Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA.

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SELECT SOURCES

1. The Black Loyalists of the American Revolution
2. Enslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British Army
3. Black Loyalists Exodus to Nova Scotia
4. An Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himself
5. George Liele
6. Thomas Peters
7. The Black Loyalist Heritage Center

Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring the co-hosts of Code Switch B.A. Parker and Gene Demby taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC.

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SELECT SOURCES

1. The Black Loyalists of the American Revolution
2. Enslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British Army
3. Black Loyalists Exodus to Nova Scotia
4. An Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himself
5. George Liele
6. Thomas Peters
7. The Black Loyalist Heritage Center

A preview of an upcoming episode about the Black Loyalists. Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an unbelievable legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond!

Full episodes air July 8th starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA. You'll also get to hear the same story told again to the co-hosts of Code Switch, B.A. Parker and Gene Demby taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Different guests. Different audiences. Very different perspectives!

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Host Nichole Hill responds to listeners' comments and shares an interview with the show's Research Producer, Chioke I'Anson, about the research behind the histories shared on the show. Their conversation was originally taped for the donor community known as The Household.

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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

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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. 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

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

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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. 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

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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• 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