7 February 2023: "Child's long career of activism continues to resonate with meaning as new groups come forward to carry on the struggle for a just world. Her legacy embodies the best of the American heritage. It reminds us that a national history tarnished by Indian genocide, black slavery, and white supremacy has also been contested by progressive Americans of all races, committed to translating the inspiring words of the Declaration of Independence into practice. Child's heroic fidelity to the vision of a multiracial, egalitarian America and her tenacity in the face of obstacles and defeats challenge her successors to emulate her example. We who inherit Child's unfinished revolution can take courage from the watchword that encapsulates her indomitable idealism: 'Men's highest aspirations are prophecies'" (Karcher 614).
I spent some time today reading for my entry on Lydia Maria Child, a complicated and complex woman who I feel great admiration for. This passage--the closing paragraph of Carolyn L. Karcher's terrific book--seems appropriate tonight, as the State of the Union approaches. I won't be watching; news coverage after will be enough, but Karcher's book makes it clear that we if we had been listening to Child (like Alcott), we'd be in a better place as a country.
Work Cited
Karcher, Carolyn L. The First Woman in the Republic: A Cultural Biography of Lydia Maria Child, Duke UP, 1994.
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