Edmonia Lewis Read By Dana King

Rebel Girls

Kids & Family, Education For Kids, Stories For Kids

4.5 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 November 2022

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

[This episode originally aired in November, 2020]. On this episode we meet Edmonia Wildfire Lewis, a talented American sculptor who emigrated to Europe to push her art to the next level! As a Black female sculptor in the 19th century she blazed a trail through the world of art and created works of enormous magnitude. Though some of her work has been lost to history, her contributions to art and sculpture will never be forgotten! About the Narrator Dana King is a classical figurative sculptor who believes in the power of commemorative art. She loves the art of sculpture because it allows people to shape stories, share memories and determine how they are remembered. Her sculptures aim to link generations by revealing common threads: shared values, experiences, and aspirations because, she believes, they help those alive today compare and contrast their world with that of social pioneers, both enslaved and free, whose sacrifices, courage and commitment to excellence helped create modern society. She hopes you see yourself and those you love in her work! Credits This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and Boom Integrated, a division of John Marshall Media. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Executive Producers were Jes Wolfe and Katie Sprenger. This season was produced by John Marshall Cheary, Sarah Storm, and Robin Lai. Corinne Peterson was our Production Manager. This episode was written by Jestine Ware and edited by Katie Sprenger. Proofread by Ariana Rosas. Elettra Bargiacchi created sound design, and composed and performed the original theme. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome! I'm your host, Pit Petals. We are seriously exploded with excitement for Equestria's
0:06.0	first ever pony podcast! Subscribe now to My Little Pony, the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
0:13.1	or wherever you listen. Once there was a girl who would blaze a trail through the world of art,
0:22.0	her name was Wildfire and Monia Lewis. We don't know exactly when Wildfire was born,
0:32.3	but we think it might have been around the time of America's 68th birthday. Her father was a
0:39.2	servant from Haiti, and her mother was half black and half Native American, and worked making
0:45.5	traditional chippewa crafts with her two sisters. In the 1850s, in America, most black people were
0:54.6	enslaved, and indigenous people were treated badly, like they weren't even human beings.
1:01.8	But Wildfire's parents had both been born free and passed that freedom down to their two children,
1:08.4	Wildfire and Sunshine. By the time Wildfire was nine years old, both of her parents had passed away.
1:17.7	She moved in with her big brother and her two aunts, but Wildfire's brother, Sunshine, had other
1:24.0	plans. He changed his name to Samuelal and moved west to dig for gold in California.
1:31.6	Before he left though, he promised that if he struck it rich, he'd send money back for
1:39.6	Wildfire to go to school. And he did. And Wildfire? Wildfire struck gold too, deep down inside herself.
1:52.1	I'm Dana King, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. In this episode, Wildfire at Monia Lewis.
2:11.0	In 1859, Wildfire changed her name to Mary at Monia Lewis. And although she changed her name,
2:26.0	she still had her fiery spirit. She had been declared wild at her school and forced to leave,
2:34.1	but her brother was determined to give her the best education he could. Samuel sent her money to
2:43.0	attend Oberlin College in Ohio, where nobody knew about her wildness just yet. At the time, Oberlin was
2:53.0	one of those rare schools that allowed students of color and white students to study together.
2:59.2	It was run by abolitionists. Those were people who opposed slavery and believed in freedom for everyone.
3:09.0	Still, at Monia wasn't allowed to take difficult math in science classes like geometry or anatomy.
	...

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