Crossing Borders, Building Bridges

Meridel LeSueur and excerpts from her novels were discussed during the latest Crossing Borders, Building Bridges event, and the subjects dealt with by LeSueur were juxtaposed with the issues of today by the presenter, Professor Sally Harvey. Harvey, a Yuba College English professor whose coming retirement was bemoaned by faculty members in attendance, conducted the aforementioned presentation and stated that LeSueur did much to champion the cause of women during the Depression. “LeSueur was always involved in championing the rights of those who had no voice”, said Harvey, and she added that “women were invisible during the 1930’s”. Harvey presented LeSueur in recognition of Women’s History Month (March), and she stated that this may well have been because LeSueur “was in touch with all these people with vibrant ideas.” LeSueur was a Socialist, and this attribute made it difficult for her writings to be published, said Harvey. Le Sueur was also a member of the Communist party and, in addition to being a stunt woman in Hollywood, she wrote children’s books (source: http://muse.jhu.edu.) LeSueur moved through Hollywood, San Fransisco, Sacramento, and she lived in an abandoned warehouse with many other women during the Depression, according to Harvey. LeSueur’s firsthand experiences regarding the Depression allowed her to write with validity concerning this issue, and Harvey read an excerpt concerning LeSueur’s “Women on the Breadlines” (1932). This piece of the writing dealt with the hardships faced by women during the Great Depression. Harvey encouraged those in attendance to discuss this excerpt and how it related to modern situations. Harvey read an excerpt from “Women are Hungry” also by LeSueur, and this dealt with an out-of-work teacher during the 1930’s; the teacher, made to prove her destitution, killed herself. Harvey stated that LeSueur was an advocate of hope, and that she hoped those in attendance would not follow the above teacher’s example. Professor Canto-Lugo announced that there would be Crossing Borders, Building Bridges Events on the 18th, the 23rd, and the 25th of March. Canto-Lugo added that the Haiti Relief Fund brought about by the Bridges series raised 3,200 dollars for Haiti relief.