Before Jonestown became a tragedy the world could no longer ignore, someone was already watching. In this episode, host and Jonestown survivor Leslie Wagner Wilson sits down with David Reuben, Special Investigator with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

David Reuben shares how he became involved in the investigation, what drew law enforcement's attention to Jim Jones and his organization, and what the evidence revealed about the Temple's activities. He takes us inside the findings — the files, the witnesses, and the disturbing picture that began to emerge. He reflects on the aftermath — what happened to the investigation, the evidence, and the people connected to it. This is the side of the Jonestown story that rarely gets told — the paper trail that existed before the tragedy, and the man who followed it.

Show Notes:

Church Vs. Statehttps://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/artic...New West Article/Linda Mertle Abusehttps://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-content...Affidavits & Lettershttps://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=8...

In this powerful episode, survivor and Host Leslie Wagner Wilson sits down with Jack Colbert, a former member of People's Temple, for an intimate and unflinching conversation about what it meant to grow up inside of a movement that weaponized hope against the very people it claimed to serve.

Jack opens up about his childhood within the Temple — the community, the faith, and the sense of belonging that drew so many families in. He reflects on what daily life looked like under Jim Jones, the control, the contradictions, and the moments that slowly began to crack the foundation of everything he believed.

This is more than a story about a cult. It's a story about community, survival, and the complicated search for something real.

In this episode of Black Jonestown, we trace the ideological blueprint that shaped Jim Jones long before Jonestown existed. Episode 4 examines Jones’s formative influences—specifically his ties to William Branham, a controversial revivalist whose theology, healing theatrics, and authoritarian control methods helped model how spiritual authority could be performed, protected, and monetized.

We then widen the lens to Father Divine and the Peace Mission Movement, whose structure demonstrated something even more powerful than charisma: infrastructure. Through Father Divine, Jones witnessed how religious devotion could be fused with: Economic systemsCommunal livingLand ownershipPolitical accessCarefully managed racial opticsThis episode explores how Jones did not invent his methods—but studied them. Adapted them. And ultimately weaponized them. The Grift: Part 1 reveals how belief becomes currency, how loyalty becomes labor, and how power disguises itself as promise.This is not the story of a madman. This is the story of a student.

Episode 3 of Black Jonestown centers the voice of Janet Shular, the oldest known surviving former member of People’s Temple, as she reflects on her life, her time within the movement, and the experiences that shaped her understanding of faith, community, and survival.

In Episode 3 of Black Jonestown, we sit down with Janet Shular, the longest living former Peoples Temple, member as she shares her journey in her own words.An educated, accomplished professional in early childhood education, Janet joined Peoples Temple believing it was a place where her gifts could serve children and build community. And for a time, it was. But as the cracks began to show, Janet realized Jim Jones was not the man he claimed to be. What followed was a quiet awakening — and a carefully planned escape that saved her life and the lives of her family.

This episode challenges the long-standing stereotypes about who followed Jim Jones. Janet Shuler was not ignorant or helpless. She was thoughtful, perceptive, and courageous — a woman who chose truth over fear.We also honor the life and legacy of Deanna Wilkinson, one of Peoples Temple’s most extraordinary voices. Her music brought joy to many, and her story reminds us that behind every headline were real people with real gifts and real lives.

In Episode 2 of Black Jonestown, Leslie Wagner Wilson sits down with Nancy Shaw — a woman whose family was forever changed by the promises and deceptions of Jim Jones.Nancy opens her heart about losing her mother, who died believing Jones would heal her, and her grandmother, who perished in Jonestown. Through honesty, pain, and clarity, she brings forward a story few have ever heard directly from those who lived it.This conversation is raw, intimate, and deeply human.It speaks to faith, manipulation, grief, and the resilience it takes to reclaim your narrative after unimaginable loss.Following the interview, we honor the life of Elsie Bell, remembering her not just as a victim of Jonestown, but as a woman whose life, hope, and humanity mattered.Black Jonestown is dedicated to telling the stories behind the headlines — to show the family, not the spectacle.If this episode moved you, please like, comment, and subscribe so we can continue sharing the voices and stories that history tried to silence.

In our very first episode of Black Jonestown, we begin with the voices behind the mission.

I’m Leslie Wagner Wilson—one of the nine people who escaped Jonestown on November 18, 1978. For decades, others have told our story for us. This podcast changes that.

“Who We Are” introduces the storytellers, survivors, researchers, and descendants whose lives were shaped by Peoples Temple and Jonestown. We reclaim our narrative, honor the truth, and bring forward the voices—especially the Black voices—too often erased from history.

This is where the journey begins.
This is our truth.
Welcome to Black Jonestown.