Episode 8: Son of A Mitch

After a shocking new development in her efforts to replace the Jefferson Davis statue in the Kentucky State Capitol, Akilah learns you sometimes have to be careful what you wish for.  Rebel Spirit is a production of Ninth Planet Audio in association with iHeart Podcasts.  Reporting and writing by…

Episode 7: The Daughters

Throughout this season Akilah has spoken with many people - historians, politicians, journalists, artists, designers - and in every conversation one name keeps coming up. The Daughters of the Confederacy. So in today's episode, Akilah is taking a closer look.  Rebel Spirit is a production of Ninth…

Episode 6: Killing Dead Confederates

Historian and retired Brigadier General Ty Seidule speaks with Akilah about his experience as vice chair of the Congressional Naming Commission which was tasked with redesignating Department of Defense assets that honor Confederates. And how he continues with his efforts to shout down the Confedera…

Episode 5: Oh, Shenandoah

This week, Akilah takes a close look at Shenandoah County, Virginia, where one of the more public fights over Confederate iconography has been playing out over the past few years. In 2020, two schools in Shenandoah County named after Confederate generals were changed to Mountain View High School an…

Episode 4: Erasing History

Akilah welcomes Clint Smith, a writer who extensively covers race in America and has been cataloguing the dismantling of Confederate monuments and memorials since 2017. He and Akilah discuss the work required to help this country become the version of itself that was promised.  Rebel Spirit is a p…

Episode 3: Making Monuments

After deciding on a replacement monument she wants to advocate for, Akilah dives deep into what it takes to actually get a new monument in place. Through conversations with monument makers and preservationists, she starts to build her plan.   Rebel Spirit is a production of Ninth Planet Audio in a…

Episode 2: The Rotunda

Akilah narrows her aim at an empty corner of the Kentucky State House where a Jefferson Davis monument once stood. She tries to chase down Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear who advocated for the removal of the Jefferson Davis monument and comes up with what might be the perfect option to replace it.  …

Episode 1: Back To Work

In our Season Two premiere, Akilah catches up on the latest from her hometown of Florence, Kentucky as she begins to explore how the same Confederate legacy she challenged locally is resurging across America. Through conversations with a couple familiar voices from Season One, she lays out how masc…

Coming Soon... Rebel Spirit Season 2

This season, Akilah takes her fight to the Kentucky State House in an attempt to replace a recently removed Confederate statue with a monument everyone can be proud of. Grounded in her own lived experiences, Season Two explores how monuments aren’t just markers of history -- they’re battlegrounds f…

Episode 12: Erasures

It's the last episode of the season, and Akilah is thinking about her home, Florence, Kentucky. Over the course of our reporting, we've been told how much the town and county are changing, how much more diverse they're getting. What does the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and diver…