With Pete Seegers passing Im remembering an old friend of his, and I wonder if you might be able to guess who Im thinking of. Hints: 1) He introduced Seeger and Woody Guthrie at a benefit for migrant farm workers in 1940. 2) His academic career culminated in a Masters degree in botany. 3) He hung out with LAs Bunker Hill drag queens in the 20s and 30s. 4) He played an important role in the 1934 SF General Strike and the West Coast Waterfront Strike, which led to all West Coast ports being unionized. 5) His long-time lover and organizing partner founded one of the earliest Gay Rights organizations in the world in 1951, then left it in 1961 when he decided the group had sold out. 6) He belonged to the IWW and the CPUSA. He toured work camps in the 30s and was blacklisted in the 50s. 7) While blacklisted, he starred in a feminist-oriented labor film and supported his wife and three kids by growing vegetables. And lastly: 8) Almost every American over the age of 40 will recognize him for something altogether unrelated to the above list. Most of the Americans who remember him for that have no idea about any of the above list.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 03:29:44 +0000
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