About That Life

In 1811, hundreds of enslaved people in what’s now Louisiana joined together to burn down plantations, free captives, and kill their enslavers. They came from different tribes, spoke different languages, and coordinated across long distances with one goal - freedom. So why haven't we ever heard of it? Journalist Michael Harriot joins us to tell the story of the 1811 German Coast Uprising. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866. 

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Show Notes

Guest: Michael Harriot 

Want to learn more?

Read:

Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

Watch/ Listen:Drapetomania: Diaspora Wars Part 1: The Multicultural Revolt of 1811 (featuring W. Kamau Bell and Carvell Wallace)

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Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett 

Producer: Matt Gant

Story Editor: Julie Caine 

Fact Checker: Sarah McClure 

Production Supervisor: Hugo Salguero

Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock 

Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton

Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes

Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen

Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments 

To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin. 

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When Gloria Richardson pushed a National Guardsman’s bayonet out of her face, she captured the defiant spark that made her one of the most important figures of the civil rights and Black liberation struggles. Governor Wes Moore of Maryland joins Garrison to talk about the lasting legacy of the woman known as “The Lady General of Civil Rights.”

Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866. 

Support the show by subscribing on Substack

Show Notes

Guest: Governor Wes Moore 

Want to learn more?

Read:

The Struggle is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black LiberationCivil War on Race Street: The Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland

Watch: Gloria Hayes Richardson Oral History InterviewGloria Richardson Talks About the Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland

Follow Garrison

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Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett 

Producer: Matt Gant

Story Editor: Julie Caine 

Fact Checker: Sarah McClure 

Production Supervisor: Hugo Salguero

Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock 

Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton

Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes

Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen

Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments

To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did comedy get so… political? Well, we have Dick Gregory to partially thank for that. Garrison and comedian/The Daily Show host Josh Johnson talk about Gregory’s subversive brand of political comedy, his activism and how he put his values above the fear of being cancelled.

Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866. 

Support the show by subscribing on Substack

Show Notes

Guest: Josh Johnson

Want to learn more?

Read:

N****r

Dick Gregory’s Political Primer

Watch:

The One & Only Dick Gregory

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Do you ever feel powerless in the face of an atrocity? Well, that never stopped George Washington Williams, a Black man who went from being a “barely literate” veteran to a crusader who exposed a genocide in the Congo and nearly toppled a king. Garrison and activist Mohammed Elnaiem discuss how we can learn from someone who let his faith and love for Black people around the world guide his actions.

Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866. 

Support the show by subscribing on Substack

Show Notes

Guest: Mohammed Elnaiem

Want to learn more?

Read:

George Washington Williams: A Biography

History of the Negro Race: 1619-1880

King Leopold’s Ghost

Watch:

King Leopold’s Ghost

More on the crisis in the Congo:

Friends of the Congo

Congo Week (Oct 18-24, 2026)

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Episode 1 - The Future According to Octavia Butler

Sci-Fi author Octavia Butler seemed to have predicted our dystopian present over 30 years ago. But can her understanding of history help us change our future? Garrison and Erika Alexander (actor and futurist) discuss the power of radical imagination and the lasting impact of her work.

Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866. 

Support the show by subscribing on Substack.

Guest: Erika Alexander 

Want to learn more?

Read:

Kindred 

Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Talents 

Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler 

Watch:

Octavia Butler: A Cautionary Tale

Octavia Butler Interview with Julie Dash

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Lessons from the defiant ones– past and present. Coming August 26, 2026.

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