“The ballroom communist”: How a radical aristocrat changed Oakland
About this episode
This episode explores Jessica Mitford's transformation from a British debutante to a civil rights activist in Oakland, as discussed by guest Mimi Pond.
How did Jessica Mitford go from being an elite British debutante to fighting on the front lines of America’s early civil rights struggles? While two of her older sisters befriended Adolph Hitler, Jessica came to Oakland, organized the first investigation into police brutality, helped desegregate all-white neighborhoods, and became a famous muckraking journalist. This astonishing tale is vividly told in Mimi Pond’s new graphic novel “Do Admit! The Mitford Sisters and Me” [Drawn & Quarterly]. Given America’s current context of rising fascism, government repression, and historical erasure, the timing of this book could not be more appropriate. Although one of her older sisters teasingly called Jessica a “ballroom communist,” her lifelong struggles for racial and economic justice illustrate a true commitment to solidarity. In addition to discussing The Mitfords, this episode also covers Pond’s earlier graphic novels about her career as an Oakland diner waitress in the late 1970s and early 80s. In “Over Easy” and “The Customer is Always Wrong,” Pond shares wild, behind-the-scenes memories of the sex-and-drug-fueled restaurant where she worked while trying to make it as an aspiring…
People in this episode
Host: East Bay Yesterday
Guest: Mimi Pond
Topics covered
- civil rights
- journalism
- graphic novels
- Oakland history
- police brutality
- racial justice
Keywords
- Jessica Mitford
- Mimi Pond
- civil rights
- Oakland
- graphic novel
- police brutality
- racial justice
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Do Admit! The Mitford Sisters and Me, Over Easy, The Customer is Always Wrong
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