Robin Staff of Springfield Township was stunned when so many people in Upper Bucks turned out to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg just two days after the Notorious RBG’s death.
Aware that Upper Bucks is not exactly a liberal stronghold, she was surprised when more than 40 Ginsburg fans gathered on the Riegelsville Bridge on Sept. 20 to toss flowers into the Delaware River as a memorial tribute to the late Supreme Court justice who had become a much loved legal, cultural and feminist icon.
Robin, leader of The Nightingales, a local group affiliated with Indivisible, a grassroots movement opposed to racism, authoritarianism and corruption, said, “It was so informal. We just decided to do it. I guess people called their friends and they called other people and they all came,” she said.
She was also elated that passersby showed so much support when they saw The Nightingales on the bridge. “They waved and blew their horns. One motorcyclist passed us and went over into New Jersey and then came back across the bridge to give us his email so he could join our group,” Robin said.
The Nightingales are predominantly women but some men have joined as well. It is an inclusive political action committee with Democrats, independents and former Republicans working together, Robin said.
The group has mushroomed since its founding. “We began as a small group of ladies who lunch at Nelli Rae’s Cafe in Revere on Fridays. We discovered we were all devastated by the results of the 2016 election and we needed to come together to voice our concerns about social justice and women’s rights.
The women chose the group’s name, she said, after reading “The Nightingale,” a novel by Kristin Hannah, about the bravery of two sisters secretly plotting against the Nazis in occupied France during World War II.
The nightingale is small, perhaps less than five inches long, but it has a powerful song, so it was an appropriate name, because that little bird’s song, grown even more powerful, is being heard.
Robin said, “We now number nearly 100.” She again did not expect such support or interest in mostly Republican Upper Bucks. “We decided to buy some lawn signs and in just a day we raised $1,600. We’ll share some of those signs with a group in Northampton County. We’ll be putting up signs and the members will be canvassing.
“We’re at a turning point here in Pennsylvania and especially in Bucks County. We’re on fire. People are angry, They’re scared and they want to come together to do whatever they can.”
Robin herself is a woman who has made a difference, in both arts and politics. Although her career path has never varied from the arts, she is no stranger to organization and politics: She served as a field manager for the Obama 2008 campaign.
Robin is a ballerina who founded her own company, DanceNow/NYC, which has drawn crowds to Joe’s Pub in Manhattan’s East Village for 25 years. And she has brought a new world of dance to Upper Bucks and the Lehigh Valley where DanceNow/NYC formed a partnership with ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. She also organized the nonprofit, Art of Preservation of Bucks County, connecting art with land preservation.
For the past decade, she and her husband, Marty Staff, a fashion branding expert, have hosted annual Art of Preservation exhibits/sales focusing on Bucks artists at their home, Kirkland Farm, with proceeds this year benefiting local food banks. This year’s show was a virtual one due to COVID-19 safety concerns. One of the participating artists, Joanne Mazzeo, designed the Nightingales’ logo.
The Staffs have lived at Kirkland Farm since 1990. Robin calls the farm “a magical place.” It was the first home of prima ballerina Gelsey Kirkland. She was the daughter of playwright Jack Kirkland who adapted Erskine Caldwell’s “Tobacco Road,” and John Steinbeck’s “Tortilla Flat” for Broadway and collaborated on many screenwriting ventures during Hollywood’s Golden Age.
For further information or to join, email indivisiblethenightingales@gmail.com.
kathrynfclark@verizon.net
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