Podcast
Rebel Spirit
Hosted by iHeartPodcasts · EN
In Season Two of Rebel Spirit, Akilah Hughes picks up where her battle to change her high school’s Confederate mascot left off and quickly realizes the problem was never just a mascot. Shifting from her high school still clinging to the “Rebels” name to the long fight over a Jefferson Davis statue in the Kentucky State Capitol, Season Two expands into a sharp, funny, and deeply reported investigation into how America decides what, and who, it chooses to honor. Along the way, Akilah speaks with politicians from both sides of the aisle about their support for change, historians who help contextualize the fight to remove Confederate monuments, and artists who are part of building monuments their whole community can be proud of. All in an effort to answer this season's big question, if we’re willing to tear down racist monuments, why is it so hard to replace them with something better?
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 3: Making Monuments
2d ago00:29:08Tap to summarizeAfter deciding on a replacement monument she wants to advocate for, Akilah dives deep into what it takes to actually get a new monument in place. Through conversations with monument makers and preservationists, she starts to build her plan. Rebel Spirit is a production of Ninth Planet Audio in association with iHeart Podcasts. Reporting and writing by Akilah Hughes, she is also the Host and Executive Producer. Produced and Written by Dan Sinker. Edited and Mixed by Rudy Jansen. Executive Producers for Ninth Planet Audio are Elizabeth Baquet and Jimmy Miller. Executive Producer for iHeart Podcasts is Cristina Everett. Our theme song is All The Things I Couldn’t Say performed by Busty and The Bass, courtesy of Arts and Crafts Records. Special thanks to our guests this episode, Paul Farber and Nekisha Durett. If you want to get in touch, email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. And visit our website www.rebelspiritpodcast.com where you can check out our merch store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode 2: The Rotunda
1w ago00:34:22Tap to summarizeAkilah narrows her aim at an empty corner of the Kentucky State House where a Jefferson Davis monument once stood. She tries to chase down Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear who advocated for the removal of the Jefferson Davis monument and comes up with what might be the perfect option to replace it. Rebel Spirit is a production of Ninth Planet Audio in association with iHeart Podcasts. Reporting and writing by Akilah Hughes, she is also the Host and Executive Producer. Produced and Written by Dan Sinker. Edited and Mixed by Rudy Jansen. Executive Producers for Ninth Planet Audio are Elizabeth Baquet and Jimmy Miller. Executive Producer for iHeart Podcasts is Cristina Everett. Our theme song is All The Things I Couldn’t Say performed by Busty and The Bass, courtesy of Arts and Crafts Records. Special thanks to our guests this episode, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Kentucky State Senator Chris McDaniel. If you want to get in touch, email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. And visit our website www.rebelspiritpodcast.com where you can check out our merch store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode 1: Back To Work
2w ago00:33:05Tap to summarizeIn our Season Two premiere, Akilah catches up on the latest from her hometown of Florence, Kentucky as she begins to explore how the same Confederate legacy she challenged locally is resurging across America. Through conversations with a couple familiar voices from Season One, she lays out how mascots and monuments are directly tied to the present political moment, and why the fight over who gets remembered is far from over. Rebel Spirit is a production of Ninth Planet Audio in association with iHeart Podcasts. Reporting and writing by Akilah Hughes, she is also the Host and Executive Producer. Produced and Written by Dan Sinker. Edited and Mixed by Rudy Jansen. Executive Producers for Ninth Planet Audio are Elizabeth Baquet and Jimmy Miller. Executive Producer for iHeart Podcasts is Cristina Everett. Our theme song is All The Things I Couldn’t Say performed by Busty and The Bass, courtesy of Arts and Crafts Records. Special thanks to our guests this episode, Hillary Delaney and Amber Hoffman. If you want to get in touch, email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. And visit our website www.rebelspiritpodcast.com where you can check out our merch store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Coming Soon... Rebel Spirit Season 2
3w ago00:02:47Tap to summarizeThis season, Akilah takes her fight to the Kentucky State House in an attempt to replace a recently removed Confederate statue with a monument everyone can be proud of. Grounded in her own lived experiences, Season Two explores how monuments aren’t just markers of history -- they’re battlegrounds for the values we’re still negotiating today. Tune in when the new season premieres May 19.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Rebel Spirit Signal Award Voting!
Oct 600:01:06Tap to summarizeHelp us win a Signal Award for Rebel Spirit! Voting is open through Thursday, October 9th and you can vote in each of our categories at the below link. We're nominated for Limited Series - Comedy and Limited Series - Activism, Public Service and Social Impact. https://rebelspiritpodcast.com/vote/ Thank you for all your support! And keep an eye out for updates on Rebel Spirit season 2 which will be coming next year!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Vote For Rebel Spirit To Win A Webby!
Apr 15, 202500:01:43Tap to summarizeRebel Spirit is nominated for a Webby Award and we need your help to win! Go to this link and vote for Rebel Spirit: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging Or just go to vote.webbyawards.com and search for Rebel Spirit. Thank you so much for your support!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Episode 12: Erasures
Feb 25, 202500:21:50Tap to summarizeIt's the last episode of the season, and Akilah is thinking about her home, Florence, Kentucky. Over the course of our reporting, we've been told how much the town and county are changing, how much more diverse they're getting. What does the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and diversity mean for Florence? What does it mean for all of us? One last open record request underscores what we're up against, even as the battle feels larger than ever. To view a selection of the open records we received from the school, along with bonus content for other episodes, visit our new website: https://rebelspiritpodcast.com If you have a racist mascot at your high school or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you! Correction: We reference Linda McMahon as Education Secretary in this episode, as of publishing she is just the nomination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Episode 11: Open Records
Feb 11, 202500:30:24Tap to summarizeSince our last episode, we've heard rumors coming out of Boone County: there WILL be a new mascot; there definitely will NOT be a new mascot; the new superintendent wants to know what's going on; there are meetings happening. We've tried hard to get anyone at the school district or the high school to talk with us, so we can find out what's real and what isn't, but nobody will. And so this episode Akilah asks: is there another way to find out what folks are saying? To view a selection of the open records we received from the school, along with bonus content for other episodes, visit our new website: https://rebelspiritpodcast.com If you have a racist mascot at your high school or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →New Year Update
Jan 28, 202500:32:34Tap to summarizeAkilah sits down with her producers, Dan and Elizabeth, for a check in on where the journey has taken them since airing the initial episodes. Though there hasn't been much movement from Boone County High School, they have heard some updates from local supporters. Additionally, the team shares an overview of what they plan to share in future episodes. If you have a racist mascot at your high school or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Expanded Interviews
Dec 17, 202400:37:11Tap to summarizeAs Akilah and the Rebel Spirit team continue to pursue updates from BCHS on the mascot change, we wanted to share one more bonus episode before the end of the year. Within today's episode you get an expanded look at three of the many interviews we conducted when creating Rebel Spirit. We'll be back in the new year with a larger update on our progress in continuing to follow this story. Until then, wishing everyone very happy holidays! If you're in need of holiday gifts, consider checking out the Rebel Spirit Shop: https://rebelspiritshop.myshopify.com/ If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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