1 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie, and you're listening to stuff I'll 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: never told you. And this is a very special bonus 3 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: episode and the first of a bonus segment about first. 4 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,919 Speaker 1: So this is pretty exciting. And to help me with 5 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 1: this very special, super bonus packed episode is my good 6 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: friend and co worker Eves. So let's get to it. 7 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: So now we are joined by a good friend of 8 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: mine and co worker Eves. It's good to see you again. Yes, 9 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: you've heard from Eves on the episode we did around 10 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: um Invisible Disability. And we're going to do this segment 11 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: that we hope will be a regular segment about female First. 12 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: And we spent a decent, not embarrassing amount of time 13 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: trying to come up with an acronym for it because 14 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: I love doing ridiculous acronyms allah shield from Marvel movies. 15 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: So right now we're working with female first empower. Well 16 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,119 Speaker 1: we'll get there, we'll get there. You know this has 17 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: to be done, though, we're not giving no, no, no, 18 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: Please right in with your your suggestions. I actually came 19 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: up with one of these for the other podcast I 20 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: do and like no one will get on board with it. 21 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: I'm like, it's time for another segment of Plate and 22 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: they're like Annie, but you can also hear Eaves on 23 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: This Day in History class. And one of the reasons 24 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: I I'm really excited to have you on here is 25 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: because part of doing this show, I've just come to 26 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: realize there's so many women who have done amazing things 27 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: that I'd never heard of, I was never taught about. 28 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: I can say that I've ran into that a lot 29 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: too doing This Day in History class, and I'll just 30 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: get so excited when I found out things about women 31 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: to like, oh my gosh, they did this, they did this. 32 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: Everybody needs to know, you know. So I think even 33 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: if there are people that we know about, maybe we 34 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: don't know everything about them, and then there are people 35 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: that or who we haven't heard of at all. So 36 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 1: I'm excited to to be able to talk about people 37 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: in history who did amazing things. Yeah, and put a 38 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: spotlight on on women who have either been erased or 39 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: just never gotten the spotlight they deserve. That's something we 40 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: talked about it in our Wikipedia episode of just how 41 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: many women kind of forgotten to time? And Yeah, I'm 42 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: a big, big history nerd, so I uh, I'm very 43 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: happy to to include this and today you have to 44 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,519 Speaker 1: two women who kind of uh that there's a couple 45 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: of similarities, some more important than others. I was like, 46 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: their names will start with him. Did you go through 47 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: a whole checklist of like similarities and differences. I can 48 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: see you doing that. I do, like, I really do. Yeah, 49 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: I think it's important to talk about them, But I 50 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: want to talk about first first in general, because I 51 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: think there's kind of some I don't know, hesitancy over 52 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: celebrating first Sometimes. I do think it's really important to 53 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: look back in history and see how things started and 54 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: see how they snowballed on from the things that happened 55 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: um in the beginning. Um, Like, things have precedents, they 56 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: don't just come out of nowhere, and I think that 57 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: that can get a little lost sometimes. So it's definitely 58 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: important to recognize the first women, the first black people 59 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: to do this, the first Native American people to do 60 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: things like we haven't today's episode. But um, I think 61 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: that there's an argument to be had about the value 62 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: of first, because it kind of is like one of 63 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: those things that sounds really nice, send really pretty on paper. 64 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: But there's definitely an argument to be had about the 65 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: value of first, especially when it comes to first when 66 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: they are mixed with like gender and with ethnicity, because 67 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: a lot of the times they'll be a first woman 68 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: to do something and then a first Black woman to 69 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: do something. But a lot of Tom's people weren't recognized 70 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: for the very reason of that ethnicity. So it kind 71 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: of does in a way at times overshadow people's achievements 72 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: in history. So I don't know, how how do you 73 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: feel about Do you have any thoughts on that? I think, Um, 74 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: it's kind of like you said, a nice it's a 75 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: nice thing, and it is important because we've talked about 76 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: time and time again, seeing yourself represented directly impacts what 77 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: you think you can do. But at the same time, 78 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: it is it's a complex There's like a lot of 79 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: people behind that, right, and a lot of people that 80 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: were probably forgotten. Um. And again going back to Wick Pdia, Um, 81 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: there's just so many women. Um are other marginalized people 82 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: that did the thing and then weren't recognized for it. UM. 83 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: So I do think like first are important, but you 84 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: should always and I'm just a big proponent of this 85 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: in general, have that context behind it, like why were 86 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: they the first or like were there other people that 87 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: preceded them and made it possible for them to do 88 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: the thing that we're also not recognizing exactly. And the 89 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 1: way you put it makes me think of how sometimes 90 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 1: first get shoehorned into things like start adding on a 91 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: bunch of adjectives and qualifiers to make a thing a first, 92 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: like the first this and then the first that, and 93 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: the first this and the first. Um. We had an 94 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: episode on the same history class on the first jazz recording, 95 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: which was by a band of white men, and we 96 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: know that jazz has history and African American communities, um, 97 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: and it's still a thing of note to talk about. 98 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: We did talk about it, but there's also a history 99 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: behind that first jazz recording and there was a reason 100 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: that a white band was the band that got to 101 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: have that recording in the first place. So I just 102 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: want that a weirdness, you know, like just because something 103 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: is the first doesn't mean that there's not another history 104 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: behind it that's just as notable. Yeah, that's it. Um. Yeah, 105 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: So do you want to talk about our first our 106 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: first our first historical guest on the show today, our 107 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: first first historical guest. I like this, And also now 108 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: I'm going to come up with like my own first 109 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: like the first Annie to have a podcast with an 110 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 1: e Yu doing a first segment with Eve's Wow, You're 111 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 1: gonna go in history books now for that reason, not 112 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: all the other things we've done, specifically this. Yeah, Yeah, 113 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: let's let's get into it. I'm excited to talk about 114 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: both of these women. Yeah. So, um, our first woman 115 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: is Maggie L. Walker. The ellis Brolina. Um. So, I 116 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: guess I want to just set the scene first. So 117 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: at the time him, when Maggieleena Walker was alive or 118 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,920 Speaker 1: just in the beginning, UM, women didn't have the vote, 119 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:07,480 Speaker 1: and she was born right off the back of the 120 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: Civil War essentially, so she was she grew up during 121 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: their reconstruction era, which is an era when President Lincoln 122 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: began planning the reconstruction of the South, and so at 123 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: this time there were many people who were enslaved who 124 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: were newly declared free, so it was a time of 125 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: major upheaval. Like essentially, UM, there were things like black codes, 126 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: which were laws that attempted to undermine black people's freedom, 127 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: and people were desperately trying to hold onto that system 128 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: of slavery at the time, which showed up in things 129 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: like sharecropping and lynch ngs, and segregationist policies were also 130 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: really big. These were gym crow laws that we're talking about. 131 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: So but at the same time all of these things 132 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: were happening, Black people were also becoming more involved in 133 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: the political process, and education was playing a huge role 134 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: in the way that black people were interacting in the 135 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: community and churches as well. We're a big part of that. 136 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: So there was it was just a turbulent time basically, 137 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: and this was the period that Maggie Walker lived in. UM, 138 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: And it's I think it's just really cool in general 139 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: to think about women specifically, or Black people specifically who 140 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: were making moves in such a transitional period. UM. That's 141 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: really inspirational, right, I know, Like, don't forget how inspiring that. 142 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: That's another thing that's important about context is like wow, yeah, 143 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: because I'm thinking like like, I think, so I really 144 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: don't want to put these dishes in the dishwasher today, 145 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: And then I'm like, wait a second. Maggie Walker was 146 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: born right after the Civil War ended, and she started 147 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:42,959 Speaker 1: it back, you know, so I don't know. Yeah, that's 148 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: another thing that I like, I like to think about 149 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: first that they're they're really inspirational when you put them 150 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: in context and complain about stupid things like me are 151 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: not stupid. I mean that is a fair complaint, you right. Yeah. 152 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: The first black owned bank that was charter in the 153 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: United States was a Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain 154 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: United Order of True Reformers serious name, so you know 155 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: it's serious, UM. And that was founded on March second, 156 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: eight eight, and it opened on April three, eighteen eighty nine. 157 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: So that was the first black own bank that was charter. 158 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: But the first US black own bank that actually opened 159 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: was a Capital Savings Bank, and that opened in d 160 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: C in October eighteen eighty eight. So there was stuff 161 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: brewing before Maggie Walker came along. But in nineteen o three, 162 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: Maggie Lena Walker became the first woman in the US 163 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: to charter and become the president of a bank. So 164 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: she was the first woman period, not just black woman, 165 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: she was black, but she was the first woman in 166 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: the US to charter and become the president. And this 167 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: was in Richmond, Virginia. And I say it like that 168 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: because Richmond was once the capital of the Confederacy. UM. 169 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: And it is also an hour away from Charlotte's Ville. Um, 170 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: so you know, just think about the history of this 171 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: place where she was opening a bank. Uh yeah, yeah. 172 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: When I was researching her, I saw I found two 173 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,680 Speaker 1: laws that I thought were really interesting that we're active 174 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: at the time, and one of them was apparently in 175 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: Richmond and probably a lot of other places, but Richmond, 176 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: you couldn't once you got married, you had to say 177 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: goodbye to a job. That what right? Oh man? So 178 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: she when she got married, she had a job as 179 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:33,440 Speaker 1: a teacher. She got married and then he had to 180 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: give it up. Yeah, and she wanted to do big 181 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: and great things. So I guess not that teaching isn't amazing, 182 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: not saying that, but you know, she stayed active like 183 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: her whole life doing things. But yeah, that's that's that 184 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: was a really like wow, that's very specific and what 185 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: a law. Jeez. Yeah, she um, she volunteered a lot, right, 186 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: There was an organization that she volunteered a lot at. Yeah, 187 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: there was. She She ended up being involved in a 188 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: lot of organizations And I'm going to get to a 189 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 1: list of them later because it's really a mouthful. When 190 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: if you want to come up with an acronym for 191 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: all of her organizations that she's been in. I challenged 192 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: you to challenge. I just got really excited about that. 193 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: So I guess I'll go through her background a little 194 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: bit first, like you see how she became this person 195 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: who was so involved in all of these organizations. She 196 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 1: was born in eighteen sixty four in Richmond, Virginia. As 197 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: I mentioned earlier, her mother was Elizabeth Draper Mitchell, and 198 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: she was a formerly enslaved assistant cook for Elizabeth Van 199 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 1: Lou who was a union spy, union spy and abolitionists 200 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: who she kind of ensured the education of her servants. 201 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: And Maggie's biological father was an Irish American man that 202 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: her mom had met on the Van Lou estate, so 203 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: the two of them didn't marry, but shortly after Maggie's 204 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: birth she got married. Her mom, Elizabeth got married to 205 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 1: a man named William Mitchell, who was also at this estate, 206 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: but he was a butler, and William became the head 207 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: waiter at a hotel a little bit later in Richmond, 208 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: but unfortunately he was later found drowned in a river, 209 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 1: which was a very sad point of you know, a 210 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: sad part of Maggie's life because his death was ruled 211 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 1: to suicide, but Maggie believed that he was murdered. Really 212 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: sad But at age fourteen, she joined the Independent Order 213 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: of St. Luke's, which was the organization that she became 214 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: a lot more heavily involved in over the course of 215 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: her life and actually was until the end of her life. UM. 216 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: And at first it was an organization that helped the 217 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: sick and the elderly enrichment. It was a burial society 218 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: at first, and then as it grew and developed, it 219 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: turned into a fraternal order in a life insurance company. UM. 220 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 1: It was a black organization. If I didn't say that already, 221 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,439 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. The order provided financial and social support 222 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,959 Speaker 1: to people, and they did things like lended money to 223 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: people who had financial difficulty and raised money for members 224 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: who had health problems. But after Maggie's mom's husband, after 225 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: her husband died, UM, Maggie really began to work with 226 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: her mother to help her out financially. So she helped 227 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: her mother on the laundry business. So she delivered loads 228 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: of clothes to people as part of her mother's laundry business. 229 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 1: And laundry was one of the few things that black 230 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 1: women could do at the time that that was accessible 231 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: to them as work and domestic work in general. And 232 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,040 Speaker 1: I'm sure you know how important domestic work is in 233 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 1: the history of women. Um So, we'll get to that later, 234 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 1: but um So, at this time she kind of started 235 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: realizing the social gap between black people and white people 236 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: in America. So she went to the Lancaster School and 237 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: she went to Richmond Colored Normal School, and then after 238 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: she graduated in eight three, she went and she started 239 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 1: teaching in the public school system, which leads to your 240 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,320 Speaker 1: point right when she gave her her job because she 241 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:02,959 Speaker 1: was married or she had to give over because um So, 242 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: Maggie was a part of the Independent Order of St. 243 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,440 Speaker 1: Luke's as I said earlier, she started being involved in 244 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:14,199 Speaker 1: that organization as a teenager, and the i s O 245 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: well started providing like these weekly sickness and disability benefits 246 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: and death claims for members beginning in eight which is 247 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: very important because at the time, white owned firms denied 248 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 1: the black community access to disability and life insurance in 249 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: that gem Crow era, So that was a big deal, 250 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: Like it provided a lot that people didn't have in 251 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: the black community at the time. So over time, her 252 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 1: Maggie's leadership in growing the membership of the organization really 253 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: allowed more payment of death claims and lower costs for premiums. 254 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: So she really helped the organization in that way. And 255 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: Maggie's contributions also contributed to the development of modern African 256 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:00,640 Speaker 1: American communities that provided services like business and real estate 257 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: financing and education, food and clothing and things like that. 258 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: So that was important at a time when communities, or 259 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: black community specifically, we're building in the United States. And 260 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: so over the course of her life, we'll call it 261 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: the IO s L. That's still kind of hard, but 262 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: the name itself Independent Order of St. Lukes is also 263 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: kind of a mouthful, so we'll call it the IO 264 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: s L. UM. So she did a lot in the 265 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: IO s L over the years of her life. That 266 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: was something that she was heavily involved in, and so 267 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: in she co founded the Juvenile Department at the IO 268 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: s L, which provided leadership opportunities for Black children. UM. 269 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: Kids were taught things like financial responsibility, work ethics, and 270 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: hygiene skills UM running the gamut. Here. At one point, 271 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: the order began giving kids mental pocket banks so they 272 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 1: could fill them with money and then open a savings 273 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: account at the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, which is 274 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: her bank that she found it, which we'll get you 275 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: a little bit later. And so in she became the 276 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: right worthy Grand Secretary at the Independent Order of St. Luke's. 277 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 1: And at the time that she became that the Order 278 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: was like it was kind of dwindling, like there were 279 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: only a few thousand members and it was in debt. 280 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: And she really built up the organization to over a 281 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: hundred thousand members in twenty four states, and she made 282 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: it this kind of vehicle of economic empowerment for black 283 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: folks and for women. The Order also collected three point 284 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: five million dollars over the time of her leadership while 285 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: she was there and built up a hundred thousand dollars yeah, 286 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: built up a hundred thousand dollars in reserve. And she 287 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 1: held that Grand secretary position until she died. So she 288 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: was committed to the post she was and she also 289 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: employed a lot of black women um at the organization. 290 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: She donated to black schools, especially ones for girls, and 291 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: she wanted women to have the same employment, the same 292 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: professional opportunities that men had, and she wanted girls to 293 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: be able to envision having those kind of opportunities as 294 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:13,680 Speaker 1: well careers outside of teaching and domestic work. So on 295 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: August nine o one UM at the annual convention of 296 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: the Order, she called for another Black bank. There were 297 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: only about twenty in the US at the time, so 298 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: she said the following She said, first, we need a 299 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 1: savings bank. Let us put our moneys together, let us 300 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: use our moneys. Let us put our money out at 301 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: usury among ourselves and reap the benefit ourselves. Let us 302 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 1: have a bank that will take the nickels and turn 303 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: them into dollars. So she was really into this idea 304 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 1: of economic empowerment and kind of self help and really 305 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: building up communities and ways like that. So she also 306 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: at the same time, like in nineteen o two, she 307 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: began publishing the St. Luke Harold, the newspaper of the 308 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,919 Speaker 1: Independent Order of St. Luke's, and she used that newspaper too. 309 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:02,640 Speaker 1: It was distributed to people, but she used to encourage 310 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,879 Speaker 1: black people Enrichmond to establish their own institutions. And by 311 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:11,360 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen the paper had four thousand subscribers. So as 312 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: we can see, she was just really like, she was 313 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,160 Speaker 1: really innovative and she was really trying all these new 314 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,879 Speaker 1: things to get to get things going, and she was 315 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 1: trying to use this kind of I was gonna say, 316 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: holy trinity. Well she was. She was trying to use 317 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,679 Speaker 1: this trinity of the paper and a department store that 318 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 1: she later opened up and the bank too create this 319 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: like bustling and thriving part of the black community in Richmond. Right. 320 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 1: And like we said, this is when things were it 321 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 1: was reconstruction and things were bidding getting built. Um. Yeah, 322 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: I love that she opened a department store. Yeah, it 323 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: didn't do so hot. Um ended up closing. I think 324 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: it opened in nineteen o five and it closed in 325 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 1: nineteen eleven because black people weren't supporting it. Um. And 326 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 1: that's not I know I can sound bad, but the 327 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 1: black people didn't come out to it, and they should 328 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: have done this, But it's kind of like they felt 329 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: that pressure at the time from white owned businesses. They 330 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: thought that there would be repercussions for them visiting that 331 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: business as well, because white owned businesses and white people 332 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: were pushing back against the store. Because Maggie was trying 333 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: to use it as this place where that would feel 334 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: safer for black people to go and would also employ 335 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: a lot more black people, but because they didn't get 336 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 1: to where they needed to be financially, it had to close. Yeah. Yeah, 337 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,119 Speaker 1: so things fail sometimes. I don't think that should detract 338 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: us from our missions, do you know? Otherwise I don't 339 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: know where i'd be. I'd just be at home. I'm sorry. 340 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: Thank you for that. You know, I don't turn it down. 341 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: I'll accept it. I appreciate it. I believe in you, Annie, 342 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: Thank you. I know that that's not what will happen 343 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: with your life. This is not a like hit on 344 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: pick Star movies or anything that just made me really 345 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 1: sad for some reason. So there were a lot of 346 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: racial stereotypes at the time that discouraged white bankers from 347 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,880 Speaker 1: loaning money to black people, and because they thought that 348 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: black people wouldn't repay the loans, stereotypes like that, and 349 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: if black people were given loans, they were often charged 350 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: to hire rate of interest in white customers. I mean, 351 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: we don't have to get into paid loans and we 352 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: don't have to talk about lending practices today, but there 353 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 1: are precedents for things. Um, a lot of things have 354 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: been going on a long time in the United States 355 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,640 Speaker 1: when it comes to marginalized communities, but UM a lot 356 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: of white owned banks did accept deposits from black customers, 357 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: but some didn't, and those managers thought that black customers 358 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: would scare away the white people who were coming into 359 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: the business. So Maggie knew that it wasn't the best 360 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: idea to go to these white owned banks, and that 361 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 1: they're needed to be black owned banks that black people 362 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: could patronize. So she wanted to be the person who 363 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: could create that bank. So she was already clearly into 364 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: women's empowerment and the empowerment of black people and building 365 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 1: up community, so the bank was just part of that. 366 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: So she started building up her banking and her accounting 367 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,680 Speaker 1: and her business skills by studying banks that were in Richmond, Virginia. 368 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,199 Speaker 1: She recruited in It Burke, the hit teller from their 369 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 1: True Reformers Bank, which was the bank that we talked 370 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: about earlier, the first black bank that was chartered in 371 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: the US. And so after all that happened and she 372 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: built up all her skills and self educated UM, she 373 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 1: opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank on the first 374 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: floor of St. Lucoll on November two, nine oh three. 375 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 1: The goal of the bank was to encourage savings and 376 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:47,360 Speaker 1: facilitate loans, and yeah, she became the first woman period 377 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: to charter a bank in the United States in Ene. Yep, 378 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,840 Speaker 1: that's uh. I love the name. I don't know why, 379 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: but like saving pennies. I've just had a good experience 380 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 1: with every place that I've been to that's got that name, 381 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 1: and they're mostly bars, but penny the word the word 382 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: penny in their name interesting. So are you a person 383 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: who picks up pennies on hits but not pennies on 384 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: tails or do you not pick up pennies at all? 385 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,919 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I actually feel a deep pang in 386 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 1: my heart every time I see a penny, and I'm like, 387 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:19,479 Speaker 1: this is so sad because if no one picks you up, 388 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: you're just out of our money circulation. Yeah, it's just 389 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,160 Speaker 1: like lost money. That's why I pick it up every time. 390 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,639 Speaker 1: I feel Yes. And this is gonna be so embarrassing 391 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: because I'm going to sound like a cheap skate saying this, 392 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: but I'm gonna come forth. I'm gonna speak my truth 393 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,400 Speaker 1: right now, do it. I can't stand when people don't 394 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 1: give me back change at like restaurants. I hate that. 395 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,880 Speaker 1: I'm like do you know how important these nickels are 396 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: to me? This is my life. I'm the same way. 397 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: I'm the same way because I have to pay for 398 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: laundry still and I'm always like, this is laundry money. 399 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 1: I need this. Don't take this from me. And it 400 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: happened a lot when I was in I feel like 401 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:06,359 Speaker 1: l A. Oh yeah, like taking to l A, l A. 402 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,119 Speaker 1: What's going on cheap skates? Yea. Let me not offend 403 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 1: any l A listeners. Well no, no listeners from l A. 404 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,359 Speaker 1: They just have the money to give those nickels away. 405 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: If Friday with your experience with the nickel situation in 406 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,879 Speaker 1: l A, please we need to know. Please do how 407 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: I would love to We have some more about all 408 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 1: of these first to share with you listeners, But first 409 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 1: we have a quick break for a word from our 410 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 1: sponsor and we're back. Thank you sponsor. Um So. By 411 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,640 Speaker 1: the end of the first day of the bank's business 412 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: after Maggie opened it, it had over nine thousand dollars 413 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: in deposits, and by January of nineteen o six, savings 414 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: deposits were a hundred and seventy thousand dollars. So that 415 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:02,479 Speaker 1: provided opportunities for home and business loans, and by nineteen 416 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,240 Speaker 1: twenty the bank had financed over six hundred home loans, 417 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: allowing for significant real estate holdings among the black community 418 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 1: in Richmond. So it was just a a snowball of 419 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 1: things that were able to happen after she opened this 420 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 1: bank basically, and most of the female account holders there 421 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 1: were domestic workers as well. So her Maggie's vision for 422 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: the bank was like she wanted multiple branches in Virginia 423 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: and Brandon, d C. It didn't really work out like 424 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 1: that in the beginning, um only there was only a 425 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,879 Speaker 1: branch in Hampton, Virginia. But it was successful over the 426 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,360 Speaker 1: years and it continued to grow, especially in the beginning, 427 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: and it helped really ensure the existence and longevity of 428 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,480 Speaker 1: the middle class of black people in Virginia or in Richmond. 429 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: And so in nineteen there was a stock market crash 430 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: which would have affected the bank and as it did 431 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: a lot of banks and other businesses. Um So Maggie 432 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,080 Speaker 1: had the foresight. She was a smart woman. She was 433 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,600 Speaker 1: a smart woman, and she merged the St. Luke Bank 434 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 1: with two other black banks in the area, which were 435 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: the Commercial Bank and Trust Company and the Second Street 436 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: Savings Bank, and in nineteen thirty the bank became the 437 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 1: Consolidated Bank and Trust Company, and Maggie was the chairman 438 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: r chair person, the chair she was the chairperson, Okay. 439 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,360 Speaker 1: The bank continued to operate as a black owned institution 440 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,160 Speaker 1: until two thousand five when yeah, like a long time 441 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,439 Speaker 1: when it was purchased, thank you for recognizing how amazing 442 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: that is, UM, when it was purchased by the Abigail 443 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,359 Speaker 1: Adams Corporation, and then the Premier Bank bought it in 444 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,399 Speaker 1: two thousand eleven. So at that time it was the 445 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 1: longest operating black owned bank in the States. UM. And 446 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:59,200 Speaker 1: that brings us to contemporary times. UM. But during her 447 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: lifetime a bank wasn't the only thing that she was 448 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 1: involved in. Like she was also politically active. She was 449 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: socially active. As we mentioned at the top of the episode, 450 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: these were ready days in in the United States and 451 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,119 Speaker 1: there was a lot to fight for. UM. So in 452 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,480 Speaker 1: nineteen o four she was an organizer of the boycott 453 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: that protested the Virginia Passenger in Power Companies policy of 454 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: segregated seating on street cars and enrichment. And we talked 455 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:27,879 Speaker 1: about the department store she opened that in nineteen O 456 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: five and she also so here's where the organizations come in. Um. 457 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: She worked for the Order of St. Luke's. But she 458 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 1: was in a ton of other organizations, including she was 459 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,359 Speaker 1: the vice president of the Richmond chapter of the n 460 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: double a cp UM later in life. But here's some 461 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,439 Speaker 1: other roles. She heilled are you ready for this? So 462 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 1: buckle in the National Association of Colored Women, She was 463 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,600 Speaker 1: in the National Association of Wage Earners, the Council of 464 00:26:55,640 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: Colored Women, Interracial Commission, International account of Women of the 465 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:06,640 Speaker 1: Darker Races, National Negro Business League, and the Negro Organization Society. 466 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: That's pretty solid. She had a lot going on. She 467 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: shod and I'm just she didn't have Google cow probably, 468 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:23,200 Speaker 1: but if she did, if she didn't off the hook right. 469 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:28,639 Speaker 1: Too many notifications all the time. So in nineteen twenty 470 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: one she also ran for public office under what they 471 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: call Lily Black Republican ticket, and the ticket didn't do 472 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 1: so well. She was running for Superintendent of Public Instructions, 473 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: so she lost like everybody else had the ticket. But 474 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 1: you know, it is what it is. And um, but 475 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,280 Speaker 1: that was a venture of hers as well. She tried 476 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:47,879 Speaker 1: to go into office also when she also lived in 477 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: a really nice house in a really nice part of 478 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 1: town Um in Virginia. From nineteen o five to nineteen 479 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 1: thirty four, she lived in a Victorian townhouse in an 480 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: elite black neighborhood in jim Crow Richmond, Um. And it 481 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,640 Speaker 1: was pretty fancy, Like it was kind of fancy, and 482 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:04,719 Speaker 1: she has some cool people come over, Like she had 483 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 1: some cool friends like w. Douvoce, Mary McCloud, Bethune, and 484 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: Langston Hughes Um. But yeah, her house was like I'm 485 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: just trying to imagine this when I think about families, 486 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 1: like who has so many children who were so huge, 487 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: which I feel like doesn't happen that much anymore, but 488 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: she had I think I think it was like at 489 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 1: once at one point like dozens of rooms in the house, 490 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: Like she had more added on to the townhouse. Then 491 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: he got up to twenty or thirty two rooms or 492 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,640 Speaker 1: something like that, because there was a lot of family 493 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: that was living in the house at one time. Like 494 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: families had their own like parts of the house, which 495 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 1: I think is really cool. Um. And I think that's 496 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: another conversation that is a longer conversation to be had 497 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: when it comes to continuing to nurture generations of the 498 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: family within black community specifically. Um, another conversation to be 499 00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:59,080 Speaker 1: had that we don't have time for it right now. Um. 500 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: But yeah, she had a huge family and house that 501 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:06,120 Speaker 1: she lived in and she lived well, like she was successful. 502 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: Um So later in her life she did um a 503 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 1: lot more things. She fought for women's suffrage in the 504 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: nineteenth Amendment UM, which prohibits the government from denying the 505 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 1: right to vote in the basis of sex. And she 506 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: just kept doing things after the bank was growing. So 507 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: she's the first she is. Yeah, her story is really cool, 508 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: and I love that she did do so much stuff 509 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: to empower people in her community, Like that was a 510 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 1: big push for her. UM So inspiring first for sure. Yeah, 511 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: and I think that the thing she did, it's also 512 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: really good to look back on because you know, a 513 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: lot of like talk when it comes to a black 514 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 1: community and financial education, financial literacy, economic empowerment and the 515 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: black dollars staying in the black community is still a 516 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: conversation that happens a lot right now and for good reasons. 517 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 1: And we're also talking about reparations a lot right now, 518 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: because nobody got paid for the work that they did 519 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 1: while they were enslaved. Um. But the things that Maggie did, 520 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: I think people it's easy to be able to look 521 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 1: to her as an inspiration or as a leader of 522 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: what to do to economically empower people and to keep 523 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: that goal on one's mind and to try new things, 524 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: you know, and to continue to educate people. And she 525 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: was just so so determined and so headstrong at a 526 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,360 Speaker 1: time when it probably was easy not to be you know, 527 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 1: like it's probably easy to lose faith what I mean 528 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: by that, right, right? Right? So yeah, I just I 529 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 1: think she's really cool. And yeah, so do you want 530 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 1: to move on to our next first? Yeah? I like this. 531 00:30:55,440 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: I feel like we're reviewing, like two thumbs up Maggie Walker, 532 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: because you look, what we think about you is very important, 533 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 1: is okay, And it does all the other stuff you've 534 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: done in your accolades, It doesn't matter. When I say 535 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:15,600 Speaker 1: you're cool, You're cool. Cool. Heaves gives you the cool 536 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: stamp and you are set you up set. But yeah, 537 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: let's let's move on to your other first, who, as 538 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: I not so coolly pointed out, is another woman whose 539 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 1: name starts with Anne, and she's got other things going 540 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: on for her that was so cool. Annie, don't down 541 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 1: yourself like that. If he just gives me the cool 542 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 1: thumbs up, Oh gosh, my life is made. What Annie 543 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: and I were talking about earlier is that the similarities 544 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: between these two people, Maggie Walker and Maria tald Chief, 545 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 1: which is who we're about to talk about, and Maria 546 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 1: tal Chief, like Maggie Walker was the first woman to 547 00:31:56,120 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: do a thing, but she was also a first Native 548 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: American woman to do a thing, so she um ethnicity. Notwithstanding, 549 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: she was the first. She was the first woman, and 550 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,320 Speaker 1: she was the first major prima ballerina in America. And 551 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: she was the first because she was Native American. She 552 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,200 Speaker 1: was also the first Native American to do that thing. 553 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: But she was a pioneer in the field in general. 554 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 1: So she was a prima ballerina for the New York 555 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 1: City Ballet. That's how she got that first. Um is okay, 556 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:34,960 Speaker 1: so I have taken ballet, but prima ballerina UM for 557 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: for people who don't perhaps know, please tell us no, 558 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm asking you, isn't it. It's like 559 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:47,640 Speaker 1: the prime ballery. Yeah, the principal dancer. UM, I haven't 560 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: taken ballet either, said you have you have Okay, so 561 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: you're way way more on point than I am about currently. 562 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: Not what is that called the point? One point? The point? 563 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: The point was a ballet pun that just happened, but 564 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: it was physical so it just felt flat on his face. Well, 565 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 1: the day that we're able to somehow translate sound into 566 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 1: also feeling our vision when people can see what's going 567 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: on in the podcast studio, that's what that is called for. 568 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: Now we just inherate it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean 569 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: if you can imagine listeners, so it would be like 570 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: to like watch something that we are visionaries, but if 571 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: you can imagine, it's like to watch we are ever 572 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 1: died right now. But also who was ahead of her 573 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: time is Ritty was very ahead of her time. So 574 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:53,520 Speaker 1: she was born on January and she was born named 575 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief in Fairfax, Oklahoma on the O 576 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: Sage Nation Reservation UM and her fa father was Alexander 577 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:04,240 Speaker 1: Joseph Tall Chief, who was a full blooded oh Sage 578 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: and a big time real estate exect. And her mother 579 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 1: was Ruth Tall Chief who had Irish, Scottish and Dutch roots. 580 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,320 Speaker 1: And at that time, the O Sage were the wealthiest 581 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,440 Speaker 1: tribe in the US since they had discovered oil on 582 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 1: their land and everyone held mentmal rights. But you know, 583 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:25,280 Speaker 1: Maria still had some stuff going on in her family 584 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: UM and her father had a drinking problem, which often 585 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:32,560 Speaker 1: led to arguments with Maria's mother and the O Sage 586 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:36,439 Speaker 1: were obviously still subject to persecution like Native American tribes 587 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 1: were in America at the time from the federal government. 588 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: So in eighteen eighty four, the U s officially banned 589 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 1: what they called quote pagan ceremonies UM, and they began 590 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: imprisoning and even killing American Indians who took part in 591 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:55,480 Speaker 1: tribal religious ceremonies, and so the throughout the late eighteen 592 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:59,360 Speaker 1: hundreds in the early nineteen hundreds, the government was enforcing 593 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:04,520 Speaker 1: laws that outlawed Native American traditions. And there's a old 594 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 1: rich like I don't want to say rich because that 595 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:11,759 Speaker 1: sounds positive, but there's a long history of uh of 596 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: Native Americans practices being forcefully assimilated and being Christianized and 597 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:24,040 Speaker 1: so on and so forth. Maria's grandmother, Eliza Big Heart 598 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: Tall Chief, still snuck Maria and her younger sister into 599 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 1: secret tribal ceremonies when they were children, which is just 600 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 1: really endearing to me. I don't know, it sounds really cute, 601 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 1: but Maria was fascinated by all the outfits, the dancing 602 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 1: and the songs at the pow wows, and that really 603 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:43,319 Speaker 1: stuck with her throughout her childhood different lifetime. So when 604 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: she was three, she went to her first ballet lesson 605 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:48,760 Speaker 1: UM in the basement of the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, 606 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,040 Speaker 1: UM And by the time she was five, her ballet 607 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: teacher already had her dancing on point on the toe thing, 608 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: the toe thing, which um is actually not great to 609 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 1: start that earliest in Julie. Maria also started piano lessons 610 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,759 Speaker 1: when she was young. Her mother really wanted her to 611 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:09,280 Speaker 1: be a concert pianist, but Maria wanted to do ballet, 612 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:11,760 Speaker 1: like that's where she really wanted. She did do piano lessons, 613 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:16,800 Speaker 1: but what she really wanted was ballet, so her family 614 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: called her Betty Marie. When she was eight years old, 615 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:22,719 Speaker 1: her family moved to Beverly Hills, California, So, under the 616 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 1: guidance of the famed dancer and choreographer Ernest Pilcher, Maria 617 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,840 Speaker 1: and her sister learned everything from ballet to acrobatics to 618 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 1: tap dance, and Ruth was really excited to get her 619 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: daughters out onto the stage, so sometimes she made them 620 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:43,359 Speaker 1: do these cringe worthy Native American dances that were really contrived, 621 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: um to be called tribalt. So yeah, in nineteen thirty eight, 622 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:53,399 Speaker 1: Maria and her sister began studying basically from here, it's 623 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:57,160 Speaker 1: just ballet, ballet, ballet, like you know, when you're in something, 624 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,680 Speaker 1: you're in something, and as we know, with a lot 625 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:04,800 Speaker 1: of people who we're a passionate artists, like their lives 626 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:09,440 Speaker 1: become that art and they just really delve into it. 627 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:13,959 Speaker 1: And that was that was Maria's life from that point. 628 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,040 Speaker 1: So she basically really got heavy into ballet from here. 629 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,160 Speaker 1: So in nineteen thirty eight, she and her sister began 630 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: studying under David Lashin and his wife was a prima 631 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: ballerina Tatiana Ribauchinska and Bronislava Nijinska, who was a notable 632 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:31,840 Speaker 1: ballet teacher and choreographer. So Nazynska was a really tough 633 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:34,879 Speaker 1: teacher who pushed her students to be dancers at all time, 634 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: but not just when they were like practicing and performing. 635 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: You make it a part of your life, and she 636 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: really recognized Maria's talent and they decided to cast her, 637 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,759 Speaker 1: or she decided to cast her in the ballet chopin Concerto, 638 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: which was performed at the Hollywood Bowl in nineteen forty 639 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:56,440 Speaker 1: Oh wow, yep. So Maria graduated from Beverly Hills High 640 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,959 Speaker 1: School in nineteen forty two, and she hit the ground running. 641 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,040 Speaker 1: After that. She got a job as an extra in 642 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:08,239 Speaker 1: the film Presenting Lily Mars, which start Judy Garland. We know, 643 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:10,279 Speaker 1: we all know, yes, well, I'm not going to make 644 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:17,240 Speaker 1: any assumptions, but never sued, and soon after she earned 645 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 1: a spot at Valet Roust de Monte Carlo, which was 646 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:22,920 Speaker 1: a major ballet company at the time. And when she 647 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 1: was performing with Ballet Rous, this is the time that 648 00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:28,080 Speaker 1: she went from Betty Marie as her family called her, 649 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: to Maria tall Chief. One word originally in her name 650 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:34,400 Speaker 1: is tall Chief is two words, but she went to 651 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:36,719 Speaker 1: she was already using tall Chief as one word, but 652 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,680 Speaker 1: she changed her first name to Maria because her colleagues 653 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: said that a more Russian sounding name would help make 654 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:49,160 Speaker 1: her more appealing and palatable to people. Wow. Yeah, So 655 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:52,640 Speaker 1: she started rising in the ranks Basically she went from 656 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:56,000 Speaker 1: the court of ballet to solo parts, started being in 657 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: the spotlight. And the Russian choreographer George Balance, she who 658 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: has been called the father of American ballet, really helped 659 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 1: her sharpen her ballet skills um over the years. So 660 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:10,560 Speaker 1: he helped her on the turnout or when they when 661 00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:13,839 Speaker 1: dancers like rontate their legs outwards so the toes point 662 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:17,520 Speaker 1: away from each other. I'm trying to do my hands 663 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 1: doing the thing again, what do you know about this? 664 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:21,239 Speaker 1: Because you were in ballet? What am I? What am 665 00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:24,280 Speaker 1: I talking about? Okay, So he trained her to become stronger, 666 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 1: and he just really helped her embody the art of ballet. 667 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,319 Speaker 1: And she even once said Marie even Want said that 668 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:33,000 Speaker 1: she didn't fully understand ballet until he came around. So 669 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:38,600 Speaker 1: that ballet relationship turned into a more romantic relationship in 670 00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: n the two of them, Maria and Balance, she got 671 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:45,240 Speaker 1: married when she was twenty one and he was forty 672 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: two years old, So there's a big difference there. But 673 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: that marriage didn't last too long. It only lasted six years. Yeah, 674 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 1: but so it was it was a rough relationship. Um. 675 00:39:56,280 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: They didn't really the job or mesh like that much, 676 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:02,640 Speaker 1: but what at least not romantically, but while why there? 677 00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:05,479 Speaker 1: While they were together and afterwards they collaborated a ton. 678 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,560 Speaker 1: So they went to France and Maria made her debut 679 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:11,719 Speaker 1: at the Paris Opera Ballet in nineteen forty seven, and 680 00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:15,279 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty eight Maria joint Balancine's new company, the 681 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:18,319 Speaker 1: New York City Ballet, and she was Prima Ballerina there 682 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:24,040 Speaker 1: until nineteen sixty. Wow. Yeah, a long time, A long time. 683 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:29,120 Speaker 1: I'm just thinking about and I'm always fascinated by athletes, um, 684 00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:33,640 Speaker 1: by their like what's what's the word for it, Like 685 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,839 Speaker 1: how they're able to do these really intense things for 686 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 1: so long. Yeah, Like that seems like so much stress 687 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:45,800 Speaker 1: on the body. It does. Yeah, I remember when, um, 688 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:48,520 Speaker 1: Michael Phelps was like phelips Mania and it was like 689 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:49,960 Speaker 1: this is what are he eats every day? And this 690 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:53,360 Speaker 1: is his work out every day? What? Yeah? What you 691 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:57,160 Speaker 1: have to have serious resolve to stay that dedicated to 692 00:40:57,239 --> 00:41:00,360 Speaker 1: something that's so physical and so intensely physical, and like 693 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:04,640 Speaker 1: you said it, it becomes your life like everything m hm. 694 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:08,879 Speaker 1: Really interesting. So we have a little bit more for you, 695 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:11,000 Speaker 1: But first we're going to pause for one more quick break, 696 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsor, m and we're back, 697 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 1: Thank you sponsor. So Maria rose to the top of 698 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:30,920 Speaker 1: the ballet world when she started the Firebird at the 699 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,400 Speaker 1: New York City Ballet and her performance as the sugar 700 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:37,880 Speaker 1: poem Ferry in a version of Chaikovsky's The Nutcracker, and 701 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,680 Speaker 1: a bunch of other roles that showed off her technical 702 00:41:40,719 --> 00:41:44,080 Speaker 1: skill and her passion. And so she toured Europe and Asia, 703 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,200 Speaker 1: and she performed with other ballet companies and even play 704 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:50,719 Speaker 1: Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in the nineteen fifty three film 705 00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:56,560 Speaker 1: Million Dollar Mermaid. So she was she was talented. You 706 00:41:56,719 --> 00:42:00,040 Speaker 1: have a lot of things. Sounds like it, sounds like it. 707 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,719 Speaker 1: So during her life she was always involved in the 708 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: ballet world in some way. Even after she retired from 709 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:09,799 Speaker 1: dancing and settled down with her family in Chicago, UM 710 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:12,960 Speaker 1: she went on to become the director of Ballet at 711 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and she founded the Chicago 712 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 1: City Ballet and was its artistic director from eighty one 713 00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:25,319 Speaker 1: until eight seven. M So a lifetime, lifetime of achievements. 714 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:28,240 Speaker 1: So it's time for us to give her lifetime Achievement 715 00:42:28,239 --> 00:42:33,040 Speaker 1: Award like we did with Maggy Walker. We've got the 716 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 1: thumbs up, ready to go. You're cool. Yeah, so that's 717 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:44,920 Speaker 1: that's that's Maria taal Chief. That's yeah, that's an also 718 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:50,720 Speaker 1: pretty amazing story. I didn't know she was in a film. Yeah. Um, 719 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:53,000 Speaker 1: so if you don't mind me asking, why did you 720 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 1: pick these two? These two women? So I was I 721 00:42:57,719 --> 00:42:59,759 Speaker 1: want okay, so sometimes they're selfish, you know, I want 722 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:02,920 Speaker 1: to know more about them. So, um, I was already 723 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:04,799 Speaker 1: familiar with Maria, so we had an episode on her 724 00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:07,399 Speaker 1: for this day in history class, but I wasn't as 725 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:10,560 Speaker 1: familiar with Maggie Walker, and I wanted to learn more 726 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:12,760 Speaker 1: about her. And then I, like I said earlier, didn't 727 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:16,560 Speaker 1: realize the connection between the two of them in terms 728 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:19,840 Speaker 1: of the whole ethnicity and woman thing um going on. 729 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:25,080 Speaker 1: But um, I figured that was a serendipitous occurrence. But yeah, 730 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:28,239 Speaker 1: so that's it was just I don't know, you know, 731 00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:32,239 Speaker 1: sometimes you just don't know exactly why. Um. But they 732 00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:33,520 Speaker 1: were the ones who jumped out to me, and I 733 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:35,799 Speaker 1: think it was also like a even though they have 734 00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:39,759 Speaker 1: their similarities, they're also very in very different fields. Like 735 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:44,400 Speaker 1: one's an artist, and one's a financial like in the 736 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:49,120 Speaker 1: financial area and the business development um social justice economic 737 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:53,480 Speaker 1: justice kind of area, and artists, but they're both equally like, 738 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:57,920 Speaker 1: they're both important, and they're both people that were able 739 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:00,400 Speaker 1: to look to when it comes to setting andrews and 740 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:06,080 Speaker 1: setting goals and just being inspirational in general. So yeah, 741 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:09,560 Speaker 1: that's probably part of it. Not Also, I just think 742 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:14,120 Speaker 1: it's really good to highlight black women who were working 743 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:18,040 Speaker 1: in the financial area because we we do hear a 744 00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:22,479 Speaker 1: lot about people or black women in history who dealt 745 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,480 Speaker 1: with social justice, but not necessarily from the financial and 746 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:29,000 Speaker 1: banking angle of it. So I thought it would be 747 00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:33,320 Speaker 1: really cool to highlight her for that reason. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, 748 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:38,120 Speaker 1: I agree. Um, and I had never heard of either 749 00:44:38,200 --> 00:44:41,759 Speaker 1: of these women, so I'm very glad to have two 750 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:47,520 Speaker 1: more inspirational women too. Yeah, I hope that a lot 751 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:49,640 Speaker 1: of people haven't either, not because I don't want them 752 00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:51,440 Speaker 1: to know about people, but because they get to learn 753 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:55,440 Speaker 1: about somebody else, you know, some some new people today, 754 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:59,800 Speaker 1: and hopefully people will continue looking into their stories because 755 00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:03,200 Speaker 1: we've only talked for so long. If I don't know 756 00:45:03,239 --> 00:45:08,840 Speaker 1: whose life you could fit into what hour? So I mean, yeah, 757 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:12,359 Speaker 1: especially not these women, right right, right, um, yeah, there's 758 00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:15,640 Speaker 1: definitely so much more that if you're listening to this, 759 00:45:15,680 --> 00:45:18,680 Speaker 1: you're like, wow, I want to know everything. There's so 760 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:23,759 Speaker 1: much out there for you. Yeah. Um, but I think 761 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:26,400 Speaker 1: that this brings us about to the end of this 762 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:30,400 Speaker 1: our first first female first. I'm going to come up 763 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:34,680 Speaker 1: with something first female first, like four h but four 764 00:45:34,719 --> 00:45:39,360 Speaker 1: f forever inimitable. I feel like I'm making up words 765 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:41,800 Speaker 1: at this point. Maybe that's what we need to do. 766 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:45,239 Speaker 1: I mean, we've learned from these women. You can't let 767 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:50,160 Speaker 1: barriers stop you. You need to we learned already, see see. Yeah, um, 768 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:53,560 Speaker 1: well we'll do that. We'll work on that all podcast. 769 00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: But in the meantime, thank you so much for joining us, Eves. 770 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:02,479 Speaker 1: This has been really fun and educational and uh yeah, 771 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:07,040 Speaker 1: hopefully this will be a recurring first segments. Yes, thank 772 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,359 Speaker 1: you for having me. Yes, and I'll be back soon. 773 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:12,759 Speaker 1: Oh I hope so. Um. And like we've mentioned, you 774 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:15,960 Speaker 1: can hear Eves on this day in history class. And 775 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:20,560 Speaker 1: it's like five episodes a week, right, it's seven every day. 776 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:25,920 Speaker 1: It's every day. So I complain about my life. It's 777 00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:32,000 Speaker 1: still a lot of work. Like we're all swapped here. Yes, 778 00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:34,720 Speaker 1: yeah that is true. So yes, you can hear Eaves 779 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,640 Speaker 1: every day on this day in history class, and I 780 00:46:37,719 --> 00:46:40,760 Speaker 1: highly recommend that you check it out. Thank you any 781 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:44,080 Speaker 1: This brings us to the end of this our first 782 00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:47,880 Speaker 1: episode of First. I hope that you enjoyed it as 783 00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:51,680 Speaker 1: much as I enjoyed doing it with my good friend Eves. 784 00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:54,120 Speaker 1: If you would like to email is about a first 785 00:46:54,200 --> 00:46:56,560 Speaker 1: you would love to hear about, you can. Our email 786 00:46:56,719 --> 00:46:58,600 Speaker 1: is mom Stuff at how stuff works dot com. You 787 00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:01,759 Speaker 1: can also find us on social media. On Twitter we 788 00:47:01,840 --> 00:47:04,239 Speaker 1: are at mom Stuff Podcasts, and on Instagram we are 789 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:06,399 Speaker 1: at Stuff I've Never told You. Thanks It's Always fair 790 00:47:06,440 --> 00:47:08,600 Speaker 1: producer Andrew Howard, and thanks to you.