Oh, there was a lot of little chants we used to do in those days. Lee: How much does class play in all this? Transcript: Into Black Trans Liberation - MSNBC.com Nicols Enrquez de Vargas (artist), Portrait of Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz, ca. The Sylvia Rivera Law Project continues her legacy, working to guarantee all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence. The intersection of Christopher and Hudson streets in Greenwich Village, two blocks from The Stonewall Inn, was renamed Sylvia Rivera Way. In 2015, a portrait of Rivera was added to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., making her the first transgender activist to be included in the gallery. Her activism led her to become one of the most influential figures in the gay liberation movement. It feels like a revolution. Johnson: And Sylvia Rivera and them were over in the park having a cocktail. Screen excerpts from this film so that students can hear directly from Marsha and the people in her life. Marsha P Johnson, born 24 August, 1945, holds a special place within the LGBTQ+ community for her larger-than-life spirit and trans rights activism. If you walked down Christopher Street, Marsha would receive you in the manner of a gracious host. In another, she climbed a lamppost and dropped a heavy purse onto a police car, shattering the windshield. Thank you. Describe Marshas and Sylvias friendship. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. And so cis women are also harmed by the patriarchy, and cis women are also harmed by men in our communities. Subscribers get each new issue of the Goodnewspaper mailed to their home, get exclusive discounts for do-good brands, fill the world with more good news, and more. At the time, 1992 was the worst year on record for anti-LGBTQ violence according to the New York Anti-Violence Project. Trans women, particularly women of color, were regular targets of hate crimes. I don't relish in these ideas of being the first, or being a token, or being an only. Something went wrong while submitting the form. She was sometimes homeless and living on the streets but almost always present for decades. And people don't want to say that because I think there's this idea that the biggest enemy is white supremacy, but that is a fallacy. MARSHA P. JOHNSON "You Gotta Have Soul !" - YouTube Devaney, Susan, Who Was Sylvia Rivera? Marsha P. Johnson never self-identified with the term transgender, but the term was also not in broad use while she was alive. Lee: We're in this moment here where there is so much energy around the Black Lives Matter movement. (LAUGH) But is her name and folks who came after her and worked alongside her, are those names forgotten, overlooked by accident, by intent? A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, ca. A term for all trans men and trans women. IE 11 is not supported. Though her life was cut tragically short, Marsha's legacy remains an inspiration to us all. In the early morning hours, police raided the bar and began arresting the patrons, most of whom were gay men. Johnson was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement. In the wake of the raid, Johnson and Rivera led a series of protests. Since the term transgender wasnt used during her time, she identified as gay, transvestite and as a drag queen, using the pronouns she/her.