Episode 22: Charity Bryant & Sylvia Drake – An Early American Love Story

Episode 22: Charity Bryant & Sylvia Drake – An Early American Love Story

Love what you hear? Send us fan mail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2511888/fan_mail/new] On a cold February day in 1807, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake met for the first time. In era where women were expected to marry men and become mothers, they would spend the next 44 years building a life together in rural Vermont until Charity's death in 1851.  As teaching opportunities for women expanded after the American Revolution, Charity and Sylvia embraced the independence those careers offered. Charity was subjected to fierce gossip because of her "mannish" appearance and intense romantic friendships with other women. When Sylvia moved in with her sister Polly in 1807, she was dodging questions about when she'd get married.  Come along as we explore queer identity, romantic poetry, and gender roles in Early America through history and astrology to celebrate Pride!  This episode contains discussion of sexual content.                                                                 Sources Articles: *  “About Charity and Sylvia (the people)” by Vermont Humanities (https://www.vermonthumanities.org/programs/book-a-program/vermont-reads/vermont-reads-2026/about-the-people/ [https://www.vermonthumanities.org/programs/book-a-program/vermont-reads/vermont-reads-2026/about-the-people/])  * “Charity Bryant and the Queer Affordances of the Early American Acrostic” by Jennifer Putzi (https://www.jstor.org/stable/27235251 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27235251])  * “New roadside marker in Weybridge commemorates 1800s same-sex couple” by Mary Williams Engisch (https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-06-20/roadside-marker-weybridge-commemorates-1800s-same-sex-couple [https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-06-20/roadside-marker-weybridge-commemorates-1800s-same-sex-couple])  * “Read the Revolution: Charity and Sylvia” (https://www.amrevmuseum.org/read-the-revolution/charity-and-sylvia [https://www.amrevmuseum.org/read-the-revolution/charity-and-sylvia])  Digital Media: * Charity and Sylvia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4nVNb0d-2Y)  * Drawing on the Archive: Tillie Walden's Charity and Sylvia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqlfs3R2lbI)  * 013: Rachel Hope Cleves, Charity & Sylvia: Same-Sex Marriage in Early America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D82ogbip-Ac)  * U6L3: Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6pt7fUyJWI)  Books: * Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America by Rachel Hope Cleves Websites: * Charity Bryant (1777-1851) (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112580287/charity-bryant [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112580287/charity-bryant])  * Charity and Sylvia (https://www.charityandsylvia.com/ [https://www.charityandsylvia.com/])  * “Charity and Sylvia: A Weybridge Couple” (https://www.henrysheldonmuseum.org/charity-and-sylvia [https://www.henrysheldonmuseum.org/charity-and-sylvia])  * Sylvia Drake (1784-1868) (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112580393/sylvia-drake [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112580393/sylvia-drake])  Support Us! Patreon: patreon.com/MakingMythPodcast Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/makingmythpodcast

Episode 21: Vitka Kempner: Forgotten Freedom Fighter

Love what you hear? Send us fan mail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2511888/fan_mail/new] When the Nazis forcibly moved the Jewish population of Vilna, Lithuania to the ghetto, Vitka Kempner was ready. Born in Poland and always interested in education, Vitka fled her home town at 19 years old. In Vilna, she met two people who would accompany her through all the hard years ahead. Abba Kovner and Ruzka Korczack were more than just her partisans in arms, they were part of an inseparable trio. As part of the United Partisans Organization, she became a courier tasked with escorting Jews in and out of Vilna. To her, the greatest mission was getting everyone out of the ghetto before it was liquidated. Under enormous dangers posed by the Nazis, Vitka orchestrated sabotage missions resulting in blown up trains, power outages, and poisoned elite guards. She navigated immense risk with an ability to blend in like she naturally belonged there. Come along with us as we tell Vitka's story of resistance and bravery, life as a partisan, and life after World War II through history and astrology. Please practice self care when listening to this episode.                                                                 Sources Articles: * Abba Kovner in Holocaust Encyclopedia (Holocaust Memorial Museum) (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/abba-kovner#:~:text=In%201961%2C%20Kovner%20testified%20at,Abba%20Kovner%20died%20in%201987)  * Atkion 1005 by Shoah Resource Center (https://wwv.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205721.pdf [https://wwv.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205721.pdf])  * Kalish, Kosminek and the Camps by Wolf Lassman (https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/kalisz1/kal275.html)  * Ponary in Holocaust Encyclopedia (Holocaust Memorial Museum) (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/gallery/ponary)  * Vitka Kovner, partisan, passes away at the age of 92 by The World Holocaust Remembrance Center (https://www.yadvashem.org/press-release/15-february-2012-16-41.html)  Books:  * The Avengers: A Jewish War Story by Rich Cohen  * "Heroic Young Women" in Partizaner geyen by Shmerke Kaczerginski, translated by Lillian Leavitt (https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/language-literature-culture/pakn-treger/2022-pakn-treger-digital-translation-issue/heroic-young)  Digital Media: * The Beginnings of Jewish Civilization in Poland and Lithuania (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdskbkLLdG4)  * Holocaust: The Revenge Plot (2018) * The Rebel: Vitka Kempner (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rebel-vitka-kempner/id1658561964?i=1000592001618 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rebel-vitka-kempner/id1658561964?i=1000592001618])  Primary Sources: * Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt  * Nazis Complete Segregation of Jews in Vilna, October 12, 1941 (https://www.jta.org/archive/nazis-complete-segregation-of-jews-in-vilna [https://www.jta.org/archive/nazis-complete-segregation-of-jews-in-vilna])  *  Oral History Interview with Vitka Kempner (https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn50190 [https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn50190])  Websites: * History | Color Psychotherapy (https://www.colorpsychotherapy.com/history [https://www.colorpsychotherapy.com/history])  * Joining the FPO (https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/joining-fpo [https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/joining-fpo])  * Ponary | Holocaust Encyclopedia (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/gallery/ponary [https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/gallery/ponary])  * Ponary: Murder Site of the Jews of Vilna and the Surrounding Areas (https://www.yadvashem.org/vilna/during/german-occupation/ponary.html [https://www.yadvashem.org/vilna/during/german-occupation/ponary.html])  * Vitka Kempner’s Biography (https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/vitka-kempners-biography [https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/vitka-kempners-biography])  * Vitka Kempner | Jewish Partisans (https://www.jewishpartisans.org/partisans/vitka-kempner [https://www.jewishpartisans.org/partisans/vitka-kempner])  * Vitka Kempner-Kovner (https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/kempner-kovner-vitka [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/kempner-kovner-vitka])  Support Us! Patreon: patreon.com/MakingMythPodcast Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/makingmythpodcast

Episode 20: Yuri Kochiyama: Taking the Lead

Love what you hear? Send us fan mail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2511888/fan_mail/new] Forcibly removed to the Jerome War Relocation Center following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Yuri Kochiyama was deeply involved in her community. During high school she volunteered and taught skills, all while seeing America through "American Eyes." She was Nisei, the first generation born to Japanese immigrants, and had citizenship while her parents could never obtain it. While assembling in Santa Anita, California, she assisted Japanese junior high girls in writing letters to some 1,300 Nisei service members.  After the war, she moved to New York City after her husband was released from the Army. In 1951, she and her husband founded the Nisei Service Organization, leading to weekly open houses in their home. There she launched into activism, attending demonstrations for integrated schools and against US imperialism. In 1963, she met Malcom X and learned about the parallels of Asian and Black issues.  In the 1980s, she helped earn redress for forcibly interned Japanese Americans. In 1988 the Civil Liberties Act authorized $20,000 in reparations to each internment camp survivor. By the end of her life, Yuri was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and was granted an honorary doctorate. Come along with us as we explore Yuri's enduring spirit, widespread activism, and legacy through history and astrology.                                                                         Sources Articles: * “The Passionate Harlem Activist Yuri Kochiyama, New York, 1921-2004 [https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/harlem-activist-yuri-kochiyama-ny-1921-2014/]”  * “Yuri Kochiyama, Activist and Former World War II Internee, Dies at 93 [https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/06/02/318072652/japanese-american-activist-and-malcolm-x-ally-dies-at-93]” by Hansi Lo Wang * “Yuri Kochiyama: Timeline [https://www.yurikochiyama.com/timeline]” *  “Yuri, Tupac, and a Harlem House [https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2014/8/28/yuri-tupac-and-harlem-house]” by Taiyo Na Books: * Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama by Diane C. Fujino  * Infamy: The Shocking Story of Japanese American Internment During World War II by Richard Reeves  * Passing It On: A Memoir by Yuri Kochiyama  * Strangers From a Different Shore by Ronald Takaki Digital Media: * "Japanese Internment Camp Survivors Speak Out [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXO7yTc9CJ0]" * "The Revolutionary Impact of Yuri Kochiyama [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSdt6Objoks]" * "Yuri & Bill Kochiyama: on the road in Mississippi [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApSa2_SW9rw]"  Primary Sources:  * “Civil Rights Activist Yuri Kochiyama on Her Internment in a WWII Japanese American Detention Camp [https://www.democracynow.org/2008/2/20/civil_rights_activist_yuri_kochiyama_remembers]” by Democracy Now * Executive Order 9066  * Japanese Relocation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVyIa11ZtAE] government film (1943) Websites:  * Jerome - Densho [https://densho.org/jerome/] * Jerome - Exploring America's Concentration Camps [https://eacc.janm.org/camp/jerome/] * Rising Above in Arkansas [https://risingabove.cast.uark.edu/] Support Us! Patreon: patreon.com/MakingMythPodcast Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/makingmythpodcast

Episode 19: Diane Crump, The First Lady of Jockeying

Love what you hear? Send us fan mail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2511888/fan_mail/new] On February 7, 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman jockey to ride in a professional, pari-mutuel race in the United States at 20. This achievement built on a life long love of horses and years of hard work training racehorses. On May 2, 1970, Diane was the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Over her racing career, Diane broke open the field of racing for women jockeys on 1,682 rides. After her racing career ended, Diane started a business pairing riders with horses in multiple disciplines. Known for her gracious, and effervescent personality, Diane left an impact on everyone she met.  We give a special thank you to Jessica Whitehead and Katrina Helmer at the Kentucky Derby Museum for their time meeting with us for an interview about Diane's impact on horse racing!  Come along with us as we explore Diane's love of horses, legendary firsts, and first hand accounts through history and astrology ahead of the 152nd annual Run for the Roses!                                                                  Sources Articles: * “An Uphill Battle for the First Female Jockey Diane Crump”  (https://tinyurl.com/37u936hw [https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2026-uphill-battle-first-female-jockey-diane-crump])  * “Diane Crump and the Jockeys Who Broke Down Barriers” (https://tinyurl.com/yc3vkb4h [https://www.life.com/history/female-jockeys-who-broke-down-barriers/])  * "Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr: Father of the Kentucky Derby" (https://tinyurl.com/mr2nchnf [https://tinyurl.com/mr2nchnf])  *  “Trailblazing Jockey Crump Dies at Age 77” (https://tinyurl.com/yf7fz7n5 [https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/289365/trailblazing-jockey-crump-dies-at-age-77])  * “When Women Took the Reins” (https://tinyurl.com/yc4sw6kk [https://tinyurl.com/yc4sw6kk])  Books: * Diane Crump: A Horse-Racing Pioneer’s Life in the Saddle by Mark Shrager  * Gender in FEI Sport, July 2023, by Fédération Équestre Internationale  Digital Media: * Diane Crump: The First Woman Jockey in the Kentucky Derby on Grit, Faith, and Perseverance (https://tinyurl.com/ysuy78vb [https://tinyurl.com/ysuy78vb])  * Diane Crump Talks Making History, Perseverance in Boundless Podcast (https://tinyurl.com/5n6kw5yk [https://tinyurl.com/5n6kw5yk])  * Diane Crump on Thoroughbreds at RRTP (https://tinyurl.com/4szasntk [https://tinyurl.com/4szasntk])  * Legacy Battle #107: Diane Crump (https://tinyurl.com/bda3sx7a [https://tinyurl.com/bda3sx7a])  Websites: * A look back at the career of Diane Crump, the first woman to race in the Kentucky Derby (https://tinyurl.com/4hun3va4 [https://tinyurl.com/4hun3va4])  * Diane Crump Equine Sales, Inc. (https://tinyurl.com/mwdm4vae [https://www.dianecrump.com/docs/diane.htm])  * Diane Crump Obituary (https://tinyurl.com/5btkv9k2 [https://tinyurl.com/5btkv9k2])  * Jockey Profile | Diane Crump (https://tinyurl.com/394f7kuw [https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=People&searchType=J&eID=9153&rbt=TB])  * The History of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby (https://tinyurl.com/bduwwha3 [https://tinyurl.com/bduwwha3])  * Kentucky Derby (https://tinyurl.com/yc8jstk4 [https://tinyurl.com/yc8jstk4])  Support Us! Patreon: patreon.com/MakingMythPodcast Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/makingmythpodcast

Episode 18: Mother-Daughter Duo: Lady Agnes Campbell & Finola MacDonnell

Love what you hear? Send us fan mail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2511888/fan_mail/new] In the 16th century, Ulster, now known was Northern Ireland, was at the precipice of change. Gaelic power networks connected western Scotland and its isles to Ulster through the exchange of mercenaries and regional power. Politically powerful women such as Lady Agnes Campbell and her daughter, Finola MacDonnell, embodied the prowess of their families by bringing mercenaries as dowries.  Agnes and Finola moved to Ulster in 1569, marrying Gaelic Irish chieftains and  influenced their husbands to uphold their respective claims. Agnes corresponded with Queen Elizabeth I, elevated her sons' positions, and supported Gaelic resistance against the crown. Finola held Donegal Castle, helped install her son as the next O'Neill chieftain, and planned to overthrow the sheriff of Donegal.  Come along with us as we explore these Gaelic women's roles in an ever-changing world and their influence on Ulster during colonialism through history and astrology!                                                                    Sources Articles: * "Campbell, Lady Agnes" by Judy Barry (https://tinyurl.com/3sdymdjh [https://www.dib.ie/biography/campbell-lady-agnes-a6945])  * "Donegal Castle Celebrates International Women’s Day with Free Talk on ‘Iníon Dubs’ of Tír Chonnail" by Rachel McLaughlin, March 6, 2025 (https://tinyurl.com/2ucyp5yw [https://tinyurl.com/2ucyp5yw])  * "MacDonnell, Fiona" by Emmett O’Byrne (https://tinyurl.com/2s43y45u [https://tinyurl.com/2s43y45u])  * "Mongavlin Castle, Monreagh Heritage Centre" (https://tinyurl.com/4x3sm6pj [https://www.monreaghulsterscotscentre.com/project/1404/])  * "O’Donnell, Finola", The New Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women (https://tinyurl.com/4u75dbxm [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/new-biographical-dictionary-of-scottish-women/o/7BD229C84494AEE3F9B5D80B0C7A9D39])  * "The Plantation in Ulster at the Beginning of James I's Reign" by Constantia Maxwell (https://tinyurl.com/2urrccwu [https://tinyurl.com/2urrccwu])  * "Spouses, Spies, and Subterfuge: The Role and Experience of Women During the Nine Years War (1593-1603)" by James O’Neill Digital Media: * "Border Reivers, Ulster, and the End of the Lowland Clan World" on The Scottish Clans Podcast * “The Nine Years’ War” on The History of England podcast  * “The Nine Years’ War - Dr. James O’Neill” (https://tinyurl.com/3twrkr62 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMLN7XY5dds&t=364s])  * "The Sea-Kingdom: Dál Riata & The Birth of Scotland" (https://tinyurl.com/y44bun7z [https://tinyurl.com/y44bun7z])  Books: * The Highland Clans by Alistair Moffat  * Imeacht Na nIarli (The Flight of the Earls) 1607-2007 by Roddy Hegarty * Northern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction by Marc Mulholland  * The Plantation of Ulster: The Story of the Scots: 1610-1630 * Scots Mercenary Forces in Ireland (1565-1603) by G.A. Hayes-McCoy  * 'The scum of both nations': a Gaelic perspective of gender and communities during the conquest of Ulster by Olivia N. Garl  * Twisted sisters: women, crime, and deviance in Scotland since 1400 eds. Yvonne Galloway Brown & Rona Ferguson * Tyrone’s Rebellion by Hiram Morgan  * Women in Early Modern Ireland eds. Margaret MacCurtain & Mary O'Dowd Websites: * Castle History | Enniskillen Castle (https://tinyurl. [https://tinyurl.com/5n8xc5pz] < Support Us! Patreon: patreon.com/MakingMythPodcast Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/makingmythpodcast