08/17/2022
A few examples of Dorothy Parker's dedication to social causes...
* In 1927, Italian immigrant anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were charged with murder and sentenced to death by a judge with a political ax to grind. Unable to bear the miscarriage of justice, Parker traveled to Boston to protest the ex*****on, and was arrested. (She was later released with a $5 fine.)
* When she was in Hollywood and finally earning enough money to afford a luxurious lifestyle, she fought for the fledgling Screen Writers Guild, to help the writers who didn’t have her clout with the notorious studio executives.
* Parker was also involved in raising defense funds for the Scottsboro Boys, nine African American teenagers who were accused of ra**ng two women in Alabama.
* In the 1930s, Parker’s focus was drawn to Europe, as anti-Semitism swept Germany. She was instrumental in founding the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League to spread the word about Hi**er.
* By the 60s, Parker lived alone in New York City, her activist days long behind her. Nevertheless, she followed the Civil Rights movement with great interest, and made sure her will reflected it. Dorothy Parker left her entire estate, including the rights to her work, to a man she had never met: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Per her request, the estate was passed to the NAACP on Dr. King's death.
