Wrinkled Radicals: The Maggie Kuhn Story
November 28, 2023 at 6:31 p.m.
Image courtesy of Smithsonian podcast "Sidedoor"
...by Michelle Roedell, Editor, Northwest Prime Time
I’ve decided that I will also use this space to publish information about interesting podcasts and posts about aging that I come across, and related topics that happen to strike my fancy.
In her book, “No Stone Unturned,” Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, recounts her life as a social reformer, from her early days in the USO and YMCA to nursing home reform
From the podcast: “Her colleagues gave her a sewing machine as a parting gift. Outraged, she shut the sewing machine in a closet and, instead, stitched together the first-ever movement against ageism in the U.S. The Gray Panthers would galvanize gray haired citizenry and youth alike to challenge the way Americans think about aging.”
The movement started with Maggie Kuhn calling on some friends to gather for lunch, a group of professional women facing mandatory retirement: “All of us had energy to spare,” said Maggie about the first meeting. “We knew our lives had reached a sort of climax, not an ending.”
It was wonderful to learn the story of Maggie Kuhn and her Gray Panther movement. It was also wonderful to learn how vital and engaged she remained until the end of her long life. I'd heard of the Gray Panthers but was not familiar with Maggie Kuhn’s story. One quote from the podcast about Maggie Kuhn: “She was one of the most important activists of the 20th century.”
The podcast pointed out that Maggie Kuhn was so effective, in part, because of the juxtaposition of being a “little old lady” and being a charismatic leader. She got Congress to listen. She even appeared on the Johnny Carson show to let him know that one of his characters was offensive to older people, but she did it all with a smile.
Through her activism and the work of the Gray Panthers, Congress abolished mandatory retirement. “All because Maggie Kuhn and a few very capable friends decided to stand up for themselves instead of sit down at a sewing machine.”
The organization also tracked media bias against older adults, exposed nursing home abuses and raised awareness about the vulnerability of the nation’s elderly within the healthcare system.
The podcast includes recordings of Maggie Kuhn; near the end of the show, we hear Maggie at age 85 talk about the three things she loved about being old:
First: “I can speak my mind. And I do! And I say some outrageous things. The second is that I’ve outlived much of my opposition. People who put you down and said, ‘Maggie, that’s a crazy idea. It would never work.’ They’re not here anymore! And the third is that I am privileged and blessed and honored to establish great companies of kindred spirits who are going to continue to work to heal our sick society and help it to be peaceful and just in the age and in the millennium to come.”
According to the podcast, the night Maggie Kuhn died in 1995 at the age of 89, she sat up in bed and with her final breaths stated clearly, “I am an advocate for justice and peace.”
Sidedoor’s host, Lizzie Peabody, explored this story with Emily Krichbaum, who researched and wrote a dissertation entitled, Wrinkled Radicals: Maggie Kuhn, the Gray Panthers and the Battle Against Ageism.
"Maggie Growls" is a documentary about Maggie Kuhn and the movement she founded
MORE INFORMATION
To listen to the podcast, visit this link: Wrinkled Radicals | Smithsonian Institution. For information on Maggie Kuhn's book, visit this link: No Stone Unturned: The Life and Times of Maggie Kuhn For information on the documentary about Maggie Kuhn's life, visit this link: Maggie Growls | Women Make Movies (wmm.com)
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