People's Historians Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Julian Bond and the Southern Civil Rights Movement: Focus on Georgia (with Jeanne Theoharis, Pamela Horowitz, and Judy Richardson) Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian speaks with SNCC veteran Judy Richardson and co-editors Jeanne Theoharis and Pamela Horowitz about Julian Bond and the Southern Civil Rights Movement. Read about the event and find related resources.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks with Jeanne Theoharis Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian speaks with professor Jeanne Theoharis about the new young adult version of her book on Rosa Parks. Read about the event and find related resources.

Reconstruction: Repression and Resistance Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Teaching for Change board member Tiffany Mitchell Patterson speaks with historian Kidada E. Williams about the history of repression and resistance during Reconstruction with contemporary connections.

They discuss Williams’s podcast, Seizing Freedom, which focuses on and brings to life voices that have been muted time and time again. Read about the event and find related resources.

Paul Robeson, Political Outlaw: Lessons for Today from the Black Radical Tradition Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian speaks with Dr. Greg Carr about Paul Robeson, a political outlaw, and the lessons for today from the Black Radical Tradition. Read about the event and find related resources.

Organizing for Voting Rights: Lessons from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Zinn Education Project leadership team member Cierra Kaler-Jones speaks with historian Charles M. Payne about voter suppression and white terrorism in the mid-20th century.

They discuss Payne’s book, Teach Freedom: Education for Liberation in the African-American Tradition, and the importance of sharing lessons in history, as Payne illustrates with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Read about the event and find related resources.

Abolitionists & Reconstruction Jul 10, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, our host, Adam Sanchez, a high school teacher and Rethinking Schools editor, interviews historian Manisha Sinha to address the interracial radical abolition movement of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Sinha emphasizes the impact of Black abolitionists, particularly those who escaped enslavement — like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William Wells Brown, and James W.C. Pennington — who radicalized the movement by introducing more militant tactics. She connects the past to the present by discussing the significance of the word abolition in today’s movement for Black lives.

This episode addresses themes of our campaign to Teach Reconstruction.

People's Historians online mini-series - Black Freedom Struggle.

Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

A History of Rebellions (w/ Jeanne Theoharis) Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian speaks with professor Jeanne Theoharis about the history of rebellions in the United States. Read about the event and find related resources.

Reconstruction and Juneteenth Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jessica Rucker, a D.C. high school teacher, interviews historian Greg Carr to challenge viewers to reconsider how they understand Reconstruction in the United States. He describes the history of Juneteenth, and what it means to truly honor the history of the holiday during this current uprising.

Carr details the emergence of Juneteenth as an emancipatory ritual for people of African descent for centuries. He also tackles the question of citizenship in the modern nation-state and challenges the audience to reconceptualize citizenship.

Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

Reconstruction, Citizenship, and Movement Building in the 19th Century Jun 12, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, our host, Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, an assistant professor of secondary social studies at West Virginia University, interviews historian Martha Jones of The John Hopkins University to deconstruct how we understand citizenship for Black Americans.

Jones moves from before the Civil War through Reconstruction to the present, tackling the evolution of voter suppression, and revealing the tenacity of white supremacy. She addresses Black women’s roles in organizing during the fight for women’s suffrage.

This episode addresses themes of our campaign to Teach Reconstruction and to teach about voting rights on this 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment — coinciding with one of the most important elections in U.S. history.

People's Historians online mini-series - Black Freedom Struggle.

Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

Examining the Historical Roots of the 2020 Rebellion (w/ Keisha N. Blain) Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian speaks with professor Keisha N. Blain about the historical roots of police violence and the 2020 Rebellion. Read about the event and find related resources.