Shows
Black History YearReconciling History As a Black Anarchist with Ashanti Alston (Jan 2023)It was in Plainfield, NJ, in 1971 where our guest - Ashanti Alston - joined The Black Panther Party, radicalized in the wake of the 1967 Newark Riots and Malcolm X’s assassination years earlier. Ashanti would begin his life as an anarchist on that day, and it has guided his every step – through the Panther Party, then the Black Liberation Army, his incarceration, and his work honoring the sacrifice of political prisoners in the name of Black liberation with The Jericho Movement.
Ashanti sits with us now with a 21st-century view of the impact of h...
2025-09-0245 min
Black History YearCultural Continuity and the Recovery of Black History with Debora Heard (Oct 2021)For centuries, white historians’ have attempted to erase and whitewash Black history. Despite their best efforts, it can’t be erased. Today, we're talking with Debora Heard to help us reclaim and recover the history many have attempted to falsify. A Ph.D. As a candidate in anthropology at the University of Chicago, she’s dedicated much time to providing African-descended people with access, opportunity, and training in ancient Nile Valley and Northeast African studies fields. Knowing your history strengthens you- we have to recover it first.__________________________Black History Year...
2025-02-0455 min
Black History YearThe (De)construction of Black Masculine Identity with Marlon Ross (July 2024)Gender has shaped and continues to shape much of our lives. It tells boys to wear blue and girls to wear pink, dictates what careers are “appropriate” as adults, and even has a say in how we’re expected to express our feelings. But in the tradition of Black resistance, our people have pushed back against these arbitrary rules.In July 2024, new host Darren Wallace talked about that and much more with Marlon B. Ross, an incredible scholar working at the intersection of literature, race, gender, and sexuality.As the au...
2025-01-281h 25
Black History YearTo Be Fat, Black, and Ugly In America with Da'Shaun Harrison (June 2023)In many ways, the health and wellness industry is killing Black people. For our audacity to exist with melanated skin, we’ve historically endured subjugation, political and economic disenfranchisement, and centuries-long death. And it hasn’t stopped yet.In June 2023, Jay talked about it with Da’Shaun L. Harrison for season 7 of BHY. Da’Shaun is a self-described Black, fat, trans, disabled, queer abolitionist, community organizer, writer, and editor at Scalawag magazine. Their award-winning book, Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness, explores desirability politics, gender, policing, and the fallacies of healthin...
2025-01-2154 min
Black History YearReconciling History As a Black Anarchist with Ashanti Alston (Jan 2023)It was in Plainfield, NJ, in 1971 where our guest - Ashanti Alston - joined The Black Panther Party, radicalized in the wake of the 1967 Newark Riots and Malcolm X’s assassination years earlier. Ashanti would begin his life as an anarchist on that day, and it has guided his every step – through the Panther Party, then the Black Liberation Army, his incarceration, and his work honoring the sacrifice of political prisoners in the name of Black liberation with The Jericho Movement.Ashanti now has a 21st-century view of the impact of his radical brothers and...
2025-01-1444 min
Black History YearThe Power of Creating Our Own Media with Maori Holmes (Dec 2022)The first great Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux inspired the 70s revolution of urban dramas and comedies that served as the launchpad for the gritty hip-hop action pieces and soulful family romances of the 80s and 90s. Today, the Black experience is the face of billion-dollar movie franchises and multiple award-winning and groundbreaking series. Is this a Black Renaissance, or is it just dues being paid? In December of 2022, Jay sat with BlackStar Film Festival creator and CEO Maori Holmes to hear her thoughts on the subject.__________________________
2025-01-0742 min
Black History YearEscaping the Plantation with Dr. Christena Cleveland (Nov 2021)Contrary to what you might think, many of us are living on plantations in the present day. The plantations look vastly different than our forebearers', but white supremacy continues to trap us within these violent systems. We don't have to remain disconnected from our needs, dignity, and freedom. In November 2021, Dr. Christena Cleveland, a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist, walked Jay through a guide exploring what leaving the plantation entails.___Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black...
2024-10-0145 min
Black History YearSlavemasters In Your Neighborhood with Clint Smith (May 2021)The debates over U.S. monuments that celebrate Confederate generals, soldiers, and politicians show just how pervasive slavery's legacy is - and how it continues to impact the way Black America moves and exists in the world today. In May 2021, Jay sat down with author/poet Clint Smith to discuss this and more on this episode of the Best of Black History Year.___Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways...
2024-09-2451 min
Black History YearEnvironmental Racism- A Hidden Threat with Dr. Dorceta Taylor (April 2021)The lasting impacts of toxic waste, pollution, climate change, and other harms continue to cause long-term health outcomes and take countless Black lives. In April 2021, with the guidance of environmental sociologist Dr. Dorceta Taylor, Jay digs into the connection between racism, economic inequality, the environment, and the actions we can take to protect ourselves and our future.___Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways to liberation with...
2024-09-1750 min
Black History YearThe Psychological Effects of White Supremacy with Dr. Kevin Cokley (Dec 2020)White supremacy is a horror you'll find at every turn. It’s the very foundation of governmental policies and the policing systems that target and disadvantage us. But don’t take my word for it. Jay shared a revealing conversation with psychologist Kevin Cokley in Dec 2020 about the pernicious psychological harm of white supremacy. This is the Best of Black History Year.___Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways to libe...
2024-09-1044 min
Black History YearShifting the Balance of Power with Dr. Joy James (Dec 2020)Do you think you know about power? Do you think you know about control? Abolitionist scholar Dr. Joy James shared a theory with Jay back in December 2020 that explores the one specific condition required for Black liberation to occur. All is revealed in this—The Best of Black History Year.___Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways to liberation with people who are leading the way. You ma...
2024-09-0325 min
Black History YearThe African Foundations of Civilization with Dr Runoko Rashidi (Oct 2020)Our story begins in Nubia and the Nile Valley, the Kingdom of Kongo, the Mali Empire, and the Great Zimbabwe. Our host, Jay, sat down with Dr. Runoko Rashidi in October 2020 to reveal how the origins of Black people lie in great, ancient African civilizations and how our hidden history spans the globe.To learn of Dr. Rashidi's work, visit drrunoko.com--Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn...
2024-08-2759 min
Black History YearA Liberated Black Imaginary with adrienne maree brown (March 2021)Everything humanity has ever created, the good and the bad, started with imagination. But what if we could harness the power of imagination—tap into a “Black imaginary”—to build a truly just future for Black people, unique in the audacity of its reach? Is that wishful thinking? A mere fantasy?We don’t think so, nor did our guest, author-activist-afrofuturist adrienne maree brown, who sat down with Jay in March 2021 to explore visionary ways to construct our joyful, liberated future. Enjoy.To learn more about the work of adrienne maree brown, visit www.adriennemareebrown.net...
2024-08-2046 min
Black History YearDr. Boyce Watkins and The Story of Sarah Rector (May 2020)In 1907, as Oklahoma was becoming a state, the Dawes Allotment Act divided Indigenous land among natives and formerly enslaved Black people. Each member of the Rector family received land, including 10-year-old Sarah Rector, who would soon become the richest Black woman in America.In May 2020, Jay conversed with author and economic scholar Dr. Boyce Watkins to put Sarah Rector's story in context for the 21st century and reveal its lessons of liberation and freedom.To learn more about our guest, visit www.boycewatkins.com--Black History Year...
2024-08-1337 min
Black History YearReclaiming Black Sexuality and Eroticism, Part 2 with Rev. Courtney BryantToday's History Story: Top Lies About TwerkingWe’re wrapping up our incredible conversation with Reverend Dr. Courtney Alma Bryant about erotic defiance and body reclamation.Erotic defiance is a powerful form of resistance and self-expression. Those brave enough to reclaim their bodies from racist and sexist constraints reap the liberating rewards that come with celebrating their desires without apology and living authentically in a world that often tries to dictate what is acceptable.In Part One last week, we explored historical figures and contemporary voices who broke the mold. No...
2024-08-0655 min
Black History YearReclaiming Black Sexuality and Eroticism with Rev. Courtney BryantToday's History Story: The Jezebel MythMany dehumanizing stereotypes have persisted from slavery and Jim Crow to our present day. One of the most insidious? The Jezebel. But who was Jezebel, and what does her story reveal about the West’s deep-seated fear of Black bodies, sexuality, and the erotic?Today’s guest has plenty to say about it. Reverend Dr. Courtney Alma Bryant is a dynamic thought leader and co-CEO of One Spirit Learning Alliance. Her debut book, “Erotic Defiance: Womanism, Freedom, and Resistance,” explores themes of embodiment, sexual-gender ethics, and justice...
2024-07-301h 04
Black History YearTraveling While Black with Briona LambackToday's History Story: Staying Safe While TravelingTraveling wasn't always accessible for our ancestors. The Great Migration allowed many Black individuals to leave the South and move to urban areas. Over time, leisure travel became common among Black people, facilitated by resources like The Green Book, offering opportunities to break free from oppression and to discover the interconnectedness of Black communities nationwide.Today, more Black Americans are traveling abroad to connect with dispersed roots, including our guest, PushBlack’s very own Briona Lamback.Along with being a valued senior writer on...
2024-07-231h 29
Black History YearCopaganda Exposed with Chenjerai KumanyikaToday's History Story: John Johnson AtticaHave you ever stopped to consider how much media focuses on police narratives? The sheer volume almost feels dystopian. There’s even a term for it: copaganda. Whether you’ve heard it or not, copaganda's reach is vast, with even vaster consequences. It infiltrates every form of media, from the morning news to evening cartoons.So what's the history of copaganda -- and how do we combat the pervasive presence of policing on our screens? Today’s guest has some ideas.Chenjerai Kumanyika is a jour...
2024-07-161h 22
Black History YearThe Pursuit of Black Land Justice with Brea BakerToday's History Story: Georgetown University Sold UsWhat hasn't America stolen from us? Our bodies, our culture, and the land that grounds a nation we've built. We refuse to accept this. For centuries, we've reclaimed our bodies and our culture. Now, we want our land. Reparations are due, people. Land reparations. And today's guest knows plenty about that.Brea Baker is a freedom fighter and writer who has been working on the frontlines for almost a decade. She also just dropped her debut book called “Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft an...
2024-07-091h 29
Black History YearThe (De)Construction of Black Masculine Identity with Marlon RossToday's History Story: Black Men Aren't Allowed to Have Emotions, Right?Gender has shaped and continues to shape much of our lives. It tells boys to wear blue and girls to wear pink, dictates what careers are “appropriate” as adults, and even has a say in how we’re expected to express our feelings.Quiet as it's kept, a big reason gender norms exist is to maintain white supremacist notions of what it means to be a man. But in the tradition of Black resistance, our people have pushed back against these arbitr...
2024-07-021h 25
Black History YearWe're NOT Losing Our Recipes: The History of Black Cuisine with Michael TwittyToday's History Story: Fried Chicken OriginsEven in the worst conditions, our ancestors found nourishment when it was scarce, using ingenuity to create the rich tradition of Black American cuisine. Yet, over time, stereotypes and misinformation have poisoned these histories and recipes, causing some Black people to distance themselves from our vibrant food culture. Today, Michael Twitty is here to set the record straight on everything from why Louisianians eat red beans and rice on Mondays to the profound connection between Black identity and American foodways.Michael, a renowned culinary historian, educator...
2024-06-251h 08
Black History YearReimagining W.E.A.L.T.H. with Jessica Ann Mitchell AiwuyorToday's History Story: Wealth in CommunityFor centuries, wealth has been forged through land dispossession, ecological plunder, and brutal exploitation, often at the expense of Black lives. But is acquiring wealth this way truly our path to liberation? Or is it time to reimagine wealth built on care and solidarity instead of violence and competition? Today’s guest has a few ideas, and so do we as we lay out a blueprint for a new kind of wealth.Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor is a writer, activist, scholar, and the founder of the Na...
2024-06-181h 10
Black History YearDecolonize Your Parenting with Yolanda WilliamsToday's History Story: The Jim Crow Etiquette of The Word "LIE"Parenting is never easy, especially when raising a Black child in a world hellbent on dehumanizing us. That’s why today’s episode is so crucial—we’re talking about the historical legacies that have shaped modern parenting and what it takes to decolonize it. Joining us in doing that work is the incredible Yolanda Williams.Yolanda is a racial justice educator, conscious parenting coach, and the visionary behind Parenting Decolonized. Her work empowers parents to dismantle white supremacy and raise liberate...
2024-06-1159 min
Black History YearDecoding Black Digital Language with Andre Brock Jr.Today's History Story: Ring ShoutBlack communities have long leveraged language as a tool of resistance and connection. And often, our survival hinged on mastering a secret language—a coded communication hidden in plain sight. Today, in a time where digital platforms have emerged as vital arenas for Black expression, where a hilarious meme can start a revolution or a TikTok dance can unify generations, understanding the legacy of and possibilities within Black communication is more crucial than ever.Andre Brock, Jr., a leading scholar and author of “Distributed Blackness: African American Cybe...
2024-06-041h 10
Black History YearBlack History Unplugged with Kamau WareWhat’s the real deal with history? Is history as straightforward as we make it out to be? Don’t you ever wonder who decides which stories make the cut? Whose narratives get the spotlight? And who decides what’s deemed worthy of preservation regarding our people and culture?Our guest today, Kamau Ware, has some thoughts on that front.Kamau is not your average historian – he’s also a visual artist and founder of the groundbreaking Black Gotham Experience, also known as BGX. Through historic walks across the Big Apple, photography-based graphic novels, and unique eve...
2024-05-2855 min
Black History YearReBirth of a Nation: Why These Black Traditions Matter with Linda JonesHow we enter this world matters. But white supremacy has infiltrated even the most sacred aspects of Black culture, including our birthing practices. On today’s episode, we’re uncovering the often-erased historical roots of Black childbirth and the deadly implications of its medicalization. Our guest, Linda Jones, is here to break it all down.Linda, a postpartum birthing doula, birth photographer, and co-founder of Black Women Birthing Justice, has spent three decades serving women of color in their birthing journeys. Her work doesn't stop there, though—she also co-directs the Mothers forMothers Postpartum Justic...
2024-05-2157 min
Black History YearThe Handoff: Meet the New Face of Black History Year!In this special episode of Black History Year, we bid a heartfelt farewell to our beloved host Jay and welcome our new host, Darren with open arms! A filmmaker, labor organizer, and PushBlack's own narrative strategist, Darren is set to bring a fresh and dynamic perspective to the show, as we kick off a season dedicated to reclaiming our culture!--Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore...
2024-05-1402 min
Black History YearTHE WIZ, a Tale of Liberation, with Julian WalkerPreviously, on Black History Year, we discovered in real-time that Jay of PushBlack had never seen The Wiz. While the rest of the PushBlack podcast team had some fun at Jay’s expense, little did we realize the fun would follow him all the way home, as revealed in this bonus episode of Black History Year. Podcast producer Len Webb and our audio engineer, Ronald Young Jr., sat down with Jay, aka Julian Walker of PushBlack, to discover why he stayed away from the 1978 film adaptation of the classic stage musical these many years, esp...
2023-09-111h 03
Black History YearReclaiming Our "Hairitage" with Lindsey FarrarToday's History Story: The Crown ActOur people were born wearing crowns – but internal and external barriers exist that might impede us from donning them. Today’s guest, however, is harnessing the force of media to highlight the strength within our locks.Lindsey Farrar is an entrepreneur and strategist driven by her mission to shape culture and nurture young leaders. From this she co-founded CRWNMAG, a magazine centered around natural hair and the women who embrace it.Brace yourself for an episode that might lead you to question—and maybe uncove...
2023-09-0451 min
Black History YearTransforming Black Wellness with Ashley HarmonToday's History Story: Susie King Taylor and HerbalismOften unrecognized, vitamin deficiency has historically and presently wreaked havoc on the Black community, aided by a neglectful U.S. healthcare system. To safeguard future generations, it's vital to tackle and resolve the factors contributing to these critical deficiencies – and today’s guest is helping us confront these issues.Ashley Harmon is the founder and CEO of Mela Vitamins, the first wellness company custom formulating supplements for melanated people. Driven to action by the lack of mainstream vitamins that meet our unique nutritional needs, she...
2023-08-2848 min
Black History YearReframing Black Kids' Self-Esteem with Kahran and Regis BethencourtToday's History Story: Frederick Douglass and PhotographyBlack children today are frequently confronted by harmful misrepresentations of their existence, promoted by anti-Black mainstream media and colonized societal norms. However, inspired by past movements like "Black Is Beautiful," today's guests are dedicated to reshaping and reframing the image of our youth, one beautiful Black portrait at a time.Renowned photographers Kahran and Regis Bethencourt are a husband-wife duo and the imaginative forces behind Creative Soul Photography. With more than ten years of working with hundreds of children, families, and brands, they strive to...
2023-08-2146 min
Black History YearThe Black Space Economy: The Future of Generational Wealth with Janeya GriffinToday's History Story: Fannie Lou Hamer Fights for Economic JusticeThanks to the remarkable contributions of Black women, who were often relegated to the status of hidden figures, humankind successfully touched down on the moon. With that single step, a world of possibilities opened up, giving way to today’s billionaires who casually embark on interstellar joy rides and invest in new ‘outer limit’ ventures. What does this mean for us, and should Black folks claim our place in the new Space Economy? Today's guest is well-versed in these matters and addresses hard-hitting questions about...
2023-08-1449 min
Black History YearBridging the Disconnection Gap to the Incarcerated with Frederick HutsonToday’s History Story: Their Black Love Endured Decades Of Slavery And SeparationThey endure a profound sense of disconnection and isolation within cold confines, feeling adrift even in the midst of others. But many fail to realize that this isolation, like the cruel echoes of history, is not by happenstance—it's a meticulously designed and devastating consequence of incarceration. Today’s guest, however, innovated a solution to mitigate that isolation and connect incarcerated people with their loved ones. That man is Frederick Hutson.Frederick is a social impact entrepreneur, Air Force vetera...
2023-08-0747 min
Black History YearThe Re-Education Of Hip-Hop Culture with Dr. Joycelyn WilsonToday's History Story: Gil Scott-HeronWhat is hip hop, really? While hip hop music has become an international phenomenon and multi-billion dollar business, folks often forget that hip hop is bigger than music alone - it's a culture rich with history and lessons that could benefit our people more than ever today. Today, on Black History Year, we're remembering the true essence of hip hop, and doing so with the help of none other than Dr. Joycelyn Wilson, whose innovative STEAM programming is ensuring future generations benefit from the innate lessons within this coveted...
2023-07-3059 min
Black History YearDestroying--Then Rebuilding--The Black Man with Phil AgnewToday's History Story: Million Man MarchUnder white supremacy, many Black men have been rewarded for fitting into its anti-Black definition of masculinity – and it’s often been to our people’s detriment. But there are people reimagining who the Black man is and working to decolonize and reconstruct the Black man from head to toe, inside and out - mind, body, and soul.One such person is today’s guest, Phillip Agnew. Phil is a community organizer who, in 2012, co-founded the Dream Defenders in the wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin...
2023-07-2451 min
Black History YearSolving Hunger with Jasmine Crowe-HoustonToday's History Story: We Must Stop These Deserts From Destroying Black CommunitiesHundreds of millions of people are going hungry across the world, a world that produces billionaires hording the globe's wealth. In the United States alone, food insecurity hits Black communities especially hard, depriving our people of a fundamental need that impacts every aspect of life. Hunger is a problem that desperately needs solving, and today's guest is going above and beyond to tackle this vital issue.Jasmine Crowe-Houston is an award-winning social entrepreneur who, after years of feeding people experiencing...
2023-07-1734 min
Black History YearDigitizing Black Realities with Alton GlassToday's History Story: Why Do Some People Think Black People Can Fly?Advancements in technology touch every aspect of life. Immersive technologies that were once only imagined in science fiction are now giving people the ability to suspend reality and create entire worlds in virtual space. It sounds like something from an Octavia Butler novel and, true to the genre, it raises ethical questions on advanced technology’s social, political, and cultural impact on humanity and Black life.To explore these ideas, we’re sitting down with Alton Glass. He is a film...
2023-07-1046 min
Black History YearTo Be Fat, Black, and Ugly In America with Da'Shaun HarrisonToday's History Story: Our Hatred Of Fat Is Actually Anti-BlackIn many ways, the health and wellness industry is killing Black people. For our audacity to exist with melanated skin, we’ve historically endured subjugation, political and economic disenfranchisement, and centuries-long death. And it hasn’t stopped yet.We’ll talk about it with today’s guest, Da’Shaun L. Harrison. Da’Shaun is a self-described Black, fat, trans, disabled, queer abolitionist, community organizer, writer, and editor at Scalawag magazine.Their award-winning book, Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness, explores des...
2023-07-0354 min
Black History YearHow To Survive An Apocalypse with Li SumpterToday's History Story: This Deity Reminds Us Of The Importance Of Our AncestorsFor millenia, mythologies and religions of the world have predicted a great calamity–an event so catastrophic that it will stop the world as we know it and bring forth the apocalypse. If the natural disasters, racial injustices, and widespread wars of today are any indiciation, one could say those mythological predictions were correct. One could say we are, in fact, living in the end of times. Today’s guest sure would.Li Sumpter is a mythologist, eco-activist, and multi-disciplinary artist who is c...
2023-06-2650 min
Black History YearClean Water Is A Stolen Right with Moses WestToday's History Story: This Powerful Spirit Reminds Us That Nature Is Never Black And WhiteIn a world where water scarcity is robbing Black folks of this most basic necessity, access to safe drinking water is a human right that millions are being denied. Fortunately, today's guest is using technology and activism to bring solutions that we’ll break down in an interview you don’t want to miss.Moses West is an Army veteran, engineer, and advocate for social and environmental justice. As the founder of the Moses West Foundation, he is fighting to help...
2023-06-1948 min
Black History YearReconciling History As a Black Anarchist with Ashanti AlstonToday’s History Story — A Rallying Cry That Inspired Oppressed People WorldwideIt was in Plainfield, NJ, in 1971 where our guest - Ashanti Alston - joined The Black Panther Party, radicalized in the wake of the 1967 Newark Riots and Malcolm X’s assassination years earlier. Ashanti would begin his life as an anarchist on that day, and it has guided his every step – through the Panther Party, then the Black Liberation Army, his incarceration, and his work honoring the sacrifice of political prisoners in the name of Black liberation with The Jericho M...
2023-01-0244 min
Black History YearPulling Back the Curtain on Police Propaganda with Andrea RitchieToday’s History Story — They Exploited A Black Child For CopagandaSocial media posts showing police officers posing with Black protestors or hugging young Black kids who appear openly afraid are promoted, often by police departments themselves, to show their officers in a positive light. This is an effort to counter negative narratives and aims to shape the public’s perception by painting cops as kind, friendly and heroic when the truth does not reflect this.Andrea Ritchie is here to tune...
2022-12-2656 min
Black History YearThe Power of Creating Our Own Media with Maori HolmesToday's History Story: She Refused To Play Their Racist GameThe first great Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux inspired the 70s revolution of urban dramas and comedies that served as the launchpad for the gritty hip-hop action pieces and soulful family romances of the 80s and 90s. Today, the Black experience is the face of billion-dollar movie franchises and multiple award-winning and groundbreaking series. Black people all around the globe are claiming the rights to our culture and our heritage and streaming our stories across the planet. Is this a Black Renaissance...
2022-12-1942 min
Black History YearBuilding Better Labor Unions with Bianca CunninghamToday’s History Story: White Americans Kept Unions Exclusive – But Black Workers Still TriumphedThe right to earn a living wage under just and safe work conditions is as inalienable a right as our freedom of speech. Still, the history of Black people in the American labor movement is rooted in injustice. White supremacy has sought to keep Black workers from the best jobs, the most robust industries, and their sacred labor unions. However, today is a different day, as Black workers now occupy more seats at the labor union table than...
2022-12-1244 min
Black History YearDismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline with Judith Browne DianisToday’s History Story: The Five Terrible Ways Schools Are Preparing Our Children For PrisonsHundreds of thousands of Black students are trapped in schools where officers and authority figures unfairly police their behavior. These biased practices and policies rob many students of their futures and feed them into the school-to-prison pipeline.You may be familiar with this term, but it goes deeper than you might know. In this episode, we talk with Judith Browne Dianis, the “Godmother” of this phenomenon, to comprehensively unders...
2022-12-0546 min
Black History YearHealing Generational Trauma in Your Own Backyard with Yonnette FlemingToday's History Story - Racists Poisoned This Black Farm - But her Comeback Made Them Sick There are some wounds that no amount of antiseptic can heal, and these open wounds have, for generations, left Black folks traumatized. The antidote is right under our noses, however. Today’s guest will teach us how to harvest our healing through harvesting the land.Yonnette Fleming, aka Farmer Yon, (is a Guyana-born and Brooklyn-based healer, urban food justice farmer, and educator. She’s authored the book titl...
2022-11-2822 min
Black History YearThe Fight for Food Justice with Cheryl WhilbyToday’s Black History Story: White People Are Stealing From Us AGAIN Using This SchemeWhite supremacy is starving Black America, almost literally snatching food from its mouth. Access to healthy food continues to decline, and countless vulnerable Black people are slowly perishing because of it. But there's a growing population pushing against this racist food system... and it's a population that might surprise you: Black farmer-activists. Today, we're sitting down with Cheryl Whilby to learn about the Black tradition of farming and how Black farmers are transforming the food system by returning to th...
2022-11-2138 min
Black History YearBlaxit to Africa and Redefining Freedom with Toddré MonierToday’s Black History Story: His Trip Proved He Had The Wrong Idea About AfricaW.E.B. DuBois. Maya Angelou. Stockley Carmichael. Pauli Murray. These are just a few names of prominent Black activists who moved to the motherland during their lifetimes. For them, moving to Africa presented an opportunity to redefine their relationship with America and their African identities. It significantly shaped their self-view. Strengthened connections to their ancestral roots. Sparked a new understanding of what it felt like to be HOME. In th...
2022-11-1438 min
Black History YearDecolonizing How Kids Learn with Akilah RichardsToday's Story: Could This Be The Alternative Our Children Need For Education?There hasn’t been a time when learning wasn’t important to Black people, whether for enrichment or survival. Unfortunately, white supremacy has corrupted information and spread it through an anti-Black school system. Solutions exist, though, and one solution on the rise is unschooling young black people. Today’s guest is a leading voice in the unschooling movement.Akilah S. Richards is a mother, author, educator, and founder of Raising Free People, a network committed to community organi...
2022-11-1042 minBlack History YearHow Young, Black Voters are Transforming Black Futures with Arekia Bennett-ScottFor decades, Black people have fought to gain the right to vote. In racism's face, we've marched and protested. While the list of heroes who risked—and lost—their lives in the fight is never-ending, we refuse to let their deaths be in vain. One population has grabbed the baton from our fallen heroes to further our progress: young Black voters—and they are working hard to shape Black futures in truly transformational ways.Today's guest knows this personally.Arekia Bennett-Scott is the executive director of Mississippi Votes, a youth-centered organization led by young people who are invest...
2022-10-3143 min
Black History YearThe Healing Art of Storytelling with Dr. Reva HinesSo many of our stories have historically been hijacked, buried, and rewritten until our very essence has been silenced and erased. Our voices are strong, however. We can be the storytellers of our lives, our community, and our futures. But it’ll take healing.Today’s guest is well-versed in the healing art of storytelling and shares with us how telling stories can help heal wounds. Dr. Reva Hines is an Alphonse Jackson Professor of Political Science at Southern University and A & M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She also holds certification in Narrative Therapy and Community Storytelling. She has...
2022-10-2840 minBlack History YearTaking Back Our Stolen Land with Kavon WardOur bodies, our culture, and the land that grounds a nation we've built. What hasn't America stolen from us? We refuse to accept this. For centuries, we've reclaimed our bodies and our culture. Now, we want our land. Reparations are due. Land reparations are due. Today's guest will help us reclaim our stolen land.As noted on her website, www.whereismyland.com, Kavon Ward is a reparative and restorative justice activist, spoken word artist, and founder of Where is My Land, a “movement dedicated to helping Black folks discover, search for, identify, and reclaim land taken from th...
2022-10-2459 min
Black History YearTowards a Liberated Future with Jay from PushBlackWelcome to season six of Black History Year! For five seasons of Black History Year, thinkers, activists, and scholars have come through with hard-line answers that lay bare roadmaps you can use to overthrow white supremacy and manifest a liberated future.Season six won’t disappoint – there’s a roster of guests eager to share their visions of freedom.But first, in the spirit of Sankofa, we’ve got to revisit the annals of Black History Year and ask past guests… “What does Black liberation look like to you?”BHY is produced by...
2022-10-1831 minBlack History YearA Live Conversation with PushBlackThough Season 5 has come to an end, these conversations can't stop as we continue fighting for Black liberation. At PushBlack, we never stop talking.Today on Black History Year, we’re featuring an episode from PushBlack’s Instagram Live series, a show where PushBlack team members have tough but candid discussions that we as a community need to have with each other. Tune in as Jareyah, Brooke, and Tabitha discuss an issue targeting Black America: fatphobia.Remember to join the conversations, the community, and to never stop talking. See you next season. Peace.BHY...
2022-07-1134 minBlack History YearLoving Holistically with Afya IbomuTo love your community and your family, you've got to love yourself. And a lot of that begins with taking care of your health. Today, herbalist Afya Ibomu discusses the importance of taking care of your whole self -- mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically -- in order to experience and share authentic Black love.BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make...
2021-12-0648 minBlack History YearCritical Race Theory and The Obstruction of Black Education with Dr. Ivory ToldsonEducation has always mattered to Black people. Our enslaved ancestors risked their lives to learn what white oppressors withheld. Because those oppressors understood the important role knowledge of ones history, one's world, and oneself plays in Black liberation. Hundreds of years have gone by, and throughout them all, white supremacy has continued the work of suppressing Black education. So what can we do about it? We're sitting down with Dr. Ivory Toldson to find out. Dr. Toldson is the national director of education, innovation and research for the NAACP and has worked as a professor at Howard University for 16...
2021-11-2950 minBlack History YearSilencing Black Women's Resistance Dr. Heather FinchThere have been innumerable attempts to silence the voices of our ancestors, especially the stories of enslaved Black women. While we hear about the realities they faced of sexual violence and exploitation, there’s a layer not readily discussed. And in that hidden layer are the many ways Black women resisted enslavement while navigating within it. This episode we sit down with Dr. Heather Finch, professor of literature at Belmont University, to learn the resistance of enslaved women and the strategies we can apply today.BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company...
2021-11-2243 minBlack History YearWhy Words Matter with Farah JonesYou've likely heard them before. "Don't get too dark." Or "You look good, have you lost weight?" And even, "Be quiet -- that's not ladylike." These phrases might seem inconsequential, but embedded deep within are messages of anti-Blackness. And they're messages that the most impressionable of us especially internalize: our children. Today we'll unpack three problematic phrases -- and their implicit meanings -- with Farah Jones. They are a multiracial writer, editor, and educator. A former middle and high school teacher, they currently write for various publications and present workshops and trainings around the country focusing on racial and...
2021-11-1539 minBlack History YearThe Power of Accountability with Dr. Albert SamuelsIt's not news that white folks in power have manipulated and weaponized the interests of Black people to their benefit. It's why oftentimes we see Black folks electing other Black folks into office. But all skin folk ain't kinfolk. It's why knowing the motives and actions of those Black people we elected into office is so important. It's why we have to hold our people accountable. Today Dr. Albert Samuels, an author, elections analyst, and a professor of political science, shares his perspective on what this looks like, and how exactly we can use accountability to better our community.
2021-11-0832 minBlack History YearEscaping the Plantation with Dr. Christena ClevelandContrary to what you might think, many of us are living on plantations in present-day. While the plantations many of us occupy look vastly different than our forebearers', white supremacy continues to trap us within violent systems -- and the mental health consequences in our community are resounding. But we don't have to remain disconnected from our needs, dignity, and freedom. Today's guest Dr. Christena Cleveland, a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist, will guide us as we explore what leaving the plantation entails.BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company...
2021-11-0144 minBlack History YearCultural Continuity and the Recovery of Black History with Debora HeardFor centuries, white historians’ have attempted to erase and whitewash Black history. Despite their best efforts, it can’t be erased. Today, we're talking with Debora Heard to help us reclaim and recover the history many have attempted to falsify. A Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at the University of Chicago, she’s dedicated much time to provide African-descended people with access, opportunity, and training in fields of ancient Nile valley and Northeast African studies. Knowing your history makes you stronger -- we just have to recover it first.BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-pr...
2021-10-2554 minBlack History YearBlack Women's Power with Dr. Ashley FarmerBlack women don’t often get their roses in the history books, relegated instead into background roles. But for us to achieve liberation as a people, we must understand the need for collective action to achieve liberation. Dr. Ashley Farmer can attest to this need. An accomplished historian and author of the pioneering book “Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era,” Dr. Ashley Farmer spearheads this powerful conversation about Black women's role in the Black Power movement, and the invaluable role Black women played and play in paving the way to Black liberation.BHY is produc...
2021-10-181h 02Black History YearThe Danger of Anti-Black Teachers with Dr. Alicia MontgomeryAnti-Blackness is all around us -- at the workplace, the local grocery store we may frequent, and for Black students, even in their classrooms. Today, we’re sitting down with Dr. Alicia Montgomery, executive director at the Center for Powerful Public Schools, as she breaks down the ways our children are indoctrinated into anti-Blackness, and the methods necessary to address and prevent it.BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people! PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take th...
2021-10-1135 minBlack History YearIndigo and Liberating Black Spirituality with Queen QuetThere's a power within Black people. One that, through colonialism and westernization, through space and time, has perennially lived at our core: West African spirituality. The problem? Most of us don't know how deeply embedded it is in all of our religious and spiritual practices.Today on BHY, we're excavating those parts buried deep within. Guiding us to that reconnection is award-winning "Art-ivist" Queen Quet, who, through her organization, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, advocates for the preservation of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and knows all too well how the motherland's spirit still lives in Black...
2021-10-0450 min
State of Criminal Justice by PushBlackHaitians Attacked At The BorderIn this week’s State of Criminal Justice, we’ll cover how Haitians are being attacked at the U.S.- Mexico border, a hunger strike inside a Florida detention center, and efforts to close Rikers Island Jail. And in our New Ground segment, we’ll talk about PushBlack’s efforts to stand with a survivor named Tomiekia Johnson.PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take matters into our own hands, especially when it comes to protecting our communities. As a nonprofit, we rely on small donations from subscribers like you. You make PushBlack happen with you...
2021-09-2905 minBlack History YearBlack History Year Season 4: Unlearning The MythsLearning your history makes you - and your people - stronger. As Black people, we know we’re left out of the history books. That the media images are skewed. That we need access to experts, information and ideas so we can advance our people. Black History Year connects you to the history, thinkers, and activists that are left out of the mainstream conversations. You may not agree with everything you hear, but we’re always working toward one goal: uniting for the best interest of Black people worldwide. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black...
2021-09-2703 min
Black History YearU.S. Police Ties In Haitian President’s AssassinationWhat’s up fam, thanks for tuning into another episode of Black History Year. On this show, we connect you to the history, thinkers, and activists who are left out of mainstream conversations. But this week, we’re switching it up. Instead of our usual show, we’re sharing an episode of PushBlack’s newest podcast, “State of Criminal Justice.” State of Criminal Justice digs into the most important events happening right now in the legal system. Every week, we discuss pressing issues that have an immediate impact on Black America, and the new ground being...
2021-07-2206 minBlack History YearCelebrating Juneteenth in the Carceral State with Ebony UnderwoodJuneteenth is a special holiday for Black people - it commemorates when the last of our enslaved ancestors were freed. And yet, many Black people remain in bondage through a new form of slavery that's just as insidious: mass incarceration. On this special episode of BHY, we sit down with Ebony Underwood, social entrepreneur and founder of We Got Us Now, to discuss the significance of Juneteenth and the ongoing struggle for liberation.BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company – hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this wi...
2021-06-0730 minBlack History YearBlack Power and a Black Agenda with Candace HollingsworthYou’ve heard us say it before. The Black vote is powerful. But the two-party system wasn’t designed to actively engage our needs. So how do we reclaim our power in a political ecosystem that takes our vote - our power - for granted? Today’s guest has the insight necessary to begin answering that question. Candace Hollingsworth was the first Black mayor of Hyattsville, Maryland, and founder of Our Black Party, an independent political group whose mission is to advance a political agenda and address the needs of our people. We'll explore the history of independent Black politi...
2021-05-2452 minBlack History YearSlavemasters In Your Neighborhood with Clint SmithThe debates over U.S. monuments that celebrate Confederate generals, soldiers, and politicians show just how pervasive slavery's legacy is - and how it continues to impact the way Black America moves and exists in the world today. How is - or isn't - this nation reckoning with the history of slavery, and what does it mean for our community? Today, we begin to answer that question with author and award-winning poet Clint Smith. Using his debut nonfiction book, "How the Word is Passed," as a guide, we explore how America is or isn't accounting for the system of...
2021-05-1749 minBlack History YearFrom Slavery to Mass Incarceration with Dr. Byron PriceIt's true: slavery never ended. It's a dehumanizing system that continues to enslave, exploit, and devalue Black people in one particular institution: prisons. Today, Dr. Byron Price - author of such work as "Merchandizing Prisoners" and "Prison Privatization" - takes us on a journey from slavery to convict leasing to the modern-day policing industry as we know it, to show the clear connection between slavery and prisons, and to offer insight into how our community can begin to fight against mass incarceration. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at...
2021-05-1026 minBlack History YearThe Price of White Terror with Tracy Manning-GibbsWhite terrorism has lasting consequences. For the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the generational wealth they spent 15 years independently building was obliterated in a 24 hour period of racist violence. 100 years later, the community formerly known as Black Wall Street is still economically struggling in the massacre's aftermath. On this episode, we're going straight to the source again to unpack the economic devastation of the Tulsa Race Massacre with Tracy Manning-Gibbs, descendant of a survivor. We'll dig deep into the lingering trauma and financial consequences of white tyranny – and chart a path forward to rebuilding our communities. PushBlack exists because we...
2021-05-0339 minBlack History YearDefining Ourselves with Dr. Clenora Hudson-WeemsFeminism, Black feminism, womanism. According to our guest today, author, literary scholar, and professor Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems, none of these concepts serve women of African descent or the Black community at large. But one theory does: Africana womanism. Based in nature, observation, and community, Dr. Hudson-Weems expounds on what Africana womanism is, what it isn't, and why this framework might be what's needed to pull our people closer to Black liberation. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!
2021-04-2639 minBlack History YearEnvironmental Racism: A Hidden Threat with Dr. Dorceta TaylorWe're making a deadly mistake if we don't talk about environmental justice when we discuss racism and Black liberation. The lasting impacts of toxic waste, pollution, climate change, and other harms continue to cause long-term health outcomes and take countless Black lives. So on this episode of Black History Year, we're talking about it. With the guidance of environmental sociologist Dr. Dorceta Taylor - who has contributed to the environmental movement for more than 30 years - we'll dig into the connection between racism, economic inequality, and the environment, and the actions we can take NOW to protect ourselves and...
2021-04-1949 minBlack History YearBlack Art and Liberation with Rosalind McGaryThey say that life imitates art. That's rarely as true when we consider the transformative, evocative, challenging, and inspirational work Black artists have been creating for decades. From Clementine Hunter to Emory Douglas to Kara Walker, Black artists have influenced society by changing opinions, instilling values, and translating experiences across space and time. Art is a language that expresses who we are, connects us to ancestors, and speaks to our strength and humanity. It rouses us to action and it has the ability to liberate us from the present into a more just future....
2021-04-1240 minBlack History YearThe True Story Of Black Wall Street with Raven Majia WilliamsWhite terrorists have devastated flourishing Black communities in the name of white supremacy from Rosewood, Florida to Elaine, Arkansas; Colfax, Louisiana to Charleston, North Carolina. 2021 marks the 100th year anniversary of one such event, the Tulsa Race Massacre. On this episode, we're going straight to the source to uncover the truth about Black Wall Street's rise, fall, and the lingering impact of white terrorism on individuals, families, and communities. Joining us is Raven Majia Williams, the great-granddaughter of AJ Smitherman, a fearless activist who witnessed firsthand the deadly massacre of his community. History books won't teach you what we're...
2021-04-0540 minBlack History YearHow To Bend Reality with adrienne maree brownEverything humanity has ever created – the good and the bad – started with imagination. But what if we could harness the power of imagination to build a truly just future for Black people? To dream so big the world as it exists can’t even contain our vision? We spoke with adrienne maree brown, an author and activist behind many books, including "Octavia's Brood" and "Emergent Strategy," that explore visionary ways to build a joyful, liberated future for Black people using nature, science fiction, pleasure, and afrofuturism as jumping off points. If we’re going to build a liberated Black future...
2021-03-2944 minBlack History YearThe Killing of Patrice Lumumba with Dr. Georges Nzongola-NtalajaHe was a man of the people. A man who wanted one thing and one thing only: true independence for his country. But if the U.S. government had its way? He’d be shot dead before his 36th birthday. In a conversation led by sociopolitical scholar Dr. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, we discuss the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. This is an episode we need right now - one that calls out the Western powers that be for state-sanctioned violence and exposes the gross lengths they'll go to control Black lives. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest no...
2021-03-2249 minBlack History YearTalking Black with Dr. Sharese KingBlack people have always created beauty from the bleakest conditions. And to survive in America, we even had to create our own language. This week on BHY, sociolinguist Dr. Sharese King explores the complexity of African American Vernacular English, the innovative spirit embedded in Black languages, and the cultural significance of how Black people talk. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands...
2021-03-1541 minBlack History YearLegacy of the Black Messiah with Chairman Fred Hampton Jr.“You can kill a revolutionary but you can’t kill the revolution.” Was it a prophecy, these words spoken by the gunned-down Black Panther leader, Fred Hampton? Or was it something more nefarious - more systemic? On the Season 3 opener of Black History Year, we explore the U.S. government's role in the assassination of the fearless Chairman Fred Hampton and sit down with his son, Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr., to discuss his father’s legacy and what it truly means to challenge the system and fight for revolution. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media co...
2021-03-0841 minBlack History YearBlack History Year Season 3: Fighting ForwardLearning your history makes you - and your people - stronger. As Black people, we know we’re left out of the history books. That the media images are skewed. That we need access to experts, information and ideas so we can advance our people. Black History Year connects you to the history, thinkers, and activists that are left out of the mainstream conversations. You may not agree with everything you hear, but we’re always working toward one goal: uniting for the best interest of Black people worldwide. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black...
2021-03-0102 minBlack History YearBuilding Black Futures with Kamau FranklinSculpting our future in the present is the only way we'll gain the power we need to make the idea of Black liberation a reality. Community Movement Builders (CMB) is doing that work. CMB is a Black-run group creating sustainable and self-determining communities. The organization's executive director, Kamau Franklin, sits with us to break down how CMB organizes and mobilizes to make Black economic and political freedom possible. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we...
2021-01-0140 minBlack History YearWhat You Need To Know About Medical Racism with Harriet WashingtonRacism is a public health crisis. In the age of COVID-19, we've witnessed this firsthand as Black people perish at disproportionate rates - and it's not by coincidence. Medical ethicist and award-winning writer Harriet Washington illuminates the design of the systemic and medical racism at the root of it all. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...
2020-12-2541 minBlack History YearThe Psychological Effects of White Supremacy with Dr. Kevin CokleyWhite supremacy is a horror you'll find at every turn. It’s the foundation of governmental policies that disadvantage us. It lives in policing systems that target us. And most dangerously, it has wormed its way like a parasite into the psyche of much of Black America. So what do you do when the killer's inside the house? Black psychologist Dr. Kevin Cokley takes us deep within to understand the psychological harm of white supremacy - and how to heal from the generational wounds it's inflicted. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hi...
2020-12-1842 minBlack History YearShifting the Balance of Power with Dr. Joy JamesForget everything you think you know about power and control. On this episode of Black Hisory Year, abolitionist scholar Dr. Joy James explores one specific condition required for Black liberation to occur: a shift in the balance of power to we the people. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people! PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at https://BlackHistoryYear.com. Most people do 5 or 10 b...
2020-12-1123 minBlack History YearReal Talk about Reparations with Dr. William DarityAmerican history is a litany of lies about Black people. One of the most egregious is that slavery's end opened the door to equality and freedom. We hear the knock of oppression - no matter how many “bootstraps” lectures we get, we know the truth: there is a debt to be paid. So today, we are having the reparations conversation with the economist Dr. William Darity. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw we had...
2020-12-0440 minBlack History YearThe Power of Black Cooperative Economics with Dr. Jessica Gordon-NembhardCredit unions, housing co-ops, CSAs... Black folks have been building and benefitting from cooperative economics for decades, particularly in parts of the economy where we’ve been cut out by the major institutions. As Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard points out, we all participate in some form of cooperative economics when we use the informal economy. In this episode, we dig into the power that we could amass if we took cooperative economics to scale. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!P...
2020-11-271h 02Black History YearGod Talk and the African Roots of Faith with Dr. Anthony BrowderBlack people are a spiritual people. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the concept of God was first birthed in Africa, but that didn't stop Europeans from copying our traditions and erasing us from Christianity. Dr. Anthony Browder opens the floodgates to the African origins of a faith so many in our community are committed to. It's time for the truth. It's time to talk about God. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw...
2020-11-2048 minBlack History YearAfricatown and the Essence of Black Power with Dr. Natalie S. RobertsonBlack power has many forms: a fist in the air, a liberated mind, or the ownership of the ground upon which you stand. The founders of Africatown, a self-determined community of freed Black people in Alabama knew this kind of Black power. In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston delved deep into this question when she interviewed Cudjo Kazoola, the last surviving member of the community that had founded Africatown. Dr. Natalie Robertson expands on Hurston’s work, the importance of Africatown, and the essential elements of Black empowerment.This podcast is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Blac...
2020-11-1357 minBlack History YearDecoding the Racism in Advertising and Entertainment with Professor Gene SheltonAdvertising, marketing, the entertainment industry and even the news media are selling us something. And what they’re selling usually isn’t good for us. Racist imagery like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben are only the tip of the iceberg. Professor Gene Shelton reveals the racism behind advertising, and gets real about reclaiming our representation in media. This is a stirring conversation on how we all advance Black liberation when we up our media literacy game! BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with y...
2020-11-0643 minBlack History YearLiberation, Fried Chicken and Owning our Culture with Adrian Miller and Chef Rock HarperFood is family, culture and LIFE! As food writer Adrian Miller and Chef Rock Harper remind us, African food traditions are healthy, abundant and delicious. So how did we get to a place where we're told soul food and our food traditions are toxic? It's time to lift up our food culture! BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your...
2020-10-301h 06Black History YearThe African Foundations of Civilization with Dr. Runoko RashidiIn this episode, our story begins in Nubia and the Nile Valley, the Kingdom of Kongo, the Mali Empire, and the Great Zimbabwe. Dr. Runoko Rashidi reveals how the origins of Black people lie in great, ancient African civilizations and how our hidden history spans the globe. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people!PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at Black History Year...
2020-10-2356 minBlack History YearThe Power of the Black Voter with Nse UfotWelcome to Season 2 of Black History Year.In everything we do at PushBlack, we’re always asking, “How do we work together to make things better for Black people?” In this season of the Black History Year podcast, we’re stepping to that challenge in an even bigger way. We have episodes that’ll open eyes to new ideas about reparations, criminal justice reform, and the ways Black cooperative economics can help us strengthen our communities and build wealth. And we’re gonna reconnect to the beautiful parts of our culture found in our food and spiritual...
2020-10-1650 minBlack History YearBlack Motherhood with Kerry Washington & Gabrielle UnionKerry Washington and Gabrielle Union bring an inspiring level of wisdom, humility, humor and Black pride to this conversation on Black motherhood. Give it a listen and then share it with every mother, father, sister, brother, other mother and friend in your life. This is for all of us!Black History Year is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black media company. Obviously, the power that comes from knowing our history is important to you. PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your co...
2020-08-1436 minBlack History YearFear of A Black Woman's BodyMedical treatment disparities for Black women is as old as America. Dr. Dorothy Roberts, a professor of Africana Studies, Law, and Sociology at University of Pennsylvania, has been producing groundbreaking work on race and gender that focuses our attention on urgent, contemporary issues in health, social justice, and bioethics. For this BHY, we dig deep with Dr. Roberts on the history and present legacy of forced sterilization, reproductive choice, and even the misguided idea that reproductive health is “a white woman’s issue.” Black History Year is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black med...
2020-05-1929 minBlack History YearIs There Black Power In A Loaded Gun?Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, even Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all have a place in one of the most obscured parts of our history - the Black tradition of gun ownership. Douglas Jefferson, the Vice President of the National African American Gun Association, argues that for Black people in America to be fully vested as citizens, we have to be able to experience the fullest freedom every single liberty granted in the Constitution - including the right to lawfully bear arms. Black History Year is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s lar...
2020-05-1942 minBlack History YearA Young Black Millionaire Forced Into Hiding“I remember hearing somebody describe freedom as the ability to wake up in the morning and decide what you want to do with your day.” Dr. Boyce Watkins, founder of the Black Business School, has plenty to say about personal freedom, Black liberation, and self-determination. For Watkins, black economic advancement can’t be reduced to whether you are for, or against, capitalism, socialism or any other “ism.” Instead, it’s about wielding economic opportunities to empower ourselves and our people. Black History Year is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black media company. Obviously, the...
2020-05-1935 minBlack History YearDestroying the Narrative White Hollywood CreatedNo matter how many tickets we buy, or how many hours we watch, Black Americans still have very little influence over what film or television gets made - or how it portrays us. The images of Black people pumped out to the mainstream range from affirming to annoying to actively damaging. Morehouse’s Dr. Stephane Dunn helps us unpack how we got here. She is one of the founding members of Morehouse’s Cinema, Television, & Emerging Media Studies Program, serves as its program director, and takes us from "Birth of a Nation" to "Good Times" to Tyler Perry.
2020-05-1941 minBlack History YearIs This The Blueprint for Black Liberation?American history is a mess. We’re taught our ancestors were docile, child-like beings who were too incompetent to find a way out of slavery - but we’re expected to study and admire the slaveholding leaders of the American Revolution! We are taught that non-violent protest and forgiveness are the only ways we can achieve our goal of liberation, which can only be granted by benevolent white people. But that’s not the whole story: our true history is LOADED with examples of Black resistance. Dr. Brandon Byrd shows how history reveals the truth about how our ancestors and co...
2020-05-1940 minBlack History YearReclaiming The Prophecy: Religion In Black America“We must face the fact that in America,” said MLK, ”the church is still the most segregated major institution.” For Black people, the church has traditionally been a place of restoration, renewal, community, and collective action. But even during the vigor and heat of the Civil Rights Era, with church leaders like MLK up in front, the role of Christianity did not go unquestioned in Black America. And now, with the “prosperity gospel” as loud as ever, we’re interrogating this pillar of our culture. The Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews of Faith In Action helps understand how we got here, and what we sho...
2020-05-1949 min