THE MAINE GIRL AND THE SOVIET PREMIERE

The Cold War was at its coldest when Samantha Smith wrote to the Soviet premiere. When he wrote back, the thaw began.

THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticMay 5, 2022Samantha Smith, Cold War, US-USSR, Peace, Peace activists Comments

MEET THE PEACEMAKERS

Shunned, mocked, arrested, America’s Peacemakers march on. This month we’ll meet a few of the blessed.

THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticApril 29, 2022Peace, Peace activism, Anti-war, Anti-war protests, AFSC, American Friends Service Committee, CODE PINK, pacifism Comments

THE MENSCH WHO SAVED A LANGUAGE

Like the old folks who spoke it, Yiddish was dying out. Then Aaron Lanky rented a truck and. . . Mazel tov!

HEROES, BOOK-ISHThe AtticApril 21, 2022National Yiddish Book Center, Aaron Lansky, Yiddish language, Yiddish culture Comments

RFK -- "MAKE GENTLE THE LIFE OF THIS WORLD"

"Do they know about Martin Luther King?" Robert Kennedy asked as he stepped before the crowd.

History, HEROESThe AtticApril 9, 2022RFK, MLK, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King assassination, 1968 Comments

"THE FAMILY OF MAN" -- STILL SHOWING US US

With the Cold War looming, The Family of Man toured the world, creating a family portrait that fought the gloom.

DREAMERS, ART-ISHThe AtticApril 1, 2022Family of Man, Photography, Hope, 1950s Comments

FRANCES PERKINS -- THE WOMAN WHO BROUGHT YOU THE WEEKEND

FDR was lukewarm on Labor until Frances Perkins masterminded Social Security, minimum wage, workmen’s comp. . . You’re welcome!

Women, HEROESThe AtticMarch 25, 2022Frances Perkins, FDR, New Deal, Labor History Comments

THE TAKING OF ALCATRAZ -- "WE HOLD THE ROCK!"

It was 1969, rebellion in the air, when Native-Americans landed on Alcatraz, claiming it as Indian Land.

History, REBELSThe AtticMarch 18, 2022Native Americans, Protest, 1960s, People of ColorComment

DOROTHEA LANGE -- BEYOND "MIGRANT MOTHER"

Dorothea Lange gave the Depression a human face, but she was more than a “one-picture photographer.”

ART-ISHBruce WatsonMarch 10, 2022Dorothea Lange, American photography, Migrant Mother, Depression, Okies, Grapes of Wrath, Japanese Internment Camps Comments

CLASSICAL'S CLEVER CUT-UP -- P.D.Q. BACH

Tongue in cheek and baton in hand, Peter Schickle poked fun at classical music and the justly forgotten P.D.Q. Bach.

WITSThe AtticMarch 3, 2022PDQ Bach, Peter Schickele, Classical Music, P.D.Q. Bach Comment

MA RAINEY -- MOTHER OF THE BLUES

Ma Rainey sang, lived, and became the blues. But there was more to her than that “Slow, Drivin’ Moan.” (As seen in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”)

REBELS, ATTIC AT THE MOVIESThe AtticFebruary 24, 2022Ma Rainey, Gertrude "ma" Rainey, Blues music, 1920s, Black women, African-American history Comment

DAVID BYRNE, AMERICAN OPTIMIST

Reeling from the news, David Byrne began compiling “reasons to be cheerful.” His website now shines a light on innovation, progress, and what works.

BATTLING THE B.S.The AtticFebruary 18, 2022David Byrne, Talking Heads, Reasons to be Cheerful, reasonstobecheerful.world, Hope, optimism Comments

THE NEWS IN WHITE AND BLACK

When Jim Crow whitened American newspapers, the Chicago Defender spread news about “the Race.”

HEROESThe AtticFebruary 10, 2022Chicago Defender, African-American history, Negro press, Robert Sengstacke Abbott, Black Migration, The Great Migration Comments

TABASCO -- THE LITTLE SAUCE THAT SPICED UP AMERICA

American food was bland until Edward McIlhenny mashed peppers with vinegar and salt. And an American icon was served.

ART-ISHThe AtticFebruary 3, 2022Tabasco sauce, Edward McIlhenny, Hot sauce, Bloody Mary, Louisiana, New Iberia Louisiana, Avery Island Comments

"BIRTH OF A NATION" AND THE BIRTH OF BLACK HISTORY

When the first blockbuster movie spread dangerous myths, one man rose to challenge them. And seeds were sown.

teachers, TEACHERS, TEACHERS & HEALERSThe AtticJanuary 27, 2022Birth of a Nation, Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson Comment

THE MOTHER, THE DAUGHTER, THE "LITTLE HOUSE"

Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up in the “little house” but her daughter, Rose, became the story’s midwife.

BOOK-ISHThe AtticJanuary 19, 2022Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Woods Comments

MLK'S EPIC LETTER

From behind bars, King wrote an amazing letter with all the power of his dream.

HEROESThe AtticJanuary 13, 2022Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, Birmingham 1963, Civil Rights Movement Comments

KINDER, COOLER, SMARTER

NOW IN OUR TENTH YEAR!

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