I Don't Know Her

The hosts discuss brutal honesty at the top & then Rita dives into the story of Antonia Novello, the first woman to become U.S. Surgeon General. A native of Puerto Rico, Antonia overcame health challenges & rejection to rise to the top of her field (with a few bumps along the way).

Rita shares a moment of personal growth at the top of the show. Then Avery does something unprecedented for the show–they cover the origins of the character Wonder Woman and the first woman to ever write her, Joye Hummel, who went unacknowledged for 70 years.

Rita contemplates when she should do the emotional labor of white people and when to step away. Then Avery tells the story of Barbara Waxman Fiduccia, a disability rights activist who focused her work on reproductive rights for disabled women and sexual health education. She also fought against eugenicist views on pregnancy and child-rearing among disabled women.

The hosts start the show discussing why an eye for an eye isn't the way to solve misgendering. Then Rita introduces us to Mildred "Babe" Didrikson, female athlete of the twentieth century. Babe was a powerhouse athlete who competed in track and field, baseball, basketball, golf, and more, winning tournaments, medals, and everything in between.

Rita & Avery have a tough conversation about a mistake Rita made that resulted in an accidental outing. Then Avery tells the story of Tanya Zolotoroff Nash, a Ukrainian immigrant who became an advocate for Deaf people and worked towards better Deaf accommodations in New York City for 35 years.

Rita talks about her bucket list & Avery (yes, that's right!) shares their philosophy on credit card debt (spoiler: who cares!). Then Rita tells the inspirational story of Mexican American activist, writer, teacher, nurse, and journalist Jovita Idar. Jovita spent her life fighting for the rights of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants, and helped unite folks across the Southwest.

This week we are sharing our March Patreon Bonus episode, where AV and Rita sit down with Dr. Carlee Purdum, a research scientist at Texas A&M University who studies how hazards and disasters impact prisons and incarcerated people. The hosts learn a ton from Carlee, like the fact that Texas is one of 13 states that doesn't provide air-conditioning to all of its prisons (and is one of the hottest states in the country). Carlee is working on multiple levels to address the inequities among incarcerated people, including working with local grassroots organizations like the Texas Prisons Community Advocates and the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons.

If you are doing something cool/interesting/important in your community, we'd love to hear about it. Please reach out on Patreon, social media, or email us at [email protected].

To find out more about how you can help with prison conditions, visit Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons and/or donate to Texas Prisons Community Advocates.

AV talks about the next step in their transition (hint: it starts with T!). Then the hosts talk about a woman who should have had a stellar career in classical music, but, instead, was shut out again and again. Antonia Brico was a world-class symphony conductor who was the first woman to graduate from one of the most prestigious conducting schools in the world & was the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic, but that wasn't enough. Also, there is a special bonus after the credits you don't want to miss.

AV talks about the grueling training they're putting their wife through to become a firefighter. Then Rita tells the somewhat kooky story of Helen Martini, the first female zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo. Don't forget that we have released our March bonus episode on Patreon, featuring an interview with Carlee Purdum, a research scientist working on improving the conditions in Texas prisons. You won't want to miss it!