Essie & Paul’s passions lead them to the front lines of the fight to defeat fascism. Starring Jason Reynolds

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SELECT SOURCES

1. Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby
2. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr.
3. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr.
4. Here I Stand by Paul Robeson
5. History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis
6. Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby: Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson
7. The History of Camp Wo-Chi-Ca
8. The Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement by Matthew Schuerman

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
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• 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

1. Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby
2. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr.
3. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr.
4. Here I Stand by Paul Robeson
5. History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis
6. How American Slavery Echoed Russian Serfdom by Matthew Wills
7. Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby
8. The Scramble for Africa
9. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
10. The Atlanta Daily World

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.com

To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com

To stay in touch email ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

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!

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• Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

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-Buadi

• 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

SOURCES

1. Nora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani Perry
2. Nora Holt by Matthew Guerrieri
3. Nora Holt: New Negro Composer and Jazz Age Goddess by Cheryl A. Wall
4. "Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us": Classical Music, the Black press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia by Lucy Caplan

Host Nichole Hill shares updates about the future of the show.

To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com

To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com

To stay in touch email ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

In 1920, Emperor Jones was a bona fide Broadway hit. The controversial play’s lead is Charles Gilpin, the first Black man to head up an integrated cast on the Great White Way. Gilpin enjoys fame, accolades, and universal acclaim…but he does have a note for his playwright Eugene O’Neil. A note that will make and break careers and change the course of Black history! Starring Dr. Chioke I'anson and Amaya.

• Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
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• Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
• Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

SOURCES

1. The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neil
2. Preserving African-American Cinema: The Case of The Emperor Jones by Jennie Saxena with contributions from Ken Weissman and James Cozart
3. "The Truth About Haiti: An NAACP Investigation" by James Weldon Johnson
4. Charles Gilpin. The Kennedy Center
5. Jackson Ward and its Black Wall Street. National Park Service
6. Beyond Tulsa: The Historic Legacies and Overlooked Stories of America's Black Wall Streets. Time Magazine
7. The Richmond Planet is digitized and stored at The Library of Congress.

In the summer of 1932, Anna and Percy learn that their scandalous love affair has been exposed on the front page of the most popular Black newspaper in DC. They were on their way to making history but now that the secret’s out, their futures hang in the balance. Starring Nygel Turner.

• 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

SOURCES

1. Julian the Trailblazer by Peter Tyson
2. Forgotten Genius. Nova. PBS
3. "Reclaiming a Black Research Scientist's Forgotten Legacy" by Felicia R. Lee
4. "DuSable Exhibit Highlights Juilan 'Power Couple'" by Robert Felton
5. You can read the Washington Afro American newspaper which is still in print and holds the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously published Black newspapers in America
6. You can support the archiving and sharing of this newspaper at Afro Charities