Troublemaker, comedian, pot-stirrer, hero, wise-cracker, champion of civil rights, journalist and syndicated columnist Molly Ivins died of breast cancer on January 31st of 2007 at the age of 62, surrounded by family and friends at her home in Austin, Texas. Well-known for her political commentary, Molly enjoyed a writing career that spanned nearly 40 years and included stints in the complaint department of the Houston Chronicle and the Movements for Social Change beat at the Minneapolis Tribune - where, as she put it, she wrote about "militant blacks, angry Indians, radical students, uppity women and a motley assortment of other misfits and troublemakers." From Minneapolis Molly traveled back south to write for the Texas Observer and then on to the New York Times where she was brought in to help move the paper away from its staid and lifeless style. It was back to Texas after that, where Molly wrote for both the Dallas Times Herald and the Fort Worth Star Telegram before becoming an independent journalist in 2001 - when her column appeared in 400 papers nationwide, including our very own Democrat and Chronicle. Molly didn't just write for the papers, though, and her books are too numerous to name.
Throughout her career Ivins embodied her beliefs - championing the underdog and holding high the principles of free speech and civil rights while also maintaining her characteristic sense of humor. Her answer to the KKK, for example, was to defend their right to march and then encourage the counter-demonstrators to engage in a mass mooning. Despite her illness and what she saw as a downward-turning political climate Ivins remained cheerful, reminding us, as she said, "Good thing we've still got politics - finest form of free entertainment ever invented." Humility also characterized Ivins, and her editor recalls the unforgettable parties at her Austin home, which would feature rollicking political discussions, and impromptu poetry recitals and satirical songs. At one such event, he says, "I noticed her dining table was littered with various awards and distinguished speaker plaques, put to use as trivets for steaming plates of tamales, chili and fajita meat. When I called this to her attention, Molly matter-of-factly replied, 'Well, what else am I going to do with 'em?'"
Her friends at the Texas Observer recall that Molly often said in her official resume that the two honors she valued the most were (1) when the Minneapolis Police Department named their mascot pig after her (She was the first ever woman to cover the police beat at the time.) and (2) when she was banned from speaking on the Texas A&M University campus at least once during her years as co-editor of The Texas Observer (1970-76). However, she said with great sincerity that she would be proudest of all to die sober, and she did.
A true believer in the conviction that a free society relies on public-interest journalism, Ivins spoke her mind and turned her attention to supporting and encouraging the current and next generation of activists. "I don't have any children," Molly once wrote, "so I've decided to claim all the future freedom-fighters and hell-raisers as my kin. I figure freedom and justice beat having your name in marble any day." Ivins was constantly urging us to reclaim our power, reminding us in her final column that "We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders." No matter what ugly or seemingly impossible situation might come our way as a country, Molly would remind us, as she said in her own words - to "keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
May we take up the cause of freedom and justice with the same passion and joy that Molly Ivins did - remembering that we are the deciders in this democratic nation, committing ourselves without reservation to our beliefs, trusting that our greatest legacy can and will be the creation of the beloved community here on earth.
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