Stay ConnectedBlack History is American History, yet it often isn’t treated that way. Join me in discussions about this misunderstood and ignored history with experts and friends. If you believe that America cannot address its present and move forward without understanding its history and Black people’s role in it, you’ve found the right podcast!
New episodes every 15th (and sometimes) 30th!
Website: https://wetheblackpeople.captivate.fm/
Copyright: © Copyright 2021 Brooklyn J-Flow
Happy Women's History Month!
When the history of feminism in America is told, it is usually remembered as a White womens' struggle beginning at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and ending with the 19th amendment in 1920. What this history misses is the separate struggle Black women faced at the intersection of race and sex.
That history is the subject of this episode and Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All written by my guest Dr. Martha S. Jones (another super cool guest that you can learn more about here).
There were no Black women at Seneca Falls, but earlier that same year, Black women were at the AME church's general conference petitioning for the right to preaching licenses. Yet, our conversation goes back farther to Jarena Lee, a Black woman whose preaching career began in the early 1800s. It was this sexism within their own communities and the racism they faced from White suffragists that drove them to form their own movement.
After the Civil War, they formed national clubs to fight against lynching and for the vote. And that struggle continued after the 19th amendment because Black women faced the same restrictions and violence that already kept Black men from the polls in many states.
It took 45 more years of political, legal, and civil rights struggle to get to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Along the way, Black women were lawyers, strategists, federal appointees, and (where possible) voters. Three Black women even feature prominently in the photo of the Voting Rights Act being signed (see here).
We conclude with a look at what Black women are doing in politics right now both in and around government.
Black women fought for equality, dignity, and political power in a long struggle full of women whose names are known by too few. These are some of their stories.
Further Reading: [As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha Jones (https://amzn.to/3qFd5iI)
Music Credit
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
Happy Black History Month!
In the spirit of Negro History Week, (the precursor to Black History Month) I am spending this episode combating anti-blackness in high school education. Specifically, Matthew Vriesman, creator of Antiracist APUSH, and I discuss why Black people really joined the Democratic Party in the 1930s and 40s. Contrary to the widely used American Pageant textbook it was not simply about welfare. In an era of lynching and discrimination, Black voters had more pressing concerns.
In this episode, Vriesman and I closely examine the origins and necessity of Antiracist APUSH. Then we discuss the radical shift in Black voting behavior in 1936. The American Pageant's answer both glosses over racism in the 20th century and continues to influence how politicians discuss and cultivate the Black vote. So here is an examination of the issue under an antiracist lens.
Further Reading [As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
Black Americans in the Roosevelt Era: Liberalism and Race by John B. Kirby (https://amzn.to/3akXO1C)
Farewell to the Party of Lincoln by Nancy Weiss (https://amzn.to/3u1VLHg)
Music Credit
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
Honestly, the COVID vaccine makes me nervous. As terrible as COVID has been to Black people, the American medical system has a long history of using Black bodies without consent and shutting us out of medicine. This history informs how we see the medical system, including the new vaccine.
Starting from the fact that both science and medicine have a racist history in America, I break down some of the histories that cause Black mistrust in medicine with my friend Symphony, a first-year medical student. We, then, look at COVID's disproportionate effect on the Black community and the stakes of not getting vaccinated. The conversation ends with a little about the science of the COVID vaccine.
I'm not saying whether or not you should get the vaccine immediately, but these are some of the issues you might want to consider.
03:18 - A focus on medical history in America. We cover topics such as the history of gynecology, the closing of Black medical schools, and medical experimentation.
25:28 - A focus on coronavirus today. We look at its effect on non-white communities and the factors informing Symphony's decision to get the vaccine.
Hopefully, a discussion of the vaccine that takes Black fear seriously is a helpful factor in your own decision-making.
Sources and Further Reading: [As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
Symphony's recs -
Follow @Kizzyphd on Instagram and/or Twitter. She's a Black woman doctor working on vaccines and advocating for Black people.
Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, New and Expanded Edition [https://amzn.to/3oXNYYf]
Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology [https://amzn.to/2LUduyZ]
My sources -
On Black medical schools:
Race and Medicine in Nineteenth-and Early-Twentieth-Century America [https://amzn.to/38JUk7W]
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/12/black-doctors/510017/
On Medical Experimentation:
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present [https://amzn.to/3iqdinv]
https://lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/exhibit/heth
Music Credit
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
In January 2021, the question still persists, why do race riots occur and what effect do they have? And now there is the added question of does the answer differ if these are Black-initiated versus White-initiated riots?
These are the driving questions of part two of examining the history of American race riots.
00:37 - Race War and the Red Summer (1898-1921). I open by clarifying the definition of a race riot and the 4 perceived threats to White power behind the 26 (listed below) race riots of the Red Summer.
06:12 - Fighting Fascism at Home and Abroad (the 40s). World War 2 saw White-initiated riots for many of the same reasons as the race war era, but also the first modern, Black-initiated race riots, and Civil Rights legislation.
10:56 - The Turbulent Sixties. An era of completely modern race rioting. There were hundreds of race riots in 67 and 68 which garnered both government attention and aggressive policing.
15:10 - The Rodney Riot/The LA Riot. Jahne returns as we discuss the circumstances around the Rodney King riots. In many ways, the claims that some of the rioters made about justice sound a lot like vigilantism.
The 26 race riots of the Red Summer according to Race Riots and Resistance by Jan Voogd:
1. Millen, Georgia, Apr 13
2. Charleston, South Carolina, May 10
3. Milan, Georgia, May 25
4. New London, Connecticut, Jun 13
5. Bisbee, Arizona, Jul 3
6. Longview, Texas, Jul 10
7. Port Arthur, Texas, Jul 15
8. Washington, DC, Jul 19-23
9. Norfolk, Virginia, Jul 21
10. Chicago, Illinois, Jul 27- Aug 3
11. Syracuse, New York, Jul 31
12. Lexington, Nebraska, ~ Aug 5
13. Mulberry, Florida, Aug 18
14. New York City, Aug 21
15. Laurens County, Georgia, Aug 27-28
16. Baltimore, Maryland, mid-Aug, mid-Sep
17. Knoxville, Tennessee, Aug 30
18. New York City, Sep 16
19. Omaha, Nebraska, Sep 28
20. Elaine, Arkansas, Oct 1
21. Gary, Indiana, Oct 4-5
22. Donora, Pennsylvania, Oct 9
23. Hubbard, Ohio, Oct 10
24. Corbin, Kentucky, Oct 30
25. Wilmington, Delaware, Nov 13
26. Bogalusa, Louisiana, Nov 22
Sources [As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
Rioting in America [https://amzn.to/3r5ryGb] by Paul Gilje
Race Riots and Resistance by Jan Voogd
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/06/2020-not-1968/
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/harry-s-truman-and-civil-rights
On the Mobile Dry Dock Riot:
https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/may/25
On the Harlem Riot of 1935
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/harlem-riot-1935/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harlem-race-riot-of-1935
On the 1968 riots and the militarization of the police
https://www.history.com/news/mlk-assassination-riots-occupation
https://www.startribune.com/riots-of-the-1960s-led-to-today-s-militarized-police/571265822/
Music Credit
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
The events at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021 were wild to see, but not unprecedented in American history. White mob violence in city and state capitals when White people become dissatisfied with politics is a part of American history. It also parallels America's present in many ways.
This episode focuses on two cases of coups in America, one in New Orleans (and Colfax), Louisiana in 1873-1874, and one in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1898.
Federal troops stopped the New Orleans attempted-coup, which centered around a gubernatorial race, but the Wilmington coup ended in successfully replacing the city government. Both had the long-term effect of Black disenfranchisement and used newspapers to bolster their cause.
Hopefully, some answers and solutions to 1/6/21 lie in the past.
Sources & Further Reading
New Orleans:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/new-orleans-riots
https://thereconstructionera.com/when-the-white-league-militia-took-over-new-orleans-in-1874-it-pledged-to-end-the-stupid-africanization-of-governme/
The article that includes news articles surrounding the riot:
https://thereconstructionera.com/the-battle-of-liberty-place-white-league-uprising-sept-14-1874/
Colfax:
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/colfax-massacre-1873/
The White League's Platform: https://www.facinghistory.org/reconstruction-era/louisiana-white-league-platform-1874
Wilmington:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Wilmington-coup-and-massacre
Why do race riots occur and are they effective?
This is part one of an examination of the history of American race riots to find out.
01:35 - I begin with a discussion of vigilantism with my college friend Jahne. We both took a class called The American Vigilante and understanding vigilantism is a helpful tool for understanding riots.
04:39 - The Pre-Civil War Era. Looking back to Force and Freedom, (ep. 3) I look at how Black-initiated riots accelerated social change.
08:13 - The Civil War, because, yes, people were rioting and attacking Black people in the middle of it. This slowed social change as the government worked to keep Black people from migrating North.
11:31 - Reconstruction, the worst of the riots. Southerners wanted to deny the results of the Civil War so, in both rural and urban communities, Black people attempting to organize or assert themselves met with riots. Though Republicans got more radical in pushing Reconstruction, they ultimately gave up and social change was thwarted.
16:33 - White Terror and lynching. Attacks on 'uppity' behavior from Black people as a means to keep them down. In response, many left the South in the First Great Migration.
Sources: [As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
Rioting in America [https://amzn.to/3r5ryGb] by Paul Gilje
Blackpast.org
Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence [https://amzn.to/3acLJM4]
Music Credit
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
How do people whose voices are ignored make themselves heard and force America to include them? Is violence ever an effective means?
My guest, Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson - an incredibly cool person, her Twitter handle is @kcarterjackson - sought the answer by looking to the original abolitionists. I'm talking about the Black people fighting for freedom and equality under the constant, violent threat of being reenslaved or attacked by white mobs in the pre-Civil War era. Seeing that the moral suasion of White abolitionists failed them, their use of tactical violence still influences how we think about making social change today.
Since they sought freedom and equality and only received the former, I look to them in this episode for guidance about how to finish their work. Their choice to fight for themselves, their families, and their people rather than flee is inspiring.
Two notes about references. Solomon Northrop is the guy from 12 Years a Slave. John Brown was a White abolitionist who organized and lead an armed raid against slaveholders in Harpers Ferry West Virginia. Dr. Jackson's book shows the heavy influence of Black abolitionists on this event.
[As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
For more information, check out Dr. Jackson's book Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence [https://amzn.to/3acLJM4]
Black Abolitionist by Benjamin Quarles [https://amzn.to/3nnlKFv]
Music Credit
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
The time that a legitimately elected government in North Carolina was violently driven out by white supremacists is an event of critical importance to America's history and present. It echoes in many more subtle types of racism that we see today, as Mrs. Wood and I discuss in this promised bonus clip.
In the episode Who Freed the Slaves? I called Abraham Lincoln flaky and sped through the election of 1864 because, whatever the outcome, Black people had already ensured that the slavery status quo was over. Yet, Northerners believed this election was very important, and it came in the middle of a Civil War. Here is Dr. William's deep dive into an election about the Union, Emancipation, and social equality for Black people.
And if you are looking for a more in-depth look at anything discussed during Who Freed the Slaves? check out Professor Williams' book [“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”]:
I Freed Myself: African American Self-Emancipation in the Civil War Era by David Williams (https://amzn.to/32GtQ3J)
Since I graduated high school, my Advanced Placement US history (APUSH) teacher added sections to class about slave self-emancipation, mass incarceration, and the racism it the modern welfare system. And, this is the same teacher who showed us a video denying that Columbus discovered America because there were already people here the first week of class. She also helped my get my AP European History class approved to do a history tour of Europe senior year.
Needless to say, Jessica Wood is an incredible teacher that I needed to bring on the show. We spent time discussing the inspiration behind spending all day every day with high schoolers, problems in history education, her innovative solutions, censorship and the dangers of omission, and integrating history to dismantle oppressive narratives.
I wanted to take a step back and examine the flaws in history education that this podcast exists to address. I also just knew Mrs. Wood would be incredibly fun to talk to.
Being two historians, the references flew by faster than I could explain them, so here's a short guide to them.
Pol Pot (tbh, I had to look this one up here): Pol Pot was a radical Communist leader in Cambodia from 1975-1979. After the US military left the area, he gained control of the country and shut it off from the rest of the world. During that time, nearly 2 million people died as he disregarded their lives and enacted purges in pursuit of his goals.
Salacious alert? We saw the Statue of David in person during our European history tour. I thought it was very beautiful and snapped this pic.
Dawes Act: One of the many ways that the American government robbed Native Americans, it forced Native land to be owned by individuals rather than communally. After allotting land that way, most of the formerly tribal land was sold to fund programs to "civilize" Native Americans.
White League, KKK, and Southern politics: We will definitely get into this more in future episodes. After (and even during) Reconstruction, groups like the KKK used violence and intimidation to keep Black people from voting allowing the government to be run by like-minded people. They would even drive out legitimately elected Republican governments at times. Since this helped Southern politicians to keep power, they allowed this to happen.
Wyoming and voting for women: Wyoming did actually refuse to become a state without voting rights for women because women were so essential to building the Wild West.
Susan B. Anthony, the Lovings, and John Lewis: They each broke unjust laws they believed were unjust to bring attention to the injustice. For Susan B. Anthony it was women not being allowed to vote. For the Lovings, it was interracial marriage being illegal. For John Lewis, it was segregation. And, in disrupting the system, each faced criticism and the legal system.
Patrick Henry: He said "Give me liberty or give me death" in the face of colonists who were hesitant to go to war with Britain which inspired many.
The 1776 Commission is the White House's 'patriotic' counter to the 1619 Project.
Nat Turner: He saw himself as chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery and mounted a huge slave rebellion. It ultimately failed, but it violently busted the myth that slaves didn't mind their plight.
Further reading [As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]:
Mrs. Wood suggests: Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
1984 (https://amzn.to/3pzTEs3) is also a very timely read.
Music Credits:
PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)
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