Above from left: Kate Evans, Diana Skelton, Dr. Tania Burchardt and Elaine Li Quan

On 4 November,  the London School of Economics hosted the launch of a new book published by the Lutterworth Press, and available at this link. Joyful Revolution recounts the biography of one of the co-founders of ATD Fourth World, Mary Rabagliati (1942-1992).

The launch event was chaired by Dr. Tania Burchardt and introduced by the book’s editor, Kate Evans. Author Diana Skelton was also joined by Fran Bennett, an Emeritus Fellow of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention, as well as by Dr. Eileen Alexander, a Visiting Fellow at LSE. Their dialogue can be watched in the video below.

Community theatre

The launch event began with a very positively received creative performance. Directed by Elaine Li Quan, this play featured activists from ATD Fourth World with lived experience of poverty. Ruth Knibbs acted and contributed an original song, “Against All Odds”, the lyrics of which are shown in the photo above this article. Megan Easton played the role of Mary Rabagliati. Other performers were Angela Babb, Lyle Barker, Pat Bailey, Char Brown, Amanda Button and Amina Namutebi.

Who was Mary Rabagliati?

At the age of 20, Mary quit a secretarial job in London to move to an emergency housing camp in France without running water or any sanitation facilities. It was 1962 when, amongst that bleak squalor and deprivation, she began a lifelong commitment to anti-poverty work and fighting for the human rights of people on the margins of society, working towards a vision that no one should have to live a life trapped by poverty.

She joined fellow trailblazer Joseph Wresinski to build the foundations for ATD Fourth World to develop into an international human rights movement. Particularly committed to the girls and women whose horizons were drastically curtailed by hardship, early motherhood, and domestic violence, Mary’s work took her across continents: living alongside families in poverty; speaking out at the United Nations; and helping to spark a joyful revolution for social justice.

To learn more about the book

• There is a review of Joyful Revolution by Dr. Koldo Casla in the Journal of Human Rights Practice, here.
• To read a blog post about Joyful Revolution by Kate Evans, author of the Donna Morris crime series, please click here.
• There is an article about this book on ATD Fourth World’s international website, here.
• Subscribers of the New Internationalist can read a review of the book at this link.
• Ruth Lister, member of the House of Lords and Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University, says of this book: “This compelling account of the life of a remarkable woman also throws light on the history of ATD. It is written with an immediacy that conveys the dignity and joy that marked Mary Rabagliati’s contribution to the ongoing struggle against poverty and for the human rights of people experiencing poverty.”
• Dr. Keetie Roelen, senior research fellow in poverty and social protection at the Open University, says: “Joyful Revolution is a powerful and personal account of a woman whose journey holds lessons for all who are striving for a better world. Beautifully written and vividly illustrated, this book shows us what true humanity looks like and what it means to lead by example. An inspiring read that is needed now more than ever.”
• And this recording is of a second webinar about Joyful Revolution, hosted by Prof. Chris Winship of Harvard University: