The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

Odetta

Odetta was one of the defining voices of American folk music. Though she had been trained in classical music, she was drawn to spirituals, work songs, traditional ballads, and blues. These songs told the stories of true life - of struggle and of those that overcame oppression. Odetta used her theater training and deep resonant voice to bring these messages to life. Her work inspired later artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, served as a soundtrack for the social reforms of the 1960s, and led to her honorary title as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grandma Moses

Grandma Moses spent most of her life living on family farms in upstate New York, raising a large family and running a household. She was known in her neighborhood for her award-winning preserves and pickles... not her embroidered artwork! It wasn’t until her late seventies, when arthritis made needlework too painful, that she rediscovered her childhood love of painting and created the style that would make her famous. Her nostalgic scenes of rural life caught the eye of collectors, then museums, then the world, turning her into an international art sensation in her eighties and nineties. Grandma Moses kept painting until just before her death at 101, leaving behind a body of work that reshaped how Americans think about creativity, aging, and the history of our country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ona Judge, 2026

Ona Judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America in order to escape the institution of slavery. Though she spent the rest of her life as a fugitive, she managed to direct her own existence on her own terms; answering to no one, free at last. This episode was recorded just before our 2023 Washington D.C. Field Trip where we were able to visit Mount Vernon and pay our respects at the African American Burial Ground and Memorial. For more information on that, visit Mount Vernon's website and our shownotes for this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mother Jones

Mother Jones lived one of the most dramatic second acts in American history. Though her early life was shaped by poverty, immigration, and repeated personal tragedies, she reinvented herself in middle age as a warrior for justice. She was a fearless labor organizer - an electrifying speaker who rallied coal miners, steelworkers, railroad shopmen, and exploited children to stand up for their rights. She once earned the label “The Most Dangerous Woman in America” for standing firm against powerful corporate and government pressures. Her work can still be felt in the labor protections, organizing strategies, and economic justice movements around the world. Mother Jones proved that one single, relentless voice... armed with purpose, strategic fury, and above all stamina - could shake the foundations of society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martha Gellhorn

Martha Gellhorn was one of the most influential war correspondents of the 20th century. Over the course of a 60-year career, she reported from nearly every major global conflict - the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, and more. In her work, she focused a compassionate eye on the lives of ordinary people caught up in turmoil beyond their control, and this made her coverage uniquely powerful. Her personal bravery and determination made her into a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices