Perkins Center Podcast

Incomparable storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston tells a riveting story of Lt. Colonel Charity Adams and the 1st Black Women's Battalion Adams lead in England and France during World War II.  Charlotte begins with a history of the need for women positions in the War and journeys us through emotional accounts of the need to deliver long overdue letters and packages for  soldiers moral.  We hear  of the systemic military bias and racism and how the incredible women of the 6888 Postal Battalion triumphantly endured by taking a stand, making change, and creating a formidable postal structure to alleviate a relatively impossible situation....in half the allowed time.  The interweaving of Charlotte's family connection creates and beautiful and dynamic crafted story.

Professor Gregory Cooke, historian, documentarian and filmmaker tells amazing stories of Black Rosies.   Cooke shares highlights from his newly completed documentary Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II.  He celebrates the triumph over the double stigma of being black and female for 600,000 Black women, whose stories are part of American history, but have been hidden treasures. We hear the unforgettable stories  of Rosies from Camden, New Jersey, Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA among others.  We learn of the strength they gathered from growing up in the Great Depression, the fortitude and courage they mastered to deal with racism and sexism during the World War II period, and the catalyst of their lives as a Civil Rights era marker. Cooke shares the real deal on how the Rosie the Riveter character really come to be.

Women Rights heroine Elizabeth Cady Stanton describes her meeting with Susan B.  Anthony as "a magic spark."  Dr. Ann Gordon,  shares a two-part intimate journey with Stanton and Anthony that includes traditions from their upbringing, political philosophies and the role of family and friendships in their advocacy for women's rights. Gordon provides a lens into the lives of these two historical giants through the art  of the historian's craft, as she tells stories from the volumes of The Selected Papers of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton,  edited by Ann Gordon and published by Rutgers University Press.Paft II: We hear more in-depth stories about the dynamic duo's voting rights philosophies on the benefit of federal laws v. state mandates, their foodways, including a meaningful great cup of coffee and mishap marmalade, their thoughts on honoring elders and the importance of next generations knowing history. We also  journey to Tenafly, New Jersey, Stanton's home.

Women Rights heroine Elizabeth Cady Stanton describes her meeting with Susan B. Anthony as "a magic spark." Dr. Ann Gordon, shares a two-part intimate journey with Stanton and Anthony that includes traditions from their upbringing, political philosophies and the role of family and friendships in their advocacy for women's rights. Gordon provides a lens into the lives of these two historical giants through the art of the historian's craft, as she tells stories from the volumes of The Selected Papers of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, edited by Ann Gordon and published by Rutgers University Press.Part I- We hear of religious influence, anti-slavery positions, the role of cousins, how birthday celebrations were used to advocate for women's rights and who really wore the infamous "bloomers" first.

Eastern Regional Director Rosie Allen- Herring and Eastern Region Social Action Co-Chair, Patricia Williamson share bold stories of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.'s first social action initiative when the Founders marched in Washington at the Women's Suffrage March in 1913 to the Delta Days in the Nations Capital, when the sorority sisters annually cover Capitol Hill in a sea of Delta Red. Hear the legacy of social justice advocacy forged by such Deltas as Mary McCleod Bethune, Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Dorothy I. Height and the perpetual fight for equity, including empowering our youth.

Mama Linda Goss, co-founder of the National Association of Black Storytellers and 2019 NEA Heritage Fellow, shares the inspiration behind her praise poem honoring over 600 Black suffragists and sheroes. Embark on a journey of her research and discovery, blended with intimate stories and empowering songs.

Poet and Emmy Award Nominee, Professor Susanna Rich shares stories of her Hungarian grandmother's influence through the words she spoke when arriving at Ellis Island, her poetry, songs and empowering determination. Susanna continues the legacy as she passionately shares selected poems from her book, Shout: Poetry for Suffrage.

A more intimate look at the folklife of Alice Paul, suffragist who lead the 1913 Women's March on Washington and the fight for the ratification of the 19th Amendment, through an interview with Lucy Beard, Executive Director of the Alice Paul Institute at Paulsdale in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. We hear stories of Alice's Quaker values, food traditions, and personal impact on her fight for equal rights.

Greer Luce of the New Jersey Historical Commission shares events in New Jersey in celebration of the 19th Amendment being ratified, along with stories of two bold New Jersey suffragists 

Perkins Center for the Arts brings to listening audiences a variety of podcasts that explore, the role of multi-disciplinary arts, folklife and culture in advocacy, protest, healing, and change.This initial episode introduces audiences to the reason and the season for Perkins Center podcast with a lead in philosophy on the role of artists in our society by the late great Nina Simone.This neophyte episode highlights the first series, Upon Our Authority:  100 Years of Women's Empowerment through Oral Tradition and Folk Traditions.