emma

Emma Goldman is buried close to Voltairine de Cleyre. Visiting her grave was like being introduced to my favorite celebrity. I couldn't believe that she is actually buried there, it just didn't seem real. And Emma had once visited Voltairine's grave as well as the Haymarket Martyrs' monument nearby which means that she actually stood right there on that piece of earth.

Emma was an inspiring woman. Her autobiography Living My Life is amazing, reading it will give you a sense of her strength, passion, and her love of life; it also details the political situation at that time which was quite exciting. She traveled all over the U.S. speaking, she was a major influence. She spoke out against the Russian revolution when it was not cool to do so within the movement. Most importantly, she had integrity, and strongly held beliefs that she communicated brilliantly.

I also very much respect how candidly she wrote about her human weaknesses. In the book, she writes plainly about her naive beginnings, her doubt about the anarchist ideal, her disappointment with the movement, and her petty romantic dramas.

I always thought there should be a film made about her, just her, not her as a side character like in Reds (although I loved Maureen Stapleton in that role), but a whole movie about her life, because it was a juicy one and she is such a fantastic role model. Oh Emma, if only there were someone like you now.