Season 2
27 episodes
0 min. per episode
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A passionate historian uncovers hidden truths, igniting a quest for justice that challenges perceptions and reshapes America’s narrative.
Episodes
Black soldiers have been an instrumental part of the armed forces since the Civil War. They put their lives on their line for their country and entered war to protect the very land that didn't promise to protect them. Despite experiencing inferior treatment while in combat, Black soldiers took the honor to serve seriously and accepted the call for battle no matter what was at stake. However, in 1948, President Truman desegregated the US armed forces, allowing Black soldiers to fight alongside their white counterparts. To this day, Black service men and women continue to serve, gain rank, and grow in the United States government. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. - with additional commentary from Vincent Brown of Harvard University, Imani Perry of Princeton University, and Peniel Joseph from the University of Texas at Austin - we honor the sacrifices of the Black soldiers who courageously and consistently answer the call for war.
The 15th Amendment was a monumental piece of legislation that gave Black men the right to vote. As a result of it, over 2,000 African-American men would be elected to office at various levels of government. But the amendment became more notable for what it didn't say, versus what it did. Loopholes in the law allowed for voter suppression tactics to rise, which directly hindered the advancement of Black voters' rights and the election of Black officials. It wouldn't be until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that an all-encompassing law would pass, guaranteeing voting rights for all African-Americans. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. - with additional commentary from Eric Foner of Columbia University, Heather Cox Richardson of Boston College, and Kidada Williams of Wayne State University, we look at the ongoing journey to obtain, implement, and protect a civic duty that all Black Americans should have.
Well before formal legislation was passed, promising freed slaves certain land rights, Black farmers traveled west, exploring, and developing heavily forested land. With tons of experience in their pockets, migrating west made sense and allowed Black farmers and their families a safe place to live and grow. But like most of America's history, White settlers began to impose new laws and tactics on the once uncharted territory. Eventually, the land Black farmers cleared, plowed, and cultivated prohibited - either directly or indirectly - their existence in those spaces. Through violence, theft, and other mischievous practices, many Black farmers lost their ability to inhabit land they founded and worked on. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. - with additional commentary from Imani Perry of Princeton University and Hasan Jeffries of Ohio State University, we look at the plight of Black farmers and how systemic behavior of the 1800s is still felt in the agriculture sector today.
The lynching of Emmett Till in 1955 became a pivotal point for race relations in the United States. Instead of sitting by silently, his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, opted to utilize the media in a way it had not been used before. She decided to hold an open casket viewing, welcoming as many people as she could to view her son's body, including Jet Magazine. With the gruesome images making their way around, She used her grief to not only tell the story of her son, but to push the Civil Rights Movement into a new era. Her selflessness led to the mass media becoming an important device for the Civil Rights Movement. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. - with additional commentary from Peniel Joseph of the University of Texas, Austin, Farah Griffin of Columbia University and Chris Benson, the author of The Death of Innocence - we honor Mamie Till Mobley and the legacy of her bravery.
In 2019, researchers were able to properly authenticate the last known slave ship to enter the United States illegally. That ship, The Clotida, was found in the Mobile River in Southern Alabama. A slave trader named Timothy Meaher arranged with a king in an African nation to purchase one hundred slaves and transport them to Alabama. With treacherous conditions and little food, those who survived would be enslaved until the formal emancipation efforts commenced. While emancipation meant freedom on paper, freed slaves quickly learned that their efforts were best served creating their own community called Africatown. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., with additional commentary from Imani Perry of Princeton University, we take a look at an important piece of history that tells the story of the last known slave ship to enter the United States.
It's Black History delivered in short, lively, fact-packed stories accessible to people of all ages and education levels. It's fast, accurate U.S. history describing major historical events and introducing less well-known experiences involving Black Americans. The topics range from recent events to the founding of the United States of America. Heroes of the Civil Rights movement are covered, as are some of the more obscure figures in the fight for equality.