Three tenacious women telling stories that need to be heard in the world
Katherine MastersFor International Women’s Day, we bring you three stories of inspirational women – in Bermuda, Canberra and Santa Monica – who are breaking down barriers and fostering a world where all women can thrive without discrimination or exclusion
A Bermudan storyteller and activist
Tour guide Kristin White takes travellers back in time as they wander the cobbled streets of St George’s. In the same picturesque island town she has a shop, Long Story Short, where she sells homemade crafts made by women all over the island, and she has also created a travel series, Untold Stories, to celebrate Black women’s achievements.
What inspired you to become a tour guide and to open your shop, Long Story Short?
I moved to St George’s 20 years ago and fell in love with the town. One of my favourite spots was The Book Cellar, a tiny bookstore inside the cellar of 18th-century Tucker House, a Bermuda National Trust property. When the owner decided to close the store, my husband and I offered to buy it as I couldn’t bear to see it gone. I had no retail experience, but we gave it a go and reopened The Book Cellar in April 2012, with me, my mama and other friends working there part-time.
I’m also interested in community development and when I became the tourism manager of St George’s, I’d sit in my store, look up at the cedar beams and think about whose ancestors carved them. I’d read history books and wondered why I was never taught these lessons in school. I’d visit spots along the African Diaspora Heritage Trail and feel a sense of self and place that I’d never before experienced. It was an awakening, and I wanted to tell these stories.
I began offering a theatrical night-time tour called Haunted History in 2015 and, eventually, expanded to offer other walking and bicycle tours.
The rebranding of my business from The Book Cellar to Long Story Short came in 2017. I wanted to curate the store shelves to be more aligned with my personal interests and values. To that end, the store now features gifts and books by Black and female authors, artisans and entrepreneurs, and has a focus on fair-trade and sustainable products.
What is your favourite ‘Untold story’ about Bermuda?
The story of Mary Prince is not an “untold story” but it is certainly not as widely known as it should be. Born enslaved in the late 1700s, in 1829 she became the first woman to present a petition to parliament; and in 1831, the first Black woman to publish a book in Britain. Her autobiography, The History of Mary Prince became a galvanising document for the abolition movement, and the book is still in print today by Penguin Classics.
There is so much to say about Mary Prince. Her courage; her resilience; her wit; her strength. She is a Bermuda National Hero, and in 2020 a holiday was named after her, making our island the only country in the world to have a public, annual, national holiday named after a Black woman.
Give us a flavour of some of the crafts in your shop?
It is very important to me that people can feel good about what they purchase, that the items are beautiful, hand-made, and that the makers are paid a fair wage.
We source products from a number of social enterprises who work with skilled artisans from around the world. We have African-print accessories from Liberia; handmade totes from Ghana; ceramics from Sierra Leone; upcycled sari napkins and baskets from India; and carved wooden tableware from Kenya.
Additionally, I wanted to highlight the many incredible female makers in Bermuda. We carry cutting boards from Adrienne Smatt; artisan teas from local healer and doula Reva Minors; artwork from Jas the Gemini (who also helps curate our extensive tarot card collection); hand-made goddess crowns by Tara Sapien; and spice blends from award-winning local spice company Umami Spices, owned by my sister, Rinelle. My mama, an artist, supplies our magnets. And I write the sayings for our T-shirts and mugs.
In 100 years’ time, what stories will tour guides be telling about the women in Bermuda?
I hope that they will still be telling the timeless and necessary stories of Sally Bassett, Mary Prince and other women from centuries ago. I hope that new research uncovers new stories about them and others who had previously been unknown and unnamed.
My wish is that by then, stories of women who broke barriers, and raised their voices for justice throughout the 20th century, will also be deeply ingrained in our cultural memory. Dr Eva Hodgson, Dame Lois Browne Evans, Dr Barbara Ball, and Georgine and Carol Hill. The women of the Progressive Group. The women of the Black Beret Cadre.
And, the stories will surely also include those of 21st-century Bermudian women, my friends and peers, who are blazing trails in the areas of science, sports, fashion, entrepreneurship, business, medicine and more.
I hope that all of these will be the tales we will tell our sons and daughters.
A champion of Australian women’s history
Sita Sargeant founded She Shapes History tours in 2021 to transform people’s understanding of Australian women’s history while taking in some of Canberra’s most iconic cultural institutions. She was inspired to act after noticing the absence of women’s stories in the history books – there are more statues of animals than there are statues of women in Australia.
What inspired you to start She Shapes History tours?
The tours were born out during a lockdown binge of Australian history, when I realised as a nation, we don’t share many female stories.
What I love most about the tours is the community they create. You don’t need a statue, a memorial or a plaque, just a story and a place. Knowing the stories helps to see the landscape as layered with history and reminds us of those who came before.
What is your favourite story to tell during one of your tours?
The Parliament House Ladies toilets is a classic. In 1943, Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons became the first women elected to the federal parliament. At that time, toilets for Members and Senators were exclusively for men. This disparity continued until 1974 when Kathy Martin and Ruth Coleman spoke out, and a toilet for women was established.
What is the reaction from those who join your tours?
The feedback has been amazing – tears, laughter, inspiration – we’ve seen it all. There’s been such a warm response from the community! Seeing men on the tours is always a win. We run three tours: Badass Women of Canberra, Spies in the Capital and LGBTQIA+ History of Canberra. Our Spies in the Capital tour gets 30% men.
In 100 years’ time, what stories will tour guides be telling about women in Canberra?
I think the 2021 March 4 Justice, when thousands called for the government to be held accountable for the treatment of women in politics. There are so many women shaping history today that I think they will struggle to choose only a handful!
As I say at the end of every tour – every day is another opportunity to shape history.
A pioneer in Santa Monica’s culinary scene
Mary Sue Milliken is a James Beard award-winning chef whose journey in a male-dominated field started at chef’s school as one of two women in a class of 100. She co-founded the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organisation in 1993, which offers scholarships, networking and mentoring opportunities for female food professionals. She followed that up by co-founding Regarding Her in 2020, a non-profit that advances female food and beverage entrepreneurs in Los Angeles and beyond.
What challenges do women still face in the culinary field?
Women are amazing leaders, chefs, and operators but despite being 54% of the food and beverage industry’s workforce, only 20% of managerial and decision-making power lies in women’s hands. Women in the food and beverage industry are more likely than men to have small children at home. This makes a healthy work life balance challenging, limits career advancement opportunities, and leads to high turnover. Women who persevere earn, on average, 22% less than men and 32% less for women of colour. Women receive only 2% of venture capital funding in the US, yet companies with more women in senior roles outperform the median 21% of the time and report increases in creativity.
Nine LA-based women chefs and operators founded Regarding Her in 2020 to create the industry we want for ourselves and for future generations – one we can be proud of and in which women thrive. I attended chef school in 1976, one of two women in a class of 100 – fast forward 50 years and I expected this industry that I adore to be more welcoming. This is the moment, post-pandemic, to create an industry as hospitable to women as it is to men.
Tell us about a successful female chef overcoming the odds in Santa Monica?
Angie Kim, chef/owner of Interstellar, opened an incredible cafe near the beach in Santa Monica just before the pandemic. Angie and her husband, Daniel, cook a heartfelt menu that takes full advantage of California’s farmer’s market bounty while incorporating delightful Korean, Japanese, Italian and even Mexican accents. So many restaurants have faced challenges these past five years, including weather, supply chain issues, rent hikes, inflation-fuelled costs, an uncertain workforce and wildly fluctuating foot traffic.
But Angie is unstoppable. She continues to serve truly innovative and irresistible drinks and dishes at breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner and even has a doggie menu! Lucky for us, Angie is creatively finding new ways to survive and thrive in an environment that could defeat less determined chefs.
Which female-led restaurant would you recommend to visitors?
Chef Sandra Cordero recently opened Xuntos, a gorgeous Santa Monica tapas and wine bar with incredibly delicious food and a warm and welcoming vibe. And next door in Downtown Santa Monica is Chef T’s Berbere, serving 100% organic, plant-based vegan dishes even a hardcore carnivore would be thrilled to eat. I could go on and on – there are so many wonderful women-owned restaurants in California.
In 100 years’ time, what stories will tour guides be telling about female chefs in Santa Monica?
I know that the kind of changes we want for the food and beverage industry take time and that the transformation we are working toward won’t be realised in my lifetime. But I hope visitors to Santa Monica 100 years from now will learn how the fertile environment here for women chefs and operators spawned a worldwide movement to create the first industry with true gender parity. We in hospitality know how to take care of people and can lead the way by creating an industry that cares for its workers while providing unique and delightful gathering places for diners and profitable, independent small businesses for owner operators.
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