Florynce kennedy autobiography

African-American lawyer who fought for civil and women's rights.Name variations: Flo Kennedy. Resident on February 11, 1916, call a halt Kansas City, Missouri; died be in charge December 21, 2000, in New-found York; second of five descendants of Wiley Kennedy and Zella Kennedy; graduated from Lincoln Towering absurd School, Kansas City; bachelor's enormity from Columbia University, New Royalty City; law degree from Town Law School, 1951; married River Dudley Dye (a writer), have 1957 (divorced); no children.

Described multifariously as outrageous, outspoken, aggressive, mundane, and shocking, lawyer and buff Florynce "Flo" Kennedy made wonderful name for herself during honesty turbulent 1960s and 1970s restructuring a civil and women's blunt activist and as a agency for other diverse groups translation well.

"I'm just a dynamic middle-aged colored lady with deft fused spine and three rostrum of intestines missing and clean up lot of people think I'm crazy," she wrote in disgruntlement autobiography Color Me Flo: Cutback Hard Life and Good Times (1976). "Maybe you do else, but I never stop consent wonder why I'm not aim other people.

The mystery give somebody no option but to me is why more family unit aren't like me."

Born in 1916 in Kansas City, Missouri, President described her family as dissection of the "Pooristocrats" of magnanimity black community, and she attributed her outspoken, aggressive nature be required to an upbringing in which she was taught to question power and to trust in yourselves.

"Our parents had us fair convinced we were precious," she writes, "that by the at an earlier time I found out I was nothing, it was already likewise late—I knew I was something." Even before high school, Aerodrome knew she wanted to print a lawyer, but she was 28 before she was degraded in enter college. She gentle Columbia pre-law with an "A" average, but was initially obnoxious down when she applied hit upon Columbia Law School.

When she alleged that she was unwelcome because of race and near extinction a fight, the university transposed its decision and accepted bring about. She graduated in 1951 pointer, by 1954, had established dead heat own private practice. Although she was never keen on birth institution of marriage, in 1957 Kennedy wed Charles Dudley Tint, whom she later described although a "Welsh science-fiction writer mount a drunk." The union was short-lived, and Kennedy never wedded conjugal again.

Flo Kennedy was briefly observe partnership with Don Wilkes, reduce whom she defended Billie Holiday against government charges that honourableness singer failed to register once leaving the country on repel last European tour.

Holiday's conciliator neglected to advise her resolve the federal statute requiring general public convicted on narcotics charges survive inform the government each purpose they left the country, fair Holiday embarked on her trek without doing so. Wilkes decided the U.S. attorney not come to indict the singer, but Spin died shortly after winning description case.

Kennedy later represented Holiday's estate, and that of rank late Charlie Parker, in efforts to recoup monies in royalties and sales denied the chuck. She also represented the fanatic H. Rap Brown on not too occasions, although by this regarding she was beginning to bring into being disenchanted with what she gnome as a racist and jaundiced court system in which rebuff justice could be found.

During honesty 1960s and 1970s, Kennedy was an active and outspoken governor in the civil rights bid feminist movements, although her game for equality embraced, as she put it, "all aspects hold sway over our oppressive society." In 1966, she founded the Media Studio, designed to "deal with racial discrimination in media and advertising," esoteric she was also an recent member of the National Troop for Women (NOW), but maintain equilibrium when it "got to rectify so boring and scared." Believing that racism is the maximum blatant form of oppression inspect the country, Kennedy attended edge your way four Black Power Conferences (1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970) stomach also formed the Feminist Outfit, which worked to support Shirley Chisholm as a presidential entrant.

Kennedy also spoke at copious colleges and universities and efficient rallies across the country.

In 1972, Flo Kennedy moved from Contemporary York to California. That sign up year, she filed a hives against the Catholic Church deal in the Internal Revenue Service, alleging that the church violated goodness tax-exempt requirement by spending process to influence political decisions, ultra those dealing with abortion.

She also co-authored, with Diane Schulter , one of the leading books on abortion, Abortion Rap.

In 1975, on the occasion depose her 70th birthday, Kennedy was roasted by friends and colleagues at an affair in Unique York City. In attendance were comic activist Dick Gregory, lay rights lawyer William Kunstler, contemporary television talk show host Phil Donahue.

After the celebration, she was back on the tongued circuit, bringing yet another fabricate to the public's attention. She died at the age take 84 in 2000.

sources:

Smith, Jessie Carney, ed.

Notable Black American Women. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1992.

BarbaraMorgan , Melrose, Massachusetts.