtown, the place was already on fire and it was a raid already. Not long after moving to New York, then 17-year-old Johnson met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. 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. 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. In front of a crowd at that rally for Black trans lives, she had this to say. Rivera, a Puerto Rican transgender girl, and the two became instant friends. She used she/her pronouns. I mean, I think things have definitely shifted in the last few years of my career. As the fifth of seven children of a General Motors assembly line worker and a housekeeper, Johnson was about five years old when she began wearing dresses, but was often harassed by other children. Special thanks to Eric Marcus, founder and host of the podcast Making Gay History, for the use of his 1989 interview with Marsha P. Johnson. Willis: Of course. 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. Perry, Ana, Sylvia Rivera: Activist and Trailblazer, Face to Face Blog, National Portrait Gallery,https://npg.si.edu/blog/welcome-collection-sylvia-rivera. Johnsons father worked on the General Motors Assembly Line in Linden, NJ and her mother was a housekeeper. Marsha and Sylvia later formed the Street Transvestite Activist Revolutionaries (STAR). Look no further than our guide. Marsha P 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. Looking for ideas on how you can celebrate Pride Month? Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American, activist from New Jersey, whose work in the 1960's and 70's had a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Ask them to think about the kind of monument or memorial they would want to create for Marsha, based on her life story. Lee: This is from a 1989 interview with journalist Eric Marcus. 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. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum, 2022. And that fearless attitude exemplifies how the Black transgender activist lived her life, leading the charge for LGBTQ+ rights every step of the way and helping instigate the Stonewall Inn uprising that sparked the gay pride movement. Willis: Of course. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. It wasnt commonly used until the 1990s. When she was wearing these items To make ends meet, she became a sex worker often getting arrested, losing count after the 100th incident. Not long after, her body was pulled from the Hudson River near the West Village. Lee: Raquel, thank you so much for your time. Im a strong believer in that and thats why I try to do that for everyone I know has the virus. Marsha P. Johnson, You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights. Marsha P. Johnson, As long as gay people dont have their rights all across America, theres no reason for celebration. Marsha P. Johnson, Nobody promised you tomorrow. Marsha P. Johnson, I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen. Marsha P. Johnson, I always just do drag. Willis: The way that I navigate these spaces shifts. Rivera said in a 1995 interview with The New York Times of participating in this parade, the movement had put me on the shelf, but they took me down and dusted me offStill, it was beautiful. When you hear J.K. Rowling saying that, what's your response to that? What is it, do you think? Willis: First of all, anytime a celebrity tweets, I'm like, "How you got time for this?" Thank you for having me. 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. Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. Immediately after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, Johnson moved to New York City with one bag of clothes and $15. I think about how Black cis women like Breonna Taylor so often fall under the radar of a zeitgeist that prioritizes men regardless of your racial or ethnic background. The City intends to have the monuments installed by 2021, as part of a plan to address gender gaps in public art. And from those earliest days, people had concerns about Black folks, brown folks, people who are incarcerated, and of course trans people because we were seen as not in line with some of the assimilationist goals of many of those early movement figures. It was difficult for Marsha to find work. 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? I was involved with that.. Police then reclassified the case as a drowning from undetermined cause, but the LGBTQ+ community was furious that the police refused to investigate further and that many press outlets did not cover her death. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. Marshas whole life seemed to be a balance between popularity and exclusion. While the genesis of the Stonewall Inn uprising remains shrouded in myth, theres no doubt Johnson was a key figure leading the events of June 28, 1969 some even credit her with throwing the shot glass heard around the world that started the rebellion. I got a chance to talk with Raquel Willis, a Black transgender activist and the director of communications for the Ms. Foundation, a nonprofit fighting for women's rights. So there's no way to talk about us getting to liberation without talking about Black trans people. Photo by Leonard Fink, Courtesy LGBT Community Center National History Archive, Leonard Fink, Courtesy of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. And so in the wake of the Stonewall riots, there was an entire web of nonprofit organizations that sprang out of that, right? Were the front-liners. She was booed off the stage. Are you Black first? 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. Well never share your email with anyone else. To celebrate Pride month and to honor the current protests in our country, here are nine of Marsha P. Johnson's most timeless quotes. A heads up: some of the fan-made artwork is available for purchase and goes towards a good cause. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen." What challenges did she face there? Quiz Bowl 2023 - 1A Sacred Heart vs. Norfork - PBS Johnson enjoyed wearing clothes made for women and wore dresses starting at age five. To honor Johnsons life, public art will be included and interpretive park signage throughout the park will share her story. The raid on Stonewall galvanized the gay rights movement. She also created and wore elaborate crowns of fresh flowers. Overwhelmingly, Black people are around other Black people, right? By following year, the first gay pride parades took place, and Johnson and Rivera founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) to house, feed and clothe young transgender people. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. 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. No matter how marginalized you are, you can still be an oppressor. She started Transy House, modeled off STAR House, in 1997 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. 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 was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement. After her high school graduation, she moved across the Hudson River to New York City in 1963 with only a bag of clothes and $15. Lee: That was Raquel Willis, a Black trans activist and director of communications for the Ms. Foundation. Along with Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera started the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) around 1971. And just as there's that education, there's also the education on whiteness. MARSHA P. JOHNSON "You Gotta Have Soul !" - YouTube or a search for the Black Trans Lives Matter movement. Or is it your gender identity first? My revolutionary blood was going back then. Yet this was not the first time Rivera was directly involved in activism. How did Marsha embody her Pay It No Mind name? It feels like a different time. Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. Then when you get pregnant or something, they don't even want to know you., On Paying It Forward: Ill always be known [for] reaching out to young people who have no one to help them out, so I help them out with a place to stay or some food to eat or some change for their pocket. Rivera had an incredibly difficult childhood. It was a time when same-sex dancing in public wasnt allowed, bars were banned from serving alcoholic drinks to gay people and cross-dressing could lead to a sexual deviancy arrest. For example, dancing with a person of the same sex as well as cross-dressing were illegal. After this experience, Rivera left New York City and activism behind for a bit. (LAUGH) I almost don't have time to tweet on some days 'cause I'm so busy. You should stand as close to them as you can and help them out as much as you can. Sometimes, the strangers were violent. In 2020, New York State named a waterfront park in Brooklyn for Johnson. Invite students to study Warhols portrait of Marsha and learn about the, Invite students to learn more about the Stonewall Inn uprising by exploring the, A few days before her death, Marsha gave an interview in which she joked about the recent installment of a monument outside the Stonewall Inn. Rivera frequently experienced homelessness and had problems with substance abuse. We are a movement. For Black trans lives especially, is this a time? The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. And I think for me as an activist, I take it also to be like, "Is what I'm doing even working? Like, we all carry insecurities about our gender, about who we are and who we're supposed to be in the world. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. 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.
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