>>>
>>> NEW
>>> NEW DAY NORTHWEST IS BACK. NOW FROM THE AAA TRAVEL OUT
COLD ALCOVE, HERE IS MARKET
LAWSON.
LAWSON.
LAWSON. >>> NOW FROM A DOCTOR WHOSE
CLOSING WHOSE CLOTHING SPARKED
CONTROVERSY.
CONTROVERSY. SHE IS THE ONLY WOMAN EVER
AWARDED A MEDAL OF HONOR IN
THIS COUNTRY BUT SHE ALSO FOUND
HERSELF BEHIND BARS SEVERAL
TIMES, GET THIS, FOR WEARING
PANTS.
PANTS.
PANTS. ILLUSTRATOR KEITH NEGLEY
TACKLES THE TOPIC IN THE BOOK,
"MARY WEARS WHAT SHE WANTS.".
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
THERE IS SO MUCH IN THEIR BUT
TELL ME ABOUT THE GOOD DR.
>> MARY WALKER WAS AN
INCREDIBLE WOMAN.
INCREDIBLE WOMAN. SHE WAS BORN IN THE 1830S AND SO
SHE WAS GROWING UP IN A TIME
WHEN WHAT WOMEN WERE ALLOWED TO
WEAR WAS EXTREMELY STRICT AND
THEY WOULD HAVE TO PUT ON THESE
VERY HEAVY PETTICOATS AND VERY
THICK, CONSTRICTIVE DRESSES
WHICH WERE THE STYLE AT THE
TIME, VERY CONSERVATIVE BUT SHE
GREW UP ON A FARM.
SHE HAD A DAD WHO WAS A FARMER
AND SHE HAD LIKE, FOUR OR FIVE
SISTERS AND SO EVERYBODY HAD TO
PITCH IN AND HER FAMILY WAS
VERY LIBERAL MINDED AND THEY
WOULD LET THEIR DAUGHTERS WERE
PANTS WHICH WAS SHOCKING NEXT
SHOCKING, RIGHT.
SHOCKING, RIGHT. >> SO FROM A VERY EARLY AGE,
SHE WAS USED TO WEARING PANTS
AND HAVING IT NOT BE A BIG DEAL
IN HER FAMILY BUT SHE WOULD
GROW UP THE REST OF HER LIFE
HITTING A LOT OF WALLS BECAUSE
SHE WOULD BE WEARING PANTS AND
SO SHE WENT ON TO GO TO MEDICAL
SCHOOL, ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN
TO DO IT.
TO DO IT.
TO DO IT. SHE BECAME A LICENSED DOCTOR,
ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN. SHE
OPENED HER OWN PRACTICE WITH WAS
WHICH WAS REVOLUTIONARY AT THE
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. SHE
TIME. SHE VOLUNTEERED FOR THE ARMY
WHEN THE CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT.
SHE WAS CAPTURED BY CONFEDERATES
. SHE WAS A PRISONER OF WAR.
AN INCREDIBLE LIFE.
SHE ENDED UP --
>> --
>> --
>> -- >>
>> -- >> WINNING THE CONGRESSIONAL
LEVEL OF HONOR, ONE OF THE ONLY
WOMEN TO WIN IT TO THIS DAY.
ONCE THE WAR WAS OVER, SHE
SPENT THE REST OF HER LIFE
CAMPAIGNING FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS
AND THE RIGHT FOR WOMEN TO WEAR
WHATEVER THEY WANTED AND SHE
WOULD WEAR HER OWN HANDMADE
PANTS EVERYWHERE SHE WENT AND A
TOP HAT AND GET ARRESTED FOR IT
AND --
AND --
AND -- >>
AND -- >> IT IS AMAZING THAT THAT
WOULD BE A CRIMINAL TYPE OF
THING THAT SHE HAD TO PAY FOR.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> IN FACT, THE MEDAL OF HONOR
WAS A RIG -- THEY TRIED TO TAKE
IT AWAY FROM HER ON A
TECHNICALITY THAT IT WAS NOT A
COMBAT AWARD.
COMBAT AWARD. >> THEY CHANGE THE RULES.
>> HOW DID SHE REACT?
>> SHE REFUSED TO GIVE IT BACK
AND WARD EVERY DAY ON HER
LAPEL.
LAPEL.
LAPEL. SHE WAS AN AMAZING, AMAZING
WOMAN.
WOMAN.
WOMAN. >>
WOMAN. >> SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE THIS ARE
WRITTEN OUT OF OUR HISTORY.
WE SHOULD KNOW WHO THIS IS.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A WOMAN WE
HAVE NOT HEARD OF.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. >>
>> NO. >> I PRESUME THAT IS ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY YOU WANTED TO MAKE
IT PART OF A CHILDREN'S BOOK X
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THE FIRST TWO BOOKS I WROTE
WERE VERY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL.
THEY WERE ABOUT FATHERHOOD AND
BEING A BOY GROWING UP AND
ABOUT FEELINGS AND BEING A BOY
WHO WANTS TO BE TOUGH BUT IT IS
OKAY TO ALSO HAVE, SHOW
EMOTION, TOO.
EMOTION, TOO. >> THE HUMAN.
>> YES, LIKE TOXIC MASCULINITY
AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. MY
NEXT BOOK, I THOUGHT, I REALLY
WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WHERE
THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS
THE PROTAGONIST AND SO I
HAPPENED UPON THIS STORY ABOUT
MARY WALKER AND I LEARNED ABOUT
HOW SHE WOULD GET IN TROUBLE
FOR WEARING PANTS.
SHE LED AN INCREDIBLE LIFE BUT
THIS IDEA THAT A GIRL NOT BEING
ABLE TO WEAR PANTS JUST SEEMED
LIKE A PERFECT, IT JUST SEEMED
RIGHT FOR A PICTURE BOOK.
>> IT IS AN EMBLEM, RIGHT?
IT IS NOT EVEN ABOUT THE PANTS.
IT IS ABOUT WOMEN WHO WANTED TO
GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL WHO WERE
NOT ALLOWED OR BARRED FROM XY
OR Z AND HER CLOTHING CHOICE IS
JUST, IN SOME WAYS, A TINY
LITTLE SYMBOL OF WHAT HER LIFE
WAS ABOUT.
WAS ABOUT. >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> WHAT YOU WANT KIDS TO GET
OUT OF THE BOOK, AND PARENTS?
>> I GUESS FOR KIDS TO JUST BE
CONFIDENT TO LIVE THEIR TRUTH
AND NOT TO BE AFRAID TO SPEAK
OUT WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE THEY
NEED SOMETHING TO FEEL
COMFORTABLE.
COMFORTABLE. AND TO NOT BE AFRAID OF OTHER
KIDS WHEN THEY SEE THEM DOING
WHAT THEY NEED TO BE
COMFORTABLE.
COMFORTABLE. >> THAT IS A GOOD POINT PICK IT
IS NOT JUST ABOUT OURSELVES BUT
OTHER PEOPLE TO HAVE EXPRESSION
AND ALLOWING THAT TO HELP
HAPPEN AND WELCOMING IT.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR OTHER
ILLUSTRATIONS?
ILLUSTRATIONS? >> I AM AN EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATOR
BY TRADE SO I DO A LOT OF
MAGAZINE COVERS NEXT A LOT OF
GREAT WORK.
GREAT WORK. >> THANKS.
>> THANKS. I DO PORTRAIT FOR THE NEW YORK
TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, THINGS
LIKE THAT.
LIKE THAT. >> IS THAT IT BLACK KLANSMAN
GRAPHIC?
GRAPHIC?
GRAPHIC? >> IT WAS.
THAT WAS FOR THE FILM REVIEW
FOR THE MOVIE IN THE NEW
YORKER.
YORKER.
YORKER. >> YOU HAVE A VERY RECOGNIZABLE
STYLE.
STYLE.
STYLE. THAT IS REALLY NICE WORK.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NEXT?
>> MY NEXT BOOK IS KIND OF A
COMPANION TO MARY IN THE SENSE
THAT IT IS KIND OF LIKE
INSPIRED BY SOMEONE FROM
HISTORY ABOUT A SCIENTIST AND
INVENTOR NAMED PAULA CORR WHO
WAS A DANISH SCIENTIST WHO IS
CONSIDERED THE GRANDFATHER OF
WIND TURBINES.
WIND TURBINES. IT HAS