Home » About » Newsletters » December 1999
Irene Miller: Profile of an ACLU Volunteer
By Don Musselman, Pinellas Chapter
As she carries out the functions of office, Irene Miller, Chair of the Pinellas County Chapter of the ACLU, manifests a youthful manner the freshness of which might be interpreted by some as uncertainty. But be not deceived; behind this gentle manner there lies a powerhouse, a dynamo driven by her dedication to bettering the human condition. That self-effacing demeanor brings about tangible results whatever the venue, be it on the lecture platform, a theater stage, a high school guidance office, or a church fellowship meeting. Irene Miller is a playright, dramatist and dedicated ACLU volunteer.
A few cases in point: Her notable lecture on the German artist Käthe Kollwitz, describing Kollwitz' haunting black and white prints, is an unforgettable plea for social justice. We are also captivated by Irene's illustrated lecture on political cartoons which earlier in the century bitterly lampooned the women's suffrage movement. It is an unforgettable reminder that it was not until 1920 that women were granted their basic democratic right. Irene develops this theme further in her two-person dramatic piece centered on Susan B. Anthony, who was tried and sentenced for leading a group of women to a polling place to vote, an act of defiance in 1872, a full half century before women won the right to vote. And in Irene's most outstanding theater piece, Margaret Sanger: A Play with One Actor, she gives voice to that courageous crusader for women's reproductive freedoms. The most stirring passage is set against the backdrop of the jail cell where she was sent because her writings advocating contraception were deemed "obscene." Irene has performed this play across the land in churches, at women's organizations and in community centers. Several performances on the West Coast were produced under the auspices of a center for women victimized by violent stalkers. Irene's refusal to accept any honoraria for these performances, or any compensation for expenses, is an index to her dedication to the cause of social justice.
These platform performances provide strong opposition to all forms of injustice. They reflect Irene's abhorrence of all violence. This extends to her unstinting opposition to the death penalty. Her original theatrical pieces depict significant confrontation but in each case the protagonists seek resolution without bloodshed. She embodied these principles when she performed a major role in one work which was not her own creation, Aristophanes' classic comedy Lysistrata. This play centers around the important question of how to induce men to end warfare. Lysistrata, played by Irene, summons all the women from both warring sides to join her in the Acropolis where she addresses them with a ringing delivery that would bring any war to an abrupt halt.
Irene Miller has labored throughout her life keeping human lives from being wasted by the extremes of poverty, abuse, repression or inhumanity. Because of a few dedicated volunteers like her, the ACLU is a stronger, more capable organization.
