Our Dirty Laundry

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Wow! January 6, 2021 will be a day in US history books, but it was also the day we put out our first episode! Nearly four months later, we wrap up the voting rights season of Our Dirty Laundry. It was more than we ever could have imagined. We were challenged, we were horrified, we were inspired, and you came along with us. Join us to debrief and hear some listener take-aways. (And TW: there's a couple gross stories about mice in the beginning. Apologies.)

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We've spent this series airing the dirty laundry of white women in the history of voting rights in this country. Along the way, we have mentioned the names of several women of color, also fighting for those rights, who were often harmed by the women we associate with the suffrage fight. Today we learn about six women who don't commonly make it into the histories we are taught regarding suffrage. These women fought from the margins, frequently at the risk of their own lives, but their influence reached far beyond those margins. They believed, deeply, in principles of equity and opportunity. They knew, from lived experience, that our collective liberation is bound up together. They sacrificed more than their share, they built more than they ever had access to themselves, our lives are truly better because of their work. Join us to learn more about Tye Leung Schulze, Ida B. Wells, Luisa Capetillo, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zitkála-Šá, and Fannie Lou Hamer. 

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TW/CW: This episode contains explicit content regarding allegations of rape and racial violence.

In this minisode, we learn about the 1919 murder of Will Brown after he is accused of rape by a white woman, Agnes Loeback Hoffman. What follows is known as the Omaha Race Riot of 1919—one of the most grotesque incidents of white supremacist violence in U.S. history (and that's saying a lot because that history runs DEEP). The background of this story includes political power struggles and the use of sexual violence allegations by white women to target Black men, both of which figured prominently in the murder of Black men in this era. Horrifyingly, many of these themes of racism and political power still echo in the stories of murder we see involving Black and Brown men and women today. Special shout out to sisters Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, whose new book You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism brings us up to speed on the current state of white supremacy in Omaha. Spoiler alert: it's still there.

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We could all use a little inspiration and hope, and Bree Carlson brings them both. Bree has been a racial justice educator and organizer for years and currently works with People's Action—a multi-racial, multigenerational coalition engaged in "joyful rebellion."  She talks with us about multi-issue, multi-identity organizing, how Joe Biden's presidency could be the most progressive presidency in our history, and how to win where we can—but always keep insisting on more. Our conversation only scratches the surface and we can't wait to have her back!

Bree Carlson's Twitter: 
https://twitter.com/npasrp?lang=en

People's Action: 
https://peoplesaction.org/

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Yvette Rodriguez is Assistant Director of Programming for Multicultural Student Programs and Services at a predominantly white institution in the Midwest. A former graduate student of Katy's, she started listening to Our Dirty Laundry, and then started a podcast club with interested coworkers to discuss episodes of the show. We are so honored to talk to Yvette about that experience and the work she is doing as a woman of color leading justice work with white folks. 

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We cannot adequately explain how excited we are to put out this episode with guest host, Kate Schatz. Best selling author, educator and co-conspirator, Kate has graciously offered her time and knowledge to inspire us with stories of lesser-known white women from whom we can actually learn some positive lessons. In our inaugural laundry session with Kate, we are learning about Lillian Smith. Coined “Jane the Baptist”, a woman who came “too soon” for her Southern contemporaries, and indeed the country as a whole, Lillian boldly spoke against segregation throughout her life. She eschewed moderation and was one of the first people to talk about the pathology of white supremacy and the damage it caused to the country and individuals. MLK and James Baldwin considered her a friend of the Civil Rights Movement, but her refusal to compromise in her views kept her from more well known histories. Take a deeper dive into Lillian’s life and history with the following resources. And be sure to follow Kate Schatz @k8hshots on Instagram, @kateschatz on Twitter and at www.kateschatz.com. We look forward to more conversations in the future!

Documentary: www.https://lilliansmithdoc.com/

Lillian Smith & MLK: https://interminablerambling.medium.com/lillian-smith-and-martin-luther-king-jr-edfd794c752a

The Right Way is not a Moderate Way: https://www.jstor.org/stable/272913?seq=1

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If you haven't heard of Rachel Hollis - good for you, wear that badge with pride. However...she's definitely piling up the dirty laundry and making a damn mess, in spite of the fact that she has a housekeeper (it's related, just listen). If you're still confused after this episode, and even if you aren't, please also listen to some of the black and brown women that have broken this issue down very succinctly for us. Follow them, support them monetarily, spread their work. And Rachel/Rachel fans - don't worry so much about washing your face. There's a lot of other dirt you need to worry about.

According to Weeze: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNLzy9qHgmF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

CYP (Miysha T Hill) Part One: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNN4EYUJ7sN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

CYP Part Two: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNOL-iIJSD2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Austin Channing Brown: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNQ6Wi_ns4s/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 put America (and specifically the deep South) on a voting restriction time out. Unfortunately, white supremacy is a petulant toddler and didn't learn a damn thing. We talk about exactly what the Voting Rights Act did, how Shelby County v. Holder gutted it and how we ran right back to our present day fuckery. 

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We've already warned you: beware of white ladies and anniversaries; now we're here to tell you, this applies to marble statues, too. Learn all about the Portrait Monument in this minisode - a piece commissioned by Alice Paul to commemorate Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony...and some nebulous pile of unfinished rock looming behind them, whose meaning is up for debate (according to us). What do you think we should do with these statues? How do they influence our memory of history?

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With the poll tax repealed, what would white women turn their attention to next in the fight for voting rights? Good question. Without a good answer. In this episode we discuss disenfranchisement of Asian populations and then get into the Civil Rights movement as it related to voting rights up to the 1960s. Whether it be the hand of history leaving out the details, or the general absence of white women in the fight for rights that weren’t directly related to them, there’s not a lot to find. In this episode we go through some of the background and tragedy that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. 

All In: The Fight for Democracy

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08FRQQKD5/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Alabama Literacy Test 1964

https://iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/right-to-vote-suffrage-women-african/voter-registration-literacy

Selma to Montgomery March History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches#"Bloody_Sunday"_events 

Voting Rights Act of 1965

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965

House Vote on VRA of 1965

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/h87

Senate Vote on VRA of 1965

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/s78#details