People's Historians Podcast

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian, a high school teacher, speaks to Brooklyn College Professor of Political Science and author, Dr. Jeanne Theoharis, about her recent article, Martin Luther King Knew That Fighting Racism Meant Fighting Police Brutality. Theoharis speaks about the white-washing of Dr. Martin Luther King, and the intricate connections between his life's work and the issue of police violence against Black people. Theoharis also talks about the white media's approach to talking about racism, eliminating much of its context and significance, particularly outside the South. She also grounds the conversation in the difficulties of being an educator and the importance of community during these times. Read about the event and find related resources.

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our hosts, educators Jesse Hagopian and Cierra Kaler-Jones, speak to assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Jarvis Givens, about his book, Fugitive Pedagogy: CG Woodson & the Art of Black Teaching. Givens discusses the central role of African American educators in the Black Freedom Struggle and their tradition of fugitive pedagogy to smuggle in the truth about Black history–including studies of the Haitian revolution, maroons in Suriname and Jamaica, Reconstruction, and more– into school systems dominated by white supremacy. Read about the event and find related resources.

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian, a high school teacher, speaks to The Nation sports editor and host of the Edge of Sports Podcast, Dave Zirin, about his book, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World. Zirin talks in-depth about the “Kaepernick Effect” and the similarities between the NFL quarterback's protest and the legendary Olympic medal stand protest in 1968, and the countless actions they inspired. Zirin shares some of the stories he came across during the writing of the book, including high school students and specifically Black girls. Zirin also discusses the consciousness of younger people, their political awakening, and how the 2020 uprising influenced these dynamics. Read about the event and find related resources.

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jessica Rucker, a high school teacher, speaks to Teach Reconstruction campaign advisor and Northwestern University history professor Kate Masur about her book, Until Justice be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, From the Revolution to Reconstruction. Professor Masur goes into detail about the nation's first push for civil rights in the 19th century, specifically in the Northern states from African Americans and their white allies. This activism in the 1850s dovetailed with the rise of the new Republican Party. The Northwestern professor also discusses the violence launched by white reactionaries, attempting to defeat Black advances. Read about the event and find related resources.

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian, a high school teacher and Rethinking Schools editor, facilitates a conversation between authors Jeff Chang and Dave “Davey D” Cook on their new young adult version of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History. Chang and Davey D catalogue the role of urban policy, marginalization of Black and Brown youth in places like New York and Los Angeles, and how that influenced both the politics and the development of hip-hop. The struggle for Black Power played a direct role in shaping the music from its onset. Our guests also discussed how hip-hop shapes both the movement for Black lives and why young people should learn about the history, aesthetics, and politics of hip-hop. Read about the event and find related resources.

In this episode, our host, Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, an assistant professor of secondary social studies at West Virginia University, interviews historian Martha Jones of The John Hopkins University to deconstruct how we understand citizenship for Black Americans. Jones moves from before the Civil War through Reconstruction to the present, tackling the evolution of voter suppression, and revealing the tenacity of white supremacy. She addresses Black women's roles in organizing during the fight for women's suffrage. This episode addresses themes of our campaign to Teach Reconstruction and to teach about voting rights on this 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment — coinciding with one of the most important elections in U.S. history. People's Historians online mini-series - Black Freedom Struggle. Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

In this episode, our host, Adam Sanchez, a high school teacher and Rethinking Schools editor, interviews historian Manisha Sinha to address the interracial radical abolition movement of the 18th and 19th centuries. Sinha emphasizes the impact of Black abolitionists, particularly those who escaped enslavement — like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William Wells Brown, and James W.C. Pennington — who radicalized the movement by introducing more militant tactics. She connects the past to the present by discussing the significance of the word abolition in today's movement for Black lives. This episode addresses themes of our campaign to Teach Reconstruction. People's Historians online mini-series - Black Freedom Struggle. Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

In this episode, initially recorded on May Day, our host, Jesse Hagopian, a high school teacher and Rethinking Schools editor, interviews historian Jeanne Theoharis to address Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s positions on oppression in the North, police brutality, the Memphis sanitation workers, reparations, the Poor People's Campaign, and more. Theoharis describes the sanitization of Dr. King and his legacy, challenging the narratives in textbooks. She also addresses the radical influence of Coretta Scott King. People's Historians online mini-series - Black Freedom Struggle. Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

In this episode, from our series on the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jesse Hagopian, a high school teacher and Rethinking Schools editor, introduces scholar-activist Mary Phillips and historian Robyn C. Spencer, who discuss how Black women transformed the Black Panther Party. Spencer and Phillips describe the role of Black women in the Black Panther Party as an outgrowth from their long-standing family activism. Many Black women made sacrifices as they balanced motherhood and community organizing. Our guests also tackle how Black women played a central role in delivering the message of the party through art. Link to images discussed: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1utU7UbzctFFzs2azaG6NBhDClvHHGxduI8CgwT41pM8/edit?usp=sharing Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

In this episode, from our series on the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jessica Rucker, a D.C. high school teacher, interviews historian Greg Carr to challenge viewers to reconsider how they understand Reconstruction in the United States. He describes the history of Juneteenth, and what it means to truly honor the history of the holiday during this current uprising. Carr details the emergence of Juneteenth as an emancipatory ritual for people of African descent for centuries. He also tackles the question of citizenship in the modern nation-state and challenges the audience to reconceptualize citizenship. Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.

In this episode, our host, Cierra Kaler-Jones, an Education Anew Fellow with Teaching for Change through Communities for Just Schools Fund, interviews historian Robin D.G. Kelley to demystify the taboos and stereotypes about communism in the decades leading up to the modern Civil Rights Movement. Kelley proceeds to tell stories about Anne Braden, Lemon Johnson, Claudia Jones, Mildred McAdory, Estelle Milner, Cedric Robinson, the Scottsboro Nine, the Southern Negro Youth Congress (SNYC), the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, and more. Music from Rose City Kings from Free Music Archive.