Our Ancestors Were Messy

Paul and Eslanda Robeson: For the Rights of People. For the Rights of Workers. (Part 2)

Essie & Paul’s passions lead them to the front lines of the fight to defeat fascism. Starring Jason Reynolds Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  SELECT SOURCES Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr. Here I Stand by Paul Robeson History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby: Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson  The History of Camp Wo-Chi-Ca The Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement by Matthew Schuerman

Eslanda and Paul Robeson: Revolutionaries in the Making (Part 1)

Eslanda Cardozo Goode and Paul Robeson meet and fall in love during the Roaring 20s in Harlem. They give up promising careers and devote themselves to climbing the ladder of fame and fortune. Can their relationship survive the success that follows?  Starring Jason Reynolds Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  SELECT SOURCES Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr. Here I Stand by Paul Robeson History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis How American Slavery Echoed Russian Serfdom by Matthew Wills Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby The Scramble for Africa  Arturo Alfonso Schomburg The Atlanta Daily World 

Coming Soon: Essie and Paul Robeson (Jan. 28th)

Host Nichole Hill shares the story behind Black History Month ahead of the 100th anniversary of it’s celebration and gives listeners a sneak peek of a new episode coming out on January 28th.To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.comTo access bonus content and support this independent production visit  https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comTo stay in touch email ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

Feature: The Lonesome Hearts Column with NPR’s Code Switch (plus an announcement!)

Was dating any easier in the past? Nichole Hill joins Gene Demby and B.A. Parker, hosts of NPR's Code Switch, to put this question to the test by traveling back in time to 1937, using archival personal ads from the Washington Afro-American newspaper. Together, the trio gets a small taste of what it was like for Black folks to date almost a century ago. Turns out, the ancestors were messy, too!Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy 

Nora Holt: The Lives and Loves of Harlem's Legendary Blonde Bombshell

A musical prodigy from Kansas becomes a renowned race woman in Chicago, a tabloid sensation in Harlem, and a musical force the world over. These are the many lives and loves of one of the most famous women of the era: Nora Holt. Starring Natalie Tulloch and Christabel Nsiah-BuadiSupport this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SOURCESNora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani PerryNora Holt by Matthew GuerrieriNora Holt: New Negro Composer and Jazz Age Goddess by Cheryl A. Wall"Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us": Classical Music, the Black press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia by Lucy Caplan