Jolie Christine Rickman

Jolie Christine Rickman (July 09 1970 – January 19 2005) was an American feminist, humanitarian, and social activist born in Chicago, Illinois. As a musician, she released three full-length recordings independently and was renowned for performing songs which were polemics against homophobia, racism and conservatism.

She shared stages with Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton.

Background

Rickman's story is filled with instances of overcoming obstacles. She suffered juvenile onset macular degeneration and was pronounced legally blind by the time she was eleven years old. In 1988, she graduated with honors from Richards High School in Oak Lawn. Four years later, she graduated summa cum laude with a Political Science degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

Activism

During her stint at UIUC, Rickman took part in many politically progressive efforts, including the movement that launched the University YMCA’s Alternative Spring Break program, which, to this day, continues to connect young people with important nation-wide social justice issues. She later earned a graduate degree from the department of Peace Studies at Syracuse University.

As a result of an internship with The King Center in Atlanta, Rickman worked with Coretta Scott King and cited the experience as her primary source of inspiration to perform music.

In 2001, she became Chapter Coordinator for CISPES in New York City. During her tenure, she initiated a Spanish Camp for Activists, an alternative Fourth of July weekend immersion in language and Latin American issues, and the People’s Referendum on Free Trade. The latter was responsible for recruiting members of the community into the struggle for economic fairness and equity.

Legacy

Rickman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2004 and spent most of that year at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City, and died nearly a year after. In her memory, Democracy Now — the Pacifica Radio nationally-syndicated radio show — played an excerpt of "Romero" off the 1999 LP "Sing It Down". The song is a musical rendition of a homily from Archbishop Oscar Romero, given the day before he was assassinated. The LP was a collaborative project with fellow singer-songwriter Colleen Kattau to demand the closing of the US Army's School of the Americas.

Discography

*Sublime Detonation (1998)
*Sing It Down (1999)
*Suffer To Be Beautiful (2000)

External links

* [http://www.jolierickman.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.ucimc.org/feature/display/24760/index.php UIUC article on Rickman's death]