She was born free in a time when freedom was rare, and she spent her life proving what it truly meant. Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a teacher, journalist, lawyer, and activist who refused to accept the limits placed on her because of her race or her gender. From the Underground Railroad stops of her childhood home in Delaware to the classrooms of Canada West and the editorial desk of The Provincial Freeman, she lived her belief that “self-reliance is the true road to independence.” She taught children to think, challenged men to act, and urged a divided nation to live up to its promises. In this episode, we look at the remarkable life of the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in North America, a fearless voice who reminded us that progress depends on courage, and that real change begins when we do more and talk less.