The Breakfast Club - IDKMYDE: Grace Wisher

Episode Date: February 5, 2025

On todays episode of IDKMYDE hear how Grace Wisher helped sew the American flag, but somehow history left her out of the spotlight—kind of like that one friend who does all the work, but gets none of the credit. Guess some stars just don’t get recognizedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calling all Yellowstone fans. Let's go to work. Join Bobby Bones on the official Yellowstone podcast for exclusive cast interviews, behind the scenes insights, and a deep dive into the themes that have made Yellowstone a cultural phenomenon. Our family legacy is this ranch. I'm the architect of my life. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, Here's the Thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers, and so many other fascinating people, like writer and actor, Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything. You're left alone. You know, you do three hours in the morning, you write. Three hours in the afternoon, go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours, you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on. Listen to Here's the Thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey you guys, I'm Catherine Legg. I'm a racing driver who's literally driven everything with four wheels across the planet. And I've got a new podcast. It's called Throttle Therapy. This season, I'm competing in some of the world's most notorious racing events. Tune into my new podcast, Throttle Therapy,

with Catherine Legg, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. This is Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose Rose and we've got a new podcast, Full Circle. Every Wednesday we're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball. We've got you with analysis, insight stories, and a little bit of tea. Full Circle is an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Full Circle on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by

Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. On today's episode of I Didn't Know, Maybe You Didn't Either, let's discuss the American flag. Whenever I'm quizzing folks on the American flag, I ask three questions. How many stars on the flag? How many stripes on the flag? And who created the flag?

Now, if your answer was 50, 13, and Betsy Ross, you got two out of three. I'll explain. I didn't know maybe you didn't need I didn't know maybe you didn't need I didn't know maybe you didn't need I didn't know I didn't know Now when folks talk about the American flag all you ever hear is Betsy Ross this and Betsy Ross that but Betsy don't know ish cause Betsy can't rap.

That was like that Bo Jackson commercial keep up. Look the point is folks is always talking about Betsy Ross and that flag like she the Beyonce in the sewing world or something. But what they don't tell you is that there was someone else putting in the work. A young black woman named Grace Wisher. Now Grace was an apprentice right there with Betsy Ross helping stitch that flag together but you think Betsy ever gave her as much as a shout out? Nope. That joint don't say the flag was created by Betsy Ross featuring Grace Wisher at the bottom of

it. Nothing. It's like Grace was the AZ to Betsy's nose. You know I'm saying like AZ. A lyrical genius, co-wrote some of the best verses on Illmatic. But when folks talk about that album, they act like he wasn't even there. Grace was in the same boat, y'all. And let me tell you, Grace didn't even have the option to shine.

It wasn't like she could hop on Instagram and post a selfie like, day three of stitching the stars and stripes on y'all. Hashtag black girl magic. No, this was the 1700s. Grace wasn't gonna get no flowers cause back then black women didn't get no flowers. Hell, black people weren't even allowed

to get near the bouquet. Grace's story is wild to me though because her hands were literally on the symbol of freedom. Freedom, but she didn't even get a seat at the table. She liked Mos Def or Yassine Bay now, that what we call him. He another one of them dope MCss but he wasn't chasing commercial fame. He was out there spitting truth making classics like Black on both sides but mainstream was like nah we good on that. Grace was out here sewing up history and society was like nah we good on that. See Bessie Ross is

like the Dr. Dre of the whole operation. Like she had the connections, she got the credit, and Grace, she were like Goodie Mob in the South, pioneering, doing soulful conscious work, but usually, outcasts get all the credit for the South. And I mean, come on. Like without Goodie Mob, Southern hip hop wouldn't have been the same. Without Grace Wishart,

that flag wouldn't have been the same either. So here's the real talk. When you see that American flag flying high, don't just think about Betsy Ross. Think about 16 year old Grace Wisher. A little black apprentice that was behind the scenes making it happen. Even though she was not allowed to shine. She liked Rayquan from Wu-Tang. Only built for Cuban links is a masterpiece. But you know folks is always like, oh Method Man,, oh ghost face, nah man give Raekwon his

flowers and give Grace Wisher her flowers. She's proof that history ain't all about who gets the credit, it's about who did the work. So next time you see that 50 star, 13 striped American flag, you just remember a 16 year old black woman helped to make it happen. And I didn't know, Maybe you didn't either. Calling all Yellowstone fans. Let's go to work. Join Bobby Bones on the official Yellowstone podcast for exclusive cast interviews, behind the scenes insights, and a deep dive into the themes that have made Yellowstone a cultural phenomenon.

Our family legacy is this ranch. And I protect it with my life. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, Here's the Thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd.

I love writing more than anything. You're left alone. You know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon, go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours, you come out with seven pages, and then you're moving on. Listen to Here's the Thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, you guys, I'm Catherine Legge. I'm a racing driver who's literally driven everything with four wheels across the planet. And I've got a new podcast. It's called Throttle Therapy. This season, I'm competing in some of the world's most notorious racing events. Tune into my new podcast, Throttle Therapy, with Catherine Legg, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.

You can find us on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. This is Lexi Brown. And Mariah Rose. And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle. Every Wednesday, we're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball.

We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. Full Circle is an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Full Circle on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.