FEMINIST FRIDAY

By Bernadette

If you ever have had the chance to see a matinee of a Broadway show, then you know what a maelstrom of traffic appears in the area after the shows finish.  One of my favorite things to do is to wait out the storm of traffic over a drink at the Algonquin Hotel.  The bar area has an old New York charm and is the home of the famous Algonquin Round Table.  The Table was started by a very quick witted and acerbic woman named Dorothy Parker.  Dorothy is remembered for her sharp humor and her membership of this group of writers.  It was her birthday this week and I decided to learn more about her.  I was surprised and pleased to read how multifaceted her talent was and also what a humanitarian she was.  What follows is a salute to Dorothy Parker’s humanitarian work:

Remembering Dorothy Parker, Quip Queen And NAACP Ally

George FederAugust 22, 2017New York Times Co./Getty Images

On August 22, 1893, the celebrated author, humorist and cultural critic Dorothy Parker was born. She died at age 73 after a lifetime of writing witty, biting work.

“Of course I talk to myself. I like a good speaker, and I appreciate an intelligent audience,” she famously wrote.

Parker, who lived with her finger pressed to the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist, was a social justice activist before social justice activism was popular. From encouraging the underpaid, overworked Waldorf Astoria waiters to walk out and strike to her arrest at a protest for what she believed was the wrongful murder conviction of anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, she was vocal and unstinting in her defense of the beleaguered.

Parker’s gravestone in Baltimore reads, “Here lie the ashes of Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), humorist, writer, critic, defender of human and civil rights.” The memorial garden near her grave is dedicated to the “oneness of humankind and to the bones of everlasting friendship between Black and Jewish people.”

The half-Jewish writer, who passed away widowed and childless, left a clause in her will stating that she would like any royalties she earned to go to Martin Luther King Jr. and, following his death, for her estate to pass to the NAACP. When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated the year after Parker’s own death, the NAACP was supposed to receive control of her estate.

Yet Parker’s act surprised her friends, especially her estate’s executor, playwright Lillian Hellman. Hellman was unimpressed with Martin Luther King Jr, considering him arrogant, and she contested the will, spending years complicating access to Parker’s work and royalties.

Ultimately Hellman’s fight would be resolved as a odd historical footnote.

But Dorothy Parker’s posthumous generosity has gained a new relevance for contemporary Americans.

Her posthumous support of the Civil Rights Movement is a prime example of how to be an ally. Parker used her legacy not to celebrate herself, but to provide funds for others to live better lives. Instead of falling into the usual pitfalls, Parker understood that being an ally for the marginalized meant joining in, even when the conversation was not about her.

 

DOROTHY PARKER YOU ROCK!

I invite you to share a link to your story of an inspiring woman.

About Bernadette

I live in the small town of Haddonfield, NJ. I am at an age in my life when I seem to spend time thinking and musing about life. These musings are usually stimulated by my walks through Haddonfield, my reading of books and fellow bloggers, and my interaction with my group of fabulous family and friends.

25 Responses

  2. barbtaub

    As a writer of (occasional) humor, Dorothy Parker is a hero. I treasure a handmade card from my daughter (also a writer): “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.” She finished with a note: “You really should have shot me.”

    Liked by 2 people

  3. delphini510

    Thanks Bernadette for this series of inspiring women you give us. I am enthralled and try to remember them all. Have to save them in a folder. Even if we can’t all be so known as Dorothy Parker I feel it inspires me to think through what I do and improve.
    miriam

    Liked by 1 person

  6. thejuicenut

    I echo D.’s comments, I only knew of her acerbic wit and writing, and also that she was blacklisted, but I had no idea she was such an activist to the point of bequeathing her estate to MLK Jr. What a woman 😊👏🏻 Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Elizabeth Mangino

    Bernadette, thanks so much for introducing me to another component of Dorothy Parker’s life that I knew nothing about! Coincidentally, Todd and I have enjoyed post-matinee cocktails and appetizers countless times at the Algonquin Bar. And speaking of Ms Parker’s wit, I still have a cocktail napkin from the Algonquin Bar which offers the following quote of hers: I love a martini, but two at the most. Three I’m under the table; four I’m under the host.” Here’s to a great woman who knew how to blaze trails for the rest of us.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Clive

    I hadn’t realised that about her legacy. It’s good to know she was such a supporter of civil liberties – I suspect she would be very active if she were still with us now! I just knew her for her brilliant words, my favourite being when she described an actress (I forget who) as ‘running the full gamut of emotions, from A to B’ 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Osyth

    Such a brilliant woman. You can only have a razor sharp wit such as hers if you have a razor sharp mind. What delights me, of course is that she used that brilliant mind to promote the better good and fearlessly. As ever, Bernadette, I thank you for opening my eyes much further and to prompting me to read much more about this extraordinary woman whose flame will never die.

    Liked by 1 person

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