Shomari Wills, author of BLACK FORTUNES: The story of the first six African-Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires, joins me to talk about Mary Ellen Pleasant, a woman who loved Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and, oh yeah, just happened to be The Mother of Civil Rights in California.
I spoke with Sho from his home in Brooklyn, NY a few weeks ago about his book and Mary, her work as a businesswoman and abolitionist, the folklore and rumors that plagued her life and death, the beautiful connection to Maya Angelou, and more.
Find Sho on Twitter @showills and BLACK FORTUNES wherever books are sold.
Please visit www.thecakehistorian.com for a complete list of resources, supplemental material, and the recipe for The Cake of the Episode: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with—bonus!—Sweet Cream Lime Curd Ice Cream.
Comments? Questions? A cake story to share? Reach out: hello@thecakehistorian.com
Original music composed by Alejandro Pinto-Hernández
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