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Many people don't know that the civil rights being fought for in the 1960s were actually a reality a century earlier, in the 1860s, for a few short years. Immediately after slavery, Black Americans saw integrated schooling, Black officials elected to office, and social and economic advancement. However, all of this progress was met with such fury, we forget it was ever made at all.

Too many history lessons skip over this eventful period of time. The cultural war that followed the Civil War; surprising gains made; secret, off-the-books political deals... There's a whole lot more to the story than "40 acres and a mule."

Your listen next list:
Juneteenth— All the Stuff No One Ever Taught You on Apple & Spotify
The History of Racism in the Criminal Justice System on Apple & Spotify

Sources: TIME, How the 1876 Election Tested the Constitution and Effectively Ended Reconstruction; TIME, How Reconstruction Still Shapes American Racism; Vox, How Hillary Clinton got on the wrong side of liberals' changing theory of American history; History, The Perils and Promise of America’s Third Reconstruction; History, Reconstruction; History, The Great Migration.

Frederick Douglass, the former slave who escaped, bought his freedom, and went on to change the course of history. Douglass played a pivotal role in making the Emancipation Proclamation a reality, bringing about the Union victory in the civil war, and bringing down the institution of slavery for good.

This is the second episode of the Black History Month series. Enjoy!

Your listen next list:
Should We Celebrate Fourth of July When So Much Needs to Change? on Apple & Spotify
The War Within Antiracism: Why the Movement is Divided on Apple & Spotify

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

Sources: Smithsonian, Frederick Douglass (Our American Story); Britannica, Biography of Frederick Douglass; National Parks Service, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site; Freedom Center, Agitation and Activism: The Life and Legacy of Frederick Douglass; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Frederick Douglass.

Myths and misconceptions abound. If you're relying on what you learned over a decade ago in school, you probably don't have your facts straight about slavery— how it began, grew, and changed over time.

As we walk through five big ideas, you'll learn the major milestones spanning over 200 foundational years in US history.

Your listen next list:
Juneteenth— All the Stuff No One Ever Taught You on Apple & Spotify
Common Terms I Stopped Using (And What I Say Instead) on Apple & Spotify
Learn Critical Race Theory in 20 Minutes on Apple & Spotify

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

Sources: TIME, The First Africans in Virginia Landed in 1619. It Was a Turning Point for Slavery in American History—But Not the Beginning; Smithsonian, The Misguided Focus on 1619 as the Beginning of Slavery in the U.S. Damages Our Understanding of American History; Britannica, Dred Scott Decision; Vox, How slavery became America’s first big business. EJI, The Transatlantic Slave Trade.

We've all heard the awkward, "He's Bl- umm... African American." But it is it actually rude to say Black? In this episode, I explain the surprising reasons why it may actually be more rude to avoid saying Black.

Your listen next list:
Is It Racially Insensitive or Racist? Apathy or Hate? on Apple & Spotify
A Teachable Moment for White Allies: Learn the Felt Impact of Your Words on Apple & Spotify

Referenced: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum; Gallup, No Preferred Racial Term Among Most Black, Hispanic Adults

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

What's wrong with how we view race? Well, on both sides of the partisan divide, how we view race can perpetuate racism. Totally embracing race ("Race is an important part of who you are") comes with serious consequences for people of color, and so does totally rejecting race ("Let's just not see color").

Full-transparency: no matter which side you're on, my hope is that you'll gain a better understanding of its potential weaknesses. If you think your approach to antiracism is flawless, I want you to think again.

Your listen next list:
Intersectionality in 30 Min on Apple & Spotify
Intro to Stereotype Threat, How It's a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy on Apple & Spotify
Individual Vs. Group Identity on Apple & Spotify

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

If racial categories were created for purposes of oppression, then why keep it? Shouldn’t we get rid of this thing? That's what a lot of people are asking. You're going to need to know where you stand: embrace race or reject race?

I'll be honest - there are strengths and weaknesses on both sides of this debate. In this episode, I break it all down and unpack the key points.

Related episodes:
91. Debunking The Implicit Racial Bias Test on Apple and Spotify
6. The first episode I released on this subject on Apple & Spotify (and its follow-up, ep. 13)
46. The Racism the Least-Prejudiced People Are Most Guilty Of on Apple & Spotify (and its follow-up, ep 48)
77. How Do We Actually Close “Achievement Gaps?” on Apple & Spotify (and its follow-up, ep 78)

Mentioned:
TED, A Case for Color Blindness
Why Is TED Afraid of Color Blindness? by Coleman Hughes
On melting pots and salad bowls: A meta-analysis of the effects of identity-blind and identity-conscious diversity ideologies

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

To understand the concept of race, there are 3 essential facts (unanimously agreed upon by experts) that you need to know, and in this episode, you'll learn them all. We unpack what race is, what race isn't, and whether race is real or not. Because before we can form opinions about antiracism, we need to get our facts straight about race.

Your listen next list:
Microaggressions in 15 Minutes on Apple and Spotify
Systemic Racism 101 on Apple and Spotify

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

Did you know MLK was mentored by Ghandi? Did you know that he was very controversial within the Black community? Or that he turned people away from his demonstrations if they weren't committed enough to nonviolence? What about his denunciation of the Black Power movement and personal thoughts on Malcolm X?

There's a lot to learn about MLK that they didn’t teach you in school. It's time we set things straight on this leader who is so often misunderstood. We're learning from Dr. King in his own words - and even his personal diary entries.

Your listen next list:
Why the Antiracism Movement is Divided on Apple & Spotify
White Allies, You Need to Change How You Think About Whiteness on Apple & Spotify
The Racism the Least-Prejudiced People Are Most Guilty Of on Apple & Spotify

Works by Dr. King
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., Edited by Clayborne Carson
The Drum Major Instinct
Letter From Birmingham Jail
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?

Also, a short read on Vox: How Martin Luther King Jr.'s faith drove his activism

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

A clear, concise run-through of the dos and don'ts of common terms related to race. We're focusing on terms (like minority, BIPOC, microaggression, and more) that are misused, controversial, and/ or misunderstood.

Your listen next list:
Microaggressions in 15 Minutes on Apple and Spotify
Systemic Racism 101 on Apple and Spotify
(The Original, Extended Episode) Important Terms You Should Know on Apple & Spotify

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

In this episode, I share about my experience in predominantly-white environments and navigate the murky waters of tokenism, this time, from a very different angle.

Your listen next list:
How Antiracists Unintentionally Amplify the Impacts of Racism on Apple & Spotify
CRT's Most Loved & Hated Teaching on Apple & Spotify
How to Cure Racism's Psychological Effects, 30 Min Deep Dive on Apple and Spotify

Sources Mentioned:
Why Are All of The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Dr. Beverly-Daniel-Tatum
How Far to the Promised Land by Esau McCaulley

To support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.