The Women Who Sparked Movements—And Why You’re Next

🎙️ Female Friday | Sassy Politics with Christi Chanelle

Episode Summary:
This week on Female Friday, we’re bringing the fire—and the facts. We’re honoring the quiet courage and LOUD legacy of Rosa Parks, then spotlighting powerhouse activists like Fannie Lou Hamer and Dolores Huerta who flipped the script on “too old” and “too quiet.” These women didn’t ask for permission—they made history anyway. And now? It's your turn.

We're diving into their stories, their grit, and how their grassroots rebellion is the blueprint for your own badass activism. This episode is your reminder that whether you're 25 or 65, your voice still matters. And if you’ve ever thought you were too small to make a difference… pull up a seat, sis—this one's for you.

Available On: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you listen
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Website: ChristiChanelle.com

💋 Coming Monday (04/29/25): Mindf*ck Monday Teaser
Title: Bureaucracy and Ballots: The SAVE Act and Voter Sabotage
We’re breaking down why showing your Real ID isn’t enough to protect your vote—and what lawmakers aren’t telling you. Tune in for receipts, rage, and a quick email template to start raising hell.

💋 Coming Wednesday (05/01/25): Woke-ish Wednesday Teaser
Title: 1 Million Views Later: What TikTok Taught Me About Fear and Visibility
We’re reflecting on what it means to be seen, the pressure of going viral, and the new goals I’m setting now that I know I’m louder than I thought.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Sassy Politics
• 0:54 Rosa Parks: Strategic Civil Disobedience
• 3:09 Finding Your Voice At Any Age
• 5:25 Dolores Huerta and Community Building
• 6:43 Fired Up, Ready to Go
• 8:16 Your Voice Matters, Rise Up

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Tired, brave and loud. The women who moved mountains. There's something powerful about hearing a woman's voice rise in the face of injustice. Today we're diving into four women whose words didn't just inspire change, they commanded it. This isn't just a history lesson. It's your reminder that you're never too tired, too old or too ordinary to shake the damn table. I'm Christy Chanel and this is Sassy Politics.

Speaker 1: 0:54

Rosa Parks Most people have heard about Rosa Parks Now. I realize that they're trying to rip away whitewash history and take away any sign of activism where it could maybe spark someone these days to do it. When I think about quiet courage, I think about Rosa Parks. Most people know the story. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus and set off a chain reaction that helped ignite the civil rights movement. But what people often forget, especially white people like me, is that Rosa wasn't just hired from work. She was strategic. She had been trained in civil disobedience. She had spent years working quietly as the secretary of her local NAACP. She knew the system and she knew exactly what she was doing.

Speaker 1: 1:48

When she stayed in that seat, and for a long time, I didn't think this part of the movement pertained to me Because I'm white, I'm a woman, I'm privileged in ways I didn't always see. Growing up, I used to think that was their fight, that was their bravery and that was their burden. But then I started listening, really listening to how Black women have always been the ones holding the line, how they've had to show up for democracy, for freedom, for rights in ways that would break most of us, and I realized not only does this pertain to me, it's my responsibility to speak up, not to center myself, but to stand beside them Loudly, with full voice. Rosa later said people always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, no-transcript. And maybe you're like me. Maybe you're starting your activism later in life, maybe you're just now waking up, looking around and thinking how did we get here? Let me tell you something we need you. It's not too late. You're not too late. Rosa wasn't ready. She was right, and your moment to be right might not look like a viral post or a podium speech. It might look like a conversation at Easter, a protest sign, an email to your representative, a podcast episode, a refusal to be quiet. Her stillness that day was louder than any scream, and every time I hesitate to use my voice I think of her, because sometimes you don't need a microphone, you just need a seat and the guts to hold it.

Speaker 1: 4:02

If you've ever felt too old or too late to begin something powerful, let me introduce you to Fannie Lou Hamer. She was 44 when she became a voice for voting rights in the Jim Crow South. She wasn't a polished politician, she was a sharecropper, a woman who didn't finish school, a woman who had every reason to believe the system would never listen to her, and still she spoke truth to power with a shaking voice and a spine of steel. She survived beatings, jail and intimidation, but still showed up again and again. Her famous line I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Same, fanny, same. And if she could rise in the face of that kind of violence and keep fighting, so can we, because no matter your age, your past, your experience level, we need you. If Fannie Lou Hamer could find her voice at 44 and change history, you sure as hell can rise at 40, 50, 60 or beyond. Your voice doesn't expire. Your purpose doesn't have a deadline.

Speaker 1: 5:25

Dolores Huerta co -founded the United Farm Workers Movement and helped organize some of the most powerful labor strikes in US history. But she didn't do it with money or a giant team. She did it through community, through the people, door to door, meeting to meeting. She wasn't just a leader, she was a builder. That phrase, you know si se puede, that was hers, and it wasn't just a slogan. In English it means yes, we can. By the way, it wasn't just a slogan, it was a battle cry, a belief, a challenge. And when I think about what I'm doing with this podcast and this platform, it's not just about talking. It's about building a community, creating a space for women who feel like it's too late to start something new. It's about rising together, supporting one another. Dolores built her movement in union halls and parking lots. I'm building mine with a mic and a message, and if you're listening to this, you're already a part of it.

Speaker 1: 6:43

Yes, this is Female Friday, but I have to end with President Barack Obama, because one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard came from a woman he encountered. It happened during his first campaign. He visited a small town in South Carolina and a volunteer named Edith Childs stood up and yelled fired up, ready to go. She kept saying it over and over, until the whole room said it back, until it became a rallying cry, until it followed him across the country and into the White House. It wasn't a politician who created that moment, it was a woman.

Speaker 1: 7:27

Sometimes your job isn't to lead the protest. Sometimes it's to be the voice in the back of the room, yelling fired up, ready to go. So now we honor Rosa, fanny, dolores and Edith, and the millions of unnamed women whose words have stirred revolutions. I want to remind you your voice doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be loud, it just has to be yours. Speak even if you shake. Start even if you're scared. Rise even if you're tired, because your words, they, might be the ones someone else remembers when they're ready to rise. I'll see you Monday for MindFuck Monday, but for now, stay fired up, stay loud and never forget. You're part of the legacy too. Love you, miss you, bye.