Crystal Eastman, co-founder of the ACLU and feminist supreme!

Last week I told you about Alice Paul and how she was a massive contributor to the success of the 19th amendment and other women's rights battles.  One of her cohorts and co-author of the ERA was Crystal Eastman. 

To start, here's a few quotes by Eastman that I really love: 

"A good deal of tyranny goes by the name of protection." (this one really hits me, especially in light of current events in the USA)

"If I had my way…we would tell the men of this country we were not going to work any more [sic], we were not going to contribute or to assist them with anything until they gave us a share in the government of the country…If this strike were possible I am willing to wager that women would be given the ballot within several hours." (ADDRESS TO THE NEW YORK EQUAL FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION, DECEMBER 1910)

"I believe women have a great deal more mechanical ability than they have been credited with, but naturally when they are allowed to practice with needles and egg beaters [sic] only they can’t show what they could do with a monkey wrench." (NEW YORK TRIBUNE, NOVEMBER 19, 1914)

And, here's some quotes about her: 

“Crystal Eastman’s determination to breathe life into the Bill of Rights in 1920 provided the nation with the first chapter in the story of the ACLU,” said Nadine Strossen, National President of the ACLU. “Her courageous struggle to realize equal rights for all is carried on in the work of the ACLU today, reminding us that no fight for liberty ever stays won.”

ACLU co-founder Roger Baldwin remembered Eastman as “a natural leader: outspoken (often tactless), determined, charming, beautiful, courageous,”

Crystal Eastman was born in Glenora, New York in 1881 to ordained ministers of the Congregational Church. She graduated from Vassar in 1903, received a Masters in sociology from Columbia, and got a law degree from New York University for Law in 1907 (2nd in her class, I might add). 

 
"Her first job as an attorney was to investigate labor conditions for the Russell Sage Foundation. Her pioneering report, Work Accidents and the Law (1910), led New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes to appoint her the first woman on New York State’s Commission on Employers’ Liability and Causes of Industrial Accidents, Unemployment and Lack of Farm Labor. As a member of that commission, Eastman drafted the country’s first workers’ compensation law. That legislation became the model for workers’ compensation throughout the nation. Then, during Woodrow Wilson’s administration, Eastman became investigating attorney for the United States Commission on Industrial Relations." (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/crystal-eastman/)

At the same time, she was also working hard to further women’s rights. Suffrage, or voting rights, came first, and then equal rights.   "During the First World War, she was a leader of the peace movement, working with Carrie Chapman Catt to organize the Carnegie Hall meeting that led to the founding of the Woman’s Peace Party of New York -later renamed the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom – the oldest women’s peace organization. Eastman became Executive Secretary of the Women’s Peace Party." (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/crystal-eastman/)

She was a brilliant speaker and writer, and she campaigned throughout her life for peace, equal rights, and civil liberties.  She moved listeners and crowds both large and small. Her voice and her strength were fundamental in the success of many civil rights and women's rights campaigns between 1909-1920.  She died in 1928, but not without a huge number of accomplishments and contributions to American society. She was, notably, an active member of the communist party as well.  If you've been listening to Bitchstory/Refeminist History for a while, you probably know that communism at the beginning of the 20th century was key in forming labor unions and other organizations.  I think that's why the Republican party is so anti-union...because of its roots in the communist party.  But remember, communism as a construct, concept and philosophy, did not entail authoritarianism.  The countries that adopted communism and failed are the same ones that were totalitarian and authoritarian, and fascist. In the US where we have been fed anti communist propaganda for decades, it's still hard to intellectually separate those 2 concepts. I only add this because I think we can experience some cognitive dissonance when we learn a She-ro was a "commie".  I also find myself frustrated when people conflate communism with socialism. They are quite different. The USA has many socialist institutions baked into its structure already. All of that notwithstanding, you will probably notice around 1918 where Crystal may have overstepped and the US said, um...no.  Perhaps that is why she "disappeared from history" for about 50 years...years that coincided with America's red scare and cold wars.  In 2000, In 2000, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.

But I digress, as usual.  Below is a timeline of Crystal Eastmans's accomplishments and activities: 

Timeline (from https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-crystal-eastman)

1909 -  Eastman gains fame for her investigative work, on behalf of the Russell Sage Foundation, in the Pittsburg Survey which exposed working conditions and injuries among workers in the city. Her work prompts the Governor of New York to appoint her to a statewide commission studying the causes of unemployment.

1913 - Eastman joins the newly founded Congressional Union, an organization devoted to women’s suffrage. President Wilson also appoints her to the Commission on Industrial Relations.

1914  - Maxwell Motor Company makes her a saleswoman as part of a strategy to boost interest among women.

1915  - Eastman urges rights for women, including financial benefits for contributions to the home and birth control. The Woman’s Peace Party, led by Jane Addams, also forms, and Eastman becomes a prominent member as the war wages on.

1916  - Eastman’s involvement with the Woman’s Peace Party increases. Eastman also divorces her husband Wallace Benedict and refuses alimony on feminist grounds.

1917  - Wartime restrictions on civil liberties agitate Eastman and other activists, including Roger Baldwin, who could not express their anti-war platform. They form the National Civil Liberties Bureau to defend their rights.

1918 - Eastman calls for the U.S. to recognize the Bolshevik government and becomes the managing editor of her brother’s new publication, “The Liberator,” after his old magazine was shut down under the Espionage Act.

1919 - Eastman expresses wish that United States will follow Russia in becoming a socialist republic and calling her passport into question.

1920 - The National Civil Liberties Bureau reorganizes into the American Civil Liberties Union with Eastman on the national committee.

You might recall that the 19th Amendment became part of the constitution in 1920.  That was a big year for civil rights and for women in general.  The US was in a post-war era of expansion and celebration and of course, the roaring 20's took hold.  Women were shortening their skirts, cutting their hair, showing off their shoulders and other scandalous body parts, like...knees...and generally rebelling after decades of bustles and corsets and being held back.  Women like Crystal Eastman were a huge part of those forward strides.  This is my favorite photo of Eastman...

In 1916, she remarried, this time to the British editor and antiwar activist Walter Fuller.   They had two children.  Eastman chose to keep her last name, and had some other unconventional aspects to her personal life.  In a publication in 1923 titled "Marriage Under Two Roofs", she revealed that she and her husband had separate residences.  This caused quite the uproar.  She said that their arrangement nurtured a more authentic expression of love and desire and therefore a happier family unit.  (Where is the movie about this woman?!)  

I find this tidbit to be delightful, because I joked for years before I met my 2nd husband that I didn't care about getting remarried, and I'd be perfectly happy to live next door or down the street from my partner.  Well he lives on the other side of the world most of the year, but it works for us.  

But anyway...Crystal and Walter worked together as activists until the end of the war; then he worked as the managing editor of The Freeman until 1922, when he returned to London, England. For eight years, Eastman traveled by ship between London and New York to be with her husband.Walter died in 1927 from a stroke, and she died a year later (kidney disease). Their orphaned children were entrusted to close friends.

The ACLU is still a crucial organization that helps protect people's constitutional rights, and is part of her living legacy. 

Read one of her famous essays "Now We Can Begin", here: https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/22-the-new-era/crystal-eastman-now-we-can-begin-1920/

And that's it for another entry in the encyclopedia of  badass women! See you next week!

A Timeline of Women's Rights, the languishing of the ERA, and badass of the week - Alice Paul

 

As I was looking for topics for the next episode of  "Re-Feminist History", I noticed that in the month of March, a lot happened, over many years, with women's suffrage and the fight for equal rights in general. 

In March of 1875, in the Case of Virginia Minor v. Happersett, the Supreme Court ruled for the 2nd time in 2 years that the 14th amendment did NOT protect a woman's right to vote.

In March of 1888 Susan B Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howard, and others, organized the National Council of Women of the US. 

In March of 1919, the League of Women Voters was formed. 

In March of 1972 the ERA passed, but although it was supposed to be the 25th amendment, that never happened. 

In March 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John Adams, with her hopes for the new country and its legal system after its independence was gained from Britain.  “I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation.”

Well Abigail, we took the "L" on that one, eh? Because the founders did NOT include women, or black men. And despite many, many efforts in months other than March and in the years spanning 1847-1920, women took the "L" over and over.  Black men gained the right to vote in 1870 with the 15th amendment: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." 

The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848  is considered by some to be the birthplace of feminism. Although that first incarnation of feminism largely excluded black women (this has been one of the points of 
contention about feminism in marginalized communities for decades).  

In 1916 we see the first woman elected to Congress (Jeanette Rankin). 

In 1920, the 19th amendment was added to the Constitution: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Yay. Problem solved, right? Bwahahaha. No. 

Despite the 19th Amendment, many people were still excluded from voting due to various types of  fuckery.  In some states, women were made to pass "literacy tests" in order  to vote...sort of a problem since not all women were allowed to be educated.  "Some 66% of white girls aged 5 through 19 attend high school, and 55% of nonwhite girls. The illiteracy rate in 1920 for white adults is just 6%, while it’s 23% for black adults. Still, only about 17% of Americans (both men and women) are actually graduating from high school. But that’s better than the 2.5% from back in 1880." (bit.ly/3TN9hh6)

Other gaps in the 19th Amendment include threats of violence against Southern black women.  "In thirteen states, poll taxes impeded voting access for poor women of all backgrounds. Most Native American women remained ineligible to vote until the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act...Nor did the 19th Amendment address other disparities between the sexes." (bit.ly/43yNKvL)

In 1923, Alice Paul introduced The Equal Rights Amendment to congress. The ERA expanded the fight for women's rights beyond voting and sought to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters.  It failed, and for 4 decades it languished.

In 1965, The Voting Rights Act was passed, codifying the right for women (and all citizens) to vote without loopholes for the asshatery of previous decades. The Voting Rights Act established effective federal oversight of elections and forged the strong protections for American voters of all backgrounds. "After its passage, African Americans in southern states–the largest group of persons still denied voting rights in the United States–flocked to the polls, electing African American candidates to local and state offices and transforming social movements, party politics, and policy agendas." (bit.ly/43yNKvL)

In March of 1972, the ERA was finally accepted and passed by Congress.   Senator Sam Ervin and Representative Emanuel Celler succeed in setting an arbitrary time limit of seven years for ratification. 

That same year, Phyllis Schafly establishes the National Committee to Stop ERA. You can read the whole, drawn out timeline here: bit.ly/4co6LFn.  But suffice it to say, the struggle has been real.  in 1981, Ronald Reagan became the first US president to oppose a constitutional amendment  which provides equal rights for women.

W. T. F. 

Between 1985 – 1992,  the ERA was reintroduced into each session of Congress and held in Committee.

And here we are in 2024 and it is still not officially added to the Constitution!

Many would argue, "what's the big deal? It is all but law, women effectively have equal rights."  Well the big deal is that until it is codified and added to the Constitution, we aren't really protected, are we? Because the 14th amendment didn't include us, the 19th amendment didn't fix the problem completely, and look at what has happened to Roe v. Wade! If it is no big deal then why won't they admit we are equal in the eyes of the law? Because we aren't, that's why.  We are backsliding into a place where our rights are being eroded little by little and it is very dangerous. This is why activism and education are so important. 

And so, I come to my retracted point! This episode of "Re-Feminist History" is about 2 women who fought the fight.  First is Alice Paul, who authored the ERA.  Alice Paul was part of a fundamental movement that assured the passage of  the 19th Amendment. 

In 1913 she organized the first National Women's Suffrage Parade.  

In 1917 she initiated the first ever protest at the White House just prior to the US entering WWI.  The war brought out the worst in the Wilson administration, and it was a time that many citizens were denied their civil rights and were subjected to unlawful torture and imprisonment. Alice Paul was among them.  

Paul and many other suffragists picketed the White House with banners reading, “Mr. President What Will You Do for Woman Suffrage,”  "In June 1917, picketers were arrested on charges of “obstructing traffic.” Over the next six months, many, including Paul, were convicted and incarcerated at the Occoquam Workhouse in Virginia. After a public outcry, Wilson pardoned the women, but suffragists continued to picket and to be arrested and sent to jail. Offended, Wilson offered no more pardons (dude, WTF?! Offended!). In solidarity with other activists in her organization, Paul purposefully strove to receive a seven-month jail sentence that started on October 20, 1917. Whether sent to Occoquan or the District Jail, the women were given no special treatment as political prisoners and had to live in harsh conditions with poor sanitation, infested food, and dreadful facilities. Protesting the brutal and inhumane conditions, Paul went on a hunger strike and was forcibly fed. Prison authorities beat imprisoned suffragists... More than 500 women were arrested, 168 served time, and dozens were force-fed and tortured. Paul’s tactics had worked. Wilson promised to release all suffrage prisoners and support a federal women’s suffrage amendment."  (bit.ly/3Tvas3s) 

You might think after that ordeal she would take a break. She did, but it was only a short one. In 1921, she and Crystal Eastman drafted another proposed amendment, known as the Lucretia Mott or Equal Rights Amendment. It's primary text was “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” 

So here we are, 100 years later, and while their Equal Rights Amendment has passed and been ratified it is still not an Amendment in the Constitution.

"As of January 27, 2020, the ERA has satisfied the requirements of Article V of the Constitution for ratification (passage by two-thirds of each house of Congress and approval by three-fourths of the states).  Leading constitutional scholars agree that the ERA is now part of the Constitution. Because of issues raised about its unique ratification process, the Archivist of the United States has not yet taken the final ministerial step of publishing the ERA in the Federal Register with certification of its ratification as the 28th Amendment." 

(bit.ly/4cxe39Y)

Next week I'll tell you about Crystal Eastman, who in addition to co-authoring the ERA, also co-founded the ACLU.  Until then, check out the podcast. Check out some of the previous episodes and learn about many, many badass women like Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman.

Detectives and Monsters, part 2 - Monsters in Hollywood

 This week I bring you part 2 of our latest podcast episode titled "Detectives and Monsters".  In this entry, I'm talking about monsters in Hollywood...noooo...the other kind...well..both. Anyway...

Milicent Patrick was born Mildred Rossi in 1915. When she was 6, her family began living on the property of publisher William Randolph Hearst. Her father, Camille Rossi was the superintendent of construction (that would be an interesting story too, because if you know Hearst Castle, you know that building it was a major feat due to limited transportation at the time and the remote, hilly location. But this isn't about him).

During her lifetime she was an animator, actress, model, costume designer, children’s book illustrator, makeup artist and special effects makeup artist. And despite her impressive resume, she’s gone largely uncelebrated in Hollywood over the years.

In 1939, Patrick began working at Walt Disney Productions in in their all-female ink and paint department. By 1940, she was moved to the Animation and Effects department, where she became one of the first female animators at Disney. Her work was featured in four sequences in the film Fantasia. She also worked on the film Dumbo (1941) and appeared uncredited in The Reluctant Dragon (1941). Around the same time, Rossi was profiled in Glamour magazine. Meanwhile, several Disney animators walked out on strike demanding increased pay, better working conditions, and on-screen credit for their work. The strike ended on September 21, 1941, when Disney signed a unionized contract with the Screen Cartoonist's Guild. By then, on September 12, Patrick had left Disney after privately suffering from migraine headaches (girl, I feel you!)

After leaving Disney, she began modeling in trade shows and as a promotional model, which was not a career her family particularly liked (in fact they would eventually cut her off, citing this kind of work as being akin to prostitution). In 1947, while waiting outside the Ambassador Hotel near a bus stop, she met William Hawks, the brother of Howard Hawks, who became her talent agent. After that, she worked in many movies as an extra.

In 1952, Patrick began working at Universal Studios' makeup department after showing Bud Westmore some of her sketches. She became the first woman to work in a special effects makeup department. It's funny when you read about her career and filmography, because the write ups say "she was credit with creating xyz", but in fact, MOST of her work was uncredited! For instance, according to Wikipedia, "she was credited with designing the pirate faces in Against All Flags (1952)" - um, nope. She was uncredited for that. Next..."the makeup of Jack Palance in Sign of the Pagan (1954)" - Ok she got credit for that one. "... the alien in It Came From Outer Space (1953)" - NOPE. she designed THE alien and was uncredited in the movie. What the fuck? Next? Give me hope, Wiki! ..."Mr. Hyde in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)" - oh thank Goddess, she did get credit for that!. ..."the Metaluna mutant in This Island Earth (1955)" - Nope. Goddessdamnit! "and was a mask maker for The Mole People (1956)" - Nope. That one doesn't even appear in her filmography on Wiki (which we know can be imperfect), and on IMDb, her name is no where to be found on that film!

<pause for minor outrage>

In 1953, Westmore received a phone call from producer William Alland who had learned from cinematrographer Gabriel Figueroa of a mythical half-fish, half-human creature that resided near the Amazon River. He envisioned a feature film that would involve the creature and asked if Westmore's department could produce the design. Westmore assured him of the task and first approached artist Chris Mueller to create some designs, but soon remembered Patrick's designs on "It Came From Outer Space"...

In my mind it goes like this: Hey Mil, you know that movie where you created the main protagonist and didn't get any credit? Well that was real swell, doll. Would you like to do it again? You still won't get credit kid, but you're great.

Patrick was hired to create the design, and it was a tall order. The creature needed to appear fearsome and unearthly, be able to swim well, and have pulsating gills. Pulsating gills...1953! 

So, for the "Gill-man", Patrick she researched prehistoric reptiles, amphibians, and fish, as well as animals from the Devonian period. The film went into production in September 1953 under the working title "The Sea Monster". By November 1953, the film was retitled "Creature from the Black Lagoon". During promotion for the film, Patrick was sent on a press tour, dubbed "The Beauty Who Created the Beast", to discuss the creation of the creature. She had earned the title "The Beauty who Created the Beast", but ol’ Bud, well, he didn't like that much. Westmore said no, and remamed it "the beauty who lives with the beast". It should have been "the badass who worked with a beast", but onward we go.
So ol' Bud was like Ok kid, sure, we'll send you around the country but you have to tell people I designed it. You can't take credit for it. According to author and biographer Mallory O'Meara, "Bud Westmore was so jealous of all of the attention she was getting that he fired her, and she came back to Los Angeles, and she never worked behind the scenes in Hollywood ever again." Well that fucking blows. What a dick move. But...

“It was the ’50s. She couldn’t fight back,” said O’Meara.

<fantasy monologue intermission> You know...the 50's! The glorious good ol' days that half this country is so eager to return to! <said dreamily>...The Fifties.... <inside my brain> "Oh sorry darling, I was daydreaming! Let me get your slippers and... oh my gosh I have to take the meatloaf out of the oven. Kids! Wash your hands and come tell your father how wonderful he is so you don't get the belt later. That makes father grouchy and then I have to endure sex with him but I can't be on birth control or have an abortion for pity's sake! I can't even have a bank account! So kids just go wash your hands!" <end scene>

But as usual, I digress!

Patrick continued to work as a bit actress through the 1960s. She also had a string of doomed romances which have nothing whatsoever to do with her career, which is what we're talking about here. Despite her unfortunate experiences with Hollywood, she never stopped creating: Patrick designed her own outfits and drew portraits of many co-stars including Kirk Douglas.

"The Gill-man’s costume is incredibly impressive. It’s a full body suit that needed to function both above and below the water. Even to a modern viewer, it’s beautiful. But at the time, it would have been almost mind-blowing to audiences. Especially as 'Creature' was released in 3D. It’s still a stunning film to watch. Famously, The Gill-man’s gills actually move as he breathes...Having played so many creatures over so many years, I can tell you that that it takes a village to make a monster," says actor Doug Jones. He played the amphibian man in the Oscar-winning 2017 film The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro's homage to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Jones says the crews of artists rarely get accolades.

"Designers and creature creators and makeup artists are — you know, it's a tight circle of people," Jones says. "Legacies have been have been passed down from one generation to the next. And so for her name to never have come up until now is a travesty."

On IMDb, which is of course a modern resource, Milicent Patrick's mini bio states "She received chief credit for developing and designing the "Creature of the Black Lagoon". Um. Nooooo. As stated earlier, she did not. Even on the IMDb listing for that film, Milicent Patrick is listed as uncredited. I mean I guess her name is at least there, even though it wasn't in the film credits. She's listed as "additional crew" and "make up department", and to be fair, the male make up artists are also listed as "uncredited".

The creation of the Creature was credited to Westmore, until recent research, most notably by Mallory O'Meara in her 2019 book The Lady From the Black Lagoon, revealed Patrick to be the designer. (Thank you Ms. O'Meara!!!) When Westmore died in 1973, Patrick began to privately take credit for the Creature. Good for you Mil! Sing it loud! Other people also starting paying attention to her previously uncredited work. In 1978, Robert Skotak published an article documenting her creature design work in the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Her Gill-man work was also explored in a 2011 Tor.com article by Vincent Di Fate.

Milicent Patrick Rossi Trent went on to life as a society lady in Los Angeles, and continued to sketch portraits. “She never allowed herself to be tamped down,” O’Meara said of Patrick, who died in 1998 at age 83. “She carried her SAG card till her death; she filled her home with portraits of friends.”

I think it's clear who the real beast was in this story. Today, guys like Bud Westmore are called "The Patriarchy"...

Re-Feminist History - this blog's new purpose

Listen to the Podcast: Re-Feminist History

Email me: kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me

Hi!

So as I announced in my previous post, this blog will now be used to highlight the women we talk about on the podcast, formerly named "Bitchstory", now called "Re-feminist History". Doo-do-dooooo!

First up, Isabella Goodwin, the NYPD's first female detective. And what a badass she was!

Isabella Loghry was born in Greenwich Village, Manhattan in 1865. Around 1885, aged 19, she married John W. Goodwin, a police officer. The couple had six children, of which four survived. Goodwin was widowed in 1896, when she was 30 years old. Obviously this put her and her children in a precarious position and she needed to find work.

The New York City police department had only just started hiring women as “police matrons" to look after female and child prisoners ...so basically, legal babysitting. Goodwin applied and was hired. It was a low paid position, making only $1000/year, which amounts to about 30K a year in today's money. She had ONE DAY OFF A MONTH! She served in this position for 15 years.

The police commissioner, as history would have it, was Theodore Roosevelt, and he expanded that role to include dealing with female crime victims, sex-crime cases and matters involving children and babies. But women were still not considered officers. 

Goodwin had been recognized for her skills going undercover, posing as a hapless society lady to expose various swindlers. So when the department was stumped in 1912, they utilized her skills again. 

There was a case involving a midday robbery where "taxi bandits" beat up two clerks and stole $25,000 in downtown Manhattan. Even with 60 detectives assigned to the case, no one could solve the robbery. So they asked Goodwin to go undercover.

The best part of the story, apart from her badassness, is the robber's name: Eddie "The Boob" Kinsman.

So she posed as a maid at a seedy boardinghouse that Eddie frequented to see his girl, "Swede Annie".

Lisa and I are flummoxed as to how this has not been made into a movie, because these names alone scream for it...but anyway...

Goodwin snooped and eavesdropped and buddied up to other bad guys' girlfriends until she had enough evidence to nab "The Boob". "Goodwin knew she had the goods on the crew when she finally heard Swede Annie say, 'Eddie the Boob turned the trick, alright.'"

(Hello!?! Movie people!! )

As a result of her success in cracking a case that 60 (male) detectives could not, she was appointed as New York's first female detective and given the rank of 1st grade lieutenant. Her salary was raised from $1000 to $2,250/year. 

“There is many a 6-foot detective with a gun on his hip who does less valuable work for his $3,300 a year than Mrs. Goodwin, a slight, quick moving little woman whose brain more than keeps pace with her body,” The New York Herald wrote in 1921. (I bet all the male cops loved that article!)

In the 1920's she helped oversee the newly created Women’s Bureau, and helped with cases involving prostitutes, runaways, truants and victims of domestic violence. She was way ahead of her time, because these types of women were abandoned by most of society. She retired in 1925.

In 1921 she married a man 30 years younger than herself (go girl!) and they were together until she died in 1943. Her tombstone bears his last name, although it lists her birth year as 1871 instead of 1865 (which census records validate). Maybe she lied to him about her age. heehee.  I am tickled by this idea. 

Next week I'll tell you about a woman who didn't arrest mobsters but instead MADE monsters (damn I'm good haha) but was robbed, over and over, of credit. (Any woman who has been in corporate America understands that!)

Sources for today's story are: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Goodwin

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/obituaries/isabella-goodwin-overlooked.html

The State of the BitchUnion

Dear Readers and Astro Nerds,

Bless me readers for I have sinned,  it has been exactly 4 weeks since my last confession/astro obsession.  

I'm sorry I haven't posted here.  So, wha' ha' happn'd was...

During the New Moon in Aquarius, I did some intense manifesting work around my path forward and what I am supposed to be doing.  I have been feeling burned out and over-stretched for a long time.  I had 3 podcasts and BitchScopes Astrology. The latter was a labor of love, but it was a labor.  Scopes were so much work and so much time.  I don't normally whine about that kind of stuff.  So for awhile I thought, maybe I'll feel better if this wasn't all "free", so I monetized the actual BitchScopes over on Patreon.  That eased the imbalance a little.  But a few days after the New Moon work I did,  I woke up and was struck with "I'm quitting everything!".  

BitchScopes is my baby. It is my brainchild, and my passion project.  The Bitch brand I have worked so hard to build is so meaningful to me.  I feel so passionate about empowering women (humans really. Because if men were more confident they would make the world better too).  I feel that reclaiming the word "bitch" is important and powerful.  However...

I am still butting up against the Patriarchal rules of engagement.  It is impossible to market the Scopes and the podcasts because the word Bitch is disallowed from all advertising.  Even if I put an * in the word, Google calls it a work around and straight up cancelled my Google Ads account.  We are so wrapped up in proper language that somehow it is still, ironically, oppressive! Women are on track to have more and more of their rights stripped, and we also can't use a word that has been used against us.  What the fuck is that all about?! 

The podcast game is a whole other rant that I shan't dive into today. 

So I said fine. Fuck it. If the Universe doesn't want me to do this work, then I quit.  

It is hard for me to let go of BitchScopes. But it was also a huge relief.  My health has been shit since 2020 when I got Covid and then Shingles and then Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue/Long Covid, and it's all made worse by hormonal imbalances (workin on that).  It literally hurts me to walk. it hurts to get out of bed. It hurts to stand in my kitchen. It hurts to sit at my desk.  Everything hurts all the time.  I NEVER talk about my health issues, but this was another nudge from the Universe.  Please don't email me with recommendations.  I have a PhD in Google and trust me, I know a lot of shit.  Fibro is a real cunt (she's not a bitch, because bitches are badass). There is so little known about it and so little helps it. I bristle at recommendations so please don't. 

So that's where I've been for the last 4 weeks. I forgot to post here.  I had posted on social media and Patreon, but I forgot about here. But here I am - alive and surly as ever!

Last week I decided I want to keep the Bitchstory podcast, because it is also important, fun, educational, and not a huge work load. So Lisa and I just recorded a new episode and it is up now where ever you get your podcasts. 

I know a lot of my readers don't do podcasts, and I have to say, you're missing out.  They are fun and they feel more connected than words on a screen.  I can't speak for all of podcast-dom, but ours is entertaining.  You can listen while you drive, while you work, while you exercise.  If you don't know where to start, here's a couple starter hints.  

If you have an Apple iPhone, there's a podcast app that looks like this: 

Otherwise, you can listen on Spotify.  Accounts are free.  Here's the link to our show.  

You can also listen directly at our host site (no apps or subscriptions required: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitchstory

We also were struck with an inspiration to change the name of that show from "Bitchstory" to "Re-feminist History", (which is a play on "revisionist history").  We hope this will enable us to advertise and market like normal podcasters who don't have devil language in their title. *eyeroll*. 

This blog space will be used to write about the women we talk about on that podcast. So if you really like reading and are a subscriber here, you'll still get your fix of sass mixed with a shot of women that should be in the history books but aren't.  I hope you enjoy.  

Feel free to email me at: "Kelly@thebitchwhisperer.me" - I haven't even begun to decide what to do with all the domain names I own with the word "bitch" in them, so that's not changing yet. Or maybe ever. 

"She whispered to the Bitches to Bitch, and the Bitches did Bitch"