In 701 B.C. the Assyrian empire was in its ascendancy. It had already vanquished the kingdom of Israel to the north including the capital at Samaria. It then prepared an assault on Judah and its capital at Jerusalem.
But in one of those significant events that changes the course of world history, Assyria was repelled. Jerusalem was saved until 586 B.C. when the Babylonians sacked the city, forcing its leadership class into exile.
Henry Aubin, in a major feat of scholarship, determines that Jerusalem was aided by a Kushite army from Africa which had marched northeast from the Nile valley. While the Bible attributes the Assyrian retreat to an angel and secular commentators cite pestilence, Aubin, in a meticulously documented work, demonstrates that an alliance with the African nation of Kush bolstered Jerusalem’s defences.
Kush, also known as Nubia, was located in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan. A monarchy that existed for more than 1000 years, from 900 B.C. to A.D. 350, Kushites held sway over Egypt from 712 B.C. to about 660 B.C. Of Egypt’s 31 dynasties, this, the 25th Dynasty, is the only one that all scholars agree, was black.
The commander of the Kushite expeditionary force was Taharqa (or as the Bible calls him Tirhakah). This Kushite prince, who had his own interests in halting Assyrian expansion, likely caught the aggressors by surprise as they prepared their siege of Jerusalem.
Aubin offers a thrilling military history and a stirring political analysis of the ancient world. He also sees the event as influential over the centuries.
The Kushite rescue of the Hebrew kingdom of Judah enabled the fragile, war-ravaged state to endure, to nurse itself back to economic and demographic health, and allowed the Hebrew religion, Yahwism, to evolve within the next several centuries into Judaism. Thus emerged the monotheistic trunk supporting Christianity and Islam.
“This truth-telling book brims with wisdom for every woman who sees injustice and asks herself ‘What can I do?’ Linda Silver Dranoff, a lifelong change agent, is the perfect role model for a new generation of feminists.â€
– Rona Maynard, former Chatelaine editor, author of My Mother’s Daughter
“Linda Silver Dranoff has that elusive ‘it’ factor when it comes to telling stories. They are invariably about the law, women’s rights, and about her, and in fact about you. But she strings them all together in memorable, important (sometimes cheeky, sometimes hilarious) anecdotes that leave you smiling and way better informed and somehow bolder and kinder. Like her other books, this one is another Dranoff gem.â€
– Sally Armstrong, journalist and human rights activist
“A most extraordinary account of the women’s movement in Canada through the last 60-plus years. Linda deserves so much recognition for her tremendous efforts in the evolution of the rights that women enjoy today.”
– Claire L’Heureux-Dubé, retired justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
“Fairly Equal is a wonderful history of the challenges, the advocacy, and the progress that women in Ontario and Canada have made to achieve equality. Linda is an excellent storyteller, an activist, and an advocate. Her story is a must read and her achievements are amazing.â€
– Elinor Caplan, former MPP, MP, and cabinet minister (Liberal Party of Ontario and Canada)
Second Story Press 2017
Fairly Equal
Lawyering the Feminist Revolution
An eyewitness account of the revolution in women’s rights under the law.
Lawyer, activist, and former Chatelaine legal columnist Linda Silver Dranoff details her own trailblazing journey from a traditional 1950s childhood to the battlegrounds of the courts of law and the halls of power where she and a generation of women lawyers, supporting a larger feminist movement, championed the rights of Canadian women and families.
Through a combination of memoir and social history, Dranoff brings to life the struggles around family law, pay and employment equity, violence against women, abortion rights, childcare, pension rights, political engagement, public policy, and access to legal justice. From backroom battles to public and private protest, the stories are inspiring.
Fairly Equal reminds us of the importance of remaining vigilant about our rights. Knowing what Dranoff’s generation of women lawyers and activists achieved, and how easily it can be taken away, we are encouraged in sisterhood and solidarity to ensure that the many hard-won gains of the feminist movement are maintained and expanded for the women who follow.
Linda Silver Dranoff, C.M., LSM is a lawyer, writer and activist. As a lawyer she appeared at every level of court in a precedent-setting 38-year career, helping countless individuals to navigate the legal system. She had a 25-year stint as a columnist at Chatelaine and is the author of the books Women in Canadian Law, Every Woman’s Guide to the Law and Every Canadian’s Guide to the Law. She lives in Toronto.
