Barb Bearman is still breaking idols
I’m happy to share a new piece in Jewish Currents on a remarkable 84-year-old woman living in Minneapolis named Barbara Bearman. Barb has been actively fighting for school integration since 1968, and that’s not an exaggeration. She’s been involved in three separate lawsuits to desegregate Minneapolis public schools, including one going on right now.
When school desegregation unexpectedly became A Thing in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, I thought it would be an interesting time to learn what Barb thinks about all that. I was in Minneapolis earlier this month, so got to sit down with her, speak with people who knew her, and read documents archived about her work at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul.
If you want to get a taste of Barb, here’s a local newspaper clipping that was written about her from 1972; Minneapolis school officials sometimes called her a "‘bitch” behind her back for her advocacy.
“I had a big mouth, I know I came out like a sledgehammer to everybody, I’m sure,” she told me. “But you just don’t compromise on this one.”
You can read the full piece here.