"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home... so close & so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood they live in; the school or college they attend; the factory, farm, or office where they work. Such are the places where every man, woman, & child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."
Today’s Birthday Gay did not set out with a longing to become a hero or a person of power; she simply wanted to become a wife. In doing so, she afforded herself the chance to start a tide of change, with the ripples still being felt today.
When I am questioned about my political beliefs, I answer: "I am in favor of all the good things & I am against all the bad things." Most often the questioner will shoot back: "what does that mean?". I smartly return with: "if you need me to clarify, I am concerned for you." If pressed, I explain: "I am an FDR style Democrat. I believe in a strong & active Federal Government & I believe in great public works: Infrastucture, Universities, Arts, & Science/Technology. There is work to be done!"
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on this day in 1884 to a high society New York family. The Roosevelts were poised to be a political dynasty, with her uncle Theodore, on a path to be President someday. The family descended from the Dutch aristocracy & young Eleanor spent her first years in luxury & with an air of high achievement.
She was not a pretty girl; she had buck teeth & a troubled grin. A solemn child with good manners, Eleanor stumbled & stammered her words.
Eleanor was an orphan at 10 years old & was shipped off to Britain where attended Finishing School in London. She blossomed there. In her studies, it was matters of human suffering & injustice that had her interest. Having always lived in the lap of luxury, the concept of not having enough to eat, facing prejudice every day or having no shelter came as a terrible shock.
Back in NY, a distant cousin, Franklin, was a part of her social circle. He was a rising political star and he dreamt one day of following in the footsteps of his relative, Theodore, & becoming President. They close friends with a special understanding of where their relationship was heading. They married started a family. During the first 11 years of their marriage, they had 6 children, a girl & 5 boys. Roosevelt was involved in the League of Women Voters & the Women’s Trade Union while her husband was serving in the state Senate of NY.
In their 13th year as a couple, Roosevelt discovered, from letters her husband left lying around, that he was having a love affair with another woman. She experienced an overwhelming sense of loneliness. A devoted wife for so many years, her life had been built around her husband, with little attention paid to her own identity. The Roosevelts decided to patch up their relationship, but Eleanor had found that she needed to seek a life outside of her marriage & an individual sense of purpose.
Equality became her new life’s work: child labor, workers rights & the creation of a minimum wage. Her work made her more politically aware. This proved to be extremely advantageous when, at 39, her husband was struck down by polio & she traveled the country as his “eyes & ears”. She reported the country’s needs back to her husband so he could build his positions & election campaigns around them. He had the presidential persona, while she was the political brain behind the scenes.
The reward for them both came in 1933 when Franklin D. Roosevelt became President. He inherited a USA in its darkest hour. Not unlike our situation today, the Wall Street Crash in 1919 had spun into a depression 14 years later. The middle of the country had become a giant dustbowl & banks all over the country were shutting, unable to pay out to their customers, unemployment stood at record levels & many families were living way below the poverty level. Sound familiar? The task facing the President must have seemed overwhelming.
The Roosevelt marriage had become a purely professional partnership. While on the campaign trail, the new First Lady met with a top female reporter, Lorena Hickock. The pair fell passionately in love & Hickock decided to leave her promising writing career & take the job at the White House which was offered to her by a sympathetic & womanising President Roosevelt.
The new President & First Lady began a radical overhaul of the entire country. The First Lady’s style could clearly be seen in the New Deal, the name President Roosevelt gave to the sweeping changes made to the system of government in the USA. The banks were forced to open again & changes were made to the way they were run.
In a move that would make today’s Republicans heads explode, government agencies were set up to deal with every aspect of the depression, the acronyms were flying. There was an agency created to cover all social problems of the New Deal. The CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps gave jobs to the unemployed, the AAA: Agricultural Adjustment Administration, set to sorting out the devastated farming land, a little agency named the SSA-Social Security Administration was put in charge of welfare payments. Over 20 new agencies were set up within the first year of the President’s term of office.
All of the reforms of the New Deal had Eleanor Roosevelt’s political fingerprints all over them and she was undoubtedly a strong figure in the Presidency. During the recovery from the depression, she travelled the country ensuring that everything was going as planned. It was during this time that she began the radical step of sounding her objections to racism. In a segregated USA, Roosevelt took the bold step of insisting black workers be given the same rights as their whites. She refused to attend a conference when told that she could not sit in the ‘black section’ with a pair of her close friends. Her actions were unpopular. As radical factions were starting to take power in Europe, the American people became obsessed with hunting out communists. With her incredible social & humanitarian conscience, Roosevelt was branded a communist.
The FBI opened a file on Roosevelt. As the President’s wife & with the knowledge of her huge input into the running of the country, it was essential that they keep a close eye on her political leanings. In the 3,900 pages worth of letters, articles & public hearsay, her life was documented in the smallest detail. As her writing & public speeches became more prolific, the file grew.
But the most intimate documents relating to her love life are largely lost . Her beloved Hickock encouraged Roosevelt to write her a letter each evening. In these letters Roosevelt spoke in intimate detail of her affection for Hickock: ‘ I want lie down with you & hold you in my arms, I adore your soft caress & gentle kiss. The letters left no ambiguity as to the nature of their relationship. The honesty of the words was to prove their downfall. Soon after Hickock’s death, her family burned the letters after having read only a few lines. Although a few documents exist, the true story of their love affair went up in flames.
President Roosevelt died, while still in office, in 1945. he had been president since 1933. Eleanor approached the new President with offering her service. Truman saw her potential & the huge public sympathy for her, & gave her a position as a Delegate to the United States General Assembly. Later, she would also take the vital role as Chairperson of the UN Human Rights Commission, giving her the huge responsibility of overseeing the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Roosevelt died from TB, in 1968 at the age of 78. Although her death ended one of the greatest political careers in history, the fight for equal treatment of both ethnic minorities & women was finally in full flow, largely from her efforts.
Her sexuality was closely guarded by those around her, even after her death. Although gay rights was unheard of during most of her lifetime, Roosevelt knew her sexuality undoubtedly put her in the kind of minority group that America was oppressing at every opportunity, so it is hardly surprising that she championed causes no other white woman would dream of touching. Although she was the nation’s First Lady, her work as the President’s wife was a hard act for the wives of future leaders to follow.
I don’t believe it matters how you get to be who you are, even if you reach your position of authority by marrying the right person. Eleanor Roosevelt's positions required bravery, brilliance & benevolence. She made a difference. “Do what you feel is right in your heart to be right for you will be criticized anyway. You are damned if you do, you are damned if you don’t.”
Today’s Birthday Gay did not set out with a longing to become a hero or a person of power; she simply wanted to become a wife. In doing so, she afforded herself the chance to start a tide of change, with the ripples still being felt today.
When I am questioned about my political beliefs, I answer: "I am in favor of all the good things & I am against all the bad things." Most often the questioner will shoot back: "what does that mean?". I smartly return with: "if you need me to clarify, I am concerned for you." If pressed, I explain: "I am an FDR style Democrat. I believe in a strong & active Federal Government & I believe in great public works: Infrastucture, Universities, Arts, & Science/Technology. There is work to be done!"
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on this day in 1884 to a high society New York family. The Roosevelts were poised to be a political dynasty, with her uncle Theodore, on a path to be President someday. The family descended from the Dutch aristocracy & young Eleanor spent her first years in luxury & with an air of high achievement.
She was not a pretty girl; she had buck teeth & a troubled grin. A solemn child with good manners, Eleanor stumbled & stammered her words.
Eleanor was an orphan at 10 years old & was shipped off to Britain where attended Finishing School in London. She blossomed there. In her studies, it was matters of human suffering & injustice that had her interest. Having always lived in the lap of luxury, the concept of not having enough to eat, facing prejudice every day or having no shelter came as a terrible shock.
Back in NY, a distant cousin, Franklin, was a part of her social circle. He was a rising political star and he dreamt one day of following in the footsteps of his relative, Theodore, & becoming President. They close friends with a special understanding of where their relationship was heading. They married started a family. During the first 11 years of their marriage, they had 6 children, a girl & 5 boys. Roosevelt was involved in the League of Women Voters & the Women’s Trade Union while her husband was serving in the state Senate of NY.
In their 13th year as a couple, Roosevelt discovered, from letters her husband left lying around, that he was having a love affair with another woman. She experienced an overwhelming sense of loneliness. A devoted wife for so many years, her life had been built around her husband, with little attention paid to her own identity. The Roosevelts decided to patch up their relationship, but Eleanor had found that she needed to seek a life outside of her marriage & an individual sense of purpose.
Equality became her new life’s work: child labor, workers rights & the creation of a minimum wage. Her work made her more politically aware. This proved to be extremely advantageous when, at 39, her husband was struck down by polio & she traveled the country as his “eyes & ears”. She reported the country’s needs back to her husband so he could build his positions & election campaigns around them. He had the presidential persona, while she was the political brain behind the scenes.
The reward for them both came in 1933 when Franklin D. Roosevelt became President. He inherited a USA in its darkest hour. Not unlike our situation today, the Wall Street Crash in 1919 had spun into a depression 14 years later. The middle of the country had become a giant dustbowl & banks all over the country were shutting, unable to pay out to their customers, unemployment stood at record levels & many families were living way below the poverty level. Sound familiar? The task facing the President must have seemed overwhelming.
The Roosevelt marriage had become a purely professional partnership. While on the campaign trail, the new First Lady met with a top female reporter, Lorena Hickock. The pair fell passionately in love & Hickock decided to leave her promising writing career & take the job at the White House which was offered to her by a sympathetic & womanising President Roosevelt.
The new President & First Lady began a radical overhaul of the entire country. The First Lady’s style could clearly be seen in the New Deal, the name President Roosevelt gave to the sweeping changes made to the system of government in the USA. The banks were forced to open again & changes were made to the way they were run.
In a move that would make today’s Republicans heads explode, government agencies were set up to deal with every aspect of the depression, the acronyms were flying. There was an agency created to cover all social problems of the New Deal. The CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps gave jobs to the unemployed, the AAA: Agricultural Adjustment Administration, set to sorting out the devastated farming land, a little agency named the SSA-Social Security Administration was put in charge of welfare payments. Over 20 new agencies were set up within the first year of the President’s term of office.
All of the reforms of the New Deal had Eleanor Roosevelt’s political fingerprints all over them and she was undoubtedly a strong figure in the Presidency. During the recovery from the depression, she travelled the country ensuring that everything was going as planned. It was during this time that she began the radical step of sounding her objections to racism. In a segregated USA, Roosevelt took the bold step of insisting black workers be given the same rights as their whites. She refused to attend a conference when told that she could not sit in the ‘black section’ with a pair of her close friends. Her actions were unpopular. As radical factions were starting to take power in Europe, the American people became obsessed with hunting out communists. With her incredible social & humanitarian conscience, Roosevelt was branded a communist.
The FBI opened a file on Roosevelt. As the President’s wife & with the knowledge of her huge input into the running of the country, it was essential that they keep a close eye on her political leanings. In the 3,900 pages worth of letters, articles & public hearsay, her life was documented in the smallest detail. As her writing & public speeches became more prolific, the file grew.
But the most intimate documents relating to her love life are largely lost . Her beloved Hickock encouraged Roosevelt to write her a letter each evening. In these letters Roosevelt spoke in intimate detail of her affection for Hickock: ‘ I want lie down with you & hold you in my arms, I adore your soft caress & gentle kiss. The letters left no ambiguity as to the nature of their relationship. The honesty of the words was to prove their downfall. Soon after Hickock’s death, her family burned the letters after having read only a few lines. Although a few documents exist, the true story of their love affair went up in flames.
President Roosevelt died, while still in office, in 1945. he had been president since 1933. Eleanor approached the new President with offering her service. Truman saw her potential & the huge public sympathy for her, & gave her a position as a Delegate to the United States General Assembly. Later, she would also take the vital role as Chairperson of the UN Human Rights Commission, giving her the huge responsibility of overseeing the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Roosevelt died from TB, in 1968 at the age of 78. Although her death ended one of the greatest political careers in history, the fight for equal treatment of both ethnic minorities & women was finally in full flow, largely from her efforts.
Her sexuality was closely guarded by those around her, even after her death. Although gay rights was unheard of during most of her lifetime, Roosevelt knew her sexuality undoubtedly put her in the kind of minority group that America was oppressing at every opportunity, so it is hardly surprising that she championed causes no other white woman would dream of touching. Although she was the nation’s First Lady, her work as the President’s wife was a hard act for the wives of future leaders to follow.
Eleanor on the left, with Fela
I don’t believe it matters how you get to be who you are, even if you reach your position of authority by marrying the right person. Eleanor Roosevelt's positions required bravery, brilliance & benevolence. She made a difference. “Do what you feel is right in your heart to be right for you will be criticized anyway. You are damned if you do, you are damned if you don’t.”
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