Interviewer(MW):Hello everyone, I'm Misti Wiedmann for "Science&you magazine". Today I am very pleased to be interviewing one of the greatest scientists of all time, Margaret Sanger!
MS:Well I wouldn't say of all time
both: *laughs*
MW: So Mrs.Sanger, Why did you get involved in science? I mean what influenced you to do so?
MS: Well I would have to say even as a child I was influenced by my father's work in the Women's Sufferage Movement and the Tax reforms. All the neighbors said that he was a "Radical" but i didn't care;but i didn't really get interested in the medical side of The Women's Sufferage Movement until my mom died. I kept thinking about it and I felt like the American people should be better educated on medicine and how to take care of themselves.
MW: Wow. So would you call your dad your mentor?
MS: Yes I would. I would call my dad my mentor.
MW: What would you say your dad did to help you develop your interests or talents in science or medicine?
MS: I would say that him along with the death of my mom, god bless her soul, helped me open my eyes and notice how uneducated the American people were about health. My father was a free thinker and he encouraged me to be one as well.
MW: What would you say would be some "set backs" you had to face as either a person or a scientist?
MS: Well I would say that as a person, I was female and during WWII women had to help take care of everything while the men were at war and we still didn't have many rights. As a scientist I would say the government. I got arrested twice. Once it was because in my monthly newspaper "Women Rebel" I urged family limitations and used the term "birth control" I was charged with delivering "obscene" material by mail! So i had to flee to Europe to continue my work. Another the other time was actually by the state government because my partners and I built a clinic and started giving out information about birth control.
MW: Wow..Well I have to say Mrs.Sanger I'm really impressed that you didn't quit or give up just because you got in trouble with the law!
MS: Thank you.
MW: So Did everyone get in trouble with the law then or just the scientist? What about some of the musicians or writers or artists?
MS: Well lets see....I remember that Jazz and Swing were really popular...musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Ella Fitzgerald were really popular, they didn't "get in trouble" but they were looked down upon. Um some writers (Post WWII) were Harper Lee, who wrote How To Kill A Mocking Bird and J.D. Saingers who wrote The Catcher In The Rye. Some artists were "Combat Artists" and they were both servicemen and civilians who would depict the war and the battles as they saw it.
MW: Wow....I never knew that people actually did that!!! Talk about scary!!
MS: Ya no doubt....I consider my self extremely lucky to have not done that!
MW: So earlier we talked about the set backs that you faced but when you were working what set backs or major events were happening to the country?
MS: Well most of the set backs were associated with the war and everyone was worried about Germany and Japan. There was also the Great Depression which just made things a lot tougher on the home-front.
MW: Ya. Sounds like it. So what would you say would be your major accomplishments?
MS: Oh...major accomplishments would probably be when I spoke before the First World Population Conference at Geneva, and when I helped found Planned Parenthood.
MW: Sounds like you did alot. I'm suprised you didn't help "the academy" of science!
MS: Well, acutually Misti, The Medical part of the academy hadn't been invented while I was working. I think if it had had I would have had more supporters and would have been able to help more people.
MS: No, thank you Misti.
Hey Margaret!!! We are very similar in our fields. We are both determined to find the answer and overcome the next struggle and find the next step. See YO are the scientist, and i am the artsits. I'm just wondering, how do you see the creative process being similar to yourself and your major in life?
ReplyDeleteit's very interesting hat your dad was your mentor. During my years as an actor my mother was one the biggest mentors, along with my brother and sister. this goes to show that family will alway be our biggest supporters
ReplyDeleteHi I'm James Europe. I also am on the musical am in the musical world and enjoy what I do. I compose and direct bands and am very popular in my time. Have you ever heard any of my pecies?
ReplyDeleteAHH! you have done your research. awesome. well when pushcomes to shove I to do agree with you on that our families will always be our supporters whether in our hearts, and/or in our brain
ReplyDeleteWe are similar in that we are both unusual types of scientists and artists. You work with birth control and different types of medicines, which is definately an unusual field of science. I am an usual dancer because I always add different cultures and moods to my dances so that they are not always the same. How has being such an unusual type of artist affected you?
ReplyDeleteWe are different in that you got in trouble for your work and I didn't. It must have been very difficult for you to continue your work even after you were jailed. I have never run into any problems like that. I think that if I ever do, I won't have enough courage to continue what I was doing.
There are so many talented people living now. Have you heard of Marie Curie? She just discovered a new element called radium! It's so cool to think that this new finding happened while I was alive. There are also so many other scientists and artists living right now. They are all so different and creative.
Living during this time period has really influenced me as a dancer. Because of the war, I was forced to travel around the world. Traveling has taught me about so many new cultures. I use these cultures in my dancing to make them more interesting and different. How has the war affected you?
Hey Margaret!...I love the fact that you stood up for woman and helped support woman suffrages thats great. Were similar because we both stood up for things we thought were right and you even got sent to jail so thats really dedication. Were different because we both studied different fields. I dance, you work with different pills and such. Growing up as a woman I think its a great cause that your doing for young ladies and young teens because they really need the support. your doing a great cause!! keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHey Margaret. You know, although i'm an author, our work is actually rather similar. We both spent our lives trying to help others. You through your medicine and I through my writing. I feel that our creative process might be a little different in that, I consider myself more as an idealist, such as in my later work, but you actually created something for people to have.
ReplyDeleteI recently read a post from Marie Curie. Did you know that she found an element called Radium? I think you two should collaorate on different ideas and try to help each other.
This Era has been tough at times for an author. The war has caused the desire for literature to reduce significantly. I'm making enough to live comfortably, but I'm never sure when my work may stop selling. Have you encountered any problems like this?
How did your limits effect your work? As a black man I had many limits. Did you ever have a performance where you were porly recived? If so what was the did you do to overcome it?
ReplyDeleteit's interesting that you call your dad your mentor, it seems that all artists have the complete support of their family. My mother was much like your father in influcing my work.I also helped out with the great war in this era
ReplyDeleteHello Margaret. As I was saying to a friend of mine, oliver Hardy, I think you relate us both. You don't give up on what you want you keep going for it, like you said in your interview you kept going even though you was in trouble with the law. What do you think? I mean do you think it's a big deal? I know that we are of two different types however you work with medicine and others of the such while I work with music and acting. All of us that live in the era of WWI are doing a great jog! what do you think? Like you said you are influenced by your mother and father, I am also. But the war has also helped me do an excellent job on my skits and music. Well I'll be leaving now but I hope to talk to you soon!
ReplyDeleteOh Margaret I loved that interview, you are such an interesting person! I have noticed that we are similar in that we are both different types of artists and scientist here's what I mean, not everyday do you hear that a scientist came up with a pill to help in preventing unexpected pregnancies. Have you? And not everyday do you hear that a graceful and elegant dancer such as my-self does ragtime ballroom dancing. Huh? Amazing right?
ReplyDeleteBut we are also very different in that you work in the field of scientistry and medicine while I work in the feild of the stage and music! Your stage is the medicine tables and my stage is well haha the stage. See we come out differently in different areas.
Oh golly gosh, now that I think about it there are so so many talented people living now. Have you heard of Anna Pavlova? She is a beautiful ballerina dancer, oh her movements are soo swift and shes's such an amazing person. I just think it's so cool to know that we have so many talented not just artists but scientist living in our era amzing right?
While this wonderful era lead on the war broke out and it was a hard struggle that I had managed to push through but it also made me the woman I am today.