“Most anarchists believe the coming change can only come through a revolution, because the possessing class will not allow a peaceful change to take place; still we are willing to work for peace at any price, except at the price of liberty.”
-Lucy Parsons: The Principles of Anarchism 1890
IN SHORT:
UPRIGHT : Mysterious past, ease with the unknown, hidden influences at work, ‘feminine’ intuition. A deeply desirable person of high social regard.
REVERSE : Sensual enjoyment, joy within frivolity, the many faces of surface understanding, secrets.
AT LENGTH: Behind her, the posters read: “Mrs. Parsons! wife of the Condemned Anarchist will deliver a Free Lecture.” In front of the poster, stands a young Mrs. Lucy Parsons. As she stares deep into your eyes, you hope she sees you with the same glow that surrounds her. You hope to stand by her side, but that is not where her magic happens. Her brilliance shines brightest those moments when no one is looking too hard. As a result, she covets her privacy. When pressed for personal history, she would declare “I am not a candidate for office, and the public have no right to my past. I amount to nothing to the world and people care nothing of me. I am battling for a principle.” And yet entire books have been devoted to unravelling and expounding her upon her mysteries.
IN DEPTH: Lucy Eldine Gonzalez Parsons (born Lucia Carter 1851 – 1942) went by many names and titles, among them black American labor organizer, a ‘freed woman’, a radical socialist and anarcho-communist. As a powerful orator, Parsons entered the radical movement following her marriage to newspaper editor Albert Parsons and with him, they relocated from Texas to Chicago. She was a central contributor to The Alarm, a newspaper her Mr.Parsons edited. Following her husband’s 1887 execution in conjunction with the Haymarket affair, Mrs. Parsons remained a leading American anarchist, and was a founder of the Industrial Workers of the World. She was known to have attracted the public’s attention and fascination just as readily as she rejected it.
FURTHER READINGS:
Lucy Parsons: Freedom, Equality & Solidarity – Writings & Speeches, 1878-1937
Jacqueline Jones, Goddess of Anarchy: The life and times of Lucy Parsons, American Radical.
Lucy Parsons, The Principles of Anarchism. 1890
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