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I was born and bred in Brooklyn, New York in
the 1950’s - a true Brooklyn babe - smart and mouthy!
Born to “lefties,” union/community organizers
and rebel rousers – those are my roots. My father was
a fine watercolor artist and calligrapher; my mother was a
musician (piano) – both were teachers for many, many
years.
I’ve been a “peacenik” my whole life, even
while in the stroller, walking picket lines and attending
large anti-war demonstrations; as a teenager sometimes playing
the guitar at the head of the march, or holding the banner.
The highlight of my life was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
with my family; the march was headed up by Martin Luther King,
Jr. It touched me so deeply that I can still remember the
loud chanting from that day.
So now you know where I come from. Fast forward to adult
life:
After leaving NYC to go to college (SUNY Albany alum 1976)
and living 10 years in Boston with my husband, Eivin, we moved
to Bangor, Maine, to make a good life for our three children.
For years I raised the children and did “crafts”
to make extra money. Later on I had the big jobs. Ran the
Howard Dean campaign for President and the America Coming
Together campaign in Northern Maine, was a National Delegate
for Dean at the 2004 Democratic Convention, and worked for
the Maine Democratic Party as a Regional Organizer.
I am a former member of IBEW Local 1837 and also the American
Federation of Musicians Local 1000. As a former officer of
the Eastern Maine Labor Council, I helped create Food AND
Medicine, a coalition of laid off workers, union, non-union,
and community members working for justice and healthcare for
all!
And I am a songwriter and performer of social and economic
justice and union songs.
It was time for a career change in my 50’s. The “children”
are now grown (or almost) and I now need to let my artistic
side shine. I have been fortunate enough to work on jewelry
design for the last few years and to study metal smithing
with my teacher, Donna Tumosa (LadySmith Studio).
Si se puede! It can be done!
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