1 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha, and welcome to stuff. 2 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: I never told your production of I Heart Radio. So 3 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: for today's question, Samantha, I have one that I am 4 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: almost certain I know the answer to, but I'm gonna 5 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: ask it anyway. Were you a member of any fan clubs? 6 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: I have to think about it because I feel like 7 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: I may have been. But it was way back when. 8 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: Oh I saw it for sure it was gonna be no. 9 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: But okay, no, I think it goes because I can't 10 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: had just come into the US. My brother was a 11 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: big Tiffany fan nineteen eight Tiffany. I love that I 12 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: said this. I think he and I both joined her 13 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: fan club. I do not know who Tiffany is, but 14 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: I think we're alone now. That's I think it's like 15 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: she and the new kids on the block was the 16 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: big mall singers, like they would do mall tours. Mm hmm, 17 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: mall tours. I forgot about that. Yeah, look, I'm that old. 18 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: That's I'm that old. I was really young when this 19 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 1: was coming about. But yeah, I think she and he 20 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: and I were both bands like he because I wanted 21 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: to do what he did. It was very American and 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, cool, I'll do this with you. 23 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: But I think that was the only real time I'm 24 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: guessing you have been. Oh yes, I have multiple fan 25 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: cups in my under my belt. Um. I was big 26 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: in the Green Day fan club. Yeah, it seems so 27 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: weird because don't get me wrong, no, Green Day was 28 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: big band everything. But that seems like against what they 29 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: would have wanted for them as a band themselves as 30 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: a band. Well, their fan club was very different than 31 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: the other fan clubs I was a member of because 32 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: it was more like random video clips of them on 33 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: tour and trade cool yelling at you for watching the video. 34 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: So it fits I think. Um. But I was also 35 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: John Williams fan club. Um. And but what I wanted 36 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: to bring up today the Mary Kate and Ashley fan 37 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: club because they would send you a box like every 38 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: couple of months with a mystery for you to solve, 39 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: and it was I loved it. I loved it. It's 40 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: the most exciting package. And I would just like get 41 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: my flower and dust the mirror of for fingerprints that 42 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: were my fingerprints, of course, and I love that day. 43 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: That's what they did because they weren't genius when it 44 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: comes to entrepreneurship. That's a whole other level. Oh yeah, 45 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: I was a huge Mary Kay Nashley fan. UM. I 46 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: think I was in that fan club for probably an 47 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: embarrassing amount of time. I might have aged out, but 48 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: I just like mysteries. I like puzzles. It was fun. 49 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it was amusing. Why not it kept me 50 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: like I had to go outside for some of them 51 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: and all I m m M. I will say there's 52 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: something to getting a package in the mill and just 53 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: having something like when people send you things, it is 54 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: quite delightful. Yeah, and I feel like a good surprise 55 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: package to from someone you know where you're like, oh, 56 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: I wasn't expecting this, and it's just sort of this 57 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: mismatch of things. I love that. Uh. And that's why 58 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: I wanted to bring it up because today we are 59 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: talking about women in the United States Postal Service the 60 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: USPS UM. Yes, and if you are curious after this 61 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: you want to do some further listening stuff you missed 62 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: in history class are sister podcast although I have been 63 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: called out for calling them sister podcasts and brother podcasts, 64 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: so I don't really know the terminology. Another podcast on 65 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: our network um our fan podcast, Our podcast FAM. Yes, um, 66 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: they did an episode on women in the USPS. That 67 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: was the title back in back, so go check that out. 68 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: And for those that don't know UM. Here in the 69 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: United States, there has been a lot of conversation about 70 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: the United States Postal Service, as in fact, we had 71 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: the whole uh hearing. We have a whole hearing happening 72 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,720 Speaker 1: right now. Yes, yes, as we record this UM, which 73 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,119 Speaker 1: is August. Just to put a stamp on there because 74 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: accidental pun thanks are moving very quickly. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah. 75 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: And Trump has pretty much been attacking it UM, talking 76 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: about with holding of funds to prevent universal mail in voting. 77 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: He literally said that out loud. UM. He's appointee to 78 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: Postmaster General, Lewis to Joy, is very vocal a proponent 79 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: of privatizing the USPS, essentially dismantling it, and as a 80 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: part of that, he has eliminated overtime pay. This has 81 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: resulted in massive delivery delays. I've seen this UM with 82 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 1: packages I've sent out and have been expecting. Uh. Also 83 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: there is a birthday presents not here yet. I'm very 84 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: upset about this. Oh. I was like, is this Oh, no, 85 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: blame the USPS. No, birthday present. No birthday present for you. 86 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: That's cool, that's cool your president. Um. And then there 87 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: was like a bigger fuffle of them of post boxes 88 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: being removed. Um. And this is all despite the fact 89 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 1: that the USPS has a ninety one per cent approval rating, 90 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 1: which is the highest of any government agency. UM. And 91 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: people depend on it for checks and medicine. I think 92 00:05:57,880 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: that gets forgotten by a lot of people who just 93 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: complain about junk mail, and especially if we're talking about 94 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 1: an election with a lot of mail and voting very 95 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: important um. Due to people who work at the post office, 96 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: their knowledge of the landscape. Mail carriers have provided assistance 97 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: after disasters. They've helped find lost children, they provided emergency 98 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 1: first aid, all kinds of things. Really, like, there's fantastic 99 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: stories out there for the reading. UM. Now, some of 100 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: Lewis and Joy's more controversial changes, some of them have 101 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: been put on hold till after the election because a 102 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: lot of there's a lot of bipartisan backlash. But still 103 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: damage has been done. Um. Although we did get some 104 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: fun news that Steve Bannon was arrested in part with 105 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: the help of the US Postal Inspection Service, which I 106 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: don't know. Is that ironic? Is that the word? I just, 107 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: I'm just I thought it was like an onion article 108 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: when I first saw it on a yacht getting arrested 109 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 1: by essentially the USPS. So like, wait, I did too. 110 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: I had to go back and looks like they can 111 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: do that. What's happening? What's happening? Yep? I learned a 112 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: lot that day. Yeah, there's a lot. As we're talking again, 113 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: I love watching hearings like this, or just at least 114 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: clips of it to see. Mainly, it just seems like 115 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: a majority of the female representatives have been going after 116 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: the joy pretty hard um and trying to just kind 117 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: of see if he understands the basics of the Postal 118 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: Service and he doesn't. He knew the cost of a stamp. 119 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: Oh wow, I'm surprised that. Yeah, that was about it, 120 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: and the rest of it was kind of like what 121 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: is happening? So it was. It's been an interesting thing 122 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: to watch because I will say I don't know either, 123 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: but as someone who was the lead and ahead of 124 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: an agency that is supposed to be a service you 125 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: would think would be important. But I digress. So the 126 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: US Postal Service sorce over one hundred and fifty four 127 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: billion pieces of mail each year and employee over six 128 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: hundred thousand people UM. The USPS has also long been 129 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: important for communities of color, both in terms of service 130 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:21,679 Speaker 1: and stable employment. Twenty one percent other employees are black. Yeah, 131 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of really amazing statistics out there 132 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: in terms of how much mail they do sort. If 133 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: you want to find them, it's a lot. It's way 134 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: more than their competitors, way more. Right. And then just 135 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: a reminder, one of the controversy is that they have 136 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: unplugged the sorting machines, which is a big important part 137 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: of what's happening. Yeah, And it's odd because it's odd 138 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: at first because things feel so partisan here right now, 139 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 1: and in a lot of ways they are. UM. But 140 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 1: there is a part of me that naively thought the 141 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,679 Speaker 1: posts the post office. But there has been a history 142 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: of this. This is not by any means, um the 143 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: first time, especially Republican UM politicians have come for the USPS. 144 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,439 Speaker 1: It's just like, so we have enough going on right now. 145 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:19,839 Speaker 1: I really I'm getting at my limit right well, the 146 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: two hurricanes coming, a lot of fire to happening. Let's 147 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: go ahead and just you know, just mentally USPS. Why 148 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: not no better time than the present, you know, Uh, 149 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 1: something always comes up, as I like to say, so 150 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:35,839 Speaker 1: we did want to go. We wanted to go over 151 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:39,199 Speaker 1: the history of of the USPS and specifically women and 152 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: in the United States Postal Service because it's fascinating. It 153 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 1: really is. Um. So briefly, the United States Postal Service 154 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: is as old as the United States is itself, and 155 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: in fact older, uh, and in many ways helped build 156 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: this country. It was guaranteed in the Constitution formed by 157 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: George Washington in five that time there was a single 158 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: female postmaster, Mary Katherine Goddard, and even prior Yeah, in 159 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 1: colonial America there were, uh, there were these post routes 160 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,840 Speaker 1: and there were two female postmasters on record. When Goddard 161 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: was removed by the Postmaster General in two hundred people 162 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: petitioned to have her reinstated. Yeah, that's nice. I don't 163 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:25,680 Speaker 1: know why. I just basically think, you all, she's loved 164 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: I don't know, And there are a lot of examples 165 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 1: of that throughout this And then I was as I 166 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 1: was reading stories of people who work um at USPS 167 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 1: and just the bonds they form in their community and 168 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: people know their names and that's how like if if 169 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: somebody hasn't answered their mail in three days, but they 170 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: usually come out and talk to them and they that's 171 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:47,840 Speaker 1: how they'll know, like maybe I should check in on 172 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: them or call call an ambulance. And it's really hardwarming 173 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 1: some of the stories. Yeah, most of these early women 174 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: who held these positions did so because their husband or 175 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: father couldn't fulfill their duties and it was sort of 176 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,319 Speaker 1: like kind of a backdoor entrance into getting the job. 177 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: They just never officially had it perhaps, but they were 178 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: performing the duties right. So the first woman appointed as 179 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: postmaster under the Constitution was Sarah DeCrow in North Carolina 180 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: in seventeen nine two. The Crow kept trying to resign 181 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: to the low pay um. When Rose Right was appointed 182 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: in Harrisburg, Pennsylvanian eight fourteen, she faced the backlash and 183 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: controversy over whether or not a woman could hold the 184 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 1: position at all, which is weird since they have been whatever. 185 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: The Postmaster General the time wrote, quote, my feelings would 186 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: lead me to appointments write in conformity to the which 187 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 1: has expressed in her recommendation. But the post office law 188 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,080 Speaker 1: has been revised and altered since the appointment of Mrs Moore, 189 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: and a doubt has been suggested to me from a 190 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: source that I ought to respect as the strict legality 191 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: of appointing a female, and on careful examination of the law, 192 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: I inclined to believe that the doubt may be well founded. 193 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: It Yeah, if I remembering quickly, it was that we've 194 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,560 Speaker 1: talked about it before, But it was how the pronoun 195 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 1: the default pronoun and the Constitution is he I think 196 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 1: that's the argument he was making so often. Yep. Sure 197 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: as um. In eighteen o two, the Postmaster General past 198 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: a while prohibiting black people from working for the post Office, 199 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 1: a law that wasn't repealed until the Civil War. The 200 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: first record we have of a woman being appointed to 201 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: deliver mail goes back to April third, eighteen forty five, 202 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: when Postmaster General Cave Johnson appointed Sarah Black, one of 203 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,199 Speaker 1: her relatives, became the town's first female postmaster after that Um. 204 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: At first, these early female mail carriers transported mail, but 205 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: by eighteen nine they were delivering it to primarily on 206 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: rural routes, but they made it to the cities as 207 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,319 Speaker 1: well to the big city by in the nineteen seventeen 208 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 1: during the shortage of men from World War One, Washington's 209 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: postmasters set about this. This is the first time in 210 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: the record of the Post Office Department of the United 211 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,319 Speaker 1: States that women have been used for carrying mail on 212 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: roots in a city. It must be considered more or 213 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: less in the nature of an experiment, and it was 214 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: viewed this way. It's kind of experiment in a handful 215 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: of cities across the country, like a test, a trial 216 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:22,359 Speaker 1: right um. And though the women in question were successful 217 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: on their roots, most were replaced into indoor post office positions, 218 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: so they didn't get to keep their roots right. So 219 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 1: several women were hired as postmaster in the South after 220 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: the Civil War because taking the position requires swearing an 221 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: oath they had not voluntarily provided any aid to Confederate 222 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: soldiers or the Confederacy, and a lot of men couldn't 223 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 1: make that oath. So in eighteen sixty two, the Postmaster 224 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 1: General became the first higher up official to appoint women 225 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: to positions at the Washington DC's Post Department headquarters, specifically 226 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 1: in the Dead Letter Office, and it employed more women 227 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: than any other in the US government. So these women 228 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: earned about thirty five percent less than their milk counter parts. Surprise. 229 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: So in eighteen sixty nine New York Times article arguing 230 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 1: for women's equal pay came with this quote about how 231 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: the women weren't allowed to do the mechanical work of 232 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: opening letters because quote, as is said, im moral things 233 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: are sometimes found in the mill. Obviously, and to see 234 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: these things would it is supposed corrupt the morals of women. 235 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: And at this time a lot of post offices had 236 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: separate ladies windows, so that blew my mind. They have constitutions. 237 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: Come on, what if a letter magically opens and I 238 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 1: see a drawing a stick figure with ankles or something, 239 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: I don't know what I'll do. Some places even had 240 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: a third window, so there was a lady's window, men's window, 241 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: and then the third one was men accepting letters for women. Perfect. Yeah, 242 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: because you know that's the only way you can do it. 243 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: It's beviously the easiest way to go about all of this. Uh. 244 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: And yeah, that quote mechanical work. That was an official 245 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: term used to prevent women from working opening letters. Mechanical working, 246 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 1: that's true in a paper cut. I'm not arguing that point. 247 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,160 Speaker 1: I have a paper cut, I'm not doing anything else. 248 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: I actually believe that the first known black female postmaster, 249 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: Anna Dumas, was appointed in Louisiana in eighteen seventy two, 250 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: and then in Martial Cummings work The Story of Our 251 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: Post Office, he estimated six thousand women held the position 252 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: of postmaster. He wrote, a whole book could be written 253 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: about the many admirable women who work away with all 254 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: their tact and business prudence, trying to please their patrons 255 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: and the department alike, and pleasing both. Because they try, 256 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: sometimes they are the most important persons in their towns. Yeah, 257 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: women managed about ten percent of the countries seventy thousand 258 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,080 Speaker 1: post offices by the end of the nineteenth century. And 259 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: because of that community and almost reverence people had for 260 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: people who worked with the USPS and postmasters at these 261 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: admirable women. As Marshall Cushing alluded to, there are so 262 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: many legends, so many legends about women in the USPS, 263 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: and we have some amazing ones to share with you. 264 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: What's excited. But first we're gonna pause for a quick 265 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:45,600 Speaker 1: break for work from our sponsor, and we're back. Thank you. 266 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: Sponsored so because the job was physically demanding, and mail 267 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: wagons were frequent targets of bandits and women of course 268 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: we're seen as fragile. So fragile female post carriers were 269 00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: almost mythical. Oh yes, let's go take Polly Martin. She 270 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:05,679 Speaker 1: became the first known woman to carry mail on a 271 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: contract route or star route. From eighteen sixty to eighteen 272 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: seventy six, he drove a mail wagon in Massachusetts, delivering 273 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 1: mail packages, telegraphs, and sometimes providing transport for up the 274 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,919 Speaker 1: six people. In eighty four Boston Globe interview with Polly 275 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: Martin was subtitled Grave Polly Martin, who used to drive 276 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 1: the Attleborough Mail. How she horse whipped highway robbers and 277 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 1: silenced saucy passengers who, according to her, she'd only been 278 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: accosted one time by a robber. She beat him in 279 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 1: the face with a horse whip and kept going. She 280 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: said in an interview quote he had tackled the wrong 281 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,719 Speaker 1: customer that time. Get him, Polly dang so. In eight 282 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:48,720 Speaker 1: article from The New York Times wrote of Mini Westman, 283 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:52,640 Speaker 1: a mail carrier out of Oregon, that she quote carries 284 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,640 Speaker 1: the mail night and day and fears nothing. She rise 285 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: the horseback and carries a trusty revolver. Yes. The Washington 286 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:03,479 Speaker 1: wrote about Arizona's Burke, who twice a week traveled her 287 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: fifty two mile route that was described as quote wild 288 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: and desolate and God forsaken love this. I love this. 289 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,159 Speaker 1: This would have been right up my alley as a 290 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 1: kid kind of a post woman in the post office. 291 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: Why why isn't there, Hollywood? Get on, are ready? We 292 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: are waiting. The first known black woman to carry mail 293 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: was Mary Fields and the eighteen nineties formerly enslaved, Fields 294 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: was legendary in her Montanna. In her Montana town, she 295 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: smoked cigars, She drank a lot, she was a crack shot, 296 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:44,320 Speaker 1: she was very kind. Um. When she died, her obituary 297 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 1: was on the front page of both the local papers. 298 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: People adored her. Yes, and and always the caveat was first. Um. 299 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: Hard to pin that down for sure. And in fact, 300 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,159 Speaker 1: the USPS official they have a timeline that was really 301 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: helpful and putting all the us together. They even say, like, 302 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: you know, we're dependent on records that survived or records 303 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: that were even kept. So yeah, yeah, And some of 304 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: the dates confused me in their own timeline because I 305 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 1: think they were sort of this unofficial thing happening where 306 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:21,600 Speaker 1: women were carrying male but they weren't officially recognized. So 307 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:23,360 Speaker 1: sometimes I'd be like, but you said, the first woman 308 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: to do that did that like ten twenty years ago. 309 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: But I think it's kind of this difference in officially 310 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: recognizing they were accredited with it. Yeah, and and even 311 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: if they you know, mentioned somebody was delivering rural mail 312 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: and eighteen whatever. Uh, that was sort of before there 313 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: was this level of here's a contract route in a 314 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 1: local route and you're officially affiliated with the USPS, so 315 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 1: they can get kind of muddled. But anyway, um in 316 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: rural free mail delivery service was introduced, and three years 317 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 1: later the first Assistant Postmaster General said, on at least 318 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: two routes, there are girl carriers and they are as 319 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: unflagging in their devotion to the service as the men 320 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 1: and as efficient tool. Yeah. In nineteen o two, the 321 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,119 Speaker 1: Postmaster General ordered quote a classified woman employee in the 322 00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: Postal Service who shall change her name by marriage will 323 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: not be reappointed. He believed married women should stay at 324 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 1: home and take care of their wifely duties. They can't 325 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: do that if they have a paper cut any that's true, 326 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: that's true. Uh. Though there were some exceptions to this, 327 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,960 Speaker 1: but the law did remain in place until nineteen one. 328 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: Something similar was enacted during the Great Depression, requiring that 329 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: federally employed women who were married to federally employed men 330 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: would be the first to be dismissed, a law that 331 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: wasn't repealed until ninety seven. So Also in nineteen o two, 332 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: The New York Times ran a piece on discrimination in 333 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: civil services like the post office, reporting that several of 334 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,359 Speaker 1: them requests only the male names for the red to start, 335 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: despite the fact more women took and passed the exam. 336 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: In response, an official said, every time a woman is 337 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: appointed to a clerkship in one of the departments, she 338 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 1: lessens the chances of marriage for herself and deprives some 339 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: worthy man of a chance to take unto himself and 340 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: raise a family. In addition to that, the men make 341 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: for better clerks. They complain lest do more work and 342 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: work over time if maybe without grumbling. Oh, I would 343 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: never want to deprive some worthy man of a chance 344 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,119 Speaker 1: to raise his family or probably more accurately, be working 345 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: at the post office the line raising while he ignores me. Okay, cool, Yeah, 346 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 1: it's strange to read uh these because again this is 347 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:46,000 Speaker 1: in like the official USPS timeline are like wow, people 348 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:50,640 Speaker 1: really just alright, just putting it out there. Yeah, okay, 349 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:53,879 Speaker 1: a lot of people were really opposed to to female 350 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,880 Speaker 1: rural carriers. Um. I got really confused at first because 351 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 1: there was a big hubbub about women can only wear skirts, 352 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: but you can't wear a skirt to be a mail carrier, 353 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: and so there was this whole argument over what was 354 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: better if the female male carriers should like break gender 355 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,479 Speaker 1: norms and wear pants or if she should keep the skirt. 356 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,679 Speaker 1: And I was like, wow, is this why the beginning 357 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: of the blue shorts happened? I really hope so that 358 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: they were like, let's just get rid of all of 359 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: those things. Yes, let's start a new I know the 360 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: bag is designed for dog attacks. That yeah, that makes sense. 361 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: But I love my favorite videos right now? Are that 362 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: the relationship between postal workers, mail carriers and dogs. Yeah, 363 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:45,640 Speaker 1: those are some of my favorites. Well, um, yeah, people 364 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:47,879 Speaker 1: were really torried about this whole skirt dilemma, and a 365 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 1: lot of the female male carriers wanted to wear skirt. 366 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 1: Um some some didn't, but a lot of them did. 367 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: Some saloons banded together to put their mailboxes outside so 368 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:01,679 Speaker 1: female carriers didn't have to sacrifice their dignity by entering. 369 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: That's kind of them. Sure. Sure. A proposal to allow 370 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: for male and female carriers of to work for the 371 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: post office was described by some as quote worse than reconstruction. 372 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 1: And I believe someone said it was the beginning of 373 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: the end of our country. I feel like we've heard 374 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 1: that statement so many times, been doing things I know, 375 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: I feel like you're right. Well. Nevertheless, the number of 376 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: women mail carriers exploded over the course of the twentieth century, 377 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 1: going from only a few hundred to eighty four thousand 378 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: at the turn of the new millennium. Yeah, I get 379 00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: them girls. So. In nineteen o five, and Atlanta Journal 380 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: Constitution article described the near death experience of Edda E. 381 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: Bolton out of Mobile, Alabama. She was driving her milk 382 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: wagon across a swollen stream over a rickety bridge, when 383 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: just as she reached the middle, the structure gave way. 384 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,439 Speaker 1: With great presence of mind and exceptional pluck, she managed 385 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: to extra herself on the debris and the struggling horse 386 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: and gained the shore. The wagon, horse, and contents of 387 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: the vehicle. We're doing their best to make an end 388 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: to all, but miss Bolton plunged again into the torch 389 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 1: and worked like a heroine of old to save the property. 390 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 1: Nearly exhausted, she finally gave the bank, having saved every 391 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: sack and pouch of mail. I mean this is exciting. 392 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:23,879 Speaker 1: That is again. Why is it this a movie? I 393 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 1: don't know, but I love it. I love it. I 394 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:30,480 Speaker 1: also feel like pluck is such a specific term to 395 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 1: use for women in this particular case to our plug um. 396 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: The Los Angeles Sunday Times published an article in the 397 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,200 Speaker 1: nineteen seven called life Not all cake and ale. Woman 398 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 1: male carrier has her share of trouble about Sarah George, 399 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: whose biggest concern corn to her was the terrain, including 400 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 1: a swamp. She said quote, if you once get into 401 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,120 Speaker 1: that mudhole, all the King's horses and all the King's 402 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:59,679 Speaker 1: men can hardly get you out. Also great article title 403 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,119 Speaker 1: up for real mail went airborne in nineteen eleven, and 404 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: the first female pilot to make a mail drop was 405 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: Catherine Stinson in nine, both as a stunt um and 406 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,679 Speaker 1: then she went on to do regular airmail. In en 407 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: she attempted to make the shock Chicago to New York 408 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 1: route in one day, but she ran out of fuel 409 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,480 Speaker 1: and was forced to land where she was forced to 410 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: land with this muddy field, and it was so muddy 411 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 1: that she slid and crashed. However, she was uninjured, but 412 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: her plane had to be repaired, so she could not 413 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,880 Speaker 1: accomplish her goal, her one day goal. Still, she wrote 414 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: two American records on this trip, one for skill and 415 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:40,240 Speaker 1: the other four indurance, So not bad. Helen Ritchie was 416 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 1: the first known woman to regularly complete air roots in 417 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: ninety four, and she beat out eight other pilots for that. 418 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:49,919 Speaker 1: I feel like this needs to be a contest somehow, 419 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:54,640 Speaker 1: reality show contest, Like, so you can deliver the mail 420 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: the fastest, Like it sounds such a competition to have 421 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 1: all of these records. This is amazing. So ricords indicate 422 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: that children were sometimes affixed with stamps and meld in 423 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 1: train compartments. So that's interesting. Someone even wrote to the 424 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 1: Postmaster General about the best way to wrap a baby 425 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: for transportation. Uh, this is right when the USBs just 426 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:21,399 Speaker 1: received authorization from Congress to deliver packages. Yes, and I 427 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:22,639 Speaker 1: just want to put that in there because it's an 428 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 1: interesting fact. But also again, like I'm pretty sure people 429 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: were delivering packages before this, right, but this was just 430 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,679 Speaker 1: kind of the official coming down from Congress. Yes, seems 431 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: such a morbid way to send a baby, but okay, 432 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: it's only his cheap But it was cheap a couple 433 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:42,679 Speaker 1: of stamps and one forebber stamping you're good. Awesome. So 434 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:46,080 Speaker 1: twenty five women took the Civil Service Carrier exam in Washington, 435 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 1: d c. In nineteen eighteen, with a clear understanding that 436 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: they would only get jobs if there are no men 437 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:55,479 Speaker 1: to fill them. Of course, later that year, Armacy Craig 438 00:26:55,640 --> 00:27:00,679 Speaker 1: became the city's first regularly appointed carrier. Many women did 439 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 1: give up their roots when men returned home from war, 440 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:07,120 Speaker 1: but some continued um and something similar happened during World 441 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: War Two. During the fifties, women made up less than 442 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:14,600 Speaker 1: one percent of carriers. To change that, the postmaster hired 443 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: former Congresswoman Cecil M. Harden as his special assistant for 444 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: Women's affairs in nineteen fifty nine. She went on speaking 445 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: tours promoting women as carriers, with middling results. There was increased, 446 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:30,920 Speaker 1: but not that much um. The number for female postmasters 447 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 1: went up during World War Two as well, from about 448 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,959 Speaker 1: seventeen thousand, five hundred forty two thousand, six hundred eighty 449 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 1: by nineteen forty three, more than of the forty one thousand, 450 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,359 Speaker 1: five D seventy five postmaster positions were held by women. 451 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:48,720 Speaker 1: The Postmaster General released a press release about this in 452 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,879 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty eight, writing quote, with our near sixteen thousand 453 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: women postmasters, representing close to half of our entire management staff, 454 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: we believe it is fair to say the American Post 455 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,720 Speaker 1: Office Department recognizes the management abilities of women preps more 456 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:07,879 Speaker 1: than any other private or governmental organization anywhere. Yeah of 457 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: all black people who earned above the national media and 458 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 1: income were postal workers by nine. So during World War Two, 459 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: a group of eight hundred fifty five black women in 460 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:21,879 Speaker 1: the six thousand eight Central Postal Directory Battalion of the 461 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: Women's Army Auxiliary of Corps managed the military's mail. It 462 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,199 Speaker 1: was headed up by Major Charity Adams early by the wars, 463 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: and she was the highest ranking black woman in the military. 464 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 1: So this battalion was the only one that was all 465 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: black and all women. They're deployed in England and France, 466 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 1: and when they arrived in England in nineteen three, there 467 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: were letters stacked to the ceiling. They're able to deliver 468 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: morale boosting letters to the seven million American soldiers stations 469 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: in Europe. Despite this important work, the army was still segregated, surprise, surprise, 470 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: and the woman ate and slept and segregated barracks. So many, 471 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: so many stories here. Um again, I want this to 472 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: be a whole series. Oh, it could be like an 473 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: HBO limited run Blakely Circle, bla Blakely Bleakly circle. What 474 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 1: are your talking the women who did the coding, the 475 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: Morris coding, clear as day, Clear as a day. But 476 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 1: in the meantime, we're not done with these stories. But 477 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: first we have one more quick break for a word 478 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: from our sponsors, and we're back. Thank you sponsor. So. 479 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: President John F. Kennedy formed the President's Commission on the 480 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:49,240 Speaker 1: Status of Women in nineteen sixty one, specifically to examine 481 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: the employment practices of federal offices, and in nineteen sixty 482 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: two he ordered that federal appointments be made without regards 483 00:29:55,440 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: to sex. More and more women became carriers. By in 484 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 1: nine three, they made up about ten percent of carriers UH. 485 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: The ninety three Equal Pay Act also made room for 486 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:10,880 Speaker 1: more black women, and the number employed shut up. At 487 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 1: the USPS, women were fighting for the rights for standard 488 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,880 Speaker 1: uniforms and separate met equal bathrooms in the nineteen sixties. 489 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:23,120 Speaker 1: Skirts were made in official uniform option in nineteen fifty, 490 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: and it wasn't until nineteen sixty nine that women were 491 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: allowed into the US Postal Inspection Service, and in nineteen 492 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: seventy four, the Postal Service claimed it was one of 493 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: the world's largest employers of women, the product of a 494 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: longstanding postal tradition of providing career opportunities to women. Really, 495 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: it took a long while to get there, though, so 496 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: women in the service looked at the lack of leadership 497 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: in the agency and disagreed. As I said. In response, 498 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 1: the Postal Service founded the Women's Program to seek out 499 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: women for placement in high level jobs, and it was 500 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: semi successful. At the time, women made up only sixteen 501 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: point five percent of those positions, less than any other 502 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 1: federal agencies, and the leader of this program, Mary Valentino, 503 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: called it only on paper. She filed a class action 504 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: lawsuit for a hundred and fifty five thousand female Postal 505 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 1: Service workers in nineteen seventies. Seven letter carriers began to 506 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 1: unionize in the eighteen sixties, So yeah, it's going back up. 507 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 1: Bit um, including mostly black National Alliance of Postal Employees, 508 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 1: and in the nineteen seventies, jumping to our prison spot 509 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: on the tire line carriers ran on an eight days 510 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,200 Speaker 1: strike dubbed the Revolt of the Good Guys. This led 511 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 1: to an Act of Congress establishing the USPS. Prior had 512 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: been called the Post Office Department and funded by taxpayers. 513 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: So this is our more modern iteration we're seeing right here. 514 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,360 Speaker 1: Um now. It was expected to fund itself, and by 515 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 1: the nineteen nineties, not only was it doing that, it 516 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:54,959 Speaker 1: was profiting. That changed with a new law in two 517 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: thousand and six that required that the Post Office pay 518 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 1: up front the benefits of future employe is spanning seventy 519 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 1: five years into the future, and since then, perhaps obviously, 520 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: it is not reported a profit. In nive Jackie Strange 521 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,480 Speaker 1: was appointed as Deputy Postmaster General, the highest rank ever 522 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: held by a woman in the Postal Office at the time. 523 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: Her work when it came to advancing women in the 524 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: USPS was regarded so well that Australia's Postbuster General asked 525 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: her for advice. In two thousand eight. Women made up 526 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 1: six of the twenty thousand eighty nine postmaster positions and 527 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,680 Speaker 1: Megan J. Brennan became the first female Postmaster General in 528 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:42,080 Speaker 1: So what is storied history? Um, we definitely have ways 529 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: to go still, but just much Sometimes I choose a 530 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 1: topic and I really have no idea how interesting it's 531 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: going to be. I mean, this thus feels like wild 532 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: Wild West kind of level of history with them, um 533 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: civil rights history in it too, and I think it 534 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 1: would be a great series. Someone needs to do this asap. Yes, yes, 535 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 1: we shall eagerly await that. But in the meantime we 536 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: would love to hear from you. We would eagerly await 537 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,760 Speaker 1: that as well. You can email us our emails, Stuff 538 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,160 Speaker 1: Media mom Stuff at iHeart media dot com. You also 539 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast or on 540 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: Instagram at Stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks as always 541 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 1: to your super producer Andrew Howard, Thank you, and thanks 542 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,600 Speaker 1: to you for listening. Stephane Never Told You the production 543 00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcast from My Heart Radio, 544 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 1: visit the Ihear Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you 545 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.