This episode features the inspiring story of Mary Fields, also known as Stagecoach Mary, an African American woman born enslaved who became a legendary mail carrier in Montana. She defied racial and gender barriers, showcasing resilience, loyalty, and strength in the face of adversity.

Takeaways

*Mary Fields' early life and slavery in Tennessee
*Her journey to Montana and life on the frontier
*Her role as the first African American woman mail carrier
*Her relationships with Native Americans and white communities
*Her defiance of gender and racial norms

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Mary Fields
01:11 Mary Fields: A Life of Resilience
03:34 From Enslavement to Freedom
08:15 Friendship Across Boundaries
13:00 Challenges in the Wild West
16:23 Becoming Stagecoach Mary
24:16 Trailblazing as a Mail Carrier
26:24 The Commitment to Delivering Mail
28:11 The Importance of Community and Connection
29:43 Resilience and Overcoming Adversity
30:38 Building a Life and Community
32:32 Reflections on Identity and Humanity
34:16 Legacy and Impact
40:21 Understanding Historical Contexts
44:06 The Complexity of Freedom and Oppression
47:32 Empowering Future Generations

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Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

You're listening to Women and Resistance with Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla—where we honour the voices of women who have shaped history through courage and defiance...Now, back to the conversation.

That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!

She was a princess, a Cambridge-trained lawyer, the first Black woman on the pages of Harper's Bazaar, a foreign minister under one of Africa's most feared dictators — and she said NO when that dictator demanded she marry him. This week on Women and Resistance, we tell the full, extraordinary, and largely untold story of Princess Elizabeth Bagaaya Akiiki of Tooro.

Born in 1936 into the ancient Tooro Kingdom of what is now Uganda, Princess Elizabeth navigated colonial education systems, broke racial barriers at Cambridge and Gray's Inn, survived Idi Amin's regime, fled into exile disguised as a village girl, won landmark libel cases in the British press, walked the runways of New York and London as one of the world's first Black supermodels, and returned home to serve her continent as a diplomat and guardian of her people's culture.

Her life is not just a biography — it is a thesis on what African women's resistance looks like across decades of colonial erasure, post-independence political upheaval, patriarchal power, and the relentless weaponisation of beauty against Black excellence.

This in-depth conversation with Elizabeth of Toro, a Ugandan princess, lawyer, and diplomat, shares her extraordinary life story, cultural heritage, and insights on African history, colonialism, and resilience.

Takeaways

*History of Toro Kingdom and African kingdoms
*Colonialism and its impact on Africa
*The role of women in African leadership and resistance
*Personal journey of Elizabeth of Toro from princess to diplomat
*Cultural preservation and revival in Africa

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Princess Elizabeth of Toro
01:39 Growing Up in the Kingdom of Toro
04:28 Cultural Heritage and Identity
08:24 Education and Challenges Abroad
13:44 Historical Context of the Kingdom of Toro
19:30 Colonial Influences and Transformations
28:21 The Role of Women in Leadership
35:16 Reflections on Independence and Legacy
36:19 The Impact of Colonialism on Traditional Societies
38:45 Navigating Exile and Identity
41:47 Modelling as a Means of Survival
43:47 The Rise and Fall of Political Power
47:15 The Role of Women in Politics
52:34 Facing Adversity and Resilience
57:27 Love and Loss in Turbulent Times
01:00:49 Restoration and Legacy
01:03:14 Lessons in Identity and Courage

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Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

You're listening to Women and Resistance with Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla—where we honour the voices of women who have shaped history through courage and defiance...Now, back to the conversation.

That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!

This is a story about Black motherhood as resistance. About the legal limits of so-called “freedom.” About the Freedmen’s Bureau — what it promised, what it delivered, and where it catastrophically failed. And it’s about the unbroken thread that runs from Monemia McKoy to Mamie Till-Mobley to Sybrina Fulton to every Black mother who has ever had to fight for the right to simply keep her child.

In This Episode

*Who Monemia McKoy was — and why her name deserves to be spoken alongside the great resisters of history
*The sale and commodification of conjoined twins Millie and Christine from infancy
*Monemia’s transatlantic journey to reclaim her children from England
*The 1865 Freedmen’s Bureau custody trial — what Jacob and Monemia did right, and how the system still failed them
*The shrewd legal strategy behind the McCoy-drafted contract with Ladd & Cartwright
*The chilling reversal by Bureau agent Clinton Cilley — and what it reveals about Reconstruction justice
*The legacy of Black motherhood as a political act across centuries

Takeaways

*The story of Monemia McCoy and her conjoined twin daughters
*The impact of slavery and racial capitalism on Black families
*The resilience and activism of Millie and Chrissy McCoy
*The fight for dignity and recognition beyond exploitation
*The importance of preserving and telling Black history from Black perspectives

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Story of Monemia McCoy
03:13 The Birth of the Conjoined Twins
07:23 The Sale and Exploitation of the Twins
11:11 The Journey to England and Legal Battles
15:27 Reunion and Life After
21:05 The Unique Bond of Co-joined Twins
23:11 Life as Performers and Their Artistic Journey
28:50 Emancipation and Taking Control of Their Lives
32:13 Defining Their Identity Beyond Spectacle
36:44 Legacy and Philanthropy in Their Community
40:16 Facing Mortality and Final Reflections

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

You're listening to Women and Resistance with Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla—where we honour the voices of women who have shaped history through courage and defiance...Now, back to the conversation.

That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!