[-empyre-] Beatriz da Costa (1974-2012)

[Jon Ippolito]

I attended a conference on digital education where a self-important keynote speaker publicly chastised his fellow presenters, mostly female, for "not knowing how to work their Macintoshes." When it was her turn to speak, Beatriz addressed him directly, saying it was probably just because they were a bit nervous. The comment out of anyone else's mouth might have seemed condescending, but coming from Beatriz it had the effect of putting the everyone at ease--with the exception of the Grand Poobah, who was visibly shamed by how brightly her generosity of spirit outshined his own.