Random women who deserve to be noticed

[Foggy]

This one isn't really random. I have had a higher opinion of this lady than many of my fellow liberal Democrats (despite some early misgivings), but this gift article from the Washington Post is about how much Kamala Harris has evolved and developed since her first year in office, and how important she is to the campaign. She is powerful.

https://wapo.st/4bgdKhy

[Foggy]

And then there's this lady, also from California,



That's Aaliyah Gayles.

Full disclosure, she plays on the USC women's basketball team, which is where I went to law school, and I am biased.

Anyway, she's the winner of the Class of 2024 Honda Inspiration Award. She's a shooting victim, having been shot many times in an incident which left her with 18 (yes, eighteen) bullet holes in her body.

She fought back from near death. She kept fighting.

She's back now, and if that isn't inspirational I don't know what is.

You can learn more here.

[raison de arizona]

Not random, but something under the radar worthy of notice.

Taylor Swift has donated enough money to cover the food bills for an entire year across 11 food banks and 8 community pantries in Liverpool.

She has done this for every city she's toured in the UK meaning she’s done more than the govt has in 14 years to eradicate food poverty.

[RTH10260]

to note: July 4th Election Day in thr UK.

[John Thomas8]

Ember and Jade, two GenZers not afraid of work:

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

We did it!! No help from any national organization! All volunteer groups merged to get this done! I was social media maven for Progressive Arkansas Women PAC expanding to new social media sites and posting constantly about signing events!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... smsnnews11

Arkansas abortion rights groups collect enough signatures to advance ballot measure

[Foggy]

[AndyinPA]

[Suranis]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachael_Baptist

Rachael Baptist, also referred to as Rachel Baptiste and Rachael Crow (fl. 1750–1775) was a Black singer active in Ireland and England in the mid-18th century.

Life

Baptist was born sometime in the second quarter of the 18th century, but nothing else is known of her early life.[1]

She was described as a native of Africa by John O'Keefe, but also described by Italian musician Bernardo Palma as a 'native of this country', which may allude to Ireland.

Dublin stage

Her first recorded appearance on stage was in Dublin in February 1750, at a benefit concert for Bernardo Palma, her Italian singing teacher. From 1750 to 1753, Baptist performed regularly in Dublin, often at the Marlborough Green Gardens. The writer John O'Keeffe saw her perform and described her appearing on stage: "a real black woman, a native of Africa: she always appeared in the orchestra in a yellow silk gown, and was heard by the applauding company with great delight, without remarks upon her sables." Her final Dublin performance was in July 1756, singing in honour of General William Blakeney as part of Niccolo Pasquali's masque Hibernia's triumph.

English performances

From 1757 to 1767, Baptist herself stated she was in England, performing in London and Bath, however there is no mention of her in the playbills of reference works for the London stage at that time. It is possible it was Baptist who played Polly Peachum in The beggar's opera and later Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Lancashire during this time. In the spring and summer of 1758, she performed in the Ranelagh Gardens, Liverpool with local papers stating that "Miss Baptist, the celebrated singer from the gardens of Dublin". She appeared in Liverpool again in April 1767 under her married name, Mrs Crow.

Marriage to John Crow

Based on her appearing under her married name, Baptist married between the summer of 1758 and spring of 1767, with more exact details unknown. John Crow, often referred to simply as Mr. Crow, was a musician and taught violin and guitar, but also worked as a restorer of oil paintings using both the Italian and English methods.

Now performing under the name Mrs. Crow, the couple returned to Ireland in late 1767, where she performed at a concert at the Tholsel Assembly Room, Kilkenny in early December. From there she performed again in Kilkenny, Clonmel and Durrow. A poem was published in her honour in Finn's Leinster Journal following the success of her first Kilkenny concert. She was lauded alongside Thomas Ryder and Giusto Fernando Tenducci as transforming Kilkenny into a "Capua or town of pleasure."

Return to Ireland

In the years that followed, the couple would settle in an Irish provincial town over winter, and advertise concerts and balls with Mrs Crow, and musical tuition by her husband. From 1768 to 1769 they lived in Limerick. By summer of 1770 they were in Bandon and Cork. It is not recorded where they lived for the winter 1771–1772, but they were in Belfast in October 1772. Here they started their most expansive set of events, with concerts and balls once a month in the Assembly Room throughout the winter. They also performed at concerts in Carrickfergus, Downpatrick, and Lisburn. Their final concert took place on 30 April 1773 in Belfast. Baptist's repertoire was typical of the time, singing popular Irish and Scottish airs, with arias by Thomas Arne and George Frideric Handel.

Later life

There is no record of Baptist or her husband after 1773. It is unknown where or when she died, or if the couple had children.

Radio podcast about her, which is where I found out about her:

https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22414 ... ture-file/

[Suranis]

"Holofernes, general of the Assyrian army had besieged Judith's city. Moved by the plight of her people and filled with trust in God, Judith took matters into her own hands. She coiffed her hair, donned her finest garments and entered the enemy camp under the pretense of bringing Holofernes information that would ensure his victory. Struck by her beauty, he invited her to dine, planning later to seduce her. As the biblical text recounts, “Holofernes was so enchanted with her that he drank far more wine than he had drunk on any other day in his life” (Judith 12:20). Judith saw her opportunity; with a prayer on her lips and a sword in her hand, she saved her people from destruction." Art by Caravaggio.

Carrivagio.jpg (123.3 KiB) Viewed 141 times

[Suranis]

St Bridget of Sweden.jpg (76.59 KiB) Viewed 90 times

This is probably a vast misquotation of Luther, but I still liked the sentiment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_of_Sweden

Bridget of Sweden, OSsS (c. 1303 – 23 July 1373), born Birgitta Birgersdotter and also known as Birgitta of Vadstena (Swedish: heliga Birgitta), was a Swedish Catholic mystic and the founder of the Bridgettines. Outside of Sweden, she was also known as the Princess of Nericia and was the mother of Catherine of Vadstena.[3]

Bridget is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

Edit; Oh and its her feast day today.

[RVInit]

We did it!! No help from any national organization! All volunteer groups merged to get this done! I was social media maven for Progressive Arkansas Women PAC expanding to new social media sites and posting constantly about signing events!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... smsnnews11

Arkansas abortion rights groups collect enough signatures to advance ballot measure