Singer Cyndi Lauper Learns She's Descended from Another Rebel Who 'Fought the Man,' More

Last edited Sun Dec 31, 2023, 06:40 PM - Edit history (1)

- 'Cyndi Lauper Learns She's Descended from A Swiss Rebel Who 'Fought the Man' Like She does,' Yahoo/Today, Jan. 24, 2023. - Ed.

PBS - Cyndi Lauper has never shied away from speaking truth to power & fighting for what she believes in, so she was proud to discover that one of her ancestors was a bona fide rebel during an episode of "Finding Your Roots." The singer, 69, enlisted the help of the PBS show's host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., to trace her family's ancestry. In the episode, Lauper learns that her 7th great-grandfather, Christen Lauper, was involved in a farmer revolution back in the 1600s. "Christen Lauper was no ordinary farmer," host Gates says. "He was involved in a seminal event in his nation's history."

Gates goes to explain that in the early 1600s, Switzerland’s troubled economy caused grain prices to plummet. Rather than help peasants pay off their debts, the government devalued its currency, which also drastically affected the value of the peasants' financial savings. Determined to fight back & take control of their future, the peasants organized a revolt, & Christen was listed among the rebels in the Swiss State Archives. The farmer was a "general agitator" & "rebel," Gates explains, helping spread the word about the revolution & helping to organize meetings where peasants "shared their disapproval" & "plotted next steps."

“That’s amazing,” the singer says when she hears the news.

The movement marked the first time that Swiss authorities faced joint action from peasants, Gates says. Soon enough, the peasants reached treaties with the Swiss authorities. However, the government double crossed the rebels & picked the war back up again. "The peasants were crushed, leaving Christen in dire jeopardy," Gates narrates. The government executed over 40 of the peasant ringleaders & punished others. Christen was fined about 70 days of wages, which was a major financial blow. He was lucky not to be killed.

"Your ancestor took huge risks to create a better life for himself & his fellow citizens & he paid the price for it," Gates says. To this day, there are monuments in Switzerland that memorialize the rebels' cause.

Lauper was touched to learn of her connection to the revolution. “I feel proud to be a descendant of Christen Lauper & that he was a revolutionary & that he worked local, state to state, to get the people together & organize them. I think that’s amazing," she says. The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer also couldn't help but compare her own rebel attitude to that of her ancestor. "I know I’m always fighting the man. Now I know where it comes from,” she says. During her session with Gates, Lauper also learns about the first member of her Sicilian family to come to America: Gaetana Gallo. In 1909, she traveled from Palermo to New York City & paid for members of her family to join her...

Lauper, who grew up knowing Gallo, took a moment to thank her for everything she did to help her family settle in New York. “She made it possible for me to be born here,”...https://news.yahoo.com/cyndi-lauper-learns-shes-descended-161958503.html