SPEAKER_04: Reboot your credit card with Apple Card. It gives you unlimited daily cash back that can earn 4.15% annual percentage yield when you open a savings account. A high yield, low effort way to grow your money with no fees. Apply for Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone to start earning and growing your daily cash with savings today. Apple Card subject to credit approval. Savings is available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility. Savings accounts by Goldman Sachs Bank USA. Member FDIC, terms apply.
SPEAKER_02: Warning, the following message contains an app recommendation you won't be able to resist.
SPEAKER_03: Girl, how do you keep getting all these things for free? Coffee, makeup, and now lunch?
SPEAKER_00: You haven't heard of the Drop app? Drop is a free app that rewards you for shopping at places like Ulta, Adidas, and Sam's Club. I've already earned $100 this month.
SPEAKER_10: Download the Drop app and get $5. Use invite code GETDROP222.
SPEAKER_07: This year, Hyundai features their all electric Hyundai IONIQ lineup as a proud sponsor of the I Heart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas with two high tech models. The IONIQ 5 can take you an EPA estimated 303 miles on a single charge and has available two way charging for electronic equipment inside and outside the car. The IONIQ 6 boasts a mind blowing range of up to 360 miles and can deliver up to an 80% charge in just 18 minutes with its 800 volt DC ultra fast charger. Check out Hyundai at the I Heart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas as their all star IONIQ lineup hits the stage like you've never seen before. Hyundai, it's your journey.
SPEAKER_01: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Wamanica. Today's politician was a civil rights activist and the first female African American state legislator elected in the US. Rather than relying on preconceived and established methods, she forged her own path through activism by founding, organizing and leading new movements. Please welcome Crystal Bird-Fossett. Crystal was born on June 27th, 1894 in Princess Anne, Maryland. She was one of nine children born to Benjamin Oliver Bird and Portia E. Bird. Both of Crystal's parents were passionate about education, a drive they passed down to their daughter. Benjamin was the first principal of Princess Anne Academy, a school for black students. Upon his death in 1897, Portia took over the role. When Crystal's mother died in 1900, Crystal moved to Boston to be raised by her aunt. From there, she moved to Philadelphia, the city where she spent most of her adult life. Crystal worked as a public school teacher there from 1914 to 1918, at which point she left to embark on a string of leadership roles in community organizations. Throughout the 1920s, Crystal worked in many roles at organizations working to improve race relations in the United States. She began as a field secretary for African American girls at the YWCA. In 1926, she joined the interracial section of the American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC. She made about 200 public appearances in one year to lecture across the country on African American culture. At the end of the decade, Crystal completed her studies at Teachers College at Columbia University. She graduated in 1931 and that same year, met and married sociologist and political thinker, Arthur Fawcett. Fawcett, half brother to Harlem Renaissance novelist, Jesse Redmond Fawcett and principal of Philadelphia's all-black Joseph Singerely School, shared many of the same passions as his wife, but their marriage quickly became strained.
SPEAKER_01: While Arthur chose to work outside of the established two-party political system, Crystal centered her efforts within mainstream politics. In 1932, Crystal founded the Colored Women's Activities Club of the Democratic National Committee. There, she helped black women register to vote. The following year, she helped to establish the Swarthmore College Institute of Race Relations, which collected information to fight against anti-black employment and housing regulations in Pennsylvania. Crystal's activism was noticed by the Roosevelt administration, which appointed her to assistant director of the Philadelphia Works Progress Administration, part of the New Deal. There, she worked to promote the interests of black women in particular. She challenged a racial quota system that underestimated the number of African American women in need of jobs and raised the percentage of black women workers in the program from 33% to 50%. At the 1936 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Crystal continued her efforts to bring black women into public politics. She organized an all-black, all-female WPA Workers Group, later known as the Willing Workers Democratic Organization. The group helped increase voter registration and party membership. Thanks in part to efforts like Crystal's, the 1936 election marked the first time in Philadelphia history that voters in predominantly black wards went blue. In 1938, Crystal took a different kind of step into politics. She made history as the first African American woman elected to a state legislature. She won the race to represent Philadelphia's 18th district, which was, at the time, 66% white. Her campaign was one of the first to prioritize using the phones over public speeches. As a representative, Crystal continued to lobby for policies that could improve the lives of black Americans and especially women. During her time in office, she introduced nine bills and three amendments on issues including public health, increasing low income housing, and banning racial discrimination practices in the workplace. In 1939, she received her first Meritorious Service Medal for her work. She'd win another in 1955. In 1941, Crystal became Assistant Director of the Office of Civil Defense. She also headed the Office for Race Relations in that department. Crystal became a part of Roosevelt's Black Cabinet, where she provided a voice for African American representation and civil planning. Crystal was especially ardent in her desire to increase recruitment and acceptance of black people in the military. However, it wasn't until 1948, after Roosevelt's presidency, that President Harry S. Truman banned racial discrimination in military service. Roosevelt's lack of action on that issue, as well as on broader issues holding back black Americans, led Crystal to cut ties with the Democratic Party which she'd spent so much of her life supporting. In 1944, Crystal switched her political affiliation to the Republican Party, and became a member of the Republican National Committee's division on African American Affairs. That same year, she and her husband finalized a divorce. Crystal then returned her attention to the global stage. In 1945, she helped found the UN Council of Philadelphia, later known as the World Affairs Council. She traveled the world in the 1950s, often visiting countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, seeking independence. After Ghana's independence in 1958, Crystal penned a letter expressing her displeasure at not being invited to the US delegation. Crystal died in Philadelphia in 1965. She was 71 years old. Decades later, in 1991, she was honored by the city of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated a state historical marker to her in front of her former residence on Vine Street. All month, we're talking about politicians. For more on why we're doing what we're doing, check out our newsletter, Wamanica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Encyclopedia Wamanica, and follow me directly on Twitter at Jenny M. Kaplan. Special thanks to my favorite sister and co-creator, Liz Kaplan. Talk to you tomorrow. Before we go, we need to talk.
SPEAKER_01: The 2020 election is here, and we wanna make sure every eligible voter has the information they need to register to vote and to cast a ballot. We're teaming up with Rock the Vote to help you register and to make sure you have the resources you need. Don't wait until the last minute. Check out Rock the Vote's resources now to make sure you're ready and signed up to get any election-related updates at rockthevote.org. Your voice is powerful. Did you know that you're the biggest influencer of your friends and family? It's true. So take the time to talk with them about the importance of making sure their voter registration is up to date, and share these resources with them. Go to rockthevote.org for more. Together, we have the power to decide our future.
SPEAKER_06: Lesson next, one-year upgrade on Go5G Next requires financing a new qualifying device and upgrading in good condition after six-plus months with 50% paid off. Upgrade ends financing and any promo credits. See tmobile.com.
SPEAKER_09: Do you hear it? The clock is ticking. It's time for the new season of 60 Minutes. The CBS News Sunday Night tradition is back for its 56th season with all-new big-name interviews, hard-hitting investigations, and epic adventures. No place, no one, no story is off limits. And you'll always learn something new. It's time for 60 Minutes. New episode airs Sunday, September 24th on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+.
SPEAKER_05: Has all of that summer travel taken a toll on your sleep? Come home to the cool, comfortable sleep you deserve with Leesa. For a limited time, save up to $700 off select mattresses, plus two free pillows during Leesa's Labor Day sale. And use code IHART for an additional $50 off mattresses and select goods. Leesa's hybrid mattresses are designed to beat the heat, so you can look forward to having a relaxing and peaceful night's sleep every night. Visit leesa.com and shop the Labor Day sale today. That's L-E-E-S-A.com. Exclusions apply, see leesa.com for details.
