Breaking Barriers: Black History Month - Cathay Williams - First Black Women to Enlist in the Army Dressed as a Man!!

Unlock the untold stories of trailblazers who defied the odds. Get ready to be inspired by Cathay Williams, a woman whose courage and determination broke barriers in the 1800s by becoming the first African-American woman to enlist in the United States Army. Taking on the guise of a man under the name William Cathay, she bravely faced the challenges of military life in an all-Black regiment, all while keeping her true identity hidden. Her remarkable journey is a testament to her resilience and strength, highlighting the historical invisibility of women veterans, particularly women of color, in military history.

Beyond Cathay's incredible story, we reflect on the broader struggles and achievements of women throughout history who have been overlooked and underappreciated. From fighting for financial independence to securing basic rights, these narratives are reminders of the persistence and bravery of female pioneers across generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, this episode encourages listeners to honor these trailblazers and recognize the paths they forged that continue to impact our lives today. Tune in to remember that no matter how impossible the road seems, it's never too late to chart a new course.

Chapters

• 0:01 Women Veterans
• 10:06 Never Forget Her Story

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Sisters in Service podcast. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for women veterans in being recognized not only as veterans but also as women who are changing the world through our passion of serving even after service. This podcast is my passion by telling all the stories of military brats, military spouses, active duty and veterans, not to forget the veteran service organizations that help us along our transition journey. I want to thank you in advance for listening. I hope that you will join me. Every week, a new podcast and episode comes out every Tuesday, so I hope that you will join and I hope that you enjoy. This podcast is brought to you by Small Space Pilates. Are you ready to get fit and fabulous from the comfort of your own home? Look no further than Small Space Pilates. With live online Pilates and strength training classes, a video library and a no perfection allowed policy, you can achieve your fitness goals without ever leaving your house. Click on the link for your complimentary week and start your journey to feeling fabulous today. Hi everybody, and welcome to another episode of Sisters in Service. I know it's Monday. I'm feeling kind of draggy today. You know what I mean. However, I'm doing a solo episode today and for those of you that were in the military or not out of the military, have you found that there have been stories of women veterans in the military and now after the military that you didn't know about? You didn't read in history books and in the in high school it wasn't any military history that I read, but yet you still didn't know about it. You still didn't know about it. So today, in lieu of Black History Month, I wanted to look up a woman of color who had contributed greatly to military service, in whatever way that is. And so I found one. And for those of you that don't know, I did this story about the 6888 because, again, I found a story about it and I was a little upset that how did I not know about this? So I want to start off with this Ladies, have you ever disguised yourself as a man, for whatever reason? And I'm not talking fashion, I'm talking about maybe you to infiltrate somewhere to. You know what I mean. Well, get ready for this story and this incredible journey into a world of courage and disguise.

Speaker 1: 3:06

So in this episode of Sisters in Service, I delve into the extraordinary tale of a woman who dared to break all the norms. She dressed as a man to enlist in the military, challenging societal expectations and risking it all. Intriguing, right. What would make a woman want to do that, especially back in the day, when women were barely seen as people? On top of the fact that she is Black, I'm just going to put it out there. So her name is Cathay Williams. She's the first African-American woman to enlist in the United States Army.

Speaker 1: 3:47

So imagine for a moment that you want to serve in the military. This is way back in the day. We're talking 1800s, you guys yeah, way back. And you feel a calling, more than what the label people have put on you. Okay, you're a woman, you're good for childbearing, you're good for cleaning stuff and blah, blah, blah. But you wanna do more. So imagine for a moment that you are restricted simply because you're not male. You're female. How would you feel about that? So let's dive into this just a little bit.

Speaker 1: 4:30

Kathy Williams was born into slavery in Independence, missouri, in 1844, way back. She was a house slave on the Johnson Plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, missouri. So upon being freed by union soldiers in 1861, she felt a calling to get into the volunteer let me get it right the 8th indiana volunteer infantry regiment as a cook and a washer woman. Woman, right, washer woman what? And so imagine this she's in the military. She is, like I said, women only kind of. I don't know what you call them jobs, cook, washer woman I've never heard of that one before. And so she gets a little what's the word? Tired of these duties.

Speaker 1: 5:35

So she decides that she's going to enlist in the US Army under the pseudonym William Cathay in 1866, posing as a man. So think about this for a second. Think about all the things that we did not have, all the things of modern day. There was hardly anything. Let's just put it out there. It was hardly. So imagine being a guy, or trying to be a guy, trying to dress as a guy if you're a woman and being in this environment of all men. It's got to be hard. I'm just going to say so.

Speaker 1: 6:22

Her experience in the 30th US Infantry was an all-Black regiment, including the physical challenges number one, imagine. I don't know what the requirements were back then, but I don't know. It just sounds. Really. It sounds hard. Just the fact that it was back in the 1800s and keeping her identity a secret, I mean, that's what kind of stress is that? You know, thinking about what she did. She served, she served, she did. It was as a guy, but she served.

Speaker 1: 7:01

So she does her time in the military and I've looked all over and I cannot find anything that talks about when she was discharged. So you go to the doctor and she had to go to the doctor and her gender was discovered by a doctor in 1868. They immediately discharged her from the army. So just because she's female, just because she nothing else, they didn't say anything about. Oh, she didn't do her job. Well, she didn't do this well, simply because she was female, they let her out. They kicked her out. Let her out, they kicked her out. So after being in the military, she moves to Colorado and she works as a seamstress.

Speaker 1: 7:59

Here's the part that makes me a little angry. She attempted several times to the first woman to enlist in the army, in any of the military forces. I'm sorry, the first African-American woman to enlist, but think about her impact, think about how she had to fight for everything. I got out of the military in 2000. I'm still trying to be recognized as a woman veteran, because people don't see me as a veteran. I don't fit their vernacular, I don't fit their illusion or whatever it is, as a woman veteran. But think about back then when the only thing women were good for was, you know, childbearing, cleaning, cooking all the women stuff that they considered was women's stuff back in the day. So I wanted to bring this to your attention because, if you're anything like me, I want to look up these stories, and because it's Black History Month, I just thought it was relevant to tell her story Because we, as women, need to know that there and we know that there were people before us.

Speaker 1: 9:31

We know there were women before us, but did you know about this woman? Maybe you heard a snippet here or there, but this is why, as women, we need to solidly be together, unify. That don't mean that in the let's rear up and all this other stuff. I'm just saying we need to support each other, no matter what it is. If you want to start a business, more power to you, like on socials, let's support each other.

Speaker 1: 10:06

Let's learn about these women who came before us because it's important. Their story, her story. She didn't get any medals. She didn't get any medals. She didn't get any recognition. She was shoved under the rug and that's sad. So that's all I have for you today. I hope this struck a chord with you in some way, because it's different now, but think about when it wasn't different, when women had a hard time getting a credit card in their name not her husband's name opening a bank account, because you had to have your husband to do that at Not driving, not voting. We take for granted everything we have today because we forget about those women who came before us and even though it's Black History Month, she was female and I'm interested. I want to know more about her story. So until next time, please stay safe, take care of each other, until next time, and please remember it's never too late to start your impossible. Thank you.