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.

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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.

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SELECT SOURCES

• The Black Loyalists of the American Revolution
• Enslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British Army
• Black Loyalists Exodus to Nova Scotia
• An Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himself
• George Liele
• Thomas Peters
• The 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.com/
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• Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

SELECT SOURCES

• The Black Loyalists of the American Revolution
• Enslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British Army
• Black Loyalists Exodus to Nova Scotia
• An Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himself
• George Liele
• Thomas Peters
• The 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!

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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.

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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

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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
• 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

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

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• 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
• 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

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.com/
• Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com
• Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
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• Listen 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!

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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 ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com
• Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
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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

Host Nichole Hill shares updates about the future of the show.

• Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/
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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'ansonand Amaya.

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SOURCES

• The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neil
• Preserving 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 Johnson
• Charles Gilpin. The Kennedy Center
• Jackson Ward and its Black Wall Street. National Park Service
• Beyond Tulsa: The Historic Legacies and Overlooked Stories of America's Black Wall Streets.Time Magazine
• The 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.com/
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• Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

SOURCES

• Julian the Trailblazer by Peter Tyson
• Forgotten Genius. Nova. PBS
• "Reclaiming a Black Research Scientist's Forgotten Legacy"by Felicia R. Lee
• "DuSable Exhibit Highlights Juilan 'Power Couple'"by Robert Felton
• You 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 America
• You 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.com/
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• Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
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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.

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SOURCES

• Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal by Yuval Taylor
• Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston
• In Search of Zora Neale Hurston by Alice Walker
• The Complex Literary Friendship Between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston by Yuval Taylor
• Check out The Interstate Tattlerdigitized and stored by the New York Public Libraries
• Read the archives at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

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.com/
• Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com
• Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
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• Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/
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It's the summer of 1927 and Zora Neale Huston and Langston Hughes are driving across the South searching for folklore, swapping stories, and enjoying being the newfound stars of the Harlem Renaissance. Starring Alicia Walters.

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

SOURCES

• Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal by Yuval Taylor
• Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston
• In Search of Zora Neale Hurston by Alice Walker
• The Dinner Party That Started the Harlem Renaissance by Veronica Chambers and Michelle May-Curry
• The Complex Literary Friendship Between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston by Yuval Taylor
• Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston
• Jackson's classic collection of Black "toasts" is resurrectedby Patricia Donovan
• Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me: Narrative Poetry from Black Oral Tradition by Bruce Jackson
• Check out The Chicago Defenderdigitized and stored at The Library of Congress
• Read the archives at The Chicago Defender Archives

Host Nichole Hill shares a research tip, updates for the Household aka the donor community, where to find bonus material, and a sneak peek at next week's episode.

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 ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/)
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)

BONUS STORY

• To access the bonus story check out this article: Black history emerges from 1897 time capsule.

Episodes release bi-weekly.

Nichole, Zakiya and Emmanuel read three drama-filled love stories from historic Black newspapers and select the one that they believe could stand the test of time. Starring Zakiya Gibbons and Emmanuel Dzotsi.

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• Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
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• Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/
• Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

SOURCES

• Support the reporting done by the legendary Oklahoma Eaglestill in print today!
• Check out The Colorado Statesman, archived at the Library of Congress.

Host Nichole Hill shares listener mail, an update for the Household aka the donor community, and a sneak peek at next week's episode.

• Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/
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• Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/
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