Black Is America

The award-winning podcast returns with all-new stories of great African Americans.

In this preview, we share audience reviews and how the show faired during award season. We also share the opening for the season 2 premiere of Doris Miller: The American Defender. Lastly, we pay tribute to civil rights legend and historian Carl Westmoreland.

Season 2 of the Black Is America podcast debuts on Feb. 1, 2023.

In the season one finale of Black Is America, we share the story of Tom Lee. On May 8, 1925, when the M.E. Norman steamer suffered a catastrophic failure, Tom Lee saved thirty-two people from the Mississippi River. Fellow Memphian and historian Terri Stephens comes along for the ride to tell the tale of the humble hero.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why was Tom Lee on the river that day?
• Why was it dangerous for Tom to attempt the rescues?
• Why is May a fun time in Memphis?
• How did Memphis repay his good deed?

Sources to create this episode come Memphis Magazine.com and Michael Finger beautiful piece be sure to read it as it has additional information about what happened that day. We have a link there in the show notes. NBC Olympics.com, WREG Memphis, WCNC Charlotte, GilderLehrman.org, History.com, and more. For a complete list, look in the show note of your podcast player or our website www.blackisamericapodcast.com.

Be sure to Like, review and subscribe to the Black Is America Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, where ever you like to listen to podcasts. Also, let people know about the podcast. We would appreciate that very much.

For a full transcript of this episode and other resources, go to www.blackisamericapodcast.com. There you can read our blog, leave us a review, or you can leave a voicemail where you can ask a question or let us know what you think about the show that we may play in an episode. You can also hit the donation button if you like what you heard which helps us to create more educational content like this.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why Ledger Smith went to the March On Washington on roller skates
• Why Dr. King thought it was essential for Civil Rights to desegregate places of leisure
• Ledger Smith route from Chicago to Washington DC
• Why media was essential to the Civil Rights movement
• More about an unlikely ally in the Civil Rights movement
• The Children's March and Kelly Ingram park

Notable figures mentioned in this episode:

Martin Luther King Jr.

John Lewis

Mamie Chalmers

Bayard Rustin

A.G. Gaston

A. Phillip Randolph

President John F. Kennedy

Attorney General Robert Kennedy

President Barack Obama

The Black Is America podcast, a presentation of OWLS Education, was created and is written, researched, and produced by me, Dominic Lawson.

Executive Producer Kenda Lawson

Cover art was created by Alexandria Eddings of Art Life Connections. Credit for this episode's cover art: The Baltimore Afro American

Sources to create this episode come from The National Civil Rights Museum, History.com, The New York Times, The Baltimore Afro American, The National Museum of African American History & Culture, WAMU National Public Radio in DC

Scenes from United Skates are courtesy of Vice and HBO Documentary Films, a Warner Brothers Discovery Company.

Mamie Chalmers audio courtesy of Comcast NBCUniversal's Voices of the Civil Rights Movement

David Vann and A.G. Gaston audio courtesy of the Youtube Channel curated by Geoff Hiron (Note: The host could not locate the original source of audio)

"Beat It" is written and performed by Michael Jackson and produced by Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones for Epic Records.

"I'm On My Way" performed by Mamie Brown & Choir from "Lest We Forget, Vol. 2: Birmingham, Alabama, 1963 - Mass Meeting" from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

Audio of Martin Luther King Jr. courtesy of Martin Luther King Jr Research and Education Institute at Stanford University

Audio of John Lewis courtesy of the National Archives

Audio of President Barack Obama courtesy of BBC News

Be sure to Like, review and subscribe to the Black Is America Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, where ever you like to listen to podcasts. Also, let people know about the podcast. We would appreciate that very much.

For a full transcript of this episode and other resources, go to www.blackisamericapodcast.com. You can read our blog, leave us a review, or leave a voicemail where you can ask a question or let us know what you think about the show we may play in an episode. You can also hit the donation button if you like what you heard, which helps us to create more educational content like this.

How did Black America help birth a nation?

In this special episode of the Black Is America podcast, we explore the story of the known patriots like Crispus Attucks and also some of the lesser-known ones like Peter Salem and Salem Poor. We also make the case why the 4th of July is very important to Black America.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How George Washington felt about enslaved black people serving in the Continental Army
• Why Crispus Attucks was in the front of the crowd at the Boston Massacre
• How Black America saved soldiers a Valley Forge

Sources to create this episode come from History.com, Blackpast.com, Battlefield.org, and National Park Service at nationalparkservice.gov.

Scenes from Good Times are courtesy of Tandem Productions and Sony Pictures Television.

In this special episode of the Black Is America podcast, we explore the little-known story of recently enslaved citizens of Charleston, South Carolina, honored Union soldiers. In doing so, they inadvertently create a holiday we celebrate today.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How the Charlestonians honored the Union Soldiers
• Who was given credit for creating Memorial Day
• How South Carolina has acknowledged what happened on May 1, 1865.

Yale professor David W. Blight is featured in this episode. His audio is courtesy of The New York Historical Society and Yale University.

This episode was also created due to sources from The Root.com, History.com, and Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ.

How does one compete in NASCAR while facing discrimination?

In this episode of the Black Is America podcast, we chronicle the life of NASCAR legend Wendell Scott. The Danville, Virginia native goes from the bootlegging on the back roads of the Commonwealth to extraordinary heights of stock car racing. Even though Scott would never have a significant sponsor, he would still compete against the best in NASCAR.

In this episode, you will hear:

• A brief history of Danville, Virginia
• Why the story of Wendell Scott mirrors the story of NASCAR
• Two pivotal moments in Wendell's Scott Career
• Why Wendell Scott served as his mechanic
• About Wendell Scott's success as a driver and owner

Notable figures mentioned in this episode:

Marshall Major Taylor

The Texas Western Starting 5

Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr.

Willy T. Ribbs

Bill Lester

Michael Jordan

John Cohen

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Brad Daugherty

Sir Lewis Hamilton

How does one become a musical legend?

In the conclusion of Marian Anderson: The American Contralto, we chronicle Marian's journey through Europe as she is called "the voice of the century." After a successful trip to Europe and being met with resistance to perform at Consitution Hall, it led to a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Later we talk to Charlie Edmunds about her experience teaching music in East Tennessee and a new program she is creating to expose more students to learn how to play black music.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What Marian needed in Europe and how Roland Hayes helped
• The type of money Marian was making at her peak.
• The origin of the Nuremberg Race Laws and how they affected Marian
• Why Marian was not able to perform at Constitution Hall
• A significant song she performed at the Lincoln Memorial

Notable figures mentioned in this episode:

Roland Hayes Katherine Mary Dunham Walter White

What does it take to be the best to do it?

In Part 1 of this Black Is America podcast presentation, we chronicle the story of the great American contralto Marian Anderson. We discuss her early singing experiences in church, the power and emotion of the Negro spiritual, and why what Black America creates is often hard to duplicate.

In this episode, you will hear:

• About Marian's upbringing
• Why the church is essential to the African American community
• The cheat code embedded in the black community
• About H.T. Burleigh and the art of the Negro spiritual
• Why did Marian Anderson go to Europe
• And so much more

What does it take to make the ultimate sacrifice?

In the first episode of the Black Is America podcast, we learn the story of Lt. John Fox. From very humble beginnings in the Cincinnati area to courageous actions in the Italian theater, John Fox is an excellent example of Black America displaying bravery on the battlefield in the face of discrimination.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Where John Fox grew up
• More about the village of Sommocolonia
• How his life was building towards his actions on Dec. 26th, 1944
• Understand more about the famous 366th Infantry Regiment
• Why Captain Aaron Fisher was important in John Fox's military career.
• Why John Fox was worthy of the Medal of Honor
• And so much more

A preview of episodes 102 & 103, Marian Anderson: The American Contralto. The Black Is America podcast debuts Feb. 1, 2022.