This 90-year-old New York activist fought racist housing practices, was a nurse during the AIDs epidemic, and is now protesting for Black Lives Matter (by Anna Leah)
In midtown Manhattan, other demonstrators "take a knee" while Shatzi symbolically joins in, during the first days of the protests following the killing of George Floyd.Lifelong New York activist Shatzi Weisberger is refusing to let age, curfew, or nosy neighbors discourage her from fighting for what she believes in.practices that prevented Black people from homeownership; in her career as a nurse, she provided in-home care to those affected by the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
Neither COVID-19 nor the physicality of activism deterred Weisberger. She's been on the front lines for most of her life — as a "Dyke Opposed to Nuclear Technology," a white ally, a voter registrar, and a nurse during the peak of AIDS-related deaths.Her walker was flanked by Pride and Black Lives Matters Flags as she made her way through tuba players, TV news crews, and marching groups at the Washington Square Park protest on a recent Monday.
In recent civil disobedience during the Black Lives Matter protests, Weisberger broke curfew. At most demonstrations, she said, "There weren't any old people besides me. People are afraid to be around other people." She never felt obligated to be an activist, but does feel obligated to share what she's learned. Death is not something she eagerly anticipates, but she is gratified her remains will foster "Maybe flowers, maybe weeds, maybe a tree – whatever, it's going to bring life into the world. That appeals to me."Photo courtesy of Jewish Voice for Peace
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