Martese Chism, RN, National Nurses United, is featured in this video about her great grandmother, Birdia Keglar, a woman who was murdered by the Klan in the 60’s, murdered and decapitated, for helping people register to vote.
I found a lovely website about Birdia called The Birdia Keglar Legacy, which describes her life growing up as the youngest of 5 children in Charleston, Mississippi.
The bio spoke to how Birdia was raised to “stay at home” but never could live by that admonition:
After the end of her marriage, Mrs. Keglar moved to Memphis: TN. This move not only went against the grain of her mother's teachings but gave the family something to think about. Can we all live in our immediate community and thrive with families of our own? Or do we need to venture out to see what the world has to offer- then bring that knowledge back to our community? Birdia Keglar chose to venture out.
Birdia stayed in Memphis for around two years and then indeed brought her knowledge back to Charleston.
Her bio lists her many accomplishments, including:
She established a girl-scout troop (almost unheard of) in her immediate community. The woman within was fastly emerging.
I’ve studied the civil rights movement to the best of my ability — it’s difficult, as the injustices were more severe and monstrous than anyone can imagine, and the length and duration of those injustices (some to the present day), for me, does indeed make an utterly convincing case for reparations; not only for slavery but for the damaging effects of racism we see to this day.
The moral clarity of people like Birdia Keglar, tested to the utmost in Mississippi, one of the states which most brutally enforced the Jim Crow laws, is a light that shines through the generations, and in her great granddaughter, Martese Chism, you can see that light is still so strong.
I was happy to see that Martese Chism endorses Bernie Sanders, but I also feel it’s important to distinguish the Civil Rights Movement from any political campaign. To me, her testimony only strengthens my solidarity with Black Lives Matter and provides a clear imperative that for this political revolution to succeed, this solidarity must be proven by action.
I do believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to promote social and economic justice. I believe, as Martese says in the video, that he’s “not just talking the talk to get elected — that’s him.”
I didn’t know about Birdia Keglar before seeing this video. Makes me realize there are no doubt thousands of brave brothers and sisters I may never hear about but whose light still shines. Thank you, Martese, for sharing that light.