If you missed the last episode, you’ll want to listen to episode 14 before starting this one. Unless you like starting stories in the middle, we won’t stop you. We have links to many of the events we discussed in the first show, which you can find wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts (Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.) 

We didn't thoroughly discuss it in these episodes, but it's worth noting: Presidents Washington and Jefferson each owned more than 600 slaves while they were sitting presidents. 

More resources: 

Quebec Act
Toledo War
River Raisin Massacre
Battle of the Thames
Juan Ponce de Leon
Treaty of Paris
Railroads
Six Flags over Texas
Black Hawk War
Wooly Mammoth Fossils in Iowa
The Winnebago War
Mexican War of Independence
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Zebulon Pike
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Treaty of 1818
Ewing Young
Oregon Trail
Black Exclusion Law
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Pony Express
Telegraph
The Homestead Act
Texas has two national parks - Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend
Maui Accommodations Guide

Thank you so much for listening to us this season. Your support means so much. Stay tuned for information about our Patreon for season 2 so we can keep doing this thing! Follow us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella during our break!

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This is a fact filled show that had our brains tired by recording time, which led to some of our best on-air goofiness you won’t want to miss. Of course, the bloody history of our country’s past is not a funny topic, and we don’t make light of the many losses of life. But if you love history and silly banter, this is the show for you. 

 If you’d like to dig deeper, check out: 

Articles of Confederation
Bill of Rights
Alexander Hamilton
U.S. Slavery 
Indigenous Peoples of Chesapeake
Slavery in New Hampshire
Mason-Dixon line
Confederacy and Union
The Louisiana Purchase
Cotton Production
Manifest Destiny
Abraham Lincoln
The Civil War
Abolition of Slavery and a Timeline
Reconstruction Era
Jim Crow laws
Civil Rights Movement
Commonwealth vs. Jennison
Commonwealth vs. Aves
Fugitive Slave Act
Onesimus
Moses Brown
The Princeton and Slavery Prject
Chicago River

Find us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella and thank you for listening!

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Harriet Cany Peale is our most historic artist, being born in 1799, in Philadelphia. Married to Rembrandt Peale as his second wife, Harriet didn’t stop painting when she wed as most women were expected to do at the time. Her work was exhibited for most of her career and can still be found in galleries like the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Schwarz Gallery and many more.

Sarah Freeman Clarke was a creative of many types. Born in Boston in 1840, she painted, illustrated, wrote poetry, sketched, and frequently traveled. There is a Facebook group, Old Marietta, that highlights vintage photos of Marietta, Georgia, where Sarah settled down for a time. The page has spotlighted Sarah numerous times. 

She knew how to network and had friends in high places like Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sarah’s connection to Emerson influenced her work and style. She traveled to the Great Lakes with Margaret Fuller, sketching and painting landscapes along the route. This became part of Fuller’s Summer on the Lakes collection of poetry, art, dialogues, anecdotes and more. Sarah had accumulated thousands of books throughout her years of travel and opened a catalogue of her books to lend out. Eventually her catalogue merged with the Marietta Library Association and today it is part of the 16 branch Cobb Library System as the Clarke Library. 

Editor's note: When Kate mentions a president who died after eating too many cucumbers and being cut open, she said William McKinley, but we later learned it was Zachary Taylor. 

Mary  Stevenson Cassatt was born in Boston in 1840, as the daughter of two real estate and investment brokers. The high status she was born into led to many early opportunities to travel and explore artistry. Although women were discouraged from pursuing careers, she enrolled in the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts at 16 years old. She ended up quitting the program to move to Paris after realizing the courses were slow and inadequate. 

Her portrait titled The Mandoline Player was selected for display by Paris Milan, an exclusive annual exhibition organized by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. 

Finally, we discuss modern artist Lorna Simpson who continues to produce art. Lorna’s style and choice of mediums has evolved over the course of her career. She has drawn, painted, photographed and sculpted hundreds of works of art in her lifetime already. As a pioneering feminist, her work raises questions about the nature of representation, identity, gender, race and history. Listen in for her full story!

For the first time since we started the podcast, we're plugging ourselves! Kate's mom, Cynthia Mollenkopf, is an artist with work displayed at the Cocoon Gallery in Apex, NC. 

Kate is a pastry master and you can find her on Instagram @cococake15. Natasha paints and such and her Instagram is @artbynatashahope 
Thanks for supporting us and this podcast! Enjoy and see you next time!

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This week we’re getting into some dark pipelines found in the education system. We first talk about the realities of structural racism, which is intertwined in many ways that leave minority children to face more extreme challenges to achieving academic success. Through recruitment and hiring practices, there are fewer black educators, leading children without role models to become educators themselves. 

The Seattle Times project Education Lab examines how these problems are enforced.

Kate talks about the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) and an article written by Rebecca Perez. Perez wrote that even though there have only been two known military generals who have been superintendents of schools, we still use the MBA mentality. She describes this as a mentality “where the skills of management are so generic that one can seamlessly transition from one type of organization to another. Such as here; from militia to education.” 

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez introduced a pair of amendments to a defense appropriations bill. The amendments would bar the military from using funding to maintain a recruiting presence in US Schools or digital platforms like Twitch. Listen in to hear the current status of these amendments. 

Kate tells of the issues surrounding JROTC programs and recruiting children into the military at young ages. We respect military members and families, but believe locking young people into this decision can be dangerous. 

Another pipeline we discuss is the school to prison pipeline, or its more nuanced term, school to prison nexus. Natasha talks about the report Indicators of School Crime and Safety by the Institute of Education Sciences that shows many schools lack adequate mental health services. But school funds are put into school resource officers, who are on-site law enforcement. These SROs have led to more suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. 

The disproportionate race statistics of current inmates reflects this pipeline/nexus. Black and latinx students are more likely to face negative consequences through this system. A Civil Rights Data Collection on School Discipline highlights these alarming numbers.  

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The legislative roller coaster that is the Family and Medical Leave Act leaves much to be desired. We talk about the long road it’s taken to have the basic offerings available, and how the pandemic temporarily provided a better plan with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. But these improvements are soon to expire and many parents are forced to save up sick and vacation time for the birth of their child. Some companies offer paternal leave for fathers, but there is no law requiring it. 

Leading up to this podcast, we talked with mothers who experienced a variety of maternity leave experiences. We were left desperately wanting more for the parents of our future generations. Tune in to hear the full rant and follow us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella 

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We begin by telling Lizzie Martinez's story. Lizzie didn’t wear a bra to school one day while recovering from a sunburn. She was asked to put bandaids over her nipples by her school’s administration and shared her story online, which went viral. We discuss school dress codes and the often unfair consequences of these rules. 

We talked to students who brought up the pervasive problem of bullying. Bullying wasn’t even defined until 2014, and it’s proven a complex issue for schools to handle. One program, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), teaches self awareness and how to make responsible decisions. SEL has shown to effectively lower hostile events in schools but is only used a small number of districts. 

Sexual harassment, assault, and rape are widely reported in schools across the nation. Several students we spoke to felt their schools didn’t take action against these claims. National statistics support this with reports rising, but school action and punishment hasn’t equally increased. Title IX is a federal civil rights law passed in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments. Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Although this law is in place, many reports go nowhere. 

In an upcoming episode we’ll dig deeper into the racial inequalities in the U.S. school system, so stay tuned! Follow us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella and thank you for listening!

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Follow us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella

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Wolfgang Puck is an Austrian-born American celebrity chef and restaurateur, who’s famous for his high end gourmet restaurants, catering services and cookbooks. Kate tells the story of how he was raised and reached his culinary successes. 

Kate studied Pastry Arts and Baking at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, receiving her bachelor’s degree and a wealth of food smarts. Natasha worked almost every front of house restaurant job from hostess, to server, to bartender, and barista, with a brief stint back of house as a breakfast line cook. 

Kate shares her culinary adventures, including international travels and an internship at Facebook. She never made the same dessert twice during her internship and biked to and from her AirBnB in Palo Alto, California. 

Natasha dishes on her first restaurant job, which entailed a fluffed-up resume, some culture shock, and an embarrassing first kiss. 

The food industry isn’t for the faint of heart, perhaps a reason why Natasha has recently quit the biz. We don’t hold back in this conversation about our careers in restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and the like. 

Follow us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella and we’ll talk to you next week!

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Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) is most known for her association with bloomers, a more comfortable and realistic women’s dress style of loose fitting pants that cinched at the ankles underneath a knee-length skirt or tunic. She wrote about the style in The Lily, a newspaper she created, written by and for women. The Washington Post recently brought the publication back. Amelia was an activist for women’s rights, temperance, and dress reform. Her passion for temperance, a movement focused on abolishing or reducing alcohol consumption, separated her from other suffragettes. But she continued her activism until the day she died. 

Frances Perkins (1880-1965) was the United States secretary of labor during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. She witnessed the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and was the principal architect of The New Deal. She played a decisive role in efforts that lead the landmark Fair Labor Standards legislation. She remained in government after her time as secretary of labor and became a civil service commissioner. She lectured on problems of labor and industry until her death. 

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) was the first African-American woman elected to US Congress. Her signature campaign slogan was “Unbought and unbossed” as she fought for higher wages for workers, more public education funding, and demanding respect for black Americans and women. She helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus, which is dedicated to increasing women’s participation in political and public life. She wrote The Good Fight describing her run for President.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) is well-known for her long list of accomplishments, writing, and activism. The United Nations called her to write a poem for the world after her recitation of “On the Pulse of the Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in 2011 for her contributions to the world. 

Listen in for the full stories of these historic women. Follow us on Instagram @holdmyumbrella 

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Everyone has had their own nightmares this year, aside from the pandemic, we’ve had tumultuous wildfires here in Colorado, there have been movements, protests, disasters, and all-around chaos. As members of the workforce, we experienced furloughs, quarantine, and a complete change to our work environment and duties. The restaurant industry took an intense turn, with continuously changing requirements and stipulations to reopen. 

We were also both exposed to the virus (you know the one) at the same time, and found out the news after recording one of our already-released episodes. 

Although our quarantine lengths were different, we both turned to creativity and online workouts as outlets. You can find the online workout videos we used: The Studio by Jamie Kinkeade, EMKFIT, PopSugar, and Yoga with Adriene. 

It can be overwhelming intaking all the news we’ve received this year. There is information constantly being released from all sorts of sources. We found it helpful to only read or watch news for a certain amount of time per day, and sometimes skip it all together if that’s what your mental health requires. One way to streamline your news intake is to only find it from a few unbiased (or less biased) sources like AP News, BBC, Reuters, CDC, and NPR. Remember your Facebook feed is only showing you what you want to see! 

There was an overly shared meme about productivity that made the rounds of social media a million times over: “If you don’t come out of this pandemic with a side hustle, you lacked motivation, not time.” We’d like to shout from the rooftops that this is utter garbage! We, as an entire species, are going through an incredibly difficult period of time. 

Toxic positivity will tell you to look at the bright side and make lemonade out of lemons. But it’s OK to feel down in dark times. Everyone’s situation looks different, and pressure to be productive is useless. It’s important to take care of ourselves, to recognize we are far from alone in our suffering, and to offer our help whenever we’re capable. Seek help if you’re in a state of crisis.

Wear your masks, look out for your neighbor, and let’s get through this dumpster fire together. Find us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella, and keep coming back!

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We start off with Ryan Murphy’s Netflix original drama, Pose, which spotlights the legends, icons, and fierce house mothers of New York City’s African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene in the 1980s and early 90s. The show features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, including MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar and Angelica Ross. The show premiered on FX and received critical acclaim and numerous award nominations for the Golden Globes, and Emmys.

Many of the characters either battle with HIV/AIDS or know someone dying of the disease. Pose exposes the terrible conditions of these patients and the stigma surrounding their diagnosis. We became obsessed with this show for its portrayal of such heavy matter, done in a beautiful and moving production style. 

Next we discuss She’s Gotta Have It, a daring story of a sex-positive woman, Nola Darling (played by DeWanda Wise) and her three lovers based on the film by Spike Lee. The series displays her struggle to stay true to herself and fulfill her dreams while juggling her personal life. She fights misogyny and uses her artistic gifts to create anti-catcalling posters. The show openly supports the Black Lives Matter movement, and features a mostly Black cast. We loved the show’s racial and sexual message, along with its unique directional approach. 

Lastly, we talk about The Bold Type, a must-watch for women’s empowerment. The show is based on real-life former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, and she serves as executive producer for the show. Although the show fictionalizes the magazine name as and highlights fictional characters, the empowering environment is based on reality. The series chronicles the lives of three millennial women, Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens), Kat Edison (Aisha Dee), and Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy) who are employed at the fictional global publication called Scarlet in NYC under Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin).

We hope you enjoy this episode and check out the Pose, She’s Gotta Have it, and The Bold Type. Find us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella

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In our fourth episode, we get personal discussing our journeys to build self confidence. We learned that self-esteem has waves and everyone experiences ups and downs, but the general goal is to have a more confident core. We experienced different backgrounds and battles with our self acceptance during adolescence and young adulthood. 

Natasha’s journey to loving herself includes a history of eating disorders and recovery, hence the disclaimer. As a teenager, she sought control over her life, and ended up being controlled by her behaviors for many years. Her biggest piece of advice is to seek out help. It’s not an overnight process and it takes work, but there is hope for a healthier life. A few options for online therapy are Talkspace and BetterHelp. If you do have insurance, you can find counselors through your plan. If you’re uninsured, look into financial sliding scale therapists in your area. If therapy isn’t an option, reach out to someone you trust who can help you take steps toward recovery.

Kate also dealt with accepting her body type as she gained confidence. A doctor in her teenage years put her on a very restrictive diet, despite her high activity level in various sports. Unfortunately, her medical support at the time didn’t understand that a woman could be curvy and fit, which for the record they most certainly can! Fitness doesn’t come in one size. Kate talks about the Plus Size Movement, which has helped many women embrace their bodies. “I’ve had friends say to me, ‘you’re not plus size!’ as if they’re trying to be complimentary. I’m not mad about it. I don’t feel less worthy,” she said. 

For us and many people, comparison was a major hinderance in our paths to finding confidence. When you compare a few features of your own life to another person, you’re likely not seeing the full picture. Most people have aspects of themselves they wish were different, but it’s our differences that inspire creativity and growth. From singing in the shower to solo dance parties, we found ways to accept the parts of ourselves we once wished would go away. Becoming confident isn’t about changing yourself into a more desirable package, but learning to accept and love what makes us unique. 

Some of our confidence inspirations:

• Iskra Lawrence, Aerie model, global role model
• Jazzmyne Jay, producer, activist, model 
• StylelikeU, mother-daughter platform with a mission to inspire acceptance
• Sarah Cray, watercolorist, co-creator of Let’s Make Art 

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This week we’re cracking down on the long history of sexism in the comic book and movie industries. The comic book industry began in the 1940s and 50s when what was once just strips in newspapers became episodic tales. Comic book stores started popping up and an immediate sexist trend began. 

Many young women and girls have always read comic books, despite a major misperception that they weren’t interested in these heroic stories. But shortly into the industry’s development, post-war romance comic titles boomed in attempts to appeal to the female audience. These comics were written mostly by men, featuring female protagonists who were framed solely through their relationships to men. If you don’t know about women in refrigerators… brace yourself. 

We talk about the initially female-excluding National Cartoonists Society, the origins and ineffectiveness of the Comic Book Code, and the remaining gender gap to this day. Female comic book fans gained visibility less than a decade ago and the objectification of women in comic book-inspired films is still an issue. 

Notable figures Carrie Fisher, Trina Robbins, and Kelly Sue Deconnick, are among several women who have helped pave a better road for female creators, readers, and viewers. Listen in to learn about these incredible women who inspire us to speak up at injustices to make the world a better place for the next generation. Find us on the ‘gram @holdmyumbrella and stay tuned for more!

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The story of the Taj Mahal embodies both romance and tragedy that included love, loss, and an immense display of admiration. This historic white marble mausoleum was built in memory of Emperor Shahjahan’s beloved former wife and has been a jewel of Muslim art in India for centuries. When the emperor married his wife, he named her Mumtaz Mahal, meaning “jewel of the palace.” The couple met as teenagers and the story told of their love is everlasting. 

The definition of soulmates varies, but a soul connection can be defined when two people feel linked on a “soul” level. Listen in as we discuss our personal views and experiences with the topic of soulmates, our views on relationships and love languages, and the expectations to find your one true love. 

Check us out on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella 

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Colorado is a gorgeous state! We live in Fort Collins, a continually growing community along the Colorado Front Range and Cache La Poudre River. 

Colorado officially became a state on America’s 100th birthday, rightfully claiming the name Centennial State. Centuries ago it was inhabited by Anasazi cliff dwellers, and then Native American tribes. Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century and started an exchange between the two. Their economic relationship evolved and even the Catholic Church got involved in exporting. 

Many more explorations took place over the next two centuries as colonization expanded. Following more decades of politics and bloodshed, statehood became an option for what is now Colorado. Black suffrage postponed this process as the 13th amendment was recently passed and Black Americans still didn’t have equal rights. Colorado voted in strong majority to exclude allowing suffrage of African American citizens. Fortunately, the federal government wouldn’t budge on this and statehood took place, black suffrage included. 

Although Colorado has voted democratic in the past three elections, its political history and current status is much more mixed than we realized before moving here. Elected officials and representatives continue to be a variety, although Colorado has been in the leading states on several liberal movements, like marriage equality, environmental efforts, and access to cannabis.  

Listen on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you stream, to hear about our experiences moving here. From being shamed for our non-Native status, to the abundant outdoor activities, our Disney World awe at cannabis dispensaries and more! Listen carefully for our fun, near-death experiences that are only fun because we didn’t die. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen. You can find us on Instagram at HoldMyUmbrella and we hope you stay tuned for our upcoming episodes where we talk about sexism in comics, the concept of soulmates, our journeys of self-confidence, and a slew of other women-oriented topics. See you soon friends. 

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