Sunday, May 11, 2008, 6:30pm
Greenwich House (the Music school building)
46 Barrow Street (1/2 block west of 7th Avenue)
Greenwich Village, New York City
(map)

Please RSVP so they can have a head-count for food and drink: christineNewYork (at) gmail.com

We are sad to report that Cicely Nichols, a DEAN/DFA/DFNYC person since the very early days, has passed away from cancer. Cicely was one of the first people I met in the Dean grassroots. She spread the word and recruited people to Governor Dean's campaign long before he was a popular candidate, recording his speeches and hosting parties for people to learn about him. She frequently attended the NYC4Dean meetings at the McManus Democratic Club. She joined the people that made signs there for “visibility” events, and she was part of the “I am Howard Dean’s Special Interest” project in Times’ Square.

You can see photos of Cicely at a number of Dean/DFA/DFNYC activities HERE...

Cicely was a woman who wasn’t afraid to say what she thought. I will always remember her blunt and funny constructive criticism of my public speaking; feedback being necessary to the survival of a grassroots group. Cicely was one of the very first people involved with DFNYC, helping to start the West Village Linkup, along with her daughters Jenny and Christy Speicher, also active in the DFA community. She was a strong woman with a life-long history of inspiring activism, and we look forward to carrying on her legacy of activism with her daughters.

The memorial service program will begin with remembrances, followed by a reception. If you would like to share your memories of Cicely by participating in the program, or providing something in writing, that would be terrific; please contact Jenny and Christy to arrange it at: christineNewYork (at) gmail.com or by phone: 212-929-6671.

Details of Cicely's life and work follow in the extended entry...

Biography of Cicely Nichols

Cicely Nichols was born to Cicely Mary (Gallet) and William Robert Nichols in Seattle, Wash., 1937. She was a political activist and organizer for many years, as well as a book editor, writer, entrepreneur. Her home in the West Village was a hub for a broad range of artists, writers, intellectuals, and activists from the 1960s into the 2000s. Throughout, she inspired and supported others to believe in themselves, each other, and their dreams.

Formative Years in Seattle

Having come of age post–Pear Harbor, after World War II, and during the Cold War, she understood how the country could become united for the good, but also oppressive with fear. Some of Cicely's earliest lessons in fear and politics stemmed from the creation of the atom bomb, "duck and cover" policies during her school years, the "small-town mentality" (her words) of Seattle in the 1940s and 1950s, and Cold War blacklisting. Among her early lessons in hope were inspiration from her aunt, Mary Ann Farquharson, a progressive Washington State Senator, and, perhaps most important, books. Cicely was always a voracious reader, a critical and individual thinker, and self-educated, gaining a knowledge and wisdom that brought her well beyond what most people achieve even with numerous advanced degrees and years of experience. Her ticket to freedom began in her work with Bob Joffrey, with whom she danced as a teenager in Seattle then followed to New York City. She continued to free herself by working steadfastly to free others for the rest of her life.

Civil Rights Movement & Activists

In the '50s, '60s, and into the '70s, Cicely was part of the civil rights, women's liberation, and the anti-Vietnam war movements. She was also a labor leader and an activist in many other causes. She was active in the fight against racism in the early 1960s. She not only protested the Vietnam War, she was a key organizer of tribunals on war crimes. She wrote and edited materials for, helped organize, and took part in women's support groups and other activities in the early resurgence of the women's liberation movement. Leading up to America’s bicentennial in 1976, she organized activities and created educational materials that highlighted the original, seemingly radical, principles of this country's founders.

As an editor/writer and activist, she worked with some of the central figures of the time, including Saul Alinsky (Rules for Radicals), George McGovern (A Time of War, A Time of Peace), Robin Morgan (Sisterhood Is Powerful), Bobby Seal (A Lonely Rage), Jeremy Rifkin (Common Sense II), and I.F. Stone (In a Time of Torment). Her editing and writing went beyond politics as well, ranging from cookbooks and science fiction to philosophy and art. Among Cicely’s other activities: investigating police corruption and culture; writing histories of Mother Jones and Sacco and Vanzetti; organizing, analyzing, and writing about women’s support groups; teaching adults to read and college students about community versus self responsibility. Cicely also wrote poetry and a novel (unpublished) about a naive young woman who came to New York and transformed herself and her community.

Publishing, Entrepreneur Activities & the New York Waterfront

Cicely fought injustice whereever she was. Her dedication to people's rights carried into the publishing workplace, where she co-led efforts to organize a union at Grove Press, after which she became blacklisted in the industry. Later, she co-founded the Editorial Freelancers Association, an organization that still helps freelancers today.

In the 1980s she was a pioneer in attempts to develop New York’s waterfront for public and private purposes. She worked tirelessly to create a private/public marina and facility on the Hudson, but the project got caught and stalled somewhere between financiers and the Port Authority. Meanwhile, as an entrepreneur, she successfully started and ran a business to produce private parties on yachts and co-founded a ferry business.

Political Activism: Reagan to “W” & Howard Dean

During times of less hope, Cicely kept herself and as many others as possible educated about the state of our democracy and political avenues for improvement. In the Reagan years she continued her activism by participating in the anti-nuclear proliferation movement, among others. In the 1990s, Cicely had to focus some of her fighting energy against personal medical problems. A medical error caused a physical handicap that slowed her some, after which she contracted breast cancer three times, which she fought to the end. However, she remained politically active, becoming especially so in the Bush ("W") era, which she described as more oppressive and scary than even the 1950s that had initially inspired her activism. She was particularly involved in presidential elections, as an early and stalwart supporter of both Howard Dean and Barack Obama, educating many about them long before they were in the daily headlines. She continued to host and participate in political activities until just a couple of months before her death.

Family

Cicely did much of her work with three daughters in tow. She was married to John Speicher, a novelist, from 1956 to 1964, divorcing when her daughters were very young. As a single mother, her freelance publishing income in the early years did not offer much sustenance. But her belief in and dedication to community, writing, the arts, basic rights and fairness, and critical thinking was a strong foundation for the bright, independent-thinking, very active, and loving daughters who survive her, Hilda, Christy, and Jenny Speicher. Cicely brought another daughter of the same ilk into her life as an adult, Tori Jan Evans. All four loving daughters, her brother, Neil Nichols, and friends are holding a memorial 6:30 p.m., May 11th, at Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow Street, in the West Village, New York City.