From History to Ourstory
History is full of women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underrepresented groups who have made their mark in history; however, historical teachings have been branded in a way that paints the under-represented as the under-achieving, and that’s simply not true. There are a lot of misconceptions that white, straight men are the founding fathers of our technology, our democracy, our medicine, and so many other things. We want to give credit where credit is due. History is just not His Story; and we are on a mission to make it OURstory.
Episode 19: William Dorsey Swann aka The Queen
We are going to talk about William Dorsey Swann, known by his friends as “The Queen.” Born into slavery, William grew up in a world without any representation of himself in the world. Examples of proud, black men in pop culture were not a thing in the late 1800s. The words drag queen and gay did not exist. Literally, his very identity, that he fought so hard for, was this unknown image. Yet he knew who he was and fought to be that person, even when the world could not comprehend what that meant or that someone like him...
Episode 18: Annie Cohen Kopchovsky
The World’s First International Female Super Star. One Woman. One Bicycle. One Unforgettable Journey.
In today's episode, we will be talking about Annie Londonberry, also known as Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, a Jewish mother from Boston. In the 1890s, she became the first woman to ride a bicycle all the way around the world.
Annie Londonberry’s story is about more than setting a record. Or being the “first woman” to do something. She took every concept of Victorian society and threw it out the window. She was a woman that abandoned her skirts for a me...
Episode 17: Mileva Maric
So in today’s episode, we are going to cover Albert Einstein… in the context of taking this from History to Ourstory. Albert Einstin has actually been on my list as a neurodivergent individual. But at the end of the day, we all know who Albert Einstein is. He’s a brilliant scientist. He came up with groundbreaking and earth changing scientific discoveries. Homeschooled by his mother because his teacher couldn’t handle his neurodivergent brain. Blah blah blah.
But do you know who Mileva Maric is? She was Albert Einstein's first wife, but Mileva was a brilli...
Episode 16: The Chiquita Papers
Are you familiar with the Chiquita Banana? **I’m the Chiquita Banana, and I’ve come to say, bananas have to ripen in a certain way.** So believe it or not, we are going to be talking about Chiquita Brands International, which is the leading distributor of bananas in the US, and the company responsible for the Chiquita Banana song. We will also learn how that company's predecessors and former subsidiaries impacted various communities in South America from the late 1800s through the early 2000s. I promise this is more interesting than it sounds, and I’m sorry to say...
Episode 15: Drag Queens
Happy Pride Month, everyone! This episode drops in early June, and we wanted to start strong with… The History of Drag Queens. Typically, people think of a drag queen as a gay man dressed in over the top feminine clothes - wigs, curves, make up, heels. Drag is an artform. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a drag queen is a performer (regardless of sex or gender identity) who adopts a flamboyant or parodic feminine persona, with glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup. While the drag community is usually associated with the LGBTQ+ community, really anyone can be a dr...
Episode 14: Juliette Gordon Low
Today’s episode we will learn about Juliette Gordon Low - the founder of… Girl Scouts! One girl scout motto is “Girl Scouts leave a place better than they found it.” There is no doubt in my mind that Juliette did just that. She came into a world where girls literally couldn’t march through the forest, let alone march to the beat of their own drum in the figurative sense. She created a safe space and an opportunity for girls to march, hike, build their communities, and contribute to the world.
Photo credit: https://www.womenshist...
Episode 13: The 442nd Regimental Combat Unit
Did you know the most decorated military unit in U.S. History is comprised entirely of Japanese Americans? Despite being forcibly detained and having their homes and property taken from them, Japanese Americans served with pride and distinction during WWII. Listen now to learn about Pearl Harbor, internment camps, Nisei, and TWO Japanese American military units!
This episode was researched and written by Ash Benoist. Audio and music edited by CJ Dearing. Logo design by Ryan Vicario. From History to Ourstory is a Bend Ear Production.
Q&A #1
CJ and I needed a little break, so our next full-length episode will drop on April 15! We have a small but mighty following, and we hope you guys will keep on listening! If you could please tell a friend about our podcast, we would really appreciate it! Please also share our posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! It would really help us out!
This episode was researched and written by Ash Benoist. Audio and music edited by CJ Dearing. Logo design by Ryan Vicario. From History to Ourstory is a Bend Ear Production.
Episode 12: Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman, and her cultural legacy is a scientific one. Provided without her consent or knowledge. We will discuss how cells taken from her body would result in the polio vaccine, travel to the moon, would lead to the discovery of chemotherapy, advancements in HIV and AIDS research, and other significant contributions in the scientific and medical communities. Most importantly, in today’s episode, we will learn who Henrietta was and how her legacy has impacted her family.Â
Photo credit: https://www.health.com/mind-body/henrietta-lacks
Sources:
Episode 11: Yasuke
This episode is sort of a three in one special! We are going to go back to Japan in the 1500s. We’ll talk about the history of the samurai, then one of Japan’s greatest military dictators, Oda Nobunaga, who unified Japan, and finally, we will be discussing Yasuke. Yasuke was originally from Africa and would go on to almost retrace the steps of our friend Zheng He, but in reverse. He went from Africa to the Middle Eastern coasts, to India, to Asia, and eventually landing in Japan in 1581.
Photo Credit: https://adf-magazine.com...
Episode 10: Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was beautiful, charming, intriguing, tomboyish, and mysterious all at the same time. She was a talented actress and a gifted singer, but all of this of course does not qualify her to be an Ourstorical figure… You probably know about or at least have heard of Audrey Hepburn (ahem, Breakfast at Tiffany's? My Fair Lady?). So why are we discussing Audrey Hepburn today? Well, as a teenager she worked with rebel forces against the Nazis and housed fallen British soldiers. As an adult, she did her best to be an ally to the LGBT+ community, even starring as...
Episode 9: Zheng He
Born in 1371 in China, Zheng He would grow up to become an admiral, diplomat, and explorer that navigated the oceans from China all the way to the eastern coasts of Africa. He greatly expanded China’s trade and commercial influence throughout the Indian Ocean. He commanded seven different naval expeditions almost 50 years before Christopher Columbus was even born, and certainly before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Zheng He’s expeditions ventured through the South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and the east coast of Africa. All told, Zheng He visited over 30 countries, covering 160,00 sea miles or 300,000 kilo...
Episode 8.5 (Bonus): Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To find volunteer opportunities, visit: https://thekingcenter.org
Photo Credit: https://socialpresskit.com/daysofservice
Sources:
Special thanks to Ca...
Episode 8: Bessie Coleman
Even though our history books mention the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh, Bessie Coleman is excluded from the pages. While we know of Amelia Earhart, hardly anyone knows about Bessie Coleman. She is not even a footnote in our historical curriculum. But Bessie Coleman was the first pilot to be both African American and Native American. She was certainly the first woman to hold the title. In fact, she had her pilot’s license before Amelia Earhart. She was known as Brave Bessie, Queen Bess, and the Only Race Aviatrix in the World. After spending her short life combating rac...
Episode 7: Dr. Temple Grandin
At From History to Ourstory, we want our definition of "diversity" to be as broad as possible and to lead to as much inclusiveness as possible. Our Ourstorical Figure this week is neurodivergent and has autism spectrum disorder. We felt it was important to provide some context to ASD and, thus, the majority of this episode focused on the history of ASD and common misconceptions about neurodivergence. We hope you enjoy the content!
After being diagnosed with “brain damage” at the age of 2, no one expected Temple Grandin to ever speak, let alone become a prolific speaker and...
Episode 6: Maria Orosa
Today, we have a perfect example of why we do what we do here at the podcast: From History to Ourstory. Maria Orosa was a Filipino scientist, and unfortunately, her legacy is not given the attention or appreciation that it deserves. We are going to show you how her diverse experiences prepared her for the accomplishments and advances in food science that she ultimately achieved. She completely revolutionized the way Philippine produce was preserved, transported, and used, not to mention the 700+ recipes she developed to incorporate those local ingredients into delicious Filipino dishes. Her advancements in food technology helped...
Episode 5: Hedy Lamarr
In the 1930s, Hedy Lamarr captivated audiences around the world with her beauty and poise. Commonly playing the exotic seductress, people did not hesitate to call her the most beautiful woman in the world. And indeed, she was conventionally beautiful, stunning even. But, as with all women, there is so much more to her than her pretty face. The most beautiful woman in the world also had one of the most beautiful minds. She spoke German, French, and English perfectly, with only a hint of an accent. She was witty and assertive. But most notably, she invented the technology...
Episode 4: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Normally, our theme is to raise up the voices of diverse persons by sharing ourstorical figures that demonstrate the tenacity, perseverance, and influence of their community in various historical contexts. However, in this episode, we are sharing a real-life horror story. One example of when society treated diverse persons with, at best, shocking indifference. How the world labeled a group of people as “the other” and used that otherness as an excuse to treat them as something less than human. From 1932 to 1972, the U.S. government deceived an entire community and manipulated over 600 African American men, using them as huma...
Episode 3: Benjamin Lay
When you think of dwarfism throughout history, it may conjure up an image of court jesters, or possibly servants or slaves. In fact, a quick internet search of “dwarfism in history” reveals less than flattering anecdotes. Even in eras when they were respected, they were owned as slaves and used to benefit their masters’ social status. Sometimes they were fetishized.
It's quite possible that when you think of “dwarfism in history,” these are the roles that come to your mind. But rarely (or possibly never) do we think of a Little Person in history as a business owner, abo...
Episode 2: Sarah Rector
Today we are going to learn about Sarah Rector. A Black citizen of the Muskogee Creek nation, she was born in 1902. Although her family was incredibly poor when she was a child, she would become known as Kansas City’s First Black Woman Millionaire. Her life and circumstances drew national attention to the systemic racism that was literally robbing Native Americans and African Americans of the wealth and resources they were entitled to and had already been stolen from them generations earlier. Listen to this episode to learn how Sarah navigated a system designed to keep her penniless and ig...
Episode 1: Dr. James Miranda Barry
Our first episode highlights the accomplishments of Dr. James Barry. Born in about 1789, I’m sure James Barry sounds like an average, cis-gender Joe (or Jim in this case). But bear with us here!
Dr. Barry was one of the youngest graduates of Britain’s most prestigious medical school at the time. He went on to serve as a medical officer in the British military. He had posts all over the British empire and advocated for improved conditions for marginalized communities. Dr. Barry later rose to the second highest medical office in the British Army. In a time...
Episode 0: What is Ourstory?
Hello fellow Ourstorians! In this podcast, we will cover any historical figure or event that focuses on or highlights a diverse community. We have a whole list of people and events we want to bring to the forefront. But if you have any suggestions, please feel free to reach out and let us know! We hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Because this isn’t history. This is Ourstory.
Facebook: From History to Ourstory Podcast
Twitter: @OurstoryPod
Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/fromhistorytoourstory/
E-mail: FromHistoryToOurstory@gmail.com
This episode wa...
