Podcasts about seizing freedom

Send me a Text Message about the show!Ronald Young Jr, 4-time award winning podcast host and pop culture commentator, joins me to talk about his podcast "Weight For It'.  Fresh off his 2025 Ambie Award as best podcat host, and in anticipation of season three coming out in the fall, Ronald sat down with me to talk about the series. Over the first two seasons, Ronald has shared about his journey with weight, his insights on body image/mental health, and how the media shapes our perceptions of self.  He's looked at a variety of topics ranging from fat liberation, the fashion industry, attraction, shame, grief, and even taken us with him on a visit to the doctor.Our conversation focuses on the art of podcasting, the difficulty when an interviewer becomes the interviewee, and how we can all be better sources of support to each other as we carry the weight of weight.Ronald Young Jr. is an award-winning podcast host, producer, and storyteller, best known for his critically acclaimed podcast Weight For It. The groundbreaking series, which delves into the complex ways we think about our bodies, was an official selection at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, winner of three awards at the 2024 Ambie Awards and listed as one of the “Best Podcasts of 2023” by The New York Times, Vogue, and Vulture. Nominated for this year's top Ambie Award, Ronald also received the Independent Media Initiative Award in 2024. Season three of Weight For It is set to premiere in Fall 2025. An avid pop-culture enthusiast, Ronald blends knowledge and natural charm to host Pop Culture Debate Club from the BBC and Lemonada Media as well as Slate's Working series, where he interviews influential creatives. He is also a frequent contributor to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour and WAMU's 1A and his work has been showcased on prominent programming such as Snap Judgement, Search Engine and The Drew Barrymore Show. As the Founder and Owner of ohitsBigRon studios, Ronald has created multiple acclaimed series, including Time Well Spent and the movie review podcast Leaving the Theater. Ronald is passionate about social justice and equity. His storytelling continues to shape conversations around body image, culture, and justice. As an Associate Producer on Seizing Freedom, he helped bring to life powerful untold narratives from Black history. Ronald is based in Alexandria, VA.Support the showKeep up with all things WeSTAT on any (or ALL) of the social feeds:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westatpod/Threads: https://www.threads.net/@westatpodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/westatpod/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/westatpod/Twitter: https://x.com/WeSTATpodHave a topic or want to stay in touch via e-mail on all upcoming news?https://www.westatpod.com/Help monetarily support the podcast by subscribing to the show! This is an easy way to help keep the conversations going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/768062/supporters/new

In this episode Kate Carpenter interviews writer and historian Dr. Kidada Williams. Dr. Williams' most recent book is I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction, which came out with Bloomsbury this year. She is also one of the co-creators of #CharlestonSyllabus, which began as a collection of resources on Twitter in response to the racist massacre at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, and is now available as a collection of readings on race, racism and racial violence through the University of Georgia Press. Her first book, They Left Great Marks on Me: African American Testimonies of Racial Violence from Emancipation to World War I, was published by New York University Press in 2012. In addition to her writing, Dr. Williams is also the host and co-producer of Seizing Freedom, a podcast about African Americans' fight for liberty and equality during and after the Civil War. In addition to being an associate professor of history at Wayne State University, she also makes many public appearances and consults with projects to help the public engage with history. You are guaranteed to walk away from this interview inspired and encouraged -- be sure to share it with a friend!

Guest: Kidada E. Williams is Professor of History at Wayne State University. I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction. She is the host of the podcast Seizing Freedom. The post Hope & Terror In The Time of Reconstruction appeared first on KPFA.

During the Civil War, Black people in America took the opportunity to free themselves and to serve the Union cause. At great personal risk, tens of thousands of refugees -- men, women and children -- fled Southern slave owners for Union lines. They enlisted in the Union Army and served as cooks, laundresses, nurses and even spies. On today's show, Wayne State University history professor Kidada Williams joins host Lindsay Graham for a conversation about the Black experience during the Civil War. Professor Williams is host of the podcast Seizing Freedom, which tells stories of Black Americans' quest for liberty, equality and joy.Listen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/historytellersSupport us by supporting our sponsors!All State- For a 30 Day Free Trial, visit aip.com/tellers!Zip Recruiter- For an easier way to find the right jobs and connect with great employers, go to ziprecruiter.com to sign up for FREE!Better Help - Get 10% OFF your first month at betterhelp.com/tellers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 2 Finale. Kidada speaks with activist and organizer Mariame Kaba about the ways many of us practice abolition without realizing it, how ordinary people have the power to collectively free themselves, and why safety can only be found through community.  They discuss how the prison industrial complex and the systems it encompasses do more harm than good and identify solutions that address the underlying causes of criminalized activity and provide the resources and support needed for everyone to thrive. Additionally, they touch on the power of public libraries to offer a safe haven for all, as well as cultivating a practice of hope to navigate difficult circumstances. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

African Americans couldn't seize much universal freedom as the brick-and-mortar of Jim Crow walled them off from their rights. Still, race men and women fought. Following the death of three friends, instigated by the white press, Ida B. Wells committed herself to investigating and reporting the evils of lynching across the south, starting a newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee. It wasn't long before her printing press was burned to the ground and she was forced to relocate to Chicago.  The windy city was witnessing the rise of Black Hollywood, inspiring race leaders like Wells and film producer Oscar Micheaux to harness the power of media to challenge the narratives being reinforced by racist newspaper reports and deeply problematic films like Birth of a Nation. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Kidada speaks with health reporter Julia Craven about health and wellness for African Americans, both historically and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.  They explore how health outcomes are influenced by systemic forces and not purely the result of the personal decisions people make on a daily basis, as well as the responsibilities of individuals to make an impact within the larger framework of public health. They also touch on the relationship between capitalism and mental health, and how that is a contributing factor to the recent Great Resignation. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Attendees of the 1914 “Fifty Years of Negro Health Improvement in Preparation for Efficiency” conference, with speakers including Booker T. Washington, heard staggering information about the Black population's “health”, which was in crisis. Life expectancy for African Americans at the time was about 35 years.  African Americans rallied public health professionals to confront disease. They understood how poor health outcomes endangered their collective destiny and compromised their ability to fight for full equality. They knew that illness, disease, and lack of means and systems to treat them compromised freedom.  Clean communities could improve living conditions. But clean living couldn't undo the harm or violence of the Jim Crow era that was gradually becoming systematized in law and society. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

On this West Virginia Morning, we listen to a conversation with historian Kidada Williams who is the host of a podcast by Virginia Public Media and Molten Heart called “Seizing Freedom.” It includes stories of Black Americans who were enslaved in the South.

Kidada speaks with writer, poet and social commentator Saeed Jones about the many facets of Black masculinity, how it has been shaped and reshaped over the years, and the challenges that have arisen around cultural expectations for the type of Black man you should be in order to be a credit to the race. They dig into the role of white supremacy in establishing and upholding these cultural norms and discuss how the system is operating and iterating and wreaking havoc even without active involvement from white people.  They also discuss “doing the work” of dismantling harmful ideas about gender and masculinity, the relationship between safety and freedom, cultivating freedom by helping to liberate others, and finding joy by transforming pain into love. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Black workers were expected to take on “respectable” employment in the early twentieth century, essentially a racist dog whistle to keep them in the dirtiest, most dangerous and low-paying jobs. While some Black people had the means to reject these types of jobs, most couldn't afford to.  But power was there to be seized if you were willing to break the rules of respectability. In the “Negro metropolis” of Harlem, a complicated world developed in the shadows, one where Black men played by a different set of rules to claim freedom no matter the cost.  Whether by reform or by violence, though, there were also those determined to keep these race rebels at bay. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Kidada speaks with New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie about the legacies of discriminatory housing policies in the United States and their impact, primarily on Black and other marginalized communities, from the beginning of the nation to today, as well as how they might be addressed in the future. They examine the differences in how that discrimination manifests explicitly and implicitly, as well as the roles both institutions and individuals play in contributing to these housing problems. They also discuss ways in which federal and local governments can play a positive role in expanding the availability and security of living spaces for lower income Americans to improve their circumstances. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Today on The Stacks Book Club we speak again with Imani Perry, author of the New York Times bestselling South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation. In our discussion of Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy, we talk destroying ourselves over heartbreak, treating people tenderly and the book's central metaphor of the house. We also touch on the seduction of beauty, and breathlessness.There are spoilers on this episode.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/03/30/ep-208-a-mercyBe sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our April book club pick will be! Connect with Imani: Twitter | InstagramConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonAthletic Greens - visit atheleticgreens.com/thestacks to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase.Listen to Seizing Freedom, a podcast that illustrates the myriad ways Black people have fought for and defined their own freedom.Apostrophe - Save fifteen dollars off your first visit with an Apostrophe provider at apostrophe.com/thestacks when you use code THESTACKS.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several million African Americans left the South for the North and West. They wanted to raise their kids in a place where they could live and work undisturbed by violence and out from under a racist social order. And California was advertised as the land of milk and honey. But, contrary to what they had been sold, Black migrants to California—like Verna Deckard and her family, who left Texas for Los Angeles in the 1920s—had to fight to live and to play. They faced segregation in public spaces like beaches, Klan violence, government interference and racist housing covenants. But they continued to fight for their freedoms, staging public protests and finding clever ways to circumvent the racism that had followed them to the west coast. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Kidada speaks with historian Paula Austin about the shift in American society to protect childhood innocence in the early 1900s, and how that concept doesn't apply to—or help us understand—the experiences of Black children who grew up during the early days of Jim Crow.  Despite only white children being recognized as “properly innocent” and deserving of protection, Paula shares that Black children generally had a strong sense of self and were proud of their community and history.  They also look to survey responses from Black youth in the nation's capital in the 1930s to reveal a clear sense of resistance and activism against racist restrictions that foreshadow the Civil Rights Movement. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Lawmakers across Appalachia are debating how issues of race are taught in public schools, but the U.S. isn't the only country with an unsettling history to deal with.  In Germany, teachers are mandated to include lessons about one of their nation's darkest chapters — the Holocaust. This week on Inside Appalachia, we look at those discussions, and hear from people in Germany, about how they teach their difficult history. And we learn about some of the often overlooked stories of Black Americans during and after the Civil War. Seizing Freedom With Kidada Williams Kidada Williams is host of the podcast Seizing Freedom from VPM and Molten Heart. Its first season includes stories of enslaved Black Americans whose lives were radically changed when the Civil War broke out. As the Confederacy started to fall, Union soldiers occupied  parts of the South, which gave some enslaved people ideas about a way to escape to freedom. Our producer Roxy Todd spoke with Williams to learn more. A Critical Moment Audio Documentary While at least nine states have already banned teachers from bringing up certain topics about race in the classroom, others have legislation in the works around the issue. But, the U.S. isn't the only country with an unsettling history to deal with. In Germany, teachers are mandated to include lessons about the Holocaust, one of their nation's darkest chapters. WFPL Arts and Culture Reporter Stephanie Wolf traveled to Germany to explore how the Holocaust is covered in schools there, and she produced an audio documentary about what she learned. Wolf teamed up with her station's education reporter, Jess Clark, to compare Germany's approach to teaching about the Holocaust with the debate in Kentucky about how our own uncomfortable history is covered in schools. Their audio documentary is called A Critical Moment.  Banning Books in Public Schools The debate around Critical Race Theory is spilling into debates about what books are included in public school curricula, and even in school libraries. This issue has been front and center in Tennessee, where a school board removed a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust. Our co-host Mason Adams spoke with Blaise Gainey, a reporter who covers the state capitol in Nashville for WPLN, about the controversy. Email us at insideappalachia@wvpublic.org. Tweet us @InAppalachia.  Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Wes Swing, Jake Schepps, and Dinosaur Burps. Roxy Todd is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. This episode was produced with assistance from Aileen LeBlanc and the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — a private corporation funded by the American people. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.  You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.

Many Black Americans at the end of the nineteenth century relied heavily on themselves, prioritizing self-determination and securing their collective destiny through solidarity, self-help, and economic independence.  But blatant racism saturated media, entertainment, and education. Parents pushed for less harmful representation of Black life for their children, resulting in the creation of lifelike dolls and print media focused on chasing away the shadows of white supremacy with the light of Black love, consciousness, and possibility. The lessons Black children learned from their parents and surrounding adults empowered them to grasp the freedom torch and blaze new trails in the fight for liberation. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Stephanie Foo is a writer and radio producer, most recently on This American Life, and she is the author of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. Today we talk about Stephanie's journey toward healing from Complex PTSD , fighting model minority stereotype, and the lasting impact of generational trauma.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/03/09/ep-205-stephanie-fooThe Stacks Book Club selection for February is A Mercy by Toni Morrison, we will discuss the book on March 30th with Imani Perry.Connect with Stephanie: Twitter | Instagram | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonAthletic Greens - visit atheleticgreens.com/thestacks to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase.Listen to Seizing Freedom, a podcast that illustrates the myriad ways Black people have fought for and defined their own freedom.Apostrophe - Save fifteen dollars off your first visit with an Apostrophe provider at apostrophe.com/thestacks when you use code THESTACKS.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kidada speaks with historian Blair L.M. Kelley about how segregation grew out of pushback against Black upward mobility, and how Richmond, VA serves as an example of how boycotts can be a powerful tool for collective success to combat issues of justice following the streetcar boycotts in the city at the turn of the 20th century. They also discuss the role failure plays in laying the groundwork for future successes in social justice movements, encouraging current activists to look to history for examples of how to continue the fight even in the face of defeat.   Additionally, they look at the current political landscape with a new wave of voter suppression laws. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Imani Perry is the author of seven books including her latest, the New York Times bestselling, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation. She is an American interdisciplinary scholar of race, law, literature, and African-American culture, and the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. Imani shares with us today about her writing process, inspirations, and sweet tooth.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/03/02/ep-204-imani-perryThe Stacks Book Club selection for February is A Mercy by Toni Morrison, we will discuss the book on March 30th with Imani Perry.Connect with Imani: Twitter | InstagramConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonAthletic Greens - visit atheleticgreens.com/thestacks to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase.Listen to Seizing Freedom, a podcast that illustrates the myriad ways Black people have fought for and defined their own freedom.Apostrophe - Save fifteen dollars off your first visit with an Apostrophe provider at apostrophe.com/thestacks when you use code THESTACKS.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With white supremacist strategies for segregated societies solidifying in towns across America's South, Black people needed to respond in ways that would ensure the freedoms their predecessors had fought to codify into law remained available to them.  Between 1900 and 1910, in more than two dozen cities, African Americans tried to stem the tide of their exclusion from public life by taking the fight to the streets, boycotting streetcars that divided Black and white passengers. The pressure applied by these protests wasn't successful in every instance, but the victories that were won inspired continued activism and pushback against the expansion of Jim Crow laws across the nation. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Kidada speaks with Kinshasha Holman Conwill, the deputy director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture; as well as writer, historian and curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Paul Gardullo. They reflect on The World's Fair in Paris in 1900 and how they would curate a similar display of progress in 2022, alongside a discussion of the transformative power of museum exhibits, generally, and the value of African American exhibits, specifically.  Additionally, they share what the recent backlash against the teaching of Black history means for their work and the future of trusted institutions focused on telling more inclusive, complete stories of America's past. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

The 1893 World's Fair in Chicago was an opportunity for the United States to showcase its spectacular growth and signal its arrival as a world power, but it failed to highlight Black Americans' role in its development, and they took notice.  So when Paris hosted the Exposition Universelle in 1900, African Americans knew creating space to showcase their progress to the world was of major importance.  Among the exhibition's attendees was W.E.B. Du Bois. He seized the opportunity to present factual evidence of Black achievement to dispel international stereotypes and convince world powers to apply pressure to the United States to dispel white supremacy and live up to its founding principles. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Kidada speaks with Adam Serwer, staff writer at The Atlantic who covers race, politics and justice, about the role of the Black press in America, both historically and in the present.  They look at how conspiracy theories, misinformation and slander have been used as a form of media propaganda since the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, and how pioneering journalists like Ida B. Wells-Barnett laid the groundwork for identifying and calling out these campaigns.  Additionally, they discuss the evolution of legacy media outlets over time to include more diverse voices, and what it means to tell the truth objectively when reporting on American history as a Black journalist. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Today we are joined by Tessa Miller, and author and journalist whose work focuses on chronic illness, disability, and health justice. We discuss Tessa's debut book, What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt and how publishing a memoir brought on a whole new level of anxiety and insecurities around being a writer and living with chronic illness. We also talk about graphic language, writing for multiple audiences, and prioritizing books by disabled and/or chronically ill authors.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/02/ep-201-tessa-millerThe Stacks Book Club selection for February is I Live a Life Like Yours by Jan Grue, we will discuss the book on February 23rd with Tessa Miller.Connect with Tessa: Instagram | Twitter | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonAthletic Greens - visit atheleticgreens.com/thestacks to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase.Listen to Seizing Freedom, a podcast that illustrates the myriad ways Black people have fought for and defined their own freedom.Libro.FM - get two audiobooks for the price of one when you go to Libro.FM and use the code THESTACKS at checkout.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Black southerners and their allies were experiencing the brick and mortar of Jim Crow being installed in real time. Racial terror killings had been climbing, lynchings were becoming more shocking and segregation was gaining traction. And through all this, Black people were still fighting to find a strategy for surviving the afterlife of slavery so they could achieve the Promised Land of their ancestors' dreams. Black people had to decide what that strategy was going to be for them and for Black folk beyond their lifetimes. And they were not always in agreement. Conservatives like Booker T. Washington, moderates like W.E.B. Du Bois, and radicals like William Monroe Trotter and Ida B. Wells-Barnett were each confident that they had the best strategy to secure black people's future by dismantling Jim Crow. And they were each determined to have their own way. --- Episode Artwork by Lyne Lucien. Transcripts, resources, list of voice talent and more available at seizingfreedom.com. --- This episode of Seizing Freedom is supported by Home. Made., a podcast that explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other. Listen to episodes of Home. Made. at https://link.chtbl.com/homemade?sid=podcast.seizingfreedom

Coming February 1, 2022. The promises of Reconstruction were left unfulfilled. The violent system of Jim Crow was being built in real time, brick by brick. And Black people had vibrant debates about how to make a way out of no way; about the best strategy for life after emancipation and Reconstruction; to continue to achieve their ancestors' dreams. Voice actors will use letters, diaries, newspapers, and autobiographies to bring you stories from luminaries like Ida B. Wells-Barnett and W.E.B. DuBois, as well as everyday freedom fighters forging their own paths forward. Dr. Kidada Williams' interviews with artists, activists, thinkers and historians will bring the themes of these stories to the present day and give us visions for free Black futures. Seizing Freedom is a production of VPM and Molten Heart. For more info about the series, visit seizingfreedom.com.

The popular narrative about the Civil War is white men in the North freed enslaved people in the South. But a podcast from Virginia Public Media tells a deeper story. “Seizing Freedom,” which has just launched its second season, spotlights Black Americans who fought for, designed and defined their own freedom. Our guests are Kelly Jones, a freelance member of the podcast development team with Virginia Public Media, and Ronald Young Jr., an independent audio producer responsible for casting and directing the voice actors in the series. “Seizing Freedom” has just launched its second season.

Allie and Rae sit down with Dr. Kidada Williams to discuss her podcast; Seizing Freedom. They also talk about diversity in all its forms. Diversity in people, thoughts, ideas, projects in relation to universities and other spaces. Follow us! @STSPodcast19 @RaeRam14 @AlliePenn3 Follow Dr. Williams: @KidadaEWilliams

Happy Father's Day! For the dads out there, this episode we're looking at the often-ignored legacy of Black fathers who fought oppressive systems during and after slavery to be dutifully honorable parents in the eyes of their families. My guest is Professor Libra Hilde, author of Slavery, Fatherhood, and Paternal Duty in African American Communities Over the Long Nineteenth Century. We discuss the harmful stereotypes historians often fall back on when discussing Black fathers, the flexibility and resilience of Black families over time against many obstacles, honorable Black masculinity and paternal duty, the failure of White fathers who raped Black women, and what this history means right now. In the end, fatherlessness is a systemic, not a racial problem and many Black men have done all that they could to be good fathers. The advertisement during the show was for the podcast Seizing Freedom. To learn more, check out Slavery, Fatherhood, and Paternal Duty in African American Communities Over the Long Nineteenth Century by Dr. Libra Hilde! Music Credit PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)

CDC data on the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer and the number of deaths from breast cancer is here. Mammogram technology has improved significantly, with the introduction fo 3D technology. You can learn more here. Tig Notaro is a comedian and a survivor of bilateral, invasive breast cancer. She incorporates her cancer experience into her comedy act. She talks about the experience here. I recommend the podcast Seizing Freedom, from Virginia Public Media at the end of the podcast. 

While we work on the next season of Seizing Freedom, we think you'll enjoy listening to the podcast, 1865. In its new season, Ulysses S. Grant takes the White House, intent on rooting out corruption, crushing the KKK and bringing peace to a troubled nation. He has to contend with a divided people, a dysfunctional congress and a fractured Republican Party. While abolitionists across the country celebrated their hard-fought win in the fight toward equality, the steadily growing Ku Klux Klan threatened to undo all the progress that Reconstruction had made. Not to mention, the political world of Washington was in complete disarray. The second season of 1865 is available now on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts. Support the show: https://www.pledgecart.org/pledgeCart3/?campaign=9D88F97A-621A-46C0-98FA-3BC3199AE799&source=#/home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ronald Young Jr is the newest host of Solvable. Jacob Weisberg and Ronald Young Jr. talk about some of their hosting inspirations from Larry King, Studs Terkel, Terry Gross and Dick Cavett.  Ronald Young Jr. Seizing Freedom, Northern Virginia Magazine Time Well Spent Podcast Leaving the Theater Podcast Dick Cavett with actor and comedian Don Rickles Studs Terkel Radio Archive, WFMT Fresh Air with Terry Gross, NPR Larry King with Jesse Thorn, The Turnaround Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Dr. Kidada Williams is the host of new podcast, Seizing Freedom, a historian, author and professor of U.S. History, with a focus on African Americans. She is an Associate Professor of History at Wayne State University. ZAK: It's The Best Advice Show. I'm here to help. KIDADA: My name is Kidada Williams. I am a history professor at Wayne Statue university. I research and specialize in African American history. ZAK: Kidada is also the host of an important, beautiful new podcast called Seizing Freedom. KIDADA: If you had asked me 10 years-ago or even 5 years-ago if I had thought I'd hosting a podcast, I would have said, there's no way in hell. No! Even though I like podcasts, right? I'm a historian. This is what historians do! But one of the things that I realized along the way was how much of the history that I produce in conversation with my peers, my fellow historians never makes it down to the public. ZAK: It was this observation and some unintended circumstances that led to Kidada down this other path. KIDADA: Figure out how to pursue the work that you love and have a sense of where you want to end up or what your destination is. But be open to paths that you wouldn't expect. I think what you realize is that what's meant for you will find you, right? That sort of saying. And if your plan or your intended destination changes a little bit based upon that detour then that will sort, you know, reshape your future and that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It could actually be really good and promising. ZAK: And how do you think you stay open to this idea of like, being willing to get side-tracked or just like, reoriented. KIDADA: I think I stay open by thinking through the possibilities. Thinking through questions about whether or not it's a good fit and trusting my instincts. ZAK: Yeah, I don't remember who told it to me but it's just like asking yourself...actually actively asking yourself, what's the worst that can happen. The downside of exploring the possibilities is pretty low, right? KIDADA:I agree but I think that perspective comes with age and personal experience. So, at 20 I might not have taken a risk like, agreeing to do a podcast. Or, I may have seen it as risky. But, coming through, experiencing things, knowing I can always say no. I can change my mind. I can figure out what the stakes are. I can collect enough information has made it easier for me to sort of explore possibilities and see what's a good fit or what's not a good fit.

Seizing Freedom is a new podcast from Virginia Public Media that tells the stories of Black Americans during Reconstruction who fought for the everyday freedoms that many of us take for granted, like the right to decide how to make a living or which causes to support. Drawing from host Kidada Williams's research on historical records of formerly enslaved people, the show brings to light voices that have been muted throughout American history.Williams is associate professor of history at Wayne State University, author of They Left Great Marks on Me: African American Testimonies of Racial Violence from Emancipation to World War I, and editor of Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism and Racial Violence. Additional InformationSeizing Freedom podcastKidada WilliamsRelated EpisodesThe clumsy journey to antiracismCivil rights, civil unrestThe ongoing struggle for civil rights 

The East Side Freedom Library and the Ramsey County Historical Society invite you to a special session of our “History Revealed” series. This event will be archived on on the library's Facebook page and on our YouTube channel with closed captioning enabled: https://www.youtube.com/eastsidefreedomlibraryorg. “Middle class” is an ideologically shaped and deployed term in American culture and politics. Activist-scholar David Roediger makes clear in his pointed and persuasive polemic, this obsession with the middle-class is relatively new in US politics. It began with the attempt to win back so-called “Reagan Democrats” by Bill Clinton and it was accompanied by a pandering to racism and a shying away from meaningful wealth redistribution that continues to this day. Drawing on rich traditions of radical social thought, Roediger disavows the thinly sourced idea that the United States was, for much of its history, a “middle-class” nation and the still more indefensible position that it is one now. The increasing immiseration of large swathes of middle-income America, only accelerated by the current pandemic, nails a fallacy that is a major obstacle to progressives. David Roediger taught in the 1990s at the University of Minnesota and now teaches American Studies at the University of Kansas. His books include Seizing Freedom, The Wages of Whiteness, How Race Survived U.S. History, and Towards the Abolition of Whiteness and Working toward Whiteness. His book The Production of Difference (with Elizabeth Esch) recently won the International Labor History Association Book Prize. He is past president of the American Studies Association and of the Working-Class Studies Association. Professor Roediger will be joined in conversation by: August Nimtz, Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at the University of Minnesota. August has been an activist in progressive movements in the Twin Cities (and beyond) since the 1970s with a particular emphasis on solidarity with the people of Cuba. Kieran Knutson, President of Communications Workers of America Local 7250 (Minnesota AT&T). Kieran has been a long time activist at the intersection of the racial justice and labor movements. Megan Brown, Assistant Professor in the Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) program at Metropolitan State University. A geographer by training and trade, Megan has recently found her way to St. Paul.

Picking up on some of the themes from our last episode (with the brilliant Hilary Green), Frank and David discuss how the monument debate has extended beyond Columbus and the Confederacy, including: Theodore Roosevelt at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC The Emancipation Memorial The Shaw Memorial Jackson in Lafayette Park Grant, Key, and Serra in San Francisco Hans Christian Heg in Madison Last Drops Frank: Season 4 of Slow Burn about David Duke David: upcoming podcasts, Seizing Freedom with Kidada Williams and Welcome to Your Fantasy with Natalia Petrzela