Sheela Na Gig Podcast

Sheela Na Gig Episode 21: Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

American Inventor Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner is most known (although not widely) for creating an adjustable sanitary belt. Born into a family of inventors, her creations included a convenient attachment to an invalid’s walker and a back washer that could be mounted on a shower or bathtub wall. Her first invention, at age six, was an attempt to create a self-oiling door hinge. Kenner was born in Monroe, North Carolina. Her father’s and grandfather’s many inventions inspired her, although neither profited from their innovations. Kenner’s sister, Mildred Davidson Austin Smith (1916–1993), invented, patented, and commercially sold board games. Kenner briefly attended Howard University but did not complete a degree due to financial hardship. Her first patent was for her adjustable sanitary belt invention, which was granted in 1956. The invention was credited for eliminating “chafing and irritation normally caused by devices of [its] class.” Although a company initially showed interest in her invention, it was ultimately rejected after Kenner was discovered to be an African American female. Although she later invented a “moisture-resistant pocket,” it wasn’t until her patent expired and became public domain that manufacturers used her ideas freely for their profits. Between 1956 and 1987, Kenner was awarded five patents for her household and personal item creations. This is the largest number of patents held by a black woman. Kenner owned four flower shops in D.C. and had various other jobs. She married and divorced before marrying renowned heavyweight boxer James "Jabbo" Kenner. Together, they lived near the Kennedy family complex in McLean, Virginia. They were foster parents to five boys. Kenner never profited from any of her patents.
 
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 20: Francis Delores Huerta

Dolores Huerta is a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Cesar Chavez. We’ve certainly all heard of Cesar Chavez, but equally important is Heurta and her undying contributions to laborers and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. That's true even when it comes to credit for coining the movement's famous slogan, Sí se puede — Spanish for "Yes, we can" — which has often wrongly been attributed to Chavez. In 1955 Huerta began her career as an activist when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO), which led voter registration drives and fought for economic improvements for Hispanics. She also founded the Agricultural Workers Association. Through a CSO associate, Huerta met activist César Chávez, with whom she shared an interest in organizing farm workers. In 1962, Huerta and Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), the predecessor of the United Farm Workers’ Union (UFW), which formed three year later. The recipient of many honors, Huerta received the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. As of 2015, she was a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, and the President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. As she approaches nine decades of life, Huerta remains outspoken and indefatigable. Through her Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continues to work with agricultural communities, organizing people to run for office and advocating on issues of health, education and economic development. Find out more about this amazing “Sheela” in this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions and always welcome any input you may have. Thanx ahead of time for listening!
https://doloreshuerta.org/
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 19: Francis Glessner Lee

Frances Glessner Lee, Lee was a talented artist as well as criminologist and is considered the mother of forensic science. She dedicated her life to the advancement of forensic medicine and scientific crime detection. Lee was also a diorama-maker, criminal investigation educator and the first female police captain in the US. She effectively and uniquely straddled the intersection between craft and forensic science, co-opting traditionally feminine crafts to advance the male-dominated field of police investigation and to establish herself as one of its leading voices, during the first half of the 20th century. Lee created what's known as The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, twenty true crime scene dioramas recreated in minute detail at dollhouse scale, beginning in the 1940s to teach investigators to properly canvass a crime scene to effectively uncover and understand evidence. The equivalent to “virtual reality” in their time, her masterfully crafted dioramas feature handmade objects to render scenes with exacting accuracy and meticulous detail. At the time, there was very little training for investigators, meaning that they often overlooked or mishandled key evidence, or irrevocably tampered with crime scenes. Also, few had any medical training that would allow them to determine cause of death, at that time. Lee's dioramas were composites of real crimes, but the settings and details were imagined by her. They are still used today for teaching purposes by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Do yourself a huge favor. listen to our podcast & then take a look at Lee's "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death". They are astoundingly detailed and precise. We'd LOVE to know what you think! Let's start a conversation! Thank you for listening!
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4 Women In Red / An interview with Jeanette Harrison and Jehnean Washington

Someone knows. Somewhere. The Victory Theatre Center presents the world premiere of Four Women in Red, a provocative new play, written by Laura Shamas (Chickasaw Nation) and directed by Jeanette Harrison (Onondaga). April & I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing director, Jeanette Harrison and starring actor, Jehnean Washington to talk about this provocative & important play that addresses the epidemic of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW.) Across the United States and Canada, Native Women and girls are being taken or murdered at a unrelenting and startling rate. For Native Americans, this adds one more layer of trauma upon existing wounds that cannot heal. Communities are pleading for justice and seeking to bring the necessary attention to this dire crisis. In Four Women in Red, four resilient women search for missing friends and relatives in the face of apathetic sheriffs and dwindling clues. Are their loved ones lost? Were they taken? Are they even alive? This moving new play celebrates the power of community as the women seek answers against all odds. Their roller coaster journey involves mystery, grief, prayer and moments of sudden joy. The Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505; (818) 841-5421; thevictorytheatrecenter.org Opens Jan 17th We urge you to listen to our interview and to go see this pertinent and remarkable play. We welcome your questions & conversations.
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 17: Sara Blakely

“Shorty Holiday Episode”! Everyone is swamped this time of year, so just give us 15 min, to learn about this gem of a Sheela!!! Sara Blakely is a self made American businesswoman and philanthropist, she is also the Founder and inventor of Spanx, an American the shape wear apparel company that launched in 2000. She started with 5000 dollars in savings and is now a billionaire. As a result, By 2012, Blakely landed on the cover of Forbes magazine for being the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world and was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. Most everyone knows her product, but few know this incredible entrepreneur’s name or story and that’s because Blakely remains 100% owner of Spanx. She has never formally advertised, nor has she taken outside investment, nor taken Spanx public. The popularity and success of the product has been almost entirely the result of word of mouth and buzz. Go Sara! And yes, because of this, Sara often gets ignored by mainstream business news. Most reporters only write stories about companies when they announce a big funding round or go public, but Spanx has just been growing quietly for two decades now, but it wasn’t easy … Sara’s story is a story of failure, grit, and determination and everyone SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HER! So please, listen to this episode to find out more!!! We thank you!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 16: Mary Elizabeth Anderson

Mary Elizabeth Anderson was was an entrepreneur, real estate developer, rancher, viticulturist, and inventor. She built and managed an apartment building in Birmingham, Alabama, and owned and operated a cattle ranch and vineyard in Fresno, California. She was also, most notably, the inventor of what became known as the windshield wiper. Anderson's ingenuity, dedication and methodical progression from idea to sketch to eventually patent the window wiper, demonstrates her perseverance and self belief, despite the obstacles. She filed her windshield wiper patent before Henry Ford even started manufacturing cars. Unfortunately, Anderson failed to ever reap any financial benefits from her invention, during her lifetime, and as a result she's sadly been relegated to a footnote in the history of automobiles. The good news though is that Anderson was FINALLY inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011, nonetheless, you perhaps still don't know about her or enough about her and you should! This Sheela was fierce and her tenacity steadfast. Check her out here - and now you'll thank her every time you find yourself driving in the rain with your wipers on!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 15: Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller was a national icon, advocating for women’s and Indigenous people’s rights. Her passion led the local activist to be honored and recognized as the first woman elected as chief of the Cherokee nation, the second-largest Indian nation in the United States. Her visionary, principled leadership setting a standard for generations of women to follow and reminding us to challenge the status quo and overcome barriers for the betterment of our neighbors, communities and nation. A trailblazer in American history, this Sheela’s inspirational life and transformative leadership continues to inspire us today. We thank you for listening & welcome and encourage your comments & questions!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 14: Roberta Cowell

Roberta Cowell had been a record breaking race car driver, a Spitfire pilot and a prisoner of war – but her biggest challenge was to become the first person in Britain to undergo gender-reassignment. Roberta Cowell, or Betty as she was known to her friends, soon became the ‘most talked of woman in England,’ making headlines across national and regional newspapers. Her story is a testament to her undying spirit and commitment to honor and reveal her authentic self. Roberta's brave decision to change her life for her own betterment, and to let the world in on her most intimate of stories, whatever her reason, is truly remarkable. She brought Trans issues to the forefront and sparked a wider conversation about gender in society. She pioneered the way forward for gender reassignment and gender recognition in the UK and in the world. We commend this Sheela’s courage and willingness to share her journey openly, despite endless sacrifice and strife. We’d LOVE to hear your thoughts & questions regarding Robertya Cowell, so please let us know!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 13: Emily Hahn

"Chances are, your grandmother didn't smoke cigars and let you hold wild role-playing parties in her apartment-Chances are that she didn't teach you Swahili obscenities. Chances are that when she took you to the zoo, she didn't start whooping passionately at the top of her lungs as you passed the gibbon cage”. Sadly for you ... your grandmother was not." Emily "Mickey" Hahn was an American journalist and writer. Considered an early feminist and called "a forgotten American literary treasure" by The New Yorker magazine, she was the author of over 54 books and more than 200 articles and short stories. Emily Hahn traveled across the country dressed as a boy in the 1920s; ran away to the Belgian Congo as a Red Cross worker during the Great Depression; was the concubine of a Chinese poet in Shanghai in the 1930s; had an illegitimate child with the head of the British Secret Service in Hong Kong just before the outbreak of World War II; was involved in underground relief work in occupied Hong Kong; and moved back to the United States and became a pioneer in the fields of wildlife preservation and environmentalism before her death in 1997 at the age of ninety-two. She was a feminist trailblazer before the word even existed!! We were so thrilled to learn about this “Sheela” from our special guest, Jen Hitchcock of LA Bookshow fame! Mickey is going to rock your world, so listen in & let us know what you think!?
https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Said-No...
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 12: Martha Gellhorn

Martha Gellhorn was an American journalist and novelist who, as one of the first female war correspondents, candidly described ordinary people in times of unrest. While it may be commonplace to see female journalists in war zones today, it was not quite as common more than 80 years ago. During World War II, wartime correspondents rushed to the frontlines to report on the battles, but only around 100 of them were women. Of those, only a handful, such as Martha Gellhorn, have received recognition over the years. Though often remembered for her brief marriage to American author Ernest Hemingway, Gellhorn refused to be a “footnote” to his life. Sadly, Ernest Hemingway tried to sabotage her career out of jealousy and dim her light. Gellhorn dumped him, snuck aboard a hospital ship, and became one of the few journalists and the only woman to land at Normandy on June 6th, 1944. Her career spanned some six decades and she covered a dozen wars not to mention, drawing considerable praise for her fictional work as well. Delve into Martha Gellhorn with us and let’s celebrate this Hero of a Sheela! We’d LOVE to hear your comments! Thanx!
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