Celebrity Profiles

Originally Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou is remembered today as a poet, occasional playwright and actress who recited an original poem at Bill Clinton’s Inauguration in 1993, the writer of the classic autobiographical I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings that was published in 1970, and the source of many inspirational quotes that find their way on social media.

Dorothy Day was a Catholic pacifist and socialist who had an abortion. She has also been proposed for sainthood. From Pope Francis: “In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.”

There was nothing saint-like about George Orwell, yet his contribution to our culture is clear. He was not able to leave the world a better place than he found it, but instead told us how the world could become far worse. What of his positive personal qualities? Many will be apparent as you read about his life. It’s a remarkable event-filled life, worth examining and learning from.

Although the work of Martin Luther King has helped many blacks enter the middle class, the less-respectable Malcolm X has become more iconic for urban blacks and those lower on the socioeconomic ladder, for he was one of them. Later in his career Malcolm X was broadening his perspective and Martin Luther King was beginning to take on economic and international issues such as the newly minted War in Vietnam. It seems that both men were moving in the direction of a convergence, had they lived long enough.

As early as 1945 Rachel Carson had become concerned about the environmental being used as pesticides, although there were clear advantages of these chemicals for eliminating disease-causing insects and for increasing agricultural production.  She had then written a short article that was rejected by Readers’ Digest.  Many years later, after she had become a best-selling author and spokesperson for the global world of nature, her attention turned back to the subject of pesticides and their environmental and heath impact

Ingmar Bergman, the celebrated Swedish film and stage director/writer was one of the most influential auteurs of our age. His artistic explorations of death, illness, faith, betrayal and insanity reflected his own preoccupations. This hyper-sensitive and volatile man also led a tempestuous love life and fathered many children while seeking seclusion. How is all this reflected in his nativity?