Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

Black History in Two Minutes (or so) episodes:

• 05.27.2022

  The Origins of Black Service Organizations

  The contributions of Black Service Organizations in the volunteer and civic space have been around since the Revolutionary War. Out of those spaces came formal organizations aimed at redefining American democracy.

  
• 05.20.2022

  Elite Black Public High Schools in Jim Crow America

  In November 1870, four Black students created their own safe space to study in a Washington D.C. church. That space would eventually become the first Black public school, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

  
• 05.13.2022

  Father Divine

  As the nation dealt with the darkness of the Great Depression, a Black leader by the name of Father Major Jealous Divine (Father Divine) rose from the shadows. His message resonated with many as he identified himself as God in...

  
• 05.06.2022

  Congressional Black Caucus

  In this episode of Black History In Two Minutes or So hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. we celebrate a group of Black congressional leaders who constitute the Congressional Black Caucus and to be the voice for marginalized groups today.

  
• 04.29.2022

  Poor People’s Campaign

  In 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. expanded the Civil Rights Movement by creating a sweeping economic and healthcare care plan aimed at the poor.

  
• 04.22.2022

  The Movement and Campus Violence

  College campuses became integral in the quest for social reform in the 1960s. With large numbers of Black students already present, campuses allowed young people an opportunity to ensure their voices were not only heard, but that their abilities to...

  
• 04.15.2022

  Free Black Americans Before the Civil War

  Even though slavery ended in the 1860s, free Black Americans made up 10% of the United States Black population. While the rest of the population was made up of slaves, those who escaped quickly learned that freedom didn’t mean access.

  
• 04.08.2022

  The Roll Back

  America entered a special moment where freedom rang high and many of the promises of the constitution appeared to — in some ways — allow Black people to enjoy freedom and rights that were never seen before. From running for...

  
• 04.01.2022

  The History of Negro League Baseball

  Baseball is one of America’s staples that dates back to the 1800s. And while the culture of catchy tunes and snacks are shared from coast to coast, the journey to inclusivity was a long, hard, and well-earned fight for Black...

  
• 03.25.2022

  The 1893 World’s Fair

  The 1893 World Fair took place in Chicago, Illinois, welcoming countries from around the world to feature their contributions for everyone to see. With the festival’s arrival stateside, key Black leaders, such as Ida B. Wells and Frederick Douglas, joined...

  
• 03.18.2022

  Black Women Laborers

  After the Civil War, Black women recognized the opportunity to become wage workers and contributors to society. However, decent wages and respect was fleeting. Black women in the workforce realized quickly that while times were changing, their white employers were...

  
• 03.11.2022

  Black Liberation and Womanist Theology

  James Cone, a highly regarded professor, preached about Black liberation at the center of the gospel. His elevated teaching not only inspired followers but it also provided an alternate theology that shifted the power of the church.

  
• 03.04.2022

  The Women’s Club Movement

  Black women have been no stranger to organizing since America’s earliest inception. But it would be during the Reconstruction era that Black women were able to elevate their messaging and form their own group called the Women’s Club.

  
• 02.25.2022

  Black Greek-Letter Organizations

  While more Black students sought formal education in a university setting, white organizations were not as open to embracing them into their space. Seeing a need, Black students formed their own fraternities and sororities aimed at creating community and celebrating...

  
• 02.18.2022

  Brenda Travis

  Brenda Travis of McComb, Mississippi, encountered the dangers of merely existing in Jim Crow’s America as a child after witnessing her brother’s unlawful arrest in the middle of the night. It would be that event that inspired a young Travis...

  
• 02.11.2022

  Black Power and the Birth of Black Studies

  Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination not only further ignited the civil rights movement, but it also inspired students in the collegiate setting to revolutionize the spaces that didn’t fully accept their existence.

  
• 02.04.2022

  Black Feminist Organizations

  While the Civil Rights Movement continued to spread across the US and the feminist movement evolved, one group felt neither movement really addressed their existence: Black women. As a result, the National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO) was formed.

  
• 01.28.2022

  Integrating Wall Street

  In 1972, Vernon Jordan became the first Black person to sit on a corporate board in the United States. As a result of his presence, he opened the door for Johnson Products, the first Black-owned business, to be listed on...

  
• 01.21.2022

  The GI Bill of Rights

  From the inception of the United States, Black soldiers have answered the call to serve on the front lines. And in 1944, the US government created the GI Bill, providing benefits and offerings like job training, loans for school and...

  
• 01.14.2022

  Job Ben Solomon

  In 1730, Job Ben Solomon — a Senegalese man and active slave trader — was captured during an excursion in the Gambian River region. Once stateside, he was imprisoned for attempting to escape from Maryland.

  
• 01.07.2022

  Chicago Sound: The Birth of Modern Gospel

  As Black families left the South, their migration allowed them to bring their religion and musical practices along with them. But it would be one man in particular, Thomas Dorsey, who would find himself in the middle of a Chicago...

  
• 12.17.2021

  Segregated Travel in Jim Crow America

  Jim Crow’s separate but equal not only impacted restaurants and schools, but it also led to the segregation of travel on buses. Black patrons in Winston Salem, North Carolina, frustrated with limited routes, took matters into their own hands.

  
• 12.10.2021

  The Clotilda

  In 2019, researchers were able to properly authenticate the last known slave ship to enter the United States illegally. That ship, The Clotida, was found in the Mobile River in Southern Alabama.

  
• 12.03.2021

  Mamie Till Mobley

  The lynching of Emmett Till in 1955 became a pivotal point for race relations in the United States. Instead of sitting by silently, his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, opted to utilize the media in a way it had not been...

  
• 11.19.2021

  The History of Black Farmers

  Well before formal legislation was passed, promising freed slaves certain land rights, Black farmers traveled west, exploring, and developing heavily forested land. With tons of experience in their pockets, migrating west made sense and allowed Black farmers and their families...

  
• 11.12.2021

  The 15th Amendment

  The 15th Amendment was a monumental piece of legislation that gave Black men the right to vote. As a result of it, over 2,000 African-American men would be elected to office at various levels of government.

  
• 10.19.2021

  The History of the Black Soldier

  Black soldiers have been an instrumental part of the armed forces since the Civil War. They put their lives on their line for their country and entered war to protect the very land that didn’t promise to protect them.

  
• 12.25.2020

  Oscar Micheaux: The First Black Indie Filmmaker

  Transitioning from job to job as a teenager, Oscar Micheaux was able to write a story that was inspired by his experience on a farm. The novel, entitled The Homesteader, was published and later adapted into a silent motion picture.

  
• 12.18.2020

  W.E.B. Du Bois: The New Negro at The 1900 Paris Exposition

  At the turn of the twentieth century, W. E. B. Du Bois curated an exhibit at the Paris Exposition in France entitled “The Exhibit of American Negroes.” The exhibition used photographs to disrupt the negative imagery that was used to...

  
• 12.11.2020

  School Integration

  The landmark case Brown v. Board of Education declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. However, for most black and white families, the decision was met with resistance and a court mandate didn’t mean things were going to...

  
• 12.04.2020

  Migrations: From Exodusters to Great Migrations

  With the formal ending of slavery in place, many freed black people saw this as an opportunity to start anew. But, for those in the south, things didn’t seem much different. The southern black experience saw more aggression, lynchings and...

  
• 11.27.2020

  The First Underground Railroad

  The Underground Railroad for many of us symbolizes the journey African slaves went on in the name of freedom. But, contrary to popular belief, the first path wasn’t south to north. Instead, it was north to south.

  
• 11.20.2020

  The Second Middle Passage

  As the United States began to expand, the demand for cotton led to an increase of slave trades in the country. Eager to capitalize, slave owners sold slaves into the deep south and west in the name of expanding the...

  
• 11.13.2020

  The Transatlantic Slave Trade

  In the early 1500s, the transatlantic slave trade commenced. Europeans invaded west and central Africa, capturing free people, enslaving them, and placing them on ships as cargo. Conditions aboard these slave ships were horrendous, and the voyage was long and...

  
• 11.06.2020

  The Birth of Hip Hop

  In 1973, DJ Kool Herc set up his turntables and introduced a technique at a South Bronx house party that would change music as many people knew it. His ability to switch from record to record — as well as...

  
• 10.30.2020

  Barack Obama’s 2008 Election

  During the 2004 Democratic National Convention, a first-term senator named Barack Obama from Illinois delivered a speech that exuded excitement, charisma and spark. Four years later, he found himself on that same platform as he launched his campaign to become...

  
• 10.23.2020

  Marcus Garvey: Leader of a Revolutionary Global Movement

  Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica and experienced the impacts of colonization at the hands of the British. As a result, he developed a passion for improving race relations and launched a Black Nationalism movement that would seek to elevate...

  
• 10.16.2020

  Protesting the Birth of a Nation

  In 1915, D.W. Griffith, released a film that would go down as one of the most disturbing representations of black Americans ever, The Birth of a Nation. Released post-Civil War and Reconstruction Era, the film played on stereotypes abroad.

  
• 10.09.2020

  The Beginning of Black History: Juan Garrido

  In the early 1500s, a West African man named Juan Garrido joined the ranks of Spanish explorers who ventured out in hopes of discovering new parts of the world. With their sights set on locating the fountain of youth, Garrido...

  
• 10.02.2020

  Jackie Robinson Integrates Baseball

  During a time when the game of baseball lacked diversity, America’s beloved sport was on the brink of a major change when black sport’s journalist protested the league’s failure to integrate. In response, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ owner, Branch Rickey, stepped...

  
• 09.25.2020

  Soul Train

  Taking cues from American Bandstand, Soul Train became a black cultural phenomena. Created and hosted by Don Cornelius, a Chicago radio reporter and DJ, the show was launched in 1970, but only in Chicago. However, the program became an overnight...

  
• 09.18.2020

  Hank Aaron: Breaking the Home Run Record

  Born Henry Louis Aaron, baseball legend Hank Aaron swung his way into the history books in 1974. While the Atlanta Braves enjoyed the benefits of having the talented athlete on their team, actions off the field forced the conversation to...

  
• 09.11.2020

  Civil War and Emancipation

  In 1861, the south’s threats of seceding the union led to the start of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln’s primary goal was to minimize secession talks. But, as black slaves who were forced to fight for the confederacy escaped...

  
• 09.04.2020

  Fort Mose: The First All-Black Settlement in the U.S.

  As European countries battled to claim territories in America, the Spanish state  — which is now known as Florida — became a haven for slaves who ran away from the British colonies. In 1738, a group of these escaped slaves...

  
• 06.19.2020

  Land: Giving Rise to the Famous Phrase 40 Acres & a Mule

  As the Union declared victory over the Confederacy, post-Civil War life seemed to be off to a good start for freed slaves. William Tecumseh Sherman, a former Union general, sat with 20 black ministers to develop a plan to remedy...

  
• 06.18.2020

  The Red Summer

  The year was 1919, and African American soldiers who came home from the Great War in Europe with hopes that serving their country at last would entitle them to the rights of equal citizenship, found themselves on the lethal end...

  
• 06.12.2020

  Lynching

  Lynching was an action used to terrorize the black community for generations, with the first known public display of this injustice taking place in Madison, Mississippi in 1835.

  
• 06.05.2020

  John Lewis: The Fight for the Right to Vote

  In 1963, John Lewis’ excitement would meet his life’s purpose when he joined the Civil Rights Movement. He is now known as one of the greatest activists and change fighters to enter the arena of social and racial justice reform.

  
• 05.29.2020

  The Black Press: From Freedom’s Journal to The Crisis, Ebony & Jet

  White publications have sought to represent all voices in America since it’s discovery. But, in 1827, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm joined forces and created the Freedom’s Journal. This publication created a space for black journalists to speak on issues...

  
• 05.22.2020

  First African-American Patent Holders

  Black inventors have made significant contributions in the name of not only advancing the American brand, but by way of breaking down a system that didn’t always allow for their innovative brands to exist.