Hello, everyone. Before I get into the topic of this interview…
Suffice it to say it’s been an incredibly long time since my last update… Over a year, in fact. I swore to myself at the end of last year that I’d be more consistent with updates for 2023 (starting with “Loitering in the Closet” — and yes, I still plan to do that episode). But scheduling hurdles for planned episodes got in the way, and then, with news of a bill to ban caste discrimination in California, my time and attention snapped onto covering that issue.
I had already wrapped up my production work on an audio documentary about caste in Silicon Valley for The Documentary podcast on the BBC when Seattle became the first city in the U.S. to ban caste discrimination. Cue me crouching in the closet to re-track that narration so we could include it in the BBC story. Then, California state Senator Aisha Wahab announced SB 403, a bill that would clarify existing California civil rights laws to explicitly ban caste discrimination as well. Cue more re-tracking.
By the time The hidden caste codes of Silicon Valley (as we finally called the BBC story) was finally released, there was a ton of attention on SB 403. And suddenly, here was this audio documentary with me interviewing Dalits and asking people somewhat uncomfortable questions about caste in front of an Indian grocery store. Suddenly, I found myself going on podcasts and news shows to talk about the issue and the significance of the bill, as well as actively reporting on the ground in Sacramento as meetings on the proposal drew intense crowds of supporters and protestors.
You may have heard that California Governor Newsom recently vetoed the bill after it was passed by a majority of the California State Legislature. However you feel about that news, it seems pretty certain this issue isn’t going away. If you’re interested, you can hear me wax on about my reporting on Here and Now, Our Body Politic, KQED’s The Bay, The Grand Tamasha, Forum on KQED, KALW and Vox’s Today, Explained. I also wrote and reported this story about the bill for Mother Jones. This was all before Newsom’s decision, by the way, so there’s definitely more to report and say.
That’s an update on what’s been preoccupying my energy recently, but that’s not necessarily the point of this post. I very well realize that as I write, a conflict is raging in Israel-Gaza that’s scary, heartbreaking and devastating on multiple levels. And that people are very afraid and hurting. It’s a grim time. And I say/write this as someone relatively distanced from the situation. I can only imagine how this is impacting Israelis, Jews, Palestinians and others for whom this hits closer to home. There is a lot to absorb about what’s been happening. I found this one of the more insightful pieces I’ve come across, as it doesn’t lose sight of the necessity of managing complexity in this moment.
Now, onto expanding upon the Loitering interview embedded in this post. It may seem frivolous in comparison to the previous discussion. But I actually find it quite beautiful and meaningful on top of being funny and silly. And that is the Merylthon.
The Merylthon is/was a “unique 3-day film marathon featuring Meryl Streep in 8 iconic film roles.” It was the brainchild of my good friend Evan Roberts, who orchestrated the event after it first started out as a fun pun back in 2006. The point of the actual Merylthon was not just to finally bring the concept to life, but to also fundraise for Queer Life Space, a Bay Area organization that offers evidence-based training and mental health services for the LGBTQIA+ community.
I went to the showing of The Devil Wears Prada at San Francisco’s Four Star Theater during the Merylthon only to find an original Guess Who game featuring Meryl…
… as well as a ton of original paraphernalia and promotional items (see the video).
Sadly, I missed the drag performances because it took so long to find parking (poor time management on my part). But I did encounter original “Meryl cocktails” and, as you heard in the interview, “she-devil” cake. Evan even created a promotional video featuring real-life Meryls!
All this to say, the Merylthon was inspiring. As another friend put it, it was a “beautiful, hilarious, whacky, wonderful, creative idea.” And as Rodrigo told me in our interview, our communities need more events like a Merylthon.
Congratulations to Evan and the rest of the Merylthon team!
Until next time…
Peace,
Sonia
P.S. If you’re curious to know more about She-Devil, here’s the original trailer.
Loitering at the Merylthon