WEBVTT - Introducing: The Godmother

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Nicole Perkins, and in my new podcast, The Godmother,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm inviting you to nineteen thirty six New York to

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<v Speaker 1>a Manhattan courthouse.

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<v Speaker 2>At the time, it was called the Trial of the Century.

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<v Speaker 2>They had snipers on the roofs in Foley Square. They

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<v Speaker 2>had police officers with riot guns in the hallway.

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<v Speaker 1>On the stand was one of America's most notorious gangsters,

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<v Speaker 1>a man named Lucky Luciano.

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<v Speaker 2>He is called sometimes the Boss of Bosses. NiCoT Father

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<v Speaker 2>was a great film based Paul on the Luciana legend.

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<v Speaker 1>At this trial, on a crisp spring morning, in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the Great Depression, Lucky would finally be.

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<v Speaker 2>Brought down or Old Luciano said, Holy Toledo, you're giving

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<v Speaker 2>me a life sentence. Everybody generally agrees that that was

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<v Speaker 2>the nail in Lucky's coffin.

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<v Speaker 1>But beneath the glitz, the glamour, the grime, and the

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<v Speaker 1>notoriety of this moment in American history, there's another story

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<v Speaker 1>that's being overshadowed, a name that's been left out of

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<v Speaker 1>the Hollywood retellings, Unice Carter.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a better story to be told, a more complex story.

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<v Speaker 2>But for Unice Carter. I don't know that Lucciana wouldever

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<v Speaker 2>have been convicted.

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<v Speaker 1>Unice Carter was a black female lawyer in nineteen thirties

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<v Speaker 1>America who took down one of history's most notorious gangsters.

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<v Speaker 2>Unice Carter was the spark that started the fire.

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<v Speaker 1>She was the one that said, this is how we

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<v Speaker 1>get it. So why hasn't she been remembered.

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<v Speaker 3>I just want people to know what she did.

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<v Speaker 1>I've been doing some digging, and what I found paints

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<v Speaker 1>a picture of a complex, fascinating woman.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a straight shooter who will say something and

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<v Speaker 2>mean it.

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<v Speaker 3>She intimidated a lot of people in real life. She

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<v Speaker 3>was just kind of a fierce person.

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<v Speaker 1>All around us. Today, Black American history is being erased,

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<v Speaker 1>especially the stories of black women.

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<v Speaker 3>It's not even just that not everyone remembers Unice, but

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<v Speaker 3>that people don't even believe she could have existed. The

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<v Speaker 3>idea that she could have existed seems like a fantasy

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<v Speaker 3>to people.

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<v Speaker 1>Remembering Unice Carter feels more urgent than ever. This is

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<v Speaker 1>a story of ambition, justice, and legacy. This is the

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<v Speaker 1>story of Unice Carter.

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<v Speaker 3>The influence that you have while you're alive matters, even

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<v Speaker 3>if after you're gone, everyone forgets about you. It doesn't

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<v Speaker 3>mean that it was all for nothing.

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<v Speaker 1>Listen to The Godmother with me Nicole Perkins, Launching on

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<v Speaker 1>January fifteenth on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you get your podcasts.