Unsung History

Latest Episodes:

The History of Drag in New York City Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

RuPaul’s Drag Race first aired on TV in 2009, but the New York City drag scene that launched RuPaul started over a century earlier. From drag balls to Wigstock, New York has long been considered the capital of drag culture.

Joining me in this episode to discuss New York City’s rich history of drag is writer Elyssa Maxx Goodman, author of Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “The New York Glide,” written by Tim Delaney and performed by Ethel Waters and Albury’s Blue & Jazz Seven in May 1921; the performance is in the public domain. The episode image is Lady Bunny, photographed by Tai Seef during Wigstock 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Additional Sources:

“How Drag Queens Have Sashayed Their Way Through History,” by Sam Sanders and Josh Axelrod, NPR, June 27, 2019.
“The US has a rich drag history. Here’s why the art form will likely outlast attempts to restrict it,” by Scottie Andrew, CNN, April 29, 2023.
“From police raids to pop culture: The early history of modern drag,” by Emily Martin, National Geographic, June 2, 2023.
“The Evolution of Drag: A History of Self-Expressionism,” by Gaelle Abou Nasr, Arcadia, December 12, 2021.
“InQueery: Trixie Mattel Breaks Down the History of ‘Drag,’” Them, September 20, 2018.
“Julian Eltinge was the most famous drag queen ever. What happened? [video]”, PBS American Masters, February 18, 2021.
“A century ago, this star ‘female impersonator’ made men swoon,” by Randy Dotinga, The Washington Post, June 24, 2023.
“Mob Queens [podcast],” by Jessica Bendinger & Michael Seligman.
“Stonewall Riots,” History.com, Originally posted May 31, 2017, and updated June 23, 2023.
“Marsha Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the history of Pride Month,” Smithsonian, June 7, 2021.
“Before There Was ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ There Was Wigstock,” by Michael Appeler, Variety, May 6, 2019.
“The Pyramid Club: New York City’s First Drag Landmark,” by Dawson Knick, Village Preservation, July 25, 2019.
“Wigstock Returns From the Dead,” by Jacob Bernstein, The New York Times, August 15, 2018.
“New Heights for a Diva: RuPaul's TV Talk Show,” by Andrea Higbie, The New York Times, October 20, 1996.
“Behind the Rise of RuPaul’s Drag Race,” by Maria Elena Fernandez, Variety, August 22, 2017.
“There Has Never Been a Show Like RuPaul’s Drag Race,” by David Canfield, Vanity Fair, August 27, 2021.
“RuPaul Shares the Origin of His Name and Drag Persona [video],” Late Night with Seth Meyers, February 12, 2020.
“NYPD Commissioner Apologizes For 'Oppressive' 1969 Raid On Stonewall Inn,” by Bobby Allyn and Dani Matias, NPR, June 6, 2019.

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Thomas Smallwood and the Underground Railroad Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

Over the course of just one year in the early 1840s, Thomas Smallwood, a recently emancipated Black man, with the assistance of the New England educated white abolitionist Charles Torrey, arranged for around 400 enslaved people to escape the Baltimore and DC area for freedom in Canada. While the abolition movement was still debating the best path forward, Smallwood and Torrey put their beliefs into action, establishing the Underground Railroad, and using the press to taunt the slaveowners whose enslaved people they freed.

Joining me in this episode to discuss Thomas Smallwood, Charles Torrey, and the Underground Railroad, is journalist Scott Shane, author of Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode audio is “Go Down Moses,” performed by the Tuskegee Institute Singers in 1914 and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” performed by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers in 1909; both songs are in the public domain and available via the Library of Congress’s National Jukebox. The episode image is "Crossing the river on horseback in the night," from 1872, available via the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library; the image is in the public domain.

Additional Resources:

“A Narrative of Thomas Smallwood, (Coloured Man:) Giving an Account of His Birth--The Period He Was Held in Slavery--His Release--and Removal to Canada, etc. Together With an Account of the Underground Railroad. Written by Himself.” by Thomas Smallwood.
“A Black Voice from the ‘other North”” Thomas Smallwood's Canadian Narrative (1851),” by Sandrine Ferré-Rode, Revue française d’études américaines, vol. 137, no. 3, 2013, pp. 23-37.
“Slave Patrols in the President's Neighborhood,” by Penelope Fergison, The White House Historical Association.
“What is the Underground Railroad?” National Park Service.
“Home!, or, The pilgrim's faith revived / written during his incarceration in Baltimore Jail, after his conviction and while awaiting--his sentence [four lines of poetry] ; published for the benefit of his family.” by Charles Torrey, 1845.
“Charles Torrey – The Most Successful, Least Celebrated Abolitionist,” New England HIstory Society.

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Phillis Wheatley Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

One of the best known poets of Revolutionary New England was an enslaved Black girl named Phillis Wheatley, who was only emancipated after she published a book of 39 of her poems in London. Wheatley, who met with Benjamin Franklin and corresponded with George Washington, was the first person of African descent to publish a book in English. Wheatley achieved literary success and helped drive the abolition movement, but she died young and penniless, and many of her poems were lost to history.

Joining me to discuss Phillis Wheatley is Dr. David Waldstreicher, Distinguished Professor of History at the City University of New York Graduate Center and author of The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet's Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode performance is poetry of Phillis Wheatley, read by Laurice Roberts for this podcast; the poems are in the public domain. The music is “Morning Dew” by Julius H. from Pixabay and is used in accordance with the Pixabay Content License. The episode image is a portrait of Phillis Wheatley, possibly painted by Scipio Moorhead, which was used as the frontispiece for her 1773 book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral; the portrait is available via the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution and is in the public domain.

Additional Sources:

“Phillis Wheatley: The unsung Black poet who shaped the US,” by Robin Catalano, BBC Rediscovering America, February 21, 2023.
“How Phillis Wheatley Was Recovered Through History,” by Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, July 30, 2020.
“The Multiple Truths in the Works of the Enslaved Poet Phillis Wheatley,” by drea brown, Smithsonian Magazine, June 24, 2020.
“The Great American Poet Who Was Named After a Slave Ship,” by Tiya Miles, The Atlantic, April 22, 2023.
“Phillis Wheatley: 1753–1784,” Poetry Foundation.
“Phillis Wheatley: Her Life, Poetry, and Legacy,” by Stephanie Sheridan, National Portrait Gallery Face to Face Blog.
Phillis Wheatley Historical Society
“Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” by Phillis Wheatley, available via Project Gutenberg

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Gladys Bentley Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

One of the biggest stars in Prohibition Age New York was blues singer Gladys Bentley, who caused a stir in Harlem, wearing a top hat and tails, flirting with women in the audience, and singing raunchy lyrics. Despite Bentley’s phenomenal talent, the repeal of Prohibition and the end of the jazz age led to waning interest in the type of bawdy performance for which she was known. Despite attempts to change with the times, Bentley was never again able to reach the level of fame she had once enjoyed.

Joining me in this episode to discuss Gladys Bentley and queer Black women performers in Prohibition Age New York is Dr. Cookie Woolner, Associate Professor of History at the University of Memphis and author of The Famous Lady Lovers: Black Women and Queer Desire before Stonewall.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Them There Eyes,” performed by Gladys Bentley on You Bet Your Life on May 15, 1958. The episode image is a photo of Gladys Bentley on a card distributed by the Harry Walker Agency, with a caption that reads: “America's Greatest Sepia Player -- Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs;” the photo is in the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and is in the public domain.

Additional Sources:

“I am Woman Again,” by Gladys Bentley, Ebony Magazine, August 1952.
“Gladys Bentley: Gender-Bending Performer and Musician [video],” PBS American Masters Unladylike2020, June 2, 2020.
“The Great Blues Singer Gladys Bentley Broke All the Rules,” by Haleema Shah, Smithsonian Magazine, March 14, 2019.
“Overlooked – Gladys Bentley,” by Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times, 2019.
“Honoring Notorious Gladys Bentley,” by Irene Monroe, HuffPost, Posted April 14, 2010 and updated May 25, 2011.
“Blues Singer Gladys Bentley Broke Ground With Marriage to a Woman in 1931,” by Steven J. Niven, The Root, February 11, 2015.
“Gladys Bentley on ‘You Bet Your Life’ [video],” Aired on May 15, 1958; posted on YouTube by Joel Chaidez on December 18, 2009.
“Gladys Bentley (feat. Eddie Lang) How Much Can I Stand? (1928) [video],” Audio recorded on November 2, 1928 and issued as a single by OKeh in 1929; posted on YouTube by randomandrare on April 16, 2010.

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Anna May Wong Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

As a child in Los Angeles, Wong Liu Tsong knew she wanted to be an actress. Adopting the screen name Anna May Wong and dropping out of school to pursue her passion, Wong landed her first lead role at age 17. Despite Hollywood racism that would limit the types of roles she would receive, Wong’s impressive career spanned over 60 films, in addition to stage and television work, and she was the first Asian American woman to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Yunte Huang, Professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Anna May Wong singing in three languages -Rudy Vallee Radio Show from July 11, 1935,” posted on YouTube by Robert Fells, who attributes the original discs to Jerry Haendiges. The episode image is a press photograph of Anna May Wong, from: Press photographs of Anna May Wong, 1930s, Postcards and Press Photographs of Anna May Wong, circa 1930-1981, MS Thr 2095 Case 1, Folder 4. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Additional Sources:

“Anna May Wong, 1905-1961,” by Kerri Lee Alexander, National Women’s History Museum.
“Life Story: Anna May Wong (1905–1961): The First Asian American Movie Star,” Women and the American Story, New York Historical Society.
“Anna May Wong: Trendsetting Movie Star and Fashion Icon / 1905-1961 [video],” UNLADYLIKE2020.
“Actress Anna May Wong Championed Asian American Representation in More than 60 Films,” by Chelsea Cozad, Smithsonian, October 24, 2022.
“Anna May Wong: the legacy of a groundbreaking Asian American star,” by Pamela Hutchinson, The Guardian, October 19, 2022.
“The True Story of Anna May Wong and The Good Earth,” by Yohana Desta, Vanity Fair, May 1, 2020.
“Lucy Liu Speaks Out for More Diversity at Hollywood Walk of Fame,” by Jordan Moreau, Variety, May 1, 2019.
“Anna May Wong Will Be the First Asian American on U.S. Currency,” by Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, October 18, 2022.

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Anna Rosenberg Aug 07, 2023

Show notes

When Anna Rosenberg Hoffman died in 1983, the New York Times called her “one of the most influential women in the country's public affairs for a quarter of a century.” A skilled labor mediator and advisor to four U.S. presidents, Rosenberg, a Jewish immigrant from Hungary, stood up to Senator Joe McCarthy and was confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense in 1950, making her the then-highest ranking woman in the history of the Department of Defense. It was only one of many firsts in her storied career.

Joining me in this episode to help tell the story of Anna Rosenberg is history teacher and writer Christopher C. Gorham, author of The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Heartwarming," composed and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The episode image is “Portrait of Anna M. Rosenberg, Assistant Secretary of Defense, at her desk in the Pentagon,” taken on February 2, 1951, credit: United States Army; the image is in the Public Domain and is available via the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum.

Additional Sources:

“One of the most important women in American history has been forgotten,” by Christopher C. Gorham, The Washington Post, May 30, 2023.
“Papers of Anna Rosenberg Hoffman, 1870-1983,” Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute.
“MANPOWER: The Buffalo Plan,” Time Magazine, September 27, 1943.
“Senators Confirm Anna M. Rosenberg,” The New York Times, December 22, 1950.
“Lessons of the Anna M. Rosenberg Hearings: Where Congressional Investigations Go Wrong,” by Herrymon Maurer, Commentary, May 1951.
“Anna Rosenberg Hoffman Dead; Consultant And 50's Defense Aide,” by Eric Pace, The New York Times, May 10, 1983.
"Anna M. Rosenberg, an ‘Honorary Man,’" by Anna Kasten Nelson, The Journal of Military History 68, no. 1 (2004): 133-161.
“Anna M. Rosenberg and Women in Defense after World War II,” by Stephanie Hinnershitz, National WWII Museum, March 18, 2022.
“Anna M. Rosenberg, Social Security History.
“Anna Rosenberg,” by Susan L. Tananbaum, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women.
“Anna M. Rosenberg (1902 - 1983),” Jewish Virtual Library.

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Pullman Porters & the History of the Black Working Class Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

In the early 20th century, career options for Black workers were limited, and the jobs often came with low pay and poor conditions. Ironically, because they were concentrated in certain jobs, Black workers sometimes monopolized those jobs and had collective power to demand better conditions and higher pay. The Pullman Company, founded in 1862, hired only Black men to serve as porters on Pullman cars, since George M. Pullman thought that formerly enslaved men would know how to be good, invisible servants and that they would work for low wages. In 1925, the Pullman Porters formed their own union, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, with A. Philip Randolph serving as president. After years of struggle, in 1935, the Pullman Company finally recognized the union, and it was granted a charter by the American Federation of Labor (AFL), making the Brotherhood the first Black union it accepted.

Joining me in this episode to help us learn about the Black working class is historian Dr. Blair L. M. Kelley, the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South and author of Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Pullman Porter Blues,” music and lyrics by Clifford Ulrich and Burton Hamilton; performed by Clarence Williams on September 30, 1921; the recording is in the public domain.The episode image is: “J.W. Mays, Pullman car porter,” photographed by C.M. Bell, 1894; the photograph is in the public domain and available via the Library of Congress.

Additional Sources:

“George Pullman: His Impact on the Railroad Industry, Labor, and American Life in the Nineteenth Century,” by Rosanne Lichatin,” History Resources, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
“The Rise and Fall of the Sleeping Car King,” by Jack Kelly, Smithsonian Magazine, January 11, 2019.
“The Pullman Strike, by Richard Schneirov, Northern Illinois University Digital Library.
“Pullman Porters,” History.com, Originally published February 11, 2019, and updated October 8, 2021.
“The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters,” by Brittany Hutchinson, Chicago History Museum.
“Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (1925-1978),” by Daren Salter, BlackPast, November 24, 2007.
“A. Philip Randolph Was Once “the Most Dangerous Negro in America,” by Peter Dreier, Jacobin, January 31, 2023.

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The History of Black Women & Physical Fitness in the United States Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

In 1894, Mary P. Evans, wrote in the Woman’s Era, a Black women’s magazine, that exercise: “enables you to keep in the best condition for work with the hands or with the brain… It prepares you to meet disappointment, sorrow, ill treatment, and great suffering as the strong, courageous and splendid woman meets them. It is a great aid to clear, quick, and right thinking.” She wasn’t the only Black woman of the day encouraging Black women and girls to exercise as a way of improving not just themselves but also the whole race. Despite the lack of facilities and obstacles in their way, Black women and girls aspired to physical fitness. In 2010, Michelle Obama, the first Black First Lady of the United States echoed Mary P. Evans, encouraging everyone to pursue physical fitness with the “Let’s Move” campaign.

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Ava Purkiss, assistant professor of women's and gender studies and American culture at the University of Michigan and author of Fit Citizens: A History of Black Women's Exercise from Post-Reconstruction to Postwar America.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is Sunburst Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Nesrality from Pixabay and is used via the Pixabay Content License.The episode image is “Atlanta University, Founder's Day Drill,” from The Harmon Foundation Collection: Kenneth Space Photographs of the Activities of Southern Black Americans and available in the public domain via the National Archives (NAID: 26174852; Local ID: H-HS-2-214).

Additional Sources:

“First Lady Michelle Obama Launches Let's Move: America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids,” White House Press Release, February 9, 2010.
“African Americans and the YMCA (Archives and Special Collections),” University of Minnesota LIbraries.
“A Brief History Of Diversity And Inclusion At The Y,” The YMCA of San Diego County, July 27, 2017.
“Our History,” Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College.
“Olivia A. Davidson (1854-1889),” by Nana Lawson Bush, BlackPast, January 19, 2007.
“Physical Education Pioneer Maryrose Reeves Allen Dies,” The Washington Post, January 17, 1992.
“The 'Hidden Figures' of Physical Education: Black Women Who Paved the Way in PE,” by Tara B. Blackshear and Brian Culp, Momentum magazine, co-authors, February 15, 2022.
“Addressing Racism In The Fitness Industry Requires Understanding Its Roots,” by Rodney J. Morris and Pamela Kufahl, Club Industry, October 6, 2020.
“A healthful legacy: Michelle Obama looks to the future of ‘Let’s Move,’” by Krissah Thompson and Tim Carman, The Washington Post, May 3, 2015.
Tweet by Michele Obama as First Lady, May 19, 2015.

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Enslaved Women who Murdered their Enslavers Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

In the American colonies and then in the antebellum United States, the legal system reinforced the power and authority of slaveholders by allowing them to physically abuse the people they enslaved while severely punishing enslaved people for even minor offenses. Some enslaved women, who could find no justice in the courts, sought their own justice through lethal resistance, murdering their enslavers.

Joining me now to help us understand the enslaved women who chose lethal resistance, what drove them, and why these stories are important to tell, is Dr. Nikki M. Taylor, Professor of History at Howard University and author of several books, including Brooding over Bloody Revenge: Enslaved Women's Lethal Resistance.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Desire for Freedom” by Lexin_Music from Pixabay and is used via the Pixabay Content License. The image is “Silhouette portrait of slave Bietja,” by Jan Brandes; it is available in the public domain.

Additional Sources:

Surviving Southampton: African American Women and Resistance in Nat Turner's Community, by Vanessa M. Holden, University of Illinois Press, 2021.
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, by Rebecca Hall, Simon & Schuster, 2021.
“Poetry of Defiance: How the Enslaved Resisted,” Zinn Education Project Teaching Activity, by Adam Sanchez.
“Slave codes,” National Park Service.
“The American Slave Code in Theory and Practice,” by William Goodell, 1853, Published in Learning for Justice.
“Hidden Voices: Enslaved Women in the Lowcountry and U.S. South,” The Lowcountry Digital History Initiative (LDHI).
"Thrice Condemned: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Practice of Leniency in Antebellum Virginia Courts," by Tamika Y. Nunley, Journal of Southern History 87, no. 1 (2021): 5-34.

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Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the Founder of Chicago Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

Sometime in the mid-1780s, Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a Black man from Saint-Domingue, and his Potawatomi wife, Kitihawa, settled with their family on a swampy site near Lake Michigan called Eschecagou, “land of the wild onions.” The homestead and trading post they built on the mouth of the Chicago River, with a comfortably appointed cabin, workshop, bake house, stable, smokehouse, and more, was the first settlement on what would become the city of Chicago. Their importance was long forgotten, but in 2006, the Chicago City Council belatedly voted to amend the Municipal Code of Chicago to add DuSable as the city’s official founder.

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Courtney P. Joseph, Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Lake Forest College who is writing a book titled DuSable’s Diaspora: Haiti, Blackness, and Belonging in Chicago.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode audio is: “Chicago (that Toddling Town),” written by Fred Fisher and performed by Jazz-Bo’s Carolina Serenaders in 1922; the audio is in the public domain and is available via the Internet Archive.

The episode image is a photograph of the bust of DuSable just north of DuSable Bridge in Chicago; the bust was created by Erik Blome in 2009; the photograph was taken by Matthew Weflen on June 17, 2023, and is used with permission.

Organizations:

Sources:

“Chicago's Authentic Founder: Jean Baptiste Point Dusable Or Haitian Secret Agent In The Old Northwest Outpost 1745-1818,” by Marc Rosier, Trafford Publishing, 2015.
“Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the First Chicagoan,” by Thomas A. Meehan, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Vol. 56, No. 3, Emancipation Centennial Issue (Autumn, 1963), pp. 439-453.
“The Father of Chicago: Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable,” by John R. Schmidt, WBEZ Chicago, August 8, 2011.
“'The First White Man in Chicago Was a Negro'?” by Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root, September 30, 2013.
“Do Chicagoans know DuSable had a Native American wife? We should celebrate her, too,” by Laura Washington, Chicago Sun-Times, June 13, 2021.
“The Black Founder of Chicago: Point du Sable | Black History Explainer [video],” Unique Coloring, 3,027 views Oct 1, 2022.
“The Story of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable [video],” Field Museum,
“Who Is Jean Baptiste Point du Sable? [video],” 77 Flavors of Chicago, February 6, 2023.

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