Podcast
Feminist Files
Hosted by Leigh Fondakowski, Frequency Machine · EN
Activist Pauli Murray said that all you needed to start a revolution is a typewriter… And a lot of guts.
This is the story of how Title IX came to pass and how the women behind the scenes in Washington, D.C. created the academic sex revolution. The nerdy revolutionaries: Bunny Sandler, Patsy T. Mink, Edith Green, and Pauli Murray, among others—women who left behind clues about their lives, not just what they achieved, but how they did it, and who they were, little pieces that we pick up and find along the way.
The Feminist Files is a series that digs down into the nitty-gritty of change and mobilization: how it actually happened, how women organized and how the opposition organized against them. The blood, sweat, and tears of that movement. The revolution which led in 1972 to the passage of Title IX: 37 words that changed the world.
Host Leigh Fondakowski and an all-star cast led by Jodie Foster and Samira Wiley, dig deep into the archives to uncover and reveal the secret origin of Title IX.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
EP 10: The Finale: Bring it On
Aug 31, 202200:44:13Tap to summarizeAs we come full circle, Bunny’s unique form of activism takes flight, while Rora makes a connection that changes her life forever as she walks through the Title IX office doors - doors her Aunt Bunny helped created - after she is sexually assaulted. Though Rora was unable to share her story with Bunny, she is inspired to channel it through her senior thesis play and tell Bunny through her art. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm Susan Maura Burns as Rosalind Rosenberg And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 9: A Mystery Solved
Aug 24, 202200:34:33Tap to summarizeIn the last letter in the folder of correspondence with Bunny, Pauli Murray writes to share news of the ordination into the priesthood in the Episcopal Church, and Bunny is invited to the ceremony for Reverend Doctor Murray! Pauli reflects on the slow work of change, and how many “lost causes” can, by taking the long view, eventually be won. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm Susan Maura Burns as Rosalind Rosenberg And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 8: Patsy and Wendy: Think Mink
Aug 17, 202200:43:16Tap to summarizeOpposition to Title IX heats up as the NCAA realizes what’s at stake. Wendy Mink brings to vivid life her mother Patsy Takemoto Mink’s - the first woman of color in Congress - role in crafting the succinct 37 words that would become Title IX. As the bill gears up to go into effect in 1975, she will face the greatest battle of her career when Title IX’s opponents move to kill it. But as Patsy leads the charge to defend Title IX, she’s forced to choose between the survival of the bill… and of her own daughter. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 7: The Ordeal of 1973
Aug 10, 202200:37:45Tap to summarizePauli Murray, a co-founder of NOW, leaves the movement as well as a tenure track position at Brandeis. It’s a stunning move for someone who’s fought their entire lives to reach the pinnacle of their profession. Why? In the Schlesinger Collection, Leigh discovers a torn journal and pieces together a narrative that takes us on an emotional roller coaster, following Pauli through a series of losses and struggles, as Pauli packs up the belongings of a life and the dog Roy, and makes a huge life change at age 63. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →A Pause Between Acts
Jul 27, 202200:08:26Tap to summarizeBetween the first part of our story and the second - we take a moment to pause and reflect on the role Title IX played in Leigh’s early life, when the budding activist in Leigh was born, and the relationship of the artist to history – how the personal is the political – setting the stage for what’s yet to come. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 6: Under the Radar
Jul 20, 202200:43:53Tap to summarizeReturning to the Bunny Sandler Collection at the Schlesinger, Leigh finds a folder of letters between Bunny and Pauli Murray, chronicling their growing camaraderie and friendship. The two share stories from the year’s struggles - the fight for the ERA, which is gaining steam and a new stealth campaign for legislation that could become Title IX. These two landmark legislative goals are still up for grabs in this election year, when Women are proving a force to be reckoned with. Women like activist Flo Kennedy, who is going to raise the roof, like that hurricane off the coast of Florida. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 5: Pauli, Roy & Tim, and The Mysterious Tape Recording That Shouldn’t Exist
Jul 13, 202200:29:40Tap to summarizeThere were no official audio or video recordings of the Edith Green hearings – only a printed transcript that her office produced and distributed. However, Leigh discovers that the Schlesinger Library also contains the collected papers – and some recordings – of activist and Civil Rights attorney Pauli Murray, who testified alongside Bunny Sandler. As Leigh uncovers these tapes, we discover the real Pauli Murray, perhaps one of the most singularly important feminist and Civil Rights activists of the 20th century … who you may not have ever heard of. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 4: On the Record
Jul 6, 202200:34:19Tap to summarizeAs the hearings continue, Edith Green dives into territory beyond education; reaching a tense crescendo as Green presses Frankie Freeman, the only Black woman serving on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, as to which is worse: sexism or racism in America? A very salient conversation about intersectionality ensues decades before that term even existed. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 3: Bunny Goes to Washington
Jun 29, 202200:33:54Tap to summarizeRepresentative Edith Green of Oregon, known as Mrs. Education in Congress, wants to hold hearings about sex discrimination in Higher Education, but she doesn’t think she has the evidence she needs to do anything about it – until she meets Bunny Sandler. For 5 days in June 1970, Edith Green holds hearings on how widespread sex discrimination is in higher education. Bunny and other key players testify. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →EP 2: You Come On Too Strong... For a Woman
Jun 22, 202200:37:55Tap to summarizeLeigh goes to the Schlesinger Library to search through Great Aunt Bunny’s papers and finds an unpublished oral history, the origin story of Title IX. Jodie Foster, as Bunny, brings us into the story of how she found the footnote that would become the legal basis for Title IX – and how she used it to start taking on the most powerful universities in the nation. --- Feminist Files is written and produced by Leigh Fondakowski and Sarah Lambert Featuring the Feminist Files Ensemble: Jodie Foster as Dr. Bernice “Bunny” Sandler Samira Wiley as Pauli Murray Amy Hill as Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink Mercedes Hererro as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Edith Green, Alice Paul, Phyllis Schlafly, and ensemble parts Margo Hall as Commissioner Frankie Freeman and ensemble parts Chris Rickett as Vincent Macaluso and ensemble parts Victoria Libertore as Ann Scott Christina Sajous as Shirley Chisholm And Alex Grubbs, Jules Latimer, Ronald Peet, RyanNicole in ensemble parts Associate producers: Margo Hall, Victoria Libertore, and Diana Park Executive producers: Stacey Book, Dominique Ferrari, Avi Glijansky, and Rora Brodwin Original Music and Sound Design by: Gary Grundei Theme music created by: Gary Grundei with vocals by Silversmith Sound Engineering by: Julian Kwasneski Additional Engineering by: Donovan Dorrance Special Thanks to: Wendy Mink, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, The Scheslinger Library and its staff, Shari Hoffman, Charlotte Sheedy, and the estate of Pauli Murray. For more visit frequencymachine.com/feministfilesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →