Our Ancestors Were Messy

Essie & Paul’s passions lead them to the front lines of the fight to defeat fascism. Starring Jason Reynolds

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SELECT SOURCES

Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby

The 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 Robeson

History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis

Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby: Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson 

The History of Camp Wo-Chi-Ca

The 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.com

Stay in touch at [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy

Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy

Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com

Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy 

SELECT SOURCES

Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby

The 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 Robeson

History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis

How American Slavery Echoed Russian Serfdom by Matthew Wills

Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby

The Scramble for Africa 

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

The 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.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit  https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

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.com
Stay in touch at [email protected]
Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy
Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
Listen 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.com
Stay in touch at [email protected]
Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy
Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy 
SOURCES
Nora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani Perry
Nora Holt by Matthew Guerrieri
Nora 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