Comments on: R.I.P. Harriet McBryde Johnson

By: phils32767

phils32767 — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:17:36 +0000

Zichronah le-brachah — may we all continue to learn from what she has said and written.

By: Jesse the K

Jesse the K — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:25:49 +0000

HBJ was one of my heroes, for reasons that are abundantly clear when you follow some of Amanda’s excellent link collections above.

One brief HBJ story: A few years ago, former US Pres Ronald Reagan died within a week of R&B pioneer Ray Charles. Harriet suggested that those of us frustrated by the wall-to-wall Reagan coverage could lighten our heavy hearts by realizing all those flags at half-staff were really memorializing Ray Charles, an artist comfortable in so many musical genres that he helped us all hear each other’s singing.

Harriet exemplified the Southern orator: she was simultaneously charming, smart, polite, and incisive. She taught me a lot about the power of rhetoric, which makes the opening sentence in her NYTimes obituary even more nauseating. She’s characterized as “feisty”—a word that’s only applied to women who defy the NYTimes’ opinions of the proper sphere by to taking public political stands.

May her memory be for a blessing.

By: The Integral and Athena

The Integral and Athena — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:02:34 +0000

speaking of deaths, we lost our grandfather yesterday. He died in his sleep in his apartment in Bombay, India.

Our sister was going to visit him this coming Saturday……she went to his funeral and oversaw his last rites (cremation and whatever else they do before that) with my aunt and uncle instead. Life goes on……

I will definitely read this great lady’s work later…..thanks for sharing Amanda. It’s nice to be back on the blogosphere again…..we took an unanticipated break for a while. Not much to write about lately it seems.

The Integral and Athena

By: cripchick

cripchick — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:15:24 +0000

thank you for posting this. such a monumental loss to the whole community.

By: sanabituranima

sanabituranima — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 11:08:30 +0000

“When I die, I might as well die alive.”

She did and helped to make doing so possible for others. This is the definition of a life well-lived.

By: Adi

Adi — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:10:57 +0000

Thank you Amanda, for this post, the links and the excerpt which was deeply moving. Yesterday I felt discouraged after not finding sufficient support to fight a pity-based fundraising event for autism this week, but she fought for twenty years. Without hate, but with confidence in her cause, values and beliefs. I mourn her passing but her spirit will live on.

By: Philip

Philip — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:46:53 +0000

I posted the wrong link in my previous comment. Sorry. This one should work:

http://www.cripcommentary.com/harriet

By: David Harmon

David Harmon — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:26:38 +0000

I hadn’t known about her, but reading through “Unspeakable Conversations”, it looks like she was a pretty awesome person — someone who simply refused to hate.

By: Cicci&

Cicci& — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:20:52 +0000

“Disability and human rights activist Harriet McBryde Johnson died at her home in South Carolina on June 3.”

In her home.

Yokatta.

We’re very sad to see her go, though.

By: Angela

Angela — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:24:04 +0000

She was really amazing… thank you for making those of us who were not familiar with her aware of this. I am only sorry I didn’t read her work sooner.