Charlene Mitchell

Charlene Alexander Mitchell (born c. 1930) is an African-American international socialist, feminist, labor and civil rights activist. Formerly a member of the Communist Party USA, which she joined at 16 – emerging as one of the most influential leaders in the party from the late 1950s to the 1980s – she now belongs to the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism.

Early years

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Charlene Alexander (Mitchell) migrated with her family to Chicago. During the Second World War she grew up in the Frances Cabrini Rowhouses and took classes in the Moody Bible Institute.

Activism

At the conference on Black Women And The Radical Tradition held "in tribute to Charlene Mitchell" at Brooklyn College Graduate Center in 2009, Genna Rae McNeil recounted the origins of Mitchell's involvement in political activism. "I probably have been trying to be an organizer most of my life," Mitchell observed to McNeil in 1995. McNeil went on to relate that:

Charlene Mitchell's early civil rights activism included organizing, in 1943 at the age of 13, both black and white teenagers in pickets and other actions at the Windsor Theatre in Chicago, which segregated black customers in the balcony, and also at a nearby segregated bowling alley. The lack of success of picketing and leafletting led the young Charlene to organize another action for her group of activists, who took the name American Youth for Democracy. They held a sit-in at the Windsor, with white members going up to the "colored only" balcony while black members took their seats in the auditorium's "whites only" section below.

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (/ˈkaɪliː mᵻˈnoʊɡ/; born 28 May 1968), often known simply as Kylie, is an Australian-born singer, songwriter, and actress. She achieved recognition starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, where she played tomboy mechanic Charlene Robinson. Appearing in the series for two years, Minogue's character married Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) in an episode viewed by nearly 20 million people in the United Kingdom making it one of the most watched Australian TV episodes ever. Since then, Minogue has been a recording artist and has achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the entertainment industry. Minogue has been recognised with several honorific nicknames including "Princess of Pop" and "Goddess of Pop". She is recognised as the highest-selling Australian artist of all time by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Minogue has for many years worked and lived in London. She signed to PWL in 1987 and released her first studio album Kylie the next year. In 1992, she left PWL and signed with Deconstruction Records and where she created her self-titled studio album and Impossible Princess, both of which received positive reviews from critics. Returning to more mainstream dance-oriented music, Minogue signed to Parlophone and released "Spinning Around". Her 2001 single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" became one of the most successful singles during the 2000s, selling over ten million units. It is recognised as her "signature song" and was named "...the catchiest song ever" by Yahoo! Music. Her album Fever (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the United States. Throughout her career, Minogue has released many successful singles, including "The Loco-Motion", "Especially for You", "Hand on Your Heart", "Better the Devil You Know", "Confide in Me", "Spinning Around", "Slow", "2 Hearts" and "All The Lovers".