Happy new New York
We’ll still never be royals
In Paris, we woke up to election news that had been trending upwards at bedtime, or at least not trending down—but we know not to trust that. Brexit trauma dies hard. But this time, it stuck, and we dared to celebrate: our one-time Astoria neighbor, our assemblyman, who literally—in a responsible socially distanced way—kissed our baby on the campaign trail, our proud Democratic Socialist, grinning in victory, patient and upbeat while the hot-take machines cranked to fire.
There are many, many reasons to be excited about a mayor who maybe, possibly, might not suck shit. I’m only the teensiest bit wary because I remember man of the people Bill de Blasio - or was it just Lorde, in the end - buoying us for a minute of hope that ordinary people, the majority of city dwellers, might get counted.* We’ll never be royals! Which is good, because royals, and former royals, absoLUTEly suck shit.
This is all to say - what a time for learning about socialism!
I was delighted to see this Instagram story today from Charlotte Parler, who usually talks about skincare, taking aim at the NYT’s trolling story about women in the workplace, schooling all her followers about the Uprising of 20,000, the Triangle Fire, and Frances Perkins. And I love, love, love to see (in that second slide) the young garment workers whose photos we turned into a standup display at our Hotbed exhibition.
But there's more! What if you could find a book about the whole entwined history of socialism and women’s activism in New York City? Well, here I am to plug mine. Please, won’t you tell your newly fired-up Gen-Z cousins, your skeptical co-workers, and your radicalized aunts** about the book VIVIAN GORNICK called "a lively and absorbing social history"?
*Well, not me, I wasn't a citizen until two weeks before I left, so despite living in the city for nearly two decades, could not vote in local elections. But still!
**Who am I kidding, our aunts are already radicalized.