Missing Figures Sheri & Cynthia

Nearly 100 years ago in New York City, Gladys Bentley was a well known black, lesbian performer. She waited for no one and nothing to allow her to be who she was meant to be. However, her path was never easy. Join us in a discussion of one of the greatest entertainers of the 1930s.

No movement rises on the back of one person. Ella Baker was a key organizer of the civil rights movement who ensured the next generation could carry on the fight.

Title IX gave girls and young women in the US a level playing field by prohibiting institutions that received federal funding from discriminating on the basis of gender. Patsy Mink, the first woman of color and first Asian American woman elected to Congress, was instrumental in writing this and many other "Great Society" era legislation. Join us as we discuss the drive of another fierce woman that made all of our lives better!

Stories of power, perseverance, and possibility are not always positive. Charles Curtis, a member of the Kaw nation, was the first person of color elected Vice President of the United States. He was a complicated man and perhaps a cautionary tale. Join us as we discuss his life. What does it mean to be the only person from a minority group to reach the highest levels of society? What choices might one make because of privilege and access to power?

The world still tries to make minorities fit the mold created by the dominant culture. Zitkala Sa, indigenous writer, musician, composer, educator, and activist countered an education meant to suppress her culture by preserving and amplifying it. Join us as we talk about her incredible life!

Fighting for yourself can mean fighting for others. Leona Vicario, 19th century journalist, revolutionary, and founding mother of Mexico knew that the brutal treatment of indigenous peoples by the Spaniards was a tragedy for everyone. Join us again as we geek out about woman that used every resource at her disposal to fight for a better world.