Charmaine Craig remembers her mother, Louisa Benson, Karen-Burma activist.

https://lithub.com/my-mysterious-mother-beauty-queen-rebel-leader-national-icon/ I sat next to Jonathan in Middle School, and next to Louisa in college in E. Lit. She was back in Burma for a short time during this period c. 1962, when Ne Win staged his coup. She looked so sad, and always wore one of only 2 sets of clothes, both sets old and tired-looking, in muted colors. I am sorry her early years were so full of tragedy, but glad she came to the USA and her marriage was a happy one. I often saw her on the "Burmese democracy circuit" --the last time in Boulder CO, where we spoke of the trafficking of women. I heard of the sad way J. died, and when I saw her again at the home of our other friend Taw Myo Myint, now also passed away, I didn't have the heart to ask her, but as soon as she sat down on Taw's old sofa. she told me at once how J. had died. Taw kept a simple home too, because she was helping Burmese refugees. Still, she gave me her bamboo rice ladle at once, and insisted I take it. I noticed it was the only new item in her kitchen drawer. The day she died, I accidentally burned it while using it in the kitchen. Taw chained herself to a Total truck in El Segundo, CA, to protest and get Total out of Burma. Eventually, it went back. It's so sad when people are harassed based on their race and religion. Karen or Kayin is an ethnic group of Burma. Charmaine Craig was the human model for Disney's Pocahontas. I wanted to learn the ethnic languages when I was in Burma, but there were no classes and there was no one to teach me. I was guided to "books written outside Burma from the other side of the border" by my librarian brother, but I could not get my hands on those either. I thought our other Methodist High School alumni, Eugene Thaike had died in battle, because that's what the govt newspapers wrote. When I asked his sister delicately when I saw her in Princeton, she burst out laughing. Eugene died in 2004 or so of a brain tumor. He was born a prince of one of the Shan royal families. Shan is another Burmese ethnic group. kmk Kyi May Kaung Words Sounds and Images