Advertise on podcast: Our Ancestors Were Messy

An interview with David Greaves and Liani Greaves, the father-daughter duo behind the documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem about a party organized in 1972 by filmmaker William Greaves. He invites some of other last living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance ver and for four hours, this incredible group, reminisce, laugh, and argue, about the Renaissance and their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.  Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA.  Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCES The Black Loyalists of the American RevolutionEnslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British ArmyBlack Loyalists Exodus to Nova ScotiaAn Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himselfGeorge LieleThomas PetersThe Black Loyalist Heritage Center

Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring the co-hosts of Code Switch B.A. Parker and Gene Demby taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCES The Black Loyalists of the American RevolutionEnslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British ArmyBlack Loyalists Exodus to Nova ScotiaAn Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himselfGeorge LieleThomas PetersThe Black Loyalist Heritage Center

A preview of an upcoming episode about the Black Loyalists. Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an unbelievable legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond!  Full episodes air July 8th starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA. You'll also get to hear the same story told again to the co-hosts of Code Switch, B.A. Parker and Gene Demby taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC. Different guests. Different audiences. Very different perspectives! Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

Host Nichole Hill responds to listeners' comments and shares an interview with the show's Research Producer, Chioke I'Anson, about the research behind the histories shared on the show. Their conversation was originally taped for the donor community known as The Household. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

Essie & Paul’s passions lead them to the front lines of the fight to defeat fascism. Starring Jason Reynolds Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCES Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara RansbyThe Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr.The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr.Here I Stand by Paul RobesonHistory of America in Ten Strikes by Erik LoomisHaymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby: Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson The History of Camp Wo-Chi-CaThe Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement by Matthew Schuerman

Eslanda Cardozo Goode and Paul Robeson meet and fall in love during the Roaring 20s in Harlem. They give up promising careers and devote themselves to climbing the ladder of fame and fortune. Can their relationship survive the success that follows?  Starring Jason Reynolds Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCES Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara RansbyThe Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr.The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr.Here I Stand by Paul RobesonHistory of America in Ten Strikes by Erik LoomisHow American Slavery Echoed Russian Serfdom by Matthew WillsHaymarket Book Talk with Barbara RansbyThe Scramble for Africa Arturo Alfonso SchomburgThe Atlanta Daily World

Host Nichole Hill shares the story behind Black History Month ahead of the 100th anniversary of it’s celebration and gives listeners a sneak peek of a new episode coming out on January 28th. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

Was dating any easier in the past? Nichole Hill joins Gene Demby and B.A. Parker, hosts of NPR's Code Switch, to put this question to the test by traveling back in time to 1937, using archival personal ads from the Washington Afro-American newspaper. Together, the trio gets a small taste of what it was like for Black folks to date almost a century ago. Turns out, the ancestors were messy, too! Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

A musical prodigy from Kansas becomes a renowned race woman in Chicago, a tabloid sensation in Harlem, and a musical force the world over. These are the many lives and loves of one of the most famous women of the era: Nora Holt. Starring Natalie Tulloch and Christabel Nsiah-Buadi Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SOURCES Nora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani PerryNora Holt by Matthew GuerrieriNora Holt: New Negro Composer and Jazz Age Goddess by Cheryl A. Wall"Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us": Classical Music, the Black press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia by Lucy Caplan

Host Nichole Hill shares updates about the future of the show. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

In 1920, Emperor Jones was a bona fide Broadway hit. The controversial play’s lead is Charles Gilpin, the first Black man to head up an integrated cast on the Great White Way. Gilpin enjoys fame, accolades, and universal acclaim…but he does have a note for his playwright Eugene O’Neil. A note that will make and break careers and change the course of Black history! Starring Dr. Chioke I'anson and Amaya. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SOURCES The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'NeilPreserving African-American Cinema: The Case of The Emperor Jones by Jennie Saxena with contributions from Ken Weissman and James Cozart"The Truth About Haiti: An NAACP Investigation" by James Weldon JohnsonCharles Gilpin. The Kennedy CenterJackson Ward and its Black Wall Street. National Park ServiceBeyond Tulsa: The Historic Legacies and Overlooked Stories of America's Black Wall Streets. Time MagazineThe Richmond Planet is digitized and stored at The Library of Congress.

In the summer of 1932, Anna and Percy learn that their scandalous love affair has been exposed on the front page of the most popular Black newspaper in DC. They were on their way to making history but now that the secret’s out, their futures hang in the balance. Starring Nygel Turner. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SOURCES Julian the Trailblazer by Peter TysonForgotten Genius. Nova. PBS"Reclaiming a Black Research Scientist's Forgotten Legacy" by Felicia R. Lee"DuSable Exhibit Highlights Juilan 'Power Couple'" by Robert FeltonYou can read the Washington Afro American newspaper which is still in print and holds the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously published Black newspapers in AmericaYou can support the archiving and sharing of this newspaper at Afro Charities

Host Nichole Hill shares how listeners can support the show and a sneak peek at next week's episode. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

Correction: An earlier version of this story cited events as having happened in 1970 that occured throughout that decade. Zora Neale Huston and Langston Hughes finally set to work writing their play but outside influences and crossed wires spell trouble for this historic pair. Starring Alicia Walters. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at [email protected] the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SOURCES Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal by Yuval TaylorDust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale HurstonIn Search of Zora Neale Hurston by Alice WalkerThe Complex Literary Friendship Between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston by Yuval TaylorCheck out The Interstate Tattler digitized and stored by the New York Public LibrariesRead the archives at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture