Podcast appearances and mentions of Frederick Douglass

The life of Frederick Douglass, the great 19th century statesman, orator, writer and abolitionist, is a triumphantly American story.He was born into slavery in the early years of the 19th century and died at the very height of the Gilded Age. His tremendous talents as a leader brought him out of slavery and into the heart of the Gilded Age as a player in the political worlds of Lincoln,  Grant and Hayes.Joining Carl on this episode is scholar and author Connor Williams who traces Douglass's life from his early years in enslavement through his emancipation and travel in and outside America and his role as an abolitionist and supporter of women's suffrage.This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.Connor has also appeared on the Gilded Gentleman podcast The Adirondacks and Great Camp Sagamore: Retreating to Nature in the Gilded Age

Coco Hill Productions’ new podcast, Our Ancestors Were Messy, might be my favorite new pod of the year, perfect for avoiding the heavy news cycle! LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE: https://thesecretadventuresofblackpeople.com/our-ancestors-were-messy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get ready for laughs and liberation! In this episode, we're serving up giggles, Fredrick Douglass energy (fists up!), and a wild ride through capitalism, patriarchy, and… the Annabelle doll?! You don't want to miss this.Don't forget to email us your funny, crazy and scary “What Is My Life?” stories at wiml.thepodcast@gmail.com and leave us a review on your fave platform—this train doesn't move without your support!Where you can find us: Tik Tok @whatismylifepodInstagram @whatismylifepodFacebook What is My Life? The Podcast Youtube @whatismylifethepodcast#podcastsforblackwomen #podcastsforwomen #womenpodcasts #millenialpodcasts #selfcare #careforself #maturity #blackmillenialpodcasts #funnypodcasts #relateablepodcasts #blackculturepodcasts #whatismylifethepodcast

What happens when a nation forgets its foundations? Jesse Cope tackles this critical question by examining the unbreakable link between America's founding principles and Christian values. With characteristic candor, he challenges the modern notion that faith and liberty are separable concepts, drawing on historical perspectives from Frederick Douglass and Theodore Roosevelt to demonstrate how our republic was deliberately built upon "the general principles of Christianity."The podcast offers a refreshing perspective on priorities in both national identity and personal relationships. Cope makes a compelling case that genuine love—whether for country, spouse, or God—manifests through obedience and action rather than mere words. "If you're not obeying God's commandments, if you're not fulfilling your role as either a husband or a wife, you don't really love your spouse," he states, drawing a direct parallel between our spiritual and marital obligations.Perhaps most thought-provoking is Cope's examination of why God's commandments often feel burdensome in modern life. Using the analogy of healthy eating, he suggests that when we prioritize spiritual nourishment before indulging in the "junk food" of entertainment and distraction, both our faith and relationships thrive naturally. This reframing challenges listeners to consider whether perceived oppression in traditional roles actually stems from disordered priorities rather than the roles themselves.The episode honors several Medal of Honor recipients, sharing their stories of sacrifice and creating a striking contrast with our culture's celebration of celebrities and athletes. This comparison prompts listeners to reconsider what truly deserves our attention—those who gave everything for principles or those who merely entertain. As Cope reads from historical texts about America's founders who risked "their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor," we're reminded that liberty comes with responsibility.Whether you're concerned about America's future, struggling in your marriage, or simply seeking to align your priorities with eternal truths, this episode offers both historical grounding and practical wisdom for navigating today's challenges through the timeless lens of faith.Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

Greg Jenner is joined in 19th-Century America by Dr Michell Chresfield and comedian Desiree Burch to learn all about abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth.Born into slavery in a Dutch-speaking area of New England, Sojourner Truth fought to free herself and then others, becoming one of the best-known abolitionist activists in America. She even succeeded in freeing her son, making her the first Black American woman to win a court case.A devoutly religious woman, Truth felt that God had called her to travel the country, preaching and advocating for the end of slavery, women's rights and universal suffrage. Along the way, she rubbed shoulders with abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, and politicians including Abraham Lincoln himself. This episode tells the story of her incredible life, beliefs and fight for justice, and even examines the true story behind her famous “ain't I a woman?” speech.This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Madeleine Bracey Written by: Madeleine Bracey, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: James Cook

Langston Hughes, the great African American poet, said decades ago, “Fascism is a new name for that kind of terror the Negro has always faced in America.” Fascism can and has led to genocide. Progressive African American intellectuals, writers, poets, and musicians have had a long tradition and history of solidarity and resisting fascism and genocide, from Frederick Douglass to Gil Scott-Heron, from Sojourner Truth to Angela Davis, from W.E.B. Du Bois to John Lewis, from Paul Robeson to Amiri Baraka, from Ida B. Wells to Malcolm X, from Ella Baker to Dr. King, from Harry Belafonte to Sonny Rollins, from James Baldwin to Cornel West and up to the present moment where Robin D. G. Kelley warns “We're witnessing the consolidation of a fascist police state.” Recorded at the University of Massachusetts.

Andy Crouch gives readers a plethora of ways to put technology in its proper place in his book, The Tech-Wise Family. "To be a child, teenager, or young adult these days is to navigate a minefield of potentially life-altering choices." His daughter wrote in the forward explaining "...the best part of tech-wise parenting is focusing on something older and better than the newest thing. The key word is better." This better way involves choosing: Character, Shape Space, and Structuring Time.Character develops slowly, daily, as we painstakingly overcome problems. Shape spaces are places in our homes that are device free and packed with supplies to create or practice a skill which could include everything from books to board games and paints to a piano. Structuring time is intentionally setting time aside to rest from devices such as spending intentional time being grateful without instantly scrolling.Change is challenging but worthwhile. "We will have to teach our children, from early on, we're not here to make their lives easier but to make them better."Andy's Ten Tech-Wise Commitments1. We develop wisdom and courage together as a family.2. We want to create more than we consume. Fill the center of the home with things that reward skill and active engagement.3. We are designed for a rhythm of work and rest.4. We wake up before our devices do and they "go to bed" before we do.5. We aim for no screens before double digits. Avoid tethering to the glowing screen as long as you can.6. We use screens for a purpose and we use them together.7. Car time is conversation time. It takes 7 minutes to get a 'real' conversation going.8. Spouses have each other's passwords. Parents have total access to kids' devices.9. We learned to sing together. (Powerful picture book, Christmas in the Trenches, shows the power of song. A German soldier started singing Silent Night, and both sides sang together in different languages. They also shared what little treats they had been sent from home)10. We show up IN PERSON for big events in life. (weddings, births, & funerals)Interesting point, "...the quest to cure boredom with entertainment makes the problem worse, the more you entertain kids, the more bored they will get." When we choose the easy way, we miss cultivating patience. The first people to be bored were the first people who did not do manual labor. Frederick Douglass said, "Without struggle, there is no progress." The last thing learners need is for it to be too easy. Difficulty and resistance press learners forward and make the learning stick. We hope you glean much from the pages of this little jewel to bring your precious family closer together as routines are established and memories are made. Screens are probably here to stay, but our children are with us for but a season, may we live life well preparing them for the road ahead.

Send us a textBeyond the Blue and Gray is a sub-series about the unique units of the Civil War. We look at their uniforms, traditions, cultures, and war record. Today we sit with Thomas B. Mack to discuss 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry-The Lead Mine Men!Purchase book here: https://www.siupress.com/9780809339143/the-lead-mine-men/Music is graciously provided by Craig Duncan.Our website: https://www.untoldcivilwar.com/Our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMWxSupport the show:One time donation of any amount here: https://www.paypal.me/supportuntoldCWMonthly payment through Patreon and unlock unique perks!https://www.patreon.com/user?u=51151470&fan_landing=truThis show is made possible by the support of our sponsors:The Badge MakerProudly carrying affordable, USA made products for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history.Civil War TrailsThe world's largest 'Open Air Museum' offering over 1,350 sites across six states. Paddle to Frederick Douglass's birthplace, follow the Gettysburg Campaign turn-by-turn in your car, or hike to mountain tops where long forgotten earthworks and artillery positions await you.Military Images MagazineAmerica's only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.The Excelsior BrigadeDealers in FINE CIVIL WAR MEMORABILIA.The goal of the "Brigade" is to offer high quality, original items while ensuring the best in service and customer satisfaction.HistoryFixCome enjoy history! Explore stories from the Middle Ages to the early 21st century. Enjoy historical video content always ad free and get a 7-day free trial as you explore our site.1863 DesignsAre you looking for Civil War themed graphic design, logo design, historical art and or hand drawn art? Look no further than 1863 Designs. Use the code, “UNTOLD” for 15% off your purchase!History by mailUse the discount UNTOLDCIVILWAR10, and get access to History by Mail! This is a subscription service that will give you a unique hands on experience with explosive moments of the past by sending you replica documents right to you doorstep!  Support the show

The American-Canadian borderlands hold a special significance in Black history that few of us fully understand. In this illuminating conversation with Dr. Dan J. Broyld, author of "Borderland Blacks," we explore how Rochester, NY and St. Catharines, Ontario became pivotal centers of Black freedom, entrepreneurship, and transnational identity during the final years of slavery.Dr. Broyld offers fascinating geographic insights into why Rochester—rather than closer border cities like Buffalo—became the optimal Underground Railroad hub. Just far enough from the border to avoid the concentration of slave catchers but close enough to facilitate escape, Rochester's position combined with its strong abolitionist culture created the perfect conditions for Black liberation work. Frederick Douglass's strategic 25-year residence there, where he established his newspaper North Star, exemplifies how Black leaders utilized borderland spaces to maximize their freedom and impact.The conversation takes an illuminating turn when Dr. Broyld reframes historical figures through a contemporary lens. Harriet Tubman emerges not just as a freedom fighter but as remarkably modern—"global, green, and gender aware." Her seven years in St. Catharines, her expert navigation of natural landscapes, and her strategic decision to seek freedom under "the Queen's soil" rather than "Uncle Sam's land" reveal a sophisticated understanding of international politics and environmental knowledge that resonates with today's concerns.Perhaps most compelling are the stories of borderland entrepreneurs like John W. Lindsay and Austin Stewart, who built significant wealth and community resources despite beginning with nothing. Their ability to create grocery stores, blacksmithing businesses, and other enterprises challenges simplistic narratives about Black economic development post-slavery. The transnational character of these communities—celebrating August 1st (British Emancipation Day) more enthusiastically than July 4th and using cutting-edge technology like suspension bridges—reveals how borderland Blacks were, in many ways, ahead of their time.Discover how these historical Black communities embodied Afrofuturist principles before the term existed, utilizing the most advanced technology of their era and creating transnational networks that transcended national boundaries. Their story continues to resonate today, reminding us that movement itself can be liberation, and that Black identity has always been global in scope and vision.Support the showhttps://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub

We commemorate the brave sacrifices of our fallen soldiers because they gave their last full measure of devotion for our country and liberty. Learn how Memorial Day started as a tribute to fallen Union soldiers in the Civil War.  It started through many local efforts and became a national, uniform celebration with the leadership of General Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic.Explore how over time, Memorial Day was the setting for brilliant speeches and commemorations, and changed to include all war dead during World War I.Review how more recently, a 1 minute silent Moment of Remembrance has been added to Memorial Day, which occurs at 3:00 pm local time.The future of our country and freedom rests with us to carry on their supreme sacrifices, and to failure to remember that could lead to our doom.Highlights include statistics about America's war dead, Pericles, Thucydides, Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address, David Wills, Edward Everett, Patriot Week, Leah Warren, Arlington National Cemetary, Major General John Logan, the Grand Army of the Republic,  Logan's General Order No. 11, President James Garfield, Frederick Douglass, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Decoration Day, John McCrae, We Shall Not Sleep, a/k/a In Flanders Fields, Mania Michael, Ladies Home Journal, Armistice Day, veterans Day, Uniform Monday Holiday Act, National Moment of Remembrance Act, Carmella LaSpanda, President Bill Clinton, and many others.To learn more about America & Patriot Week, visit www.PatriotWeek.org. Our resources include videos, a TV series, blogs, lesson plans, and more.Read the entire Declaration of Independence here: https://patriotweek.org/2021/07/24/the-declaration-of-independence-september-11/Check out Judge Michael Warren's book America's Survival Guide, How to Stop America's Impending Suicide by Reclaiming Our First Principles and History at amazon, or other major on-line retailers.Join us!

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Take time today to remember those who sacrificed Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday that's supposed to be about mourning the nation's fallen service members, but it's come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of travel and discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. Iraq War veteran Edmundo Eugenio Martinez Jr. said the day has lost so much meaning that many Americans "conflate and mix up Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day, July Fourth." Social media posts pay tribute to "everyone" who has served, when Memorial Day is about those who died. For him, it's about honoring 17 U.S. service members he knew who lost their lives. "I was either there when they died or they were soldiers of mine, buddies of mine," said Martinez, 48, an Army veteran who lives in Katy, Texas, west of Houston. "Some of them lost the battle after the war." Steve Merando, who has marched in Cold Spring's Memorial Day parade since he was 10 years old, agreed. "People forget that Memorial Day is supposed to be a memorial to those who were killed in action while serving their country," said Merando, who served with the U.S. Navy Seabees from 1969 to 1973, including in Vietnam and Thailand. He played Little League baseball with Keith Livermore, one of three Philipstown residents killed in the Vietnam War. In Memoriam: Philipstown and Beacon Here is a look at the holiday and how it has evolved: When is Memorial Day? It falls on the last Monday of May, which this year is May 26. In Cold Spring, a parade will begin at 9 a.m. at Stone and Main streets and progress to Cold Spring Cemetery in Nelsonville for a ceremony. Hot dogs and refreshments will follow at the American Legion. Rain or shine. In Beacon, a ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at 413 Main St. It will include the dedication of a plaque to mark the 100th anniversary of the Veterans Memorial Building, which was completed in 1925. Why is Memorial Day celebrated? It's a day of reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the U.S. military. The holiday is observed in part by the National Moment of Remembrance, which encourages all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. for a moment of silence. What are the origins of Memorial Day? The holiday's origins can be traced to the American Civil War, which killed more than 600,000 service members - both Union and Confederate - between 1861 and 1865. The first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day occurred on May 30, 1868, after an organization of Union veterans called for decorating war graves with flowers, which were in bloom. The practice was already widespread. Waterloo, New York, in Seneca County, began a formal observance on May 5, 1866, and was later proclaimed to be the holiday's birthplace. Yet Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, traced its first observance to October 1864. And women in some Confederate states were decorating graves before the war's end. David Blight, a Yale history professor, points to May 1, 1865, when as many as 10,000 people, many of them Black, held a parade, heard speeches and dedicated the graves of Union dead in Charleston, South Carolina. A total of 267 Union troops had died at a Confederate prison and were buried in a mass grave. After the war, members of Black churches buried them in individual graves. "What happened in Charleston does have the right to claim to be first, if that matters," Blight told the Associated Press in 2011. When did Memorial Day become a source of contention? As early as 1869, The New York Times wrote that the holiday could become "sacrilegious" and no longer "sacred" if it focused more on pomp, dinners and oratory. In an 1871 Decoration Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, abolitionist Frederick Douglass said he feared Americans were forgetting the Civil War's impetus: enslavement. "We must never forget that the loyal soldiers who rest beneath this sod flung themselves between the nation and the nation's destroyers," Douglass said. His concern...

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

What would your life look like if all screens and distractions suddenly disappeared? How much more of yourself would you give to God, your spouse, your children, and your true purpose?In this thought-provoking episode, I tackle the epidemic of distraction plaguing American Christians. Our phones, televisions, and endless entertainment options aren't just stealing our attention—they're robbing us of our most precious resource: time. This isn't about technology being inherently evil; it's about how we've allowed these tools to displace what truly matters.Drawing from Matthew 24, I explore Jesus's warnings about the end times and the importance of vigilance: "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." Too many of us behave like the unfaithful servant who says "my master is delayed" while pursuing selfish desires. Yet whether through Christ's return or our own mortality, none of us can guarantee tomorrow.This distraction crisis extends beyond personal spirituality into our national consciousness. I share the story of Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Travis W. Atkins, who sacrificed his life by throwing himself on a suicide bomber to save his fellow soldiers in Iraq. Why do our children know celebrities' names but not those who've given everything for our freedom? This disconnect reveals a profound sickness in America's soul.As Frederick Douglass wisely observed, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, and sin is a reproach to any people." This principle, quoted by numerous American leaders throughout history, remains our only path forward. We face a stark choice between Christ and chaos, biblical truth and progressive confusion, liberty and chains already forged by those advancing godless ideologies.Join me in examining what we truly value, as revealed not by our words but by how we spend our irreplaceable time. Are you ready to break free from distraction and reclaim your spiritual purpose?Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/poetry

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

For decades Frank X Walker has reclaimed essential American lives through his pathbreaking historical poetry. In this stirring new collection, he reimagines the experiences of Black Civil War soldiers—including his own ancestors—who enlisted in the Union army in exchange for emancipation.Moving chronologically from antebellum Kentucky through Reconstruction, Walker braids the voices of the United States Colored Troops with their family members, as well as slave owners and prominent historical figures from Abraham Lincoln to Frederick Douglas and Margaret Garner. Imbued with atmospheric imagery, these persona poems and more “[clarify] not only the inextricable value of Black life and labor to the building of America, but the terrible price they were forced to pay in producing that labor” (Khadijah Queen). “How do you un-orphan a people?” Walker asks. “How do you pick up / shattered black porcelain and make / a new set of dishes fit to eat off?”While carefully attuned to the heartbreak and horrors of war, Walker's poems pay equal care to the pride, perseverance, and triumphs of their speakers. Evoking the formerly enslaved General Charles Young, Walker hums: “I am America's promise, my mother's song, / and the reason my father had every right to dream.” Expansive and intimate, Load in Nine Times is a resounding ode to the powerful ties of individual and cultural ancestry by an indelible voice in American poetry. Winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Frank X Walker is the first African American writer to be named Kentucky Poet Laureate. Walker has published thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, which was awarded the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. Voted one of the most creative professors in the south, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets Collective, the oldest continuously running predominantly African American writing group in the country. He is a Professor of English, and Director of the MFA in Creative Writing program the University of Kentucky. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Professor X continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/historical-fiction

As many as 100,000 enslaved people fled successfully from the horrors of bondage in the antebellum South, finding safe harbor along a network of passageways across North America via the Underground Railroad. Yet many escapes took place not by land but by sea. William Grimes escaped slavery in 1815 by stowing away in a cotton bale on a ship from Savannah to New York, enduring days without food or water before settling in Connecticut. Frederick Douglass disguised himself as a free black sailor, using borrowed papers to board a train and then a steamboat from Baltimore to New York, reaching freedom in less than 24 hours. Thomas Jones, a formerly enslaved man from North Carolina, escaped in 1849 by hiding on a ship bound for New York, relying on his maritime knowledge as a steward to evade detection and later reuniting with his family in the North.This was a secret world of stowaways and the vessels that carried them to freedom across the North and into Canada. It sprawled through the intricate riverways of the Carolinas to the banks of the Chesapeake Bay to Boston’s harbors. Today’s guest is Marcus Rediker, author of “Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea.” We see the Atlantic waterfront as a place of conspiracy, mutiny, and liberation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Let's stop the cycle of contempt and learn to disagree better! In this video, we discuss how to fix our broken conversations and bridge the divide in our nation.Are we really more divided than ever—or just worse at disagreeing?In this episode of An Ounce, we explore how contempt has crept into every corner of modern life—from relationships and work meetings to dinner tables and online comment sections—and why it's killing our ability to communicate. You'll hear insights from Stoic philosophers, historical figures like Lincoln and Mandela, and even modern research on what actually ends relationships (hint: it's not yelling).________________________________________⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Intro01:16 – Conversation That Broke Down02:41 – The Real Enemy03:49 – In the Living Room – Relationships04:40 – The Family Table – Political Polarization at Home05:31 – At Work06:27 – Online: Public Contempt Preformed for Audience07:33 – The Temptation of Contempt08:33 – Why Civility Isn't Enough09:16 – The Better Way10:43 – How Grace Stops Contempt11:25 – Challenge12:32 – An Ounce________________________________________

An ambitious genre-crossing exploration of Black speculative imagination, The Dark Delight of Being Strange: Black Stories of Freedom (Columbia University Press 2024) combines fiction, historical accounts, and philosophical prose to unveil the extraordinary and the surreal in everyday Black life.In a series of stories and essays, James B. Haile, III, traces how Black speculative fiction responds to enslavement, racism, colonialism, and capitalism and how it reveals a life beyond social and political alienation. He re-envisions Black technologies of freedom through Henry Box Brown's famed escape from slavery in a wooden crate, fashions an anticolonial “hollow earth theory” from the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and considers the octopus and its ability to camouflage itself as a model for Black survival strategies, among others. Looking at Black life through the lens of speculative fiction, this book transports readers to alternative worlds and spaces while remaining squarely rooted in present-day struggles. In so doing, it rethinks historical and contemporary Black experiences as well as figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Henry Dumas, and Toni Morrison.Offering new ways to grasp the meanings and implications of Black freedom, The Dark Delight of Being Strange invites us to reimagine history and memory, time and space, our identities and ourselves. Winner, 2025 Hugh J. Silverman Book Prize, Association for Philosophy and Literature Finalist, 2025 PEN America Open Book Award James B. Haile III is a Professor of English & Philosophy at the University of Rhode Island. You can find him at the University of Rhode Island Philosophy Department website. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Dr. Haile continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

If you were to study history's most notable scientists, doctors, and educators, you'd quickly notice a mutual belief they all shared. In this program, guest teacher John Dickerson reveals the answer. Discover what drove these great men and women to the success we recognize them for today.Main Points Heroes of history who read Jesus' words and did what it says: Mary Moes Founders of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins A challenge to non-Christians: Look for the people who actually do what Jesus said, not cultural Christians. A challenge to Christians: Do others know who you serve? What deeds are you doing that point to Jesus? Followers of Jesus throughout history: Devout followers of Jesus who led anti-slavery movements in history: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, & Elijah Lovejoy Ten out of ten leading universities were started by Christians for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The Scientific Revolution was birthed by Christian scientists: Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, & Robert Boyle Did Jesus actually live? For more evidence see the book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the credibility and Impact of Christianity by John S. Dickerson How do we know what Jesus actually said? There are more ancient manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient literature in the world. What did Jesus say? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Why does Jesus' movement keep growing? Jesus is the only one who can: Change human nature from the inside out. Jesus is the only one who can: Transform hearts. Jesus is the only one who can: Reconnect us to God. God uses ordinary people who truly believe the words of Jesus to do extraordinary things. Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Resource Page Additional Resource Mentions Why I Believe & Jesus Skeptic Book Bundle About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram's passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God's truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About John Dickerson John Dickerson is a prize-winning research journalist, a seminary-trained pastor, and a frequent commentator in national news outlets such as USA Today. Dickerson is the author of Hope of Nations, Jesus Skeptic and serves as the lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in the Indianapolis metro area. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus. Connect

An ambitious genre-crossing exploration of Black speculative imagination, The Dark Delight of Being Strange: Black Stories of Freedom (Columbia University Press 2024) combines fiction, historical accounts, and philosophical prose to unveil the extraordinary and the surreal in everyday Black life.In a series of stories and essays, James B. Haile, III, traces how Black speculative fiction responds to enslavement, racism, colonialism, and capitalism and how it reveals a life beyond social and political alienation. He re-envisions Black technologies of freedom through Henry Box Brown's famed escape from slavery in a wooden crate, fashions an anticolonial “hollow earth theory” from the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and considers the octopus and its ability to camouflage itself as a model for Black survival strategies, among others. Looking at Black life through the lens of speculative fiction, this book transports readers to alternative worlds and spaces while remaining squarely rooted in present-day struggles. In so doing, it rethinks historical and contemporary Black experiences as well as figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Henry Dumas, and Toni Morrison.Offering new ways to grasp the meanings and implications of Black freedom, The Dark Delight of Being Strange invites us to reimagine history and memory, time and space, our identities and ourselves. Winner, 2025 Hugh J. Silverman Book Prize, Association for Philosophy and Literature Finalist, 2025 PEN America Open Book Award James B. Haile III is a Professor of English & Philosophy at the University of Rhode Island. You can find him at the University of Rhode Island Philosophy Department website. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Dr. Haile continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

An ambitious genre-crossing exploration of Black speculative imagination, The Dark Delight of Being Strange: Black Stories of Freedom (Columbia University Press 2024) combines fiction, historical accounts, and philosophical prose to unveil the extraordinary and the surreal in everyday Black life.In a series of stories and essays, James B. Haile, III, traces how Black speculative fiction responds to enslavement, racism, colonialism, and capitalism and how it reveals a life beyond social and political alienation. He re-envisions Black technologies of freedom through Henry Box Brown's famed escape from slavery in a wooden crate, fashions an anticolonial “hollow earth theory” from the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and considers the octopus and its ability to camouflage itself as a model for Black survival strategies, among others. Looking at Black life through the lens of speculative fiction, this book transports readers to alternative worlds and spaces while remaining squarely rooted in present-day struggles. In so doing, it rethinks historical and contemporary Black experiences as well as figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Henry Dumas, and Toni Morrison.Offering new ways to grasp the meanings and implications of Black freedom, The Dark Delight of Being Strange invites us to reimagine history and memory, time and space, our identities and ourselves. Winner, 2025 Hugh J. Silverman Book Prize, Association for Philosophy and Literature Finalist, 2025 PEN America Open Book Award James B. Haile III is a Professor of English & Philosophy at the University of Rhode Island. You can find him at the University of Rhode Island Philosophy Department website. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Dr. Haile continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

An ambitious genre-crossing exploration of Black speculative imagination, The Dark Delight of Being Strange: Black Stories of Freedom (Columbia University Press 2024) combines fiction, historical accounts, and philosophical prose to unveil the extraordinary and the surreal in everyday Black life.In a series of stories and essays, James B. Haile, III, traces how Black speculative fiction responds to enslavement, racism, colonialism, and capitalism and how it reveals a life beyond social and political alienation. He re-envisions Black technologies of freedom through Henry Box Brown's famed escape from slavery in a wooden crate, fashions an anticolonial “hollow earth theory” from the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and considers the octopus and its ability to camouflage itself as a model for Black survival strategies, among others. Looking at Black life through the lens of speculative fiction, this book transports readers to alternative worlds and spaces while remaining squarely rooted in present-day struggles. In so doing, it rethinks historical and contemporary Black experiences as well as figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Henry Dumas, and Toni Morrison.Offering new ways to grasp the meanings and implications of Black freedom, The Dark Delight of Being Strange invites us to reimagine history and memory, time and space, our identities and ourselves. Winner, 2025 Hugh J. Silverman Book Prize, Association for Philosophy and Literature Finalist, 2025 PEN America Open Book Award James B. Haile III is a Professor of English & Philosophy at the University of Rhode Island. You can find him at the University of Rhode Island Philosophy Department website. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Dr. Haile continue their conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/folkore

An ambitious genre-crossing exploration of Black speculative imagination, The Dark Delight of Being Strange: Black Stories of Freedom (Columbia University Press 2024) combines fiction, historical accounts, and philosophical prose to unveil the extraordinary and the surreal in everyday Black life.In a series of stories and essays, James B. Haile, III, traces how Black speculative fiction responds to enslavement, racism, colonialism, and capitalism and how it reveals a life beyond social and political alienation. He re-envisions Black technologies of freedom through Henry Box Brown's famed escape from slavery in a wooden crate, fashions an anticolonial “hollow earth theory” from the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and considers the octopus and its ability to camouflage itself as a model for Black survival strategies, among others. Looking at Black life through the lens of speculative fiction, this book transports readers to alternative worlds and spaces while remaining squarely rooted in present-day struggles. In so doing, it rethinks historical and contemporary Black experiences as well as figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Henry Dumas, and Toni Morrison.Offering new ways to grasp the meanings and implications of Black freedom, The Dark Delight of Being Strange invites us to reimagine history and memory, time and space, our identities and ourselves. Winner, 2025 Hugh J. Silverman Book Prize, Association for Philosophy and Literature Finalist, 2025 PEN America Open Book Award James B. Haile III is a Professor of English & Philosophy at the University of Rhode Island. You can find him at the University of Rhode Island Philosophy Department website. You can find the host, Sullivan Summer, online, on Instagram, and at Substack, where she and Dr. Haile continue their conversation.

Do you know why the top universities in the world were founded? Or why someone like Harriet Tubman risked her life to rescue slaves? In this program, guest teacher John Dickerson makes that connection for us. John's gonna unpack the common thread that links some of history's most notable figures and institutions.Main Points Heroes of history who read Jesus' words and did what it says: Mary Moes Founders of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins A challenge to non-Christians: Look for the people who actually do what Jesus said, not cultural Christians. A challenge to Christians: Do others know who you serve? What deeds are you doing that point to Jesus? Followers of Jesus throughout history: Devout followers of Jesus who led anti-slavery movements in history: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, & Elijah Lovejoy Ten out of ten leading universities were started by Christians for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The Scientific Revolution was birthed by Christian scientists: Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, & Robert Boyle Did Jesus actually live? For more evidence see the book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the credibility and Impact of Christianity by John S. Dickerson How do we know what Jesus actually said? There are more ancient manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient literature in the world. What did Jesus say? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Why does Jesus' movement keep growing? Jesus is the only one who can: Change human nature from the inside out. Jesus is the only one who can: Transform hearts. Jesus is the only one who can: Reconnect us to God. God uses ordinary people who truly believe the words of Jesus to do extraordinary things. Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Resource Page Additional Resource Mentions Why I Believe & Jesus Skeptic Book Bundle About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram's passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God's truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About John Dickerson John Dickerson is a prize-winning research journalist, a seminary-trained pastor, and a frequent commentator in national news outlets such as USA Today. Dickerson is the author of Hope of Nations, Jesus Skeptic and serves as the lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in the Indianapolis metro area. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus.

John Brown, a white, 19th-century abolitionist, was born on May 9, 1800. A white man unwaveringly devoted to ending slavery, Brown spent his life fighting oppression—donating land to escaped slaves and aiding the Underground Railroad. Frederick Douglass once said Brown “is in sympathy a Black man,” a testament to his deep commitment. In 1859, Brown led 21 men—Black and white—in a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., aiming to spark a slave uprising. The raid failed; Brown was wounded, captured, and ultimately hanged. Though controversial, he remains one of the most enduring and radical figures in the history of American abolition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does your schedule reveal about your spiritual priorities? In this thought-provoking episode, Jesse Cope confronts us with a challenging truth: the way we allocate our time speaks volumes about what we truly value, often contradicting what we claim to believe.Through a careful examination of Matthew 11, we explore Jesus's gentle invitation to all who are weary and heavy-laden. There's something profoundly comforting about reaching the end of our own strength and wisdom, finally surrendering our problems to God when we've exhausted every human solution. As Jesse shares from personal experience: "I've tried everything... and then I get to the point where I look at God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and I go 'y'all got to figure this out.'" This moment of surrender, though born of desperation, brings unexpected peace when we recognize it's no longer on us.The conversation takes a fascinating historical turn as we consider the unique foundations of American liberty. If other systems—whether religious or political—could have produced what America did, why didn't they when they held centuries of unchallenged power? The conclusion is compelling: "Liberty is produced in association with God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit." Our current national struggles, Jesse suggests, stem not from flawed founding principles but from abandoning them.Perhaps most poignant are the reflections on how we treat those closest to us. Through examining early Christian martyrdom and the tragic history of believers persecuting one another, we're confronted with our own tendency to take for granted those relationships that should be most precious. The marriage relationship especially—meant to reflect Christ's relationship with the church—often receives our worst rather than our best.Whether you're questioning your priorities, seeking spiritual rest, or interested in the connection between faith and freedom, this episode offers both challenging questions and comforting truths that will stay with you long after listening.Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

In our divided world we face or avoid conflicts on a frequent basis. I turned to Bob Bordone and Joel Salinas to find out the best strategies to deal with these, including having them take on a mock conflict between each other on the merits of Covid research.Audio fileYou can also find this on Spotify and Apple podcasts with Ground Truths.The video is also posted on YouTubeTranscript with Audio LinksEric Topol (00:06):Well, hello. It's Eric Topol with Ground Truths, and we're going to get into a new book called Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In, and we're lucky to have its two authors, Bob Bordone, who is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, and Joel Salinas, who is a physician, neurologist, a clinician scientist at NYU. So welcome both Bob and Joel.Bob Bordone and Joel Salinas (00:34):Thank you for having us. Yeah, looking forward to the conversation.Eric Topol (00:37):Yeah. So first, how did you guys get together? This is a pretty diverse, you got law and medicine, usually they don't talk to each other very much.Bob Bordone (00:46):Well, we were very fortunate. I mean, we basically were friends, but part of that friendship, I think emerged from work that I do around conflict issues in the Mass General system and then just the larger, bigger Mass General, Harvard community. Yeah, so this began really as a friendship where we were each swimming in very different waters, but then as we would start to talk, we realized there was a lot of connection and maybe the possibility to bring two different disciplines together in a way that might be practically useful and make an impact. And even when we started writing this, which was during Covid, what seemed to be some pretty polarizing times that were unlikely to resolve by the time the book would come out.Eric Topol (01:44):Yeah, well you sure hit it with the divisiveness and the polarized world that we live in is perhaps worse than ever, certainly in all my years, and probably long before then as well. So this topic of resilience, it's a very interesting concept because some people might think of resilience as just being tough. So go into a conflict and just go heavy tough. That obviously is not what you're writing about. And I guess maybe we can start off, what was the goal here? Obviously, there's other books that have addressed this topic, I'm sure, but yours is somewhat unique in many respects because it brings in the science of it and many strategies perhaps that have never been developed. But when you got together, what was the mission that you set out to do?Joel Salinas (02:38):Yeah, well maybe I can start out and then you can add on. So my research has been all around understanding how social relationships influenced brain health, and one of the things that I was seeing was social isolation and loneliness had been steadily increasing. Want to figure out what kind of interventions or what are the factors that are involved here? And I think one of the things that has stood out is just the difficulty with being able to navigate conflict in different contexts. And so, the idea around conflict resilience is really, even though there's been lots of books on what to say and what specific tactics to use, I think that there was this skillset around just being able to sit with the discomfort of that disagreement, which will ultimately help make it much more useful to take on those tactics. One way to think about it, if it's like all these tactics are like learning how to cook with a set of recipes in the kitchen, what we're really proposing here is that you also need to be able to stand the heat of the kitchen to even be able to cook.Eric Topol (03:47):Okay. Go ahead, Bob.Bob Bordone (03:49):Yeah, and I would say I was starting to write about my first kind of piece on this topic where I use the word conflict resilience was in 2018, and it really came from an observed dynamic that I was seeing in my teaching of Harvard Law School students. I was on the admissions committee, I'd been on the admissions committee for many years. I knew that we worked very hard and were quite successful in fact, at bringing together a very diverse student body, including politically. And people sometimes maybe think of elite law schools as being very progressive. But Harvard Law School, the biggest student organization is actually the Federalists, which is the conservative students. And despite that effort, what I noticed in the classroom was a reduction in conversation, diversity of viewpoint across the board, interesting classrooms became boring. And even though I was teaching around conflict and negotiation and difficult conversations, I would read in students' journals things like, I want to avoid conflict or I don't want to get into it.Bob Bordone (04:59):And so, it occurred to me that quite a part, as Joel said, from any skills, if we don't develop this capacity to sit with disagreement, then we will never get to problem solving. I'm in favor of problem solving. But this paper on conflict resilience, its original title was called Against Problem Solving. Mostly because I thought that if we had opened the possibility of problem solving as a precondition for entering the room, then we might never enter the room, particularly if we've told the demonized and dehumanized story about them. And so, that somehow we had to make the case that sitting with the discomfort of the disagreement, even if it didn't mean problem solving, although we hope for that, even if we didn't mean that it was worthwhile and it was important. And so, part of what was really attractive to me about joining up with Joel is that he just brought all of this brain science aspect to it that I had this kind of teaching and kind of academic in the negotiation and dispute resolution research experience, but couldn't bring to bear the kind of brain science parts of, well, what is going on in our brain when we do want to run or when we get into that really unproductive battle.Eric Topol (06:27):Yeah, I agree that the unique part here is that whole scaffolding with the neuroscience, the behavioral science, and those five Fs that you mentioned. You alluded to fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or fester. Yeah, so avoidance of conflict has kind of been the default for many people now because we have political divides, we have anti-science versus pro-science divides and on and on. There's a quote in the book that I thought we'd start off with because it really lays the groundwork from you both. “The biggest hidden barrier to being conflict resilient stems from the inability or unwillingness to face and sit with our own internal conflicts - the negotiations between our divided and sometimes contradictory “selves.” Even more surprising is that although there are dozens of self-help books on negotiation and conflict resolution, almost none of them spend any meaningful time on this critical intrapersonal barrier to handing conflict.” So maybe Joel, maybe start you off here. I guess you were bullied as a kid, and maybe that gives you a little background here. Joel, tell us about that if you would.Bob Bordone (07:46):Hey, Eric. On our bad days sometimes I probably inadvertently bully Joel still today, but he's pretty resilient now.Joel Salinas (07:53):Yeah, I'm a Teflon. So I think I am generally conflict of what an individual, and I think a lot of listeners and viewers can relate with that experience. And I think that also kind of speaks to some of the neuroscience that comes into this, which is that our brain has really evolved to be a fortune telling machine. It takes all of our past experiences, turns them into memories, and then makes projections about what's going to happen. And this projection or prediction of what's going to happen might as well be reality for our brain's sake. And so, if we had really negative experiences with conflict in the past growing up, whether through our families or the schoolyard or others, there'll be likely a very negative charge of negative emotional charge that comes with that. And what that does is that it increases the chances that you'll trigger this system for salience and arousal, which then sets off the alarms essentially in your body that then creates these fight or flight type responses where you're more likely to fall back on these really reflexive behaviors to make the bad thing less bad.Joel Salinas (09:08):And when you do that, whether it's through avoiding or to blowing through conflict like a battering ram that then trains your brain to assign some kind of a reward using the orbital frontal cortex, a system that kind of keeps tabs over how much reward you get for a behavior, it makes it much more likely that you'll do it again. And so, we from a very young age, develop a propensity to either avoid conflict or tackle it. And it varies depending on the context and how you're feeling, but it just makes it much, much harder to be able to bring on a much more thoughtful and deliberative approach to conflict.Eric Topol (09:49):Yeah, I mean, I think one of the salient points is that avoiding the conflict can make things worse. And as you described that it's not, I would've thought that there are some people who are just innately gifted to being diplomatic and artful about having to deal with the conflict issue and others, there's just no hope. But in fact, it can be acquired. And you alluded to this kind of neuroplasticity, the brain and you advocate for chair work. Can you tell us about chair work, because that's something I wouldn't have thought would help in this manner.Bob Bordone (10:30):Sure. I mean, I'll say a little bit work about that. A big part of this chair work idea, frankly, is influenced by work in internal family systems. And I was very fortunate early in my career, even though I was at teaching at law school to start partnering with some folks who did IFS work, they call it peace work often. But the chair work is really identifying some of these conflicted sides of ourself, right? The side of ourself that maybe feels like it's important and okay to raise this issue because it's something that matters to me and maybe the side of ourself that feels like it's pointless and it will hurt the relationship and maybe the side of ourself that's fearful and to name each of them. And then to actually give each in preparation a physical chair where we sit in that chair and give voice to each of those sides.Bob Bordone (11:32):And I'm imagining that at least some people listening to this will say, this sounds very hokey, and does he really mean going to the chairs? And the answer is, yes, I do mean that because there is something about the physicality of it that forces you to give voice to something that is true and real in you. And the chair work is very helpful to set up what an opening might be into a hard conversation, meaning that all of the chairs are real and authentic and okay, they're worthy of getting some voice. So as someone who teaches in a law school, it's all about advocacy. And you would find students who would be very good at advocating on behalf of a client would be incredibly poor at advocating on behalf of themself. And so, separating out the side that maybe has a little bit of feeling, it's selfish, but actually giving it a legitimate voice, help them when they get to the table to be able to say, I'm worried about this, or I realize I may be wrong about this, or it might be upsetting. And also, it's important and deserves to be heard because one of the things around avoidance is we often do avoidance in service of preserving the relationship or not disrupting. And we do maybe preserve the relationship for the time being of the person across the table, except we go home and there's still the side of us that is not feeling good about it, and the person we're not preserving the relationship with is that side, then we just get to have a sleepless night. And so, that's really the kind of idea behind the chair work.Eric Topol (13:22):That's helpful, Bob. I guess managing conflict, of course, I think we know you don't get emotional. Okay, sure. But yeah, there's three parts of that, three components, self-awareness. We've been talking about that deep listening, which of course when you're engaging in a discussion that's potentially leading to escalation of a conflict or the amplification that is really important. And then effective assertion. Now, that's where it seems to me things fall apart. If you're making effective assertion, then everything kind of blows up. So tell us about how you can be assertive and still, you're not trying to win the argument. I get that, but how can you be assertive and still come out in a positive way?Joel Salinas (14:16):Maybe I can start, Bob.Joel Salinas (14:19):I think one of the things that really is a good predictor of how effective you'll be at effective assertion is how good you were at the deep listening part. So the more genuine you are and curious you are about the perspective of the other person, really understanding what are the set of facts, experiences, beliefs that eventually lead up to that headline of what their position is or what their interests are. The better you'll be able articulate your own perspective while still engaging in the conversation. And the other thing that's really important here is that in that listening piece, it's really essential to be able to bring in tenets of really great listening that includes eliminating distractions, both external and internal. It involves having a nonjudgmental position toward the other person and being able to reflect an understanding of what the other person is saying. But all of that does not mean that you are endorsing their point of view. And I think that's really essential. It's really about getting as clear as you can about where the other person is coming from. So that way when you have an opportunity to share your perspective, you're able to really speak to the concerns of the other person and your own.Eric Topol (15:46):Yeah. Well, in reading the book, it took me, interestingly to an evening discussion I had with a very close friend.Eric Topol (15:56):And he was saying, we do need a randomized trial of the measles vaccine, MMR for autism. And I said, what? And I started thinking about, well, I'm going to hear him out because there's so much evidence now that you would think this has been totally debunked. And his view is, well, it can't hurt. And I'm thinking, well, so in that discussion, a lot of these points that you've been raising help me to come not to a point where basically I was trying to put a bow on it, as you said, or trying to externalize or abstract it. But to have a happy ending with him about this saying, okay, well it's never going to get done, but if you want to get it, I'm supportive of that. We don't do enough of this. I had to listen to what he had to say. I had to deal with my own confirmation biases and not get emotional and all that stuff, right. Now, I'd like the two of you to role play on something like that if you would. And let me just give you an example. Maybe you can run with it. Let's go to Covid, okay?Eric Topol (17:14):So one of you will take the side that we shouldn't do any more Covid research because the pandemic is over and we need to be efficient and not use these funds for other things. Covid is over, Long Covid is a hoax, and the other person will take the side that, no, this is a really big deal because Covid has not gone away and there's still a endemic of the virus, Long Covid in millions of people. Who wants to take away the funds? Would that be you, Bob?Bob Bordone (17:52):As a lawyer, I am happy to take any side.Eric Topol (17:55):Okay. You are the one to be on that side. Okay. And Joel, you are going to be the pro science side, if you will. Can you start that argument?Bob Bordone (18:05):Eric, can I make a suggestion? Yeah, but I'm happy to. It might be fun if one of us tries to be a person who hasn't read the book and the other person maybe tries to actually model the skills. What do you think about that?Eric Topol (18:18):Sure. Yeah, that's fine.Joel Salinas (18:19):Bob, I'll take on the unskilled position.Bob Bordone (18:22):Okay, fine.Joel Salinas (18:25):All right. So Bob, you know what? I keep hearing about people wanting to cut Covid funding and just really, I just can't believe it. It just makes me want to throw up because there's such an important need to do this research. It's just critical to understand the long-term effects of it, and Covid even gone yet. So I just can't believe that people would even want to cut this research at all.Bob Bordone (18:50):Well, first of all, it sounds like you're stunned and surprised by this. Am I right about that?Joel Salinas (18:56):Yeah, I'm beyond stunned. I'm revolted by it.Bob Bordone (19:01):So you're pretty angry about it. And I'm curious if I can ask you, you said that the disease is still going on, and of course Covid still exists. I am curious from your perspective, what do you think the benefits of spending lots and lots of money on the diseases at this point, since it's not at that level where it's killing a lot of people?Joel Salinas (19:30):Well, I think that it is killing a lot of people. Still, the disease hasn't gone away and it has a huge impact on health. I think we're still feeling the impacts on that. So I think that being able to understand what the impact does require funding to be able to do the research. And if we don't do that research, then we don't understand what interventions there can be.Bob Bordone (19:51):And what are the impacts? I mean, clearly there's impacts of the pandemic broadly in our society, but what are the kinds of health impacts from your perspective that research would be helpful to from a medical perspective?Joel Salinas (20:05):Well, for sure it impacts cognition. We have people talking about brain fog and Long Covid, and that has a real societal impact on productivity and people's ability to engage in life. It affects people's mood. And then you've got the people who have respiratory symptoms from Covid that have continued to gone on, and that decreases their ability to do their day-to-day things. It's a real societal impact.Bob Bordone (20:28):And how would you think about balancing whatever impact Covid has from all of the other funding choices that need to be made given a shrinking research pool for funds?Joel Salinas (20:44):I don't know. I mean, I think it's an important priority, and I know that there's a lot of other priorities. I think it needs to be weighed against a lot of other big programs that are out there. I just want to make sure that it doesn't go away because it needs to happen.Bob Bordone (20:56):Yeah. No, it's helpful to hear that. And if we had more time, I'd ask you some more questions. I mean, one thing that, as I think about this is given just the number of priorities out there, I worry that because Covid was in the press so much and is so politicized that we overweight the importance of money in that direction. And I would say that there's probably other things if we have a fixed set of money that kills a lot more people and has a lot more health impact. And so, I'd rather see the funds get placed there than just satisfy some kind of highly salient political issue.Joel Salinas (21:40):And I just want to make sure that the funding happens. I mean, it should be to a level that it makes sense to continue the funding so that we get good results from it, that it can be applied. But yeah, I guess you're right that it needs to be weighed against other research priorities. I mean, that's a whole other topic that gets me upset, but I think I just want to make sure that this funding doesn't go away.Bob Bordone (22:03):Yeah. So it sounds like for you, the concern is less about reduction and more about moving it to zero?Joel Salinas (22:12):I think so, yeah.Bob Bordone (22:13):And if it did move to zero, what is the thing you'd be most worried about?Joel Salinas (22:18):I think we would lose out on this really unique opportunity after all these people had been affected by this condition to understand the long-term effects. So that way, if there's another resurgence, we'll understand what can we do about it to mitigate those effects. I mean, we're still trying to figure out what the effects of a lockdown were on people. I think that's something that needs to be better understood.Bob Bordone (22:40):So for you, the research is very forward looking about future pandemics that might come up.Joel Salinas (22:46):Absolutely.Bob Bordone (22:47):And that might be something that I'd be more interested in than how can we prevent future pandemics than I would worrying about. I mean, it's very regrettable what has happened to this set of people who have Long Covid, of course. I just think that that has happened, and I would almost rather see the funds move in the direction of how do we prevent another pandemic than how do we worry about a relatively small set of people, although it's tragic on them, a relatively small set of people who may still suffer those benefits.Joel Salinas (23:26):Yeah, I think we do want to focus on the prevention, definitely. I still just don't want to lose sight of making sure that we're getting the research done that needs to happen.Bob Bordone (23:38):Should we cut?Eric Topol (23:39):That's helpful. These are two experts in conflict resilience here. I mean, the only thing I'd add is that Long Covid is affecting millions of Americans, perhaps as many as 60 million people around the world, and we have no treatment for it. So it's a big deal.Bob Bordone (23:56):I just want to say for the record, I was just being an actor there.Eric Topol (24:03):Yeah, that's okay.Bob Bordone (24:04):I don't even know if my arguments on the other side were making sense, but I was trying.Eric Topol (24:08):I think you did a good job. I think both of you did a good job. I think the point here is that you were able to have a civil discussion, make your points, I forced you into it. You couldn't avoid it. You're in touch, obviously with your own innate issues. You kind of really emphasize that throughout the book, which is you got to be in touch with yourself, not just about your priors, but also your current, what you're feeling, your posture, your heart rate, all these other physical things. So you really got us queued into what's important when you're having a discussion that could lead to, it could exacerbate the conflict rather than help come to a happy mid stance or where both people feel that they've expressed themselves adequately. I really love the Frederick Douglass quote in your book, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.” I think that is so rich. And before we wrap up, I just want to get your overall thoughts. What haven't we touched on in our brief conversation about the topic, about the book that we should before we close today? Maybe start with you, Bob.Bob Bordone (25:53):Yeah, I mean, in some sense, I think it connects to exactly that quote, which is that without conflict, we are not going to get the kind of changes and dynamism we would want in our organizations, whether it's a medical center, a country, a family, but also without the conflict, we don't get the deeper connection that is possible because it's not until the first, no, that all of the yeses actually have the meaning that they should. And so, even though it seems scary to go into conflict, what I would say is it offers opportunities maybe for agreement, but if not for agreement, for a deeper kind of more authentic and real relationship. And I would just say for me, part of this is inviting people to reframe the way they think about what conflict can do in their lives.Joel Salinas (26:58):Yeah. I think if there's one thing that listeners or viewers take from this is awareness is more than half the battle. So just really taking the time to become more aware of how you react to different disagreements with different conflicts, how you're responding to it physically and mentally, and what specific patterns might emerge in terms of whether it's with colleagues, with people with authority, with family members. And I think that alone begins to get you to pay more attention about how you can be more deliberate in your responses. And ideally, you can try out some of the skills from the book with those disagreements that are a little less stressful for you. Just like when you go to the gym, you don't start out by lifting the heaviest weights. You start out by getting the reps down with the good form, and then you build that muscle. And similar with building the brain programming wiring around it is to start low and build up from there.Eric Topol (27:57):Yeah. Well, I think what you have put forth in the book will go down anchoring such an important problem. It's magnified now than more than ever. People are socially isolated, not just in the pandemic, but post pandemic and the divisiveness is profound. So hopefully the tips that you've provided, the science behind it, the practical ways to navigate and deal with this will help people as we go forward. So thank you both for the work you did in putting together the book, and hopefully some of our listeners or viewers will use these tools in the future and will have much better exchanges with others who have different views, different what might be considered adversarial perspective, whatever. So thank you very much for joining today.Joel Salinas (28:58):Well, thank you.Bob Bordone (28:59):Thank you for having us. It's been a delight.********************************As you can imagine, I'm excited to get my new book out on May 6th. It's about extended our healthspan, and I introduce 2 of my patients (one below, Mrs. L.R.) as exemplars to learn from. My op-ed preview of the book was published in The NY Times last week. Here's a gift link. I did a podcast with Mel Robbins on the book here. Here's my publisher ‘s (Simon and Schuster) site for the book. If you're interested in the audio book, I am the reader (first time I have done this, quite an experience!)Here's the back cover to give you an idea of what some people had to say about it.Thanks for reading and subscribing to Ground Truths.If you found this interesting please share it!That makes the work involved in putting these together especially worthwhile.All content on Ground Truths—its newsletters, analyses, and podcasts, are free, open-access.Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don't hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

In recent years, there's been a stark uptick in the level of violence and hate crimes that Asian Americans have experienced, but the “precarity of the Asian American experience is not new,” Michael Luo tells David Remnick. Luo is a longtime New Yorker editor, and the author of a new book about the Chinese American experience. He looks at how tensions over labor—with native-born workers often blaming immigrants for their exploitation by business interests—intersected with racial and religious prejudice, culminating in episodes of extraordinary violence and laws that denied immigrants civil rights and excluded new arrivals from Asia. “The way politicians, craven politicians, talk about immigrants today could be just torn from the nineteenth century,” he points out. “I do think that the ‘stranger' label is still there.” But Luo also uncovers the extraordinary support of Chinese Americans from Frederick Douglass, who argued extensively for the immigrants' political participation and civil rights. “Asian American history is American history,” Luo says. “I want all the dads who are reading about World War Two, . . . who are interested in Civil War literature, to read about this different racial conflagration.” Luo's book is “Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America.”

Would there have been a Frederick Douglass if it were not for Betsy Bailey, the grandmother who raised him? Would Harriet Jacobs have written her renowned autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, if her grandmother, a free black woman named Molly Horniblow, had not enabled Jacobs' escape from slavery?  In Black Elders: The Meaning of Age in American Slavery and Freedom (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024), Frederick C. Knight explores the experiences of African Americans with aging and in old age during the eras of slavery and emancipation. Though slavery put a premium on young labor, elders worked as caregivers, domestics, cooks, or midwives and performed other tasks in the margins of Southern and Northern economies. Looking at black families, churches, mutual aid societies, and homes for the aged, Dr. Knight demonstrates the pivotal role of elders in the history of African American community formation through Reconstruction, offering a unique window into the individual and collective lives of African Americans, the day-to-day struggles they waged around their experiences of aging, and how they drew upon these resources to define the meaning of family, community, and freedom. You can find Dr. Knight at the Howard University History Department page, or on LinkedIn.  And, once you've listened to the episode, head over to Additions to the Archive on Substack for a further conversation with Dr. Knight and host Sullivan Summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Would there have been a Frederick Douglass if it were not for Betsy Bailey, the grandmother who raised him? Would Harriet Jacobs have written her renowned autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, if her grandmother, a free black woman named Molly Horniblow, had not enabled Jacobs' escape from slavery?  In Black Elders: The Meaning of Age in American Slavery and Freedom (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024), Frederick C. Knight explores the experiences of African Americans with aging and in old age during the eras of slavery and emancipation. Though slavery put a premium on young labor, elders worked as caregivers, domestics, cooks, or midwives and performed other tasks in the margins of Southern and Northern economies. Looking at black families, churches, mutual aid societies, and homes for the aged, Dr. Knight demonstrates the pivotal role of elders in the history of African American community formation through Reconstruction, offering a unique window into the individual and collective lives of African Americans, the day-to-day struggles they waged around their experiences of aging, and how they drew upon these resources to define the meaning of family, community, and freedom. You can find Dr. Knight at the Howard University History Department page, or on LinkedIn.  And, once you've listened to the episode, head over to Additions to the Archive on Substack for a further conversation with Dr. Knight and host Sullivan Summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Would there have been a Frederick Douglass if it were not for Betsy Bailey, the grandmother who raised him? Would Harriet Jacobs have written her renowned autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, if her grandmother, a free black woman named Molly Horniblow, had not enabled Jacobs' escape from slavery?  In Black Elders: The Meaning of Age in American Slavery and Freedom (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024), Frederick C. Knight explores the experiences of African Americans with aging and in old age during the eras of slavery and emancipation. Though slavery put a premium on young labor, elders worked as caregivers, domestics, cooks, or midwives and performed other tasks in the margins of Southern and Northern economies. Looking at black families, churches, mutual aid societies, and homes for the aged, Dr. Knight demonstrates the pivotal role of elders in the history of African American community formation through Reconstruction, offering a unique window into the individual and collective lives of African Americans, the day-to-day struggles they waged around their experiences of aging, and how they drew upon these resources to define the meaning of family, community, and freedom. You can find Dr. Knight at the Howard University History Department page, or on LinkedIn.  And, once you've listened to the episode, head over to Additions to the Archive on Substack for a further conversation with Dr. Knight and host Sullivan Summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Would there have been a Frederick Douglass if it were not for Betsy Bailey, the grandmother who raised him? Would Harriet Jacobs have written her renowned autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, if her grandmother, a free black woman named Molly Horniblow, had not enabled Jacobs' escape from slavery?  In Black Elders: The Meaning of Age in American Slavery and Freedom (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024), Frederick C. Knight explores the experiences of African Americans with aging and in old age during the eras of slavery and emancipation. Though slavery put a premium on young labor, elders worked as caregivers, domestics, cooks, or midwives and performed other tasks in the margins of Southern and Northern economies. Looking at black families, churches, mutual aid societies, and homes for the aged, Dr. Knight demonstrates the pivotal role of elders in the history of African American community formation through Reconstruction, offering a unique window into the individual and collective lives of African Americans, the day-to-day struggles they waged around their experiences of aging, and how they drew upon these resources to define the meaning of family, community, and freedom. You can find Dr. Knight at the Howard University History Department page, or on LinkedIn.  And, once you've listened to the episode, head over to Additions to the Archive on Substack for a further conversation with Dr. Knight and host Sullivan Summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice facilitates structured meetings and respectful conversations between members of free society and incarcerated people, so that they can learn from each other, form powerful human connections, and transform both their own lives and society at large.Victory Over Sin is a show hosted by Mark Renick that addresses issues pertaining to returning citizens and the challenges they face coming out of incarceration. Victory Over Sin airs Saturdays at 12:30 pm. On KBXL 94.1 FM Idaho's Treasure Valleyhttps://svdpid.org/advocacy-systemicchangeofid/facebook: systematic change of IDInstagram: systematic change of IDhttps://www.imsihopecommunityphaseii.com/IMSI HOPE COMMUNITY PHASE II can also be found on facebook as well as Instagram and Youtube. Correspondence can be directed to: Address: 1775 W. State St., #191, Boise, Idaho 83702Phone: 208-629-8861 Podcast Website: https://941thevoice.com/podcasts/victory-over-sin/

In this episode, Dave and Ann Wilson explore the powerful story of the golden calf from the Book of Exodus, focusing on the dangers of idolatry and the human tendency to replace God with false idols. The discussion is centered around the devotional book ""You Are Redeemed,"" written by Nana Dulce, which highlights God's redeeming love for His people, particularly through the lens of the Exodus narrative.The episode opens with a light-hearted conversation about the golden calf, but quickly transitions into a deep dive into how idolatry manifests itself in modern life. The hosts address the fact that while many of us would scoff at the idea of physically worshipping an idol like the golden calf, the more subtle idols in our lives, such as career, money, and even family, can take the place of God in our hearts. One of the hosts mentions a quote that compares our hearts to “idol factories,” suggesting that idolatry is an ongoing temptation for everyone.The conversation then moves to the idea that God chose Israel before they obeyed and that His love for them was unconditional. Even as Israel failed miserably in their idolatry with the golden calf, God's grace and love were evident in His commitment to them. The episode highlights the significance of the Exodus 19 passage, where God reminds Israel that He had already chosen them, long before giving them the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. This foundational truth is emphasized—obedience to God is a response to His grace and redemption, not the cause of it.As the hosts examine the story of Aaron and the golden calf, they reflect on the hypocrisy of trying to worship both an idol and God simultaneously, much like some modern-day attempts to Christianize or spiritualize wrong actions. A powerful example from Frederick Douglass' autobiography is shared, showing the disturbing contradiction of people who claimed to follow Christ but lived in opposition to His teachings. This hypocrisy is connected to how people today might use God's name to justify actions that are clearly idolatrous.The discussion doesn't just focus on conviction, but also on grace. The hosts remind the audience that though we are all guilty of idolatry in some form, God's love is steadfast and His grace is ever-present. Christian community, the hosts argue, plays a crucial role in helping one another recognize and tear down the idols in our hearts. Accountability and being open to correction is key to maintaining our focus on God.Toward the end of the episode, the hosts discuss how to “tear down idols,” offering practical advice on how to relinquish control of things that hold us captive, like our children or our desire for financial security. Giving is suggested as a way to break the grip of idols, particularly in areas where people often place their trust, such as money.The episode concludes with a lighthearted exchange about supporting FamilyLife financially, tying it back to the theme of idolatry, and encouraging listeners to give in order to help spread the message of redemption. Nana Dulce also mentions her video devotional series ""Unseen,"" which is available for those seeking to deepen their spiritual journey. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/84/29

Frederick Douglass famously said, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Can we even begin to estimate the staggering cost—financial, emotional, and societal—of fixing broken adults? Therapy, medication, addictions, ailments—endless attempts to numb the pain of fear, insecurity, dysfunction, trauma.Imagine how much could be saved—how much suffering could be avoided—if we focused on building strong children rather than repairing broken adults. But this isn't just about money. It's about human well-being. How much time, energy, and potential are wasted battling demons when we could be nurturing angels?But the real question is how. How do we raise resilient, whole, and empowered children so they blossom into healthy adults.Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this vital discussion as we explore the path to building strong children—so we no longer have to fix broken adults. As well as methods to mend and rebuild things that may have broken us.

Our Ancestors Were Messy, is a show about the ancestors and all their drama. On each episode, host Nichole Hill and her guests unpack the ancestors' historical schemes, feuds, and quests to examine how their relationships with one another shaped who we are today. Before the 1960s nearly every major city in the nation had a newspaper written for, by, and about Black Americans. During their “Golden Era” between the 1930s-50s, there were over ten thousand newspapers with an estimated subscriber count of over 1 million. The editors, reporters, and columnists for these papers included legends like Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, and James Weldon Johnson. They reported on local, national, and international news from the Black perspective. They also kept track of what everyone was up to in their segregated neighborhoods and spoiler alert: there was never a dull moment! *** Listen to Our Ancestors Were Messy: https://thesecretadventuresofblackpeople.com/our-ancestors-were-messy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the season of Lent, we'll be releasing weekly episodes focused on themes of reflection, prayer, and contemplation. As you listen to this episode, we invite you to take a moment to slow down, quiet your heart, and hear what God may be saying to you. What if we viewed reading as not just a personal hobby or a pleasurable indulgence but as a spiritual practice that deepens our faith?In her book, Reading for the Love of God, award-winning author and Trinity Forum Senior Fellow Jessica Hooten Wilson explores how Christian thinkers—including Augustine, Julian of Norwich, Frederick Douglass, and Dorothy Sayers—approached the act of reading.She argues that reading deeply and well can not only open a portal to a broader imagination, but is akin to acquiring travel supplies for the good life:“What I'm hoping to see more of is that the church becomes again those people of the book that really try to make others belong and strive for a deeper connection, versus the party atmosphere that our world always is tempting us to do.”We hope you're encouraged this Lenten season as you learn to read as a spiritual practice, finding grace and wisdom for living well along the way.This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2023. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Jessica Hooten Wilson.Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Learning the Good Life: Wisdom from the Great Hearts and Minds That Came Before, by Jessica Hooten WilsonGiving the Devil His Due, by Jessica Hooten WilsonThe Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints, by Jessica Hooten WilsonReading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice,, by Jessica Hooten WilsonWalker Percy

In his perpetual quest to mildly trigger his Straussian pals, Josh invites fellow Millennial and Burkean conservative Greg Collins on to discuss how Leo Strauss misconstrued Edmund Burke's political views and lasting impact.  Also discussed are Burke's complex views on natural rights, manners, reform, revolution, social contract theory, classical liberalism, and Rousseau.  Fair warning, dear listener, this one gets nerdy in a hurry!   About Greg Collins From The Kirk Center Dr. Gregory Collins is one of the most celebrated Burke scholars of the rising generation. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Program on Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University. He recently received the Buckley Institute's 2024 Lux and Veritas Faculty Prize. His first book, Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke's Political Economy, examined Edmund Burke's understanding of the connection between markets and morals. Greg has also published articles on Adam Smith, F.A. Hayek, Frederick Douglass, Eric Voegelin, Leo Strauss, and Britain's East India Company. His additional writings and book reviews can be found in Modern Age, Law & Liberty, National Affairs, National Review, and University Bookman.  You can follow Greg on Twitter @GregCollins111   About the Russell Kirk Center's School of Conservative Studies As is noted in the episode, Josh met Greg during a recent virtual course on Burke. In the month of February, the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal hosted two of the nation's foremost Burke scholars, Ian Crowe and Gregory Collins, as they taught a special class on Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France. This was a pilot course offered in anticipation of the official launch of the Russell Kirk Center's School of Conservative Studies in the Fall of 2025. For information about the School and future courses, sign up for the Center's e-letter and print newsletter, Permanent Things. https://kirkcenter.org/permanent-things/  

This week we welcome a special guest to the podcast: Congressman Ro Khanna of California's 17th District. First elected in 2016, Rep. Khanna has been a strong advocate for how Democrats can win back working-class voters. We cover his book, Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us, and why the tech industry swung towards Trump last year. We then turn to Trump's joint address to Congress—are Democrats willing to side with the new administration on anything? How can Democrats effectively push back against Trump? We also talk about Rep. Khanna's bipartisan idea for a National Development Council and why a Frederick Douglass speech might have great advice for lost Democrats. Join us for a great conversation on how the party can emerge from last year's defeat better equipped to help working-class people and win elections!A transcript of this podcast is available at the post page on the TLP website. Get full access to The Liberal Patriot at www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe

Send us a textFrank Alduino and David Coles come on the show tonight to discuss Italians in the Civil War!Music is graciously provided by Craig Duncan.Our website: https://www.untoldcivilwar.com/Our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMWxSupport the show:One time donation of any amount here: https://www.paypal.me/supportuntoldCWMonthly payment through Patreon and unlock unique perks!https://www.patreon.com/user?u=51151470&fan_landing=truThis show is made possible by the support of our sponsors:The Badge MakerProudly carrying affordable, USA made products for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history.Civil War TrailsThe world's largest 'Open Air Museum' offering over 1,350 sites across six states. Paddle to Frederick Douglass's birthplace, follow the Gettysburg Campaign turn-by-turn in your car, or hike to mountain tops where long forgotten earthworks and artillery positions await you.Military Images MagazineAmerica's only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.The Excelsior BrigadeDealers in FINE CIVIL WAR MEMORABILIA.The goal of the "Brigade" is to offer high quality, original items while ensuring the best in service and customer satisfaction.HistoryFixCome enjoy history! Explore stories from the Middle Ages to the early 21st century. Enjoy historical video content always ad free and get a 7-day free trial as you explore our site.1863 DesignsAre you looking for Civil War themed graphic design, logo design, historical art and or hand drawn art? Look no further than 1863 Designs. Use the code, “UNTOLD” for 15% off your purchase!History by mailUse the discount UNTOLDCIVILWAR10, and get access to History by Mail! This is a subscription service that will give you a unique hands on experience with explosive moments of the past by sending you replica documents right to you doorstep!  Support the show

Greg Jenner is joined in 19th-Century America by Dr Michell Chresfield and comedian Desiree Burch to learn all about abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth. Born into slavery in a Dutch-speaking area of New England, Sojourner Truth fought to free herself and then others, becoming one of the best-known abolitionist activists in America. She even succeeded in freeing her son, making her the first Black American woman to win a court case. A devoutly religious woman, Truth felt that God had called her to travel the country, preaching and advocating for the end of slavery, women's rights and universal suffrage. Along the way, she rubbed shoulders with abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, and politicians including Abraham Lincoln himself. This episode tells the story of her incredible life, beliefs and fight for justice, and even examines the true story behind her famous “ain't I a woman?” speech.If you're a fan of inspirational activists, courtroom drama and questionable cults, you'll love our episode on Sojourner Truth.If you want more from Desiree and Michell, check out our episodes on Harriet Tubman and Josephine Baker. And for more abolitionist history, listen to our episode on Frederick Douglass.You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Madeleine Bracey Written by: Madeleine Bracey, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: James Cook

Futuristic researcher Sadiki Baker is returning to our classroom this Tuesday morning. Brother Sadiki will delve into the intriguing connection between Project Stargate and AI (Artificial Intelligence), offering insights you won't want to miss. Before Brother Sadiki takes the mic, we are honored to welcome Stacey Davis Gates, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union. She will passionately discuss her fight to uphold the teaching of Black History in the city’s schools, highlighting its vital importance. Additionally, we’re thrilled to have the Reverend Dr. Barbara Reynolds, the Dean of Black Journalists, checking in with us. Furthermore, Terence Bailey, a relative of the legendary Frederick Douglass, will address the recent cancellation of the Frederick Douglass Parade, shedding light on its significance in our community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coach Myrna is the host of the podcast "Transform Your Mind to Transform Your Life." She provides insightful commentary and analysis on various transformative topics, including personal development and historical reflections. In her "Five Minute Fridays" segment, Coach Myrna delves into influential books, empowering listeners with knowledge and inspiration. With a keen focus on Black history and its pivotal figures, Coach Myrna shares lessons on resilience, freedom, and the unyielding human spirit.Episode Summary:Coach Myrna revisits the powerful memoir "My Bondage and My Freedom" by Frederick Douglass. As Black History Month invites reflections on pivotal historical movements, Douglass' poignant narrative stands out as an emblem of persistence and advocacy against the institution of slavery. Coach Myrna enriches the dialogue by offering insights into Douglass' transformational journey from an enslaved child to an iconic abolitionist and public speaker.The discussion takes a comprehensive look into Douglass' early life, revealing the brutal realities of slavery. From his childhood marked by extreme deprivation and cruelty to a revelatory moment that fueled his quest for education and freedom, Douglass' story is a testament to the importance of resilience and self-education. Coach Myrna highlights Douglass' strategic exchanges with sympathetic white children who clandestinely taught him to read, a skill he recognized as crucial to his emancipation. The episode serves both as a tribute to Douglass' legacy and a clarion call to recognize and continue the struggle against racial injustice.Key Takeaways:Frederick Douglass' Early Life: Douglass' journey from slavery to freedom began with his childhood experiences of extreme neglect, brutality, and dehumanization.Importance of Literacy: Douglass identified education as a pathway to liberation, understanding that the ability to read would equip him to challenge the status quo of slavery.Defiance and Escape: Despite enduring severe oppression, Douglass' resolve led him to escape through the Underground Railroad, later becoming a vocal abolitionist in the North.Impactful Personal Narratives: Douglass' memoir details not just his escape from bondage but also a powerful critique of the societal and institutional hypocrisy supporting slavery.Continued Relevance: The episode underscores how Douglass' reflections extend to modern struggles against racism and the ongoing pursuit of dignity and equality for all.Resources:"My Bondage and My Freedom" by Frederick Douglass"Up From Slavery" by Booker T. WashingtonTo advertise on our podcast, visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TransformyourMindor email kriti@youngandprofiting.com See this video on The Transform Your Mind YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MyhelpsUs/videosTo see a transcripts of this audio as well as links to all the advertisers on the show page https://myhelps.us/Follow Transform Your Mind on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myrnamyoung/Follow Transform Your mind on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063738390977Please leave a rating and review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transform-your-mind/id1144973094

Ida Wells published the first major study of lynching. A close associate of Frederick Douglass, she helped to found the NAACP and advocated the right to vote for women and black Americans. Her amazing life story is finally gaining recognition, nearly 90 years after her death. To see additional resources and our other programs, please […]

How did Frederick Douglass, born into enslavement, rise to become one of the most influential orators, writers, and publishers of his time. By the end of his life in 1895, he was world-renowned and owned an estate overlooking the Washington, D.C. skyline.In the first episode on Frederick Douglass, we explored his escape from enslavement and the beginnings of his career. Now, we pick up with him as the Civil War brews, at the time of John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry. Don is joined once again by Sidney Morrison, author of 'Frederick Douglass: A Novel'.Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Greg Jenner is joined in 17th-Century England by Dr Jonathan Healey and comedian Toussaint Douglass to learn about King Charles I and the causes of the British Civil Wars.This year marks the 400th anniversary of Charles I coming to the throne on 27th March 1625. Less than two decades later, his antagonistic relationship with Parliament would ignite a civil war, one that would end with his capture, trial and execution, and the rule of Oliver Cromwell. The war is remembered as a fight between Cavaliers and Roundheads, but what did each side actually believe in, and what were the causes of this conflict? Tracing the breakdown of the relationship between the King and Parliament, this episode takes in clashes over taxation, religion and the limits of royal power, disastrous wars, unpopular advisers, and Charles's attempts to rule without Parliament altogether. It also moves outside London, exploring popular uprisings against everything from the King's taxes and contentious church reforms to the 17th-Century cost-of-living crisis. If you're a fan of royals behaving badly, political bust-ups, rebellion and revolution, you'll love our episode on the causes of the British Civil Wars.If you want to hear more from Toussaint Douglass, check out our episode on abolitionist Frederick Douglass. And for more Stuart history, listen to our episodes on King James I and VI and scandalous actress Nell Gwyn.You're Dead to Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Matt Ryan Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: James Cook