REBEL: Patrena Murray Is 'Flo' Kennedy In The Life Of Steinem

Liz Wisan, Fedna Jacquet, DeLanna Studi, Patricia Kalember, Patrena Murray, Francesca Fernandez McKenzie, Joanna Glushak, and Brittany K. Allenin GLORIA: A Life by Emily Mann, directed by Diane Paulus, at the Daryl Roth Theatre.

Rebel is Rebecca Carroll's regular conversation on race and pop culture. You can hear Rebecca talk about these issues with guests on Wednesday mornings on WNYC, or participate in one of Rebel's regular conversations in The Greene Space.

The off-Broadway play GLORIA: A Life is a living, breathing documentary that tells the story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem — her early years as a journalist in New York City, her relationship with her ailing mother, yes, her undercover stint as a Playboy bunny, and ultimately, her evolution into activism.

Among the highlights from the play and Steinem’s life is her consistent claim that she learned how to be a feminist from black women. The play features several of these women, including the flamboyant and enigmatic black feminist and lawyer Florynce "Flo" Kennedy.

Actress Patrena Murray stars as Kennedy in the show, and she talked with us for this week’s Rebel about being “Flo” and becoming a feminist herself.

GLORIA: A Life is in the midst of an open-ended run at the Daryl Roth Theater, 101 East 15th Street. Details here.

Rebecca Carroll is a cultural critic and Editor of Special Projects at WNYC, where she develops, produces and hosts a broad array of multi-platform content, including podcasts, live events and on-air broadcasts. Rebecca is also the author of several interview-based books about race and blackness in America, including the award-winning Sugar in the Raw, and her personal essays, cultural commentary and opinion pieces have been published widely. Her memoir, Surviving the White Gaze, is due out from Simon & Schuster in 2020.