As we struggle with today's black days and fear more ahead, there are voices I wish were here by my side. When Mark mentioned Studs Terkel in our baseball class, I thought: “Yes. That’s exactly who I’d love to hear from now.”
During the 1960’s, another time of great civic upheaval, Studs’ interviews on WFMT introduced us to rarely heard people and perspectives. All in his unique voice and style.
The one person who still sticks with me is Virginia Durr. She was a civil rights activist from Alabama. Just hearing her southern accent gave me hope.
Here’s what I found about her today:
Her life spanned most of the twentieth century, and Virginia Durr had a front-row seat for the New Deal, McCarthyism, and the civil rights movement. She spent years working to abolish the poll tax and to end segregation, and her husband, Clifford, an attorney, was involved with a number of civil rights cases.
WFMT has a radio archive of Studs Terkel interviews. I’ going to spend some time with him again.
If you or your readers haven't heard Terkel's "Born to Live" they can find it on youtube in two installments. Tremendously uplifting. It is over 60 years old but just what we need. As Studs used to say, "Take it easy, but take it."
ReplyDelete