Shows
Remind My SoulA Stereotype's No Match for Truth Observed: the Fisk Jubilee SingersA Stereotype's No Match for Truth Observed: the Fisk Jubilee Singers What happens when a group of young people is asked to save a school with little more than their voices? In 1871, Fisk University faced a crisis. Founded just a few years after the Civil War to educate formerly enslaved people, the school was nearly bankrupt. Buildings were deteriorating, funding was scarce, and closure seemed increasingly likely. In response, a group of students set out on an ambitious fundraising tour that would change not only the future of their school, but also the future of American music.
2026-06-1933 min
Remind My SoulSpell Freedom: Literacy, Liberation, and the Black Architects of Public Education (feat. Mega Ran)Episode Summary What does literacy have to do with freedom? In this episode of Remind My Soul, Michael Lawrence-Riddell and Akrobatik are joined by acclaimed independent Hip-Hop artist, educator, and storyteller Mega Ran for a conversation about Reconstruction, Malcolm X, and the central role Black Americans played in building public education in the United States. Beginning with the reality that teaching enslaved Black people to read was illegal throughout much of the South, Michael explores how generations of Black Americans understood literacy as a tool of survival, self-determination, and liberation. The conversation traces the efforts...
2026-06-0535 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: Hope's Supposed to Burn Eternal—the Colfax MassacreREMIND MY SOUL — Episode 9 "Hope's Supposed to Burn Eternal—the Colfax Massacre" Episode Hosts: Michael Lawrence-Riddell Akrobatik Written by: Michael Lawrence-Riddell Courtney Gilbert In this episode of Remind My Soul, Michael Lawrence-Riddell tells the story of the Colfax Massacre of 1873—one of the deadliest acts of racial violence during Reconstruction and a turning point in the history of American democracy. Just eight years after the Civil War, formerly enslaved Black citizens in Colfax, Louisiana occupied the Grant Parish Courthouse to defend the results of a contested electi...
2026-05-2229 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: Season 1, Episode 7—"Freedom Ain't Free—Sanité Bélair"REMIND MY SOUL — EPISODE 107 Sanité Bélair, The Haitian Revolution & The Power of Resistance Featuring MO the Great What does it mean to stand for freedom when standing comes at the ultimate cost? In this episode of Remind My Soul, Michael Lawrence-Riddell and Akrobatik are joined by producer, MC, educator, and activist MO the Great for a powerful conversation about the Haitian Revolution, revolutionary identity, resilience, liberation, and the legacy of Sanité Bélair — a revolutionary leader known as "The Tigress." The conversation begins with an excerpt from Self-Evident Education's film One Minute...
2026-05-0833 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: "500 Years of Freedom: San Miguel de Gualdape"REMIND MY SOUL — EPISODE 106 "500 Years of Freedom: San Miguel de Gualdape" Episode Summary In 1526—250 years before the Declaration of Independence—a group of enslaved Africans rose up against Spanish colonizers at San Miguel de Gualdape, a short-lived colony along the southeastern coast of what is now the United States. In this episode, Michael Lawrence-Riddell tells the story of what is widely considered the first recorded rebellion of enslaved African people on this land. Through conversation and reflection, Michael and Akrobatik explore what it means to resist, how freedom is imagined before it is achieved, and why th...
2026-04-2429 min
Remind My SoulREMIND MY SOUL — EPISODE 105 The Optimistic Unknown—Jane JohnsonEpisode Summary In July of 1855, a woman named Jane Johnson stood on the deck of a steamboat in Philadelphia with her two young sons beside her. Enslaved by a powerful Southern diplomat, she had seconds to decide whether to remain in bondage—or step into freedom. In this episode of Remind My Soul, Michael Lawrence-Riddell tells the story of Jane Johnson's bold and public act of self-emancipation—one that unfolded not in secrecy, but in broad daylight, on a crowded dock, under the protection of a community ready to act. Joined by Hip-Hop artist Sa-Roc and producer Sol Messiah, the conv...
2026-04-1034 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: "Dangerous Information", Walter WhiteRemind My Soul: "Dangerous Information—Walter White" (feat. Dart Adams) In this episode of Remind My Soul, Michael Lawrence-Riddell tells the story of Walter White, a pioneering NAACP investigator who risked his life to expose racial terror in early 20th-century America. Born in Atlanta and able to pass as white, White used his appearance to infiltrate white communities across the South—gathering firsthand accounts of lynchings and racial violence directly from the perpetrators themselves. His work helped expose the truth behind mob violence, challenge dominant narratives, and lay the groundwork for key legal victories in the fight for...
2026-03-2730 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: The Pearl IncidentRemind My Soul — Episode 103 The Pearl: The Largest Self Emancipation Attempt in American History Washington, D.C. — April 1848. In the nation's capital, a place that claimed to represent liberty and justice, slavery was still legal. Enslaved people lived alongside free Black families, creating a city filled with contradictions—freedom and bondage existing side by side. In the darkness of night, seventy-seven enslaved men, women, and children slipped quietly through the streets of Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria. Their destination was the Potomac River. Waiting for them was a schooner. Its name was The Pe...
2026-03-1325 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: She Went Out Guns Blazin'—Carrie Johnson, 1919Remind My Soul — Episode 102 Red Summer 1919: Washington, D.C., Carrie Johnson, and Community Defense Washington, D.C. — July 1919. White-owned newspapers called on servicemen to mobilize. Thinly coded headlines encouraged white veterans to attack Black neighborhoods. Police largely stood down. And Black Washingtonians prepared to defend their communities. In this episode of Remind My Soul, Michael Lawrence-Riddell tells the story of the Red Summer of 1919 in the nation's capital to Akrobatik—who hears it for the first time. Together, they examine how media-fueled racial terror collided with Black veterans returning from World War I, and ho...
2026-02-2729 min
Remind My SoulRemind My Soul: Not Without a Price—Shadrach MinkinsRemind My Soul — Season 1, Episode 1 Not Without a Cost—Shadrach Minkins On February 15, 1851, a young Black waiter named Shadrach Minkins was seized in broad daylight from his workplace in Boston under the authority of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Federal marshals made no attempt to hide what they were doing. This was not a mistake. It was a message. On this episode of Remind My Soul, historian, educator, and filmmaker Michael Lawrence-Riddell tells the story of Shadrach Minkins to Hip-Hop artist and educator Akrobatik—who hears it for the first time. Together, they explore how a law design...
2026-02-1232 min
The Fabulous 413Revitalizing the daily hip-hop budgetsIf you had no plans for this weekend, no worries, we've got you covered. There's so much happening in the 413 this weekend that we wish there were more hours in the day.
A lot of those happenings involve hip-hop, where a legend in the genre is making an appearance in Easthampton this weekend. Large Professor performs at Daily Operation on Saturday and we chat with chef/owner David Schrier about how that's just one small part of keeping hip-hop vibrant in Western Mass.
From there we go to Bombyx in Florence, where the 2nd Annual...
2023-04-2849 min