Episodes — Good Witches, Bad Bitches

Good Witches, Bad Bitches

Marian Anderson, A Musical Icon | Episode 122

Marian Anderson, A Musical Icon | Episode 122

Marianne Anderson was considered one of the best musicians of her time. She performed across Europe, where she became a massive celebrity, and once the Third Reich began to gain steam, she returned to America to perform in her home country. She was also a Black woman singing opera during Jim Crow - which meant she had to fight twice as hard to earn half the respect of peers with a fraction of her talent. She had many triumphs throughout her life and her voice and legacy remain renowned and acclaimed to this day.

African American, Public Figure, ArtistsGWBB PodcastMarch 5, 2021Marian AndersonComment

Octavia Butler, Visionary Science Fiction Writer | Episode 121

Octavia Butler, Visionary Science Fiction Writer | Episode 121

Octavia Butler is one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, known more recently for practically predicting the presidency of Donald Trump, and yet she did not become a New York Times Bestseller until long after she died, in September 2020. Today, we're talking about the brilliance of her words and concepts and we hope that you, too, will finally discover the incredible legacy of Octavia Butler.

African American, Artists, Public Figure, STEMGWBB PodcastFebruary 22, 2021Octavia ButlerComment

Josefina Guerrero, the Outcast Spy | Episode 120

Josefina Guerrero, the Outcast Spy | Episode 120

Josefina Guerrero was a Filipina spy during World War II who was responsible for saving the lives of thousands of American soldiers. She spied undetected on behalf of the Allied forces for years and was so effective because of her particular affliction: leprosy. She used her illness, which had caused her so much trauma and grief since her diagnosis, to save countless lives and help turn the tide of the war, and for that, she must be celebrated.

Public Figure, Military, Saints and Saviors, Asian, EspionageGWBB PodcastJanuary 21, 2021Josephina GuerreroComment

Daughters of the Confederacy, the Southern Women's Cult to White Supremacy | Episode 119

Daughters of the Confederacy, the Southern Women's Cult to White Supremacy | Episode 119

The United Daughters of the Confederacy is the group primarily responsible for the erection of allll those Confederate statues we've been arguing about for years - yet their name is still largely unknown and untarnished in the eyes of the general public. But as the group largely responsible for the way the South has spent the last 150 years learning about Civil War history (aka, the Lost Cause myth versus what actually happened) and for spending millions on Confederate monuments, we think it's high time that you know who these women (white, Southern, and genteel) are - and what they have wrought.

Public Figure, PoliticsGWBB PodcastJanuary 12, 2021United Daughters of the ConfederacyComment

Frances Marion, the Original Screenwriter | Episode 118

Frances Marion, the Original Screenwriter | Episode 118

Frances Marion was, at the height of her career in the early 20th century, one of the highest paid people in Hollywood. A prolific and powerful writer, she is credited with creating the job of screenwriter as we know it in Hollywood. She was besties with Mary Pickford, Marie Dressler, and one of the most trusted scenarists in the industry for decades. Even once her career began to decline, the name Frances Marion was respected and revered by Hollywood's biggest creators for years to come.

Public Figure, Artists, Founders, Firsts, HerstoryGWBB PodcastDecember 28, 2020Frances MarionComment

Sarah Biffin, the Extraordinary Miniaturist | Episode 117

Sarah Biffin, the Extraordinary Miniaturist | Episode 117

Sarah Biffin was a 19th century painter famous for her impeccable miniature paintings, realistic artworks whose practically microscopic details were lauded as being some of the best in technique and style of her time. She spent many years in the circus until she gained wealthy patrons, including the queen herself. Sarah also happened to have been born without legs or arms - which only made her obvious talents that much more incredible. Her skills were hard won and surpassed many of her contemporaries, regardless of her physical differences, and she is remembered as one of the best miniaturist painters of her time.

Public Figure, Artists, DisabledGWBB PodcastDecember 21, 2020Sarah BiffinComment

Sacheen Littlefeather, Activist, Actor, Native Health Pioneer | Episode 116

Sacheen Littlefeather, Activist, Actor, Native Health Pioneer | Episode 116

Sacheen Littlefeather is an Indigenous activist who is most famous for delivering the speech on Marlon Brando's behalf, turning down the Oscar he won for the Godfather. But Sacheen's accomplishments are many and varied - she studied Native health and was responsible for assisting hospitals with accommodating Native health practices. She has worked on many documentaries regarding Native American cultures and even helped found an organization whose aim was amplifying the presence of Indigenous actors in Hollywood. To this day she brings awareness to Native issues and is an elder in her community.

Public Figure, Fighters, Activist, Native American, STEMGWBB PodcastDecember 8, 2020Sacheen LittlefeatherComment

Wilma Mankiller: Chief, Activist, Visionary | Episode 115

Wilma Mankiller: Chief, Activist, Visionary | Episode 115

Wilma Mankiller was an activist and tribal politician, the first woman to be elected to the position of Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She faced several health crises and through it all worked tirelessly for the betterment of the Nation, published several books, and even received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama. This woman was a powerhouse and an absolute legend.

Public Figure, Fighters, Activist, Firsts, Politics, Native AmericanGWBB PodcastDecember 1, 2020Wilma MankillerComment

Mary Church Terrell, Civil Rights Wunderkind | Episode 114

Mary Church Terrell, Civil Rights Wunderkind | Episode 114

Mary Church Terrell was the child of former slaves and an activist all her life. She was one of the first Black women to earn a college degree in the U.S, she traveled the world, she was at one time the president of the NACW (National Association of Colored Women), and, in her 80's, inspired the supreme court case that would make Brown V. The Board of Education possible. She was always looking for opportunities to inspire Black and white people to action for civil rights, and was an important figure in the movement up until the moment of her death in 1953. Mary Church Terrell was a good witch and bad bitch whose work in her era made a lot of other activism possible today.

Public Figure, African American, Fighters, Activist, FirstsGWBB PodcastNovember 23, 2020Mary Church TerrellComment

Alice Mitchell, An American Murderer | Episode 113

Alice Mitchell, An American Murderer | Episode 113

Alice Mitchell was madly in love with Freda Ward - sadly, she was also Freda's murderer. On today's episode of GWBB, Hannah and Deanna discuss gender, sexuality, domestic violence. and murder in Victorian America!

Public Figure, Witches, LGBTQIA+GWBB PodcastNovember 16, 2020Alice MitchellComment

An Extra Bloody GWBB Halloween | Episode 112

An Extra Bloody GWBB Halloween | Episode 112

Happy Halloween, Witches! Today we're discussing Mary Jane "Bricktop" Jackson, a New Orleans-based Civil War era prostitute and cold-blooded murderer, who loved to brawl and often used her custom-made knife to brutally stab men who crossed her. And because it's double-stuffed for Halloween, we also discussed the spooky historical origins of the Bloody Mary ritual!

Public Figure, Witches, Fighters, Herstory, RoyalsGWBB PodcastOctober 31, 2020Halloween, Mary Jane Jackson, Bricktop, Queen Mary the FirstComment

Rose Mackenberg, Ghost Buster | Episode 84

Rose Mackenberg, Ghost Buster | Episode 84

Spiritualism was a religious movement that came into the popularity in the mid 1800's, and remained strong through the 1920's. The movement insisted that spirits could reach through the veil to speak with their loved ones in the living world, and psychics raked in the cash to commune with the spirits of desperate widows and grieving families. Enter: Rose Mackenberg, famed "Ghost Detective" on a team of salaried psychic debunkers organized by Harry Houdini himself. Rose exposed hundreds of frauds and even testified before Congress about psychic fraud in the United States. She dedicated her life to making sure vulnerable people were not taken advantage of by Spiritualist fakers, though it didn't hurt that she got to wear fun disguises and work side-by-side with Harry Houdini!

Public Figure, Witches, Espionage, FightersGWBB PodcastOctober 22, 2020Rose MackenbergComment

Chavela Vargas, The Woman Who Transformed Ranchera | Episode 111

Chavela Vargas, The Woman Who Transformed Ranchera | Episode 111

Chavela Vargas was a queer Mexican singer who is best known for transforming popular Culture Ranchera music with her smokey, sultry voice, resistance to changing to pronouns of the subjects of the music (to make her music straight), and lack of requisite Ranchera instruments, preferring to go acoustics. She is known to have wooed Frida Kahlo and other female celebrities and marched entirely to the beat of her own drum.

Public Figure, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, RevolutionariesGWBB PodcastOctober 7, 2020Chavela VargasComment

Maria Andreu, First Hispanic Woman to Serve in the U.S. Coast Guard | Episode 110

Maria Andreu, First Hispanic Woman to Serve in the U.S. Coast Guard | Episode 110

Though there's not much known about her, Maria Andreu has the auspicious honor of being the first Hispanic woman to serve in the US Coast Guard. As a lighthouse keeper hailing from the United States' oldest settlement, St. Augustine, Florida, Maria Andreu kept the beacons lit and tended to wounded sailors, an important job that kept people ships from dashing to pieces on the rocks. Did we mention she got the job at the ripe age of 58 in the year 1859? This week, Deanna tells us about Maria Andreu and the history of lighthouses and their keepers in the US!

Public Figure, Latinx, Military, FirstsGWBB PodcastSeptember 30, 2020Maria AndreuComment

Fighting Shirley Chisholm | Episode 109

Fighting Shirley Chisholm | Episode 109

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black American to run for president of the United States, campaigning on a platform of inclusivity and equality. While she didn't win that election, she remained a tireless public servant, fighting for her constituents in Congress for two decades. She fought racism and sexism every step of the way, and she did it in a way that could bring the house down. She wasn't known as Fighting Shirley for nothing!

Public Figure, Fighters, Firsts, PoliticsGWBB PodcastSeptember 23, 2020Shirley ChisolmComment

Edith Garrud, Sufragette, Martial Artist, Body Guard | Episode 108

Edith Garrud, Sufragette, Martial Artist, Body Guard | Episode 108

Society has been perpetuating the myth that women are weak and incapable since the birth of the patriarchy. Edith Garrud said "fuck that shit" and taught martial arts to a bunch of seriously brave suffragettes, creating the elite group of thirty fighters cheekily dubbed The Bodyguard. These women went toe to toe with cops at rallies (literally brawling with them) to protect prominent suffragettes from arrest, used disguises to evade detection, and lots of other CIA-style tricks to protect fellow activists - and it was all thanks to the badass Edith Garrud.

Public Figure, Fighters, ActivistGWBB PodcastAugust 26, 2020Edith GarrudComment

Lady Catherine Moon | Episode 107

Lady Catherine Moon | Episode 107

You’ve probably never heard of Gratton Catherine Lawder Moon, aka Lady Moon, but you’re gonna be real glad to rectify that with today’s episode! An Irish orphan who made her way to Fort Collins, Colorado, Gratton was a rambunctious party girl with a reputation that earned her the name “Cussing Kate”. Throw in an aristocratic husband, a lot (and I mean a lot) of whisky, some horses and ranches, and 21 flea-ridden dogs, and you’ve got the start of Lady Moon’s incredible story of making it in the Old West.

FirstsGWBB PodcastAugust 19, 2020Lady Moon, Lady Catherine MoonComment

Norma Smallwood, the First Native Woman to Win Miss America | Episode 106

Norma Smallwood, the First Native Woman to Win Miss America | Episode 106

As a woman of Cherokee descent, the beautiful Norma Smallwood was the first Native woman to win the Miss America pageant - all the way back in the 1920's! After her win, she lived a glamorous life and was adamant about the cost and worth of her time, ensuring she was paid for appearances and lived a comfortable life. To understand Norma's win and the life and scrutiny she endured afterward in the press, Deanna and Hannah talk about the history of beauty pageants and how they've evolved into one of America's most American past times.

Firsts, Native American, Public FigureGWBB PodcastAugust 12, 2020Norma SmallwoodComment

Marsha P. Johnson, The Saint of Gay Life | Episode 105

Marsha P. Johnson, The Saint of Gay Life | Episode 105

Marsha P. Johnson is a name we likely all know as the woman who threw the first shot glass at Stonewall, launching the Stonewall Riots and thus the Gay Liberation movement. But Marsha was much more: she was an activist, a performer, a Christian, a transgender woman, and so much more. Her history is as bold and vibrant as she was, and was ended too soon. We owe it to her to keep her whole, vibrant legacy alive.

CONTENT WARNING for violence against transgender people starting after 25 minutes.

African American, LGBTQIA+, ActivistGWBB PodcastJuly 1, 2020Marsha P JohnsonComment

Gladys Bentley, a Gender Nonconforming American Blues Icon | Episode 104

Gladys Bentley, a Gender Nonconforming American Blues Icon | Episode 104

Gladys Bentley was a badass, gender nonconforming musician who knocked audiences dead in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance and later toured across the country. While at the end of her life conservative American politics forced her to reinvent herself as a more conventional, cisgender performer, you likely will still recognize her for her stark-white suits, top hats, incredible voice, and progressive lyrics. She is one of the great American musicians and we're lucky to have this bad bitch as part of our musical legacy.

African American, LGBTQIA+GWBB PodcastJune 24, 2020Gladys BentleyComment