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A Jewish Suffragette’s Impact On The South: Remembering Gertrude Weil

A photograph of Gertrude Weil taken in the 1920s.
Leonard Rogoff
A photograph of Gertrude Weil taken in the 1920s.
A photograph of Gertrude Weil taken in the 1920s.
Credit Leonard Rogoff
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Leonard Rogoff
A photograph of Gertrude Weil taken in the 1920s.

Gertrude Weil spent her life fighting for civil rights in the South. She founded the state's League of Women Voters and campaigned against lynching and segregation. She cleverly navigated the fault lines that marked politics in North Carolina in the early 20th century. In new the book, "Gertrude Weil: Jewish Progressive in the New South" (UNC Press/2017), Leonard Rogoff exposes the roots of Gertrude Weil's activism.

A conversation with author Leonard Rogoff about his new book, "Gertrude Weil: Jewish Progressive in the New South".

Host Frank Stasio talks with Rogoff, historian for the Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina, about Weil’s legacy in North Carolina and beyond. Rogoff will read from his new book on Tuesday, April 25 in Goldsboro at the Wayne County Public Library.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.