Now We Know

In this episode of Now We Know, Jonathan and Donna discuss the origins of Kwanzaa, the meaning of the holiday, and their personal connections or disconnections with the annual celebration.

What are your connections with Kwanzaa? Did your family celebrate growing up or into adulthood?

However you celebrate this holiday season, we hope it's a beautiful and memorable one.

Resources:

The History of Kwanzaa

The Black Candle

The Seven Principles

Maulana Karenga

Now You Know:

Childish Children's Apparel

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

#Kwanzaa #holidays #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #blackhistory

York, who also unwillingly was brought on the Lewis & Clark Expedition by his enslaver, Clark, has a story that not only varies historian by historian but also did not include full truths of what he experienced. York traveled nearly 8,000 miles cross country with the promise of freedom and land, only for neither to occur.

Sacagawea, in a similar, if not more heartbreaking story, was all of 12 years old when she was sold to be married, pregnant, and set off on the expedition - giving birth while on the trek. Listen in for more detail on these untold or not widely known histories of York & Sacagawea.

Sources:

York and Sacagawea - Lewis & Clark expedition

https://www.nebraskastudies.org/en/1800-1849/the-louisiana-purchase/african-american-sacagawea-contributions/

Searching for York - Oregon Public Broadcasting Documentaryhttps://youtu.be/1-s9CzF3kAI?si=hfcIuenPHObcBYgQ

https://www.nps.gov/lecl/faqs.htm#:~:text=Q%3A%20What%20is%20the%20Lewis,near%20present%20day%20Astoria%2C%20Oregon.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sacagawea

https://www.nps.gov/lecl/york.htm#:~:text=A%20fronteirsman%2C%20hunter%2C%20and%20the,his%20payment%20and%20his%20freedom.

MMIW.orghttps://mmiwusa.org/

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas seem like two sides of a coin, that's because they are. Thurgood being the first black person on the supreme court paved an incredible path for Clarence and Ketanji Jackson to come.

On this episode, Donna & Jonathan discuss the forging of Thurgood's path and the complexities of his successor after deciding to retire.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUEphTDzy2g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS10t_vgkZQ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJuRx1wARUk 

https://www.oyez.org/justices/ketanji_brown_jackson 
https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/red-scare

#supremecourt #scotus #justices

An avid listener of Now We Know turned guest! On this bonus episode, Donna & Jonathan chat with Trent Warren. You may recognize his name from having joined Real. Relatable. on a few episodes surrounding law enforcement and black gun ownership. This episode dives more into the intersectionality of law enforcement in the 1800s to now, particularly as a black man.

Good ol’ Bass Reeves. From HBO’s mini series Watchman, to the Lone Ranger, to the many unanswered questions that have followed. The duality of Bass Reeves’ life as the first Deputy U.S. Marshall as a formerly enslaved person comes to ahead later in his career as racial tensions rose in the late 1800s. How did Reeves become involved with the government as a black man in the US, especially at the time?

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqw5uXWohlY 

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=RE020 

https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/origins-modern-day-policing 

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/reeves-bass-1838-1910/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y9yjOVsuoo 
https://www.naacpldf.org/black-judges-history/

A short break was all Donna & Jonathan needed to reset and refresh their minds. On this episode, they circle back to the Now You Know segment from the Kentucky Derby about Black Cowboys . From Esteban the Negro to Bass Reeves, black cowboys have been incredibly impactful throughout western world history. Admittedly, these names may be more widely know in southern US states; the way it's portrayed beyond the southern states transformed complex stories into a Hollywood misrepresentation of history. The reality? Take a listen to learn more.

Now You Know

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=RE020#:~:text=He%20is%20believed%20to%20be,until%20Oklahoma%20statehood%20in%201907

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

#country #western #blackcowboys

Sometimes, Donna & Jonathan need a vacation too. Re-sharing a popular episode from July 2022.

Fredrick Douglass - we all (most of us) know the name. But, do we really know the gravity to which he changed not only his life but those that were enslaved and for generations to come? Douglass’ incredibly powerful speeches has resonated through history and will continue to do so for millennia to come.

In this episode of Now We Know, Donna & Jonathan get into one of Douglass’ famous speeches, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” A compelling HBO documentary based on the life of Frederick Douglass and his impact. What would Douglass' feel/say about the state of our country today?

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-Douglass

Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches

https://www.hbo.com/movies/frederick-douglass-in-five-speeches

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/speeches-african-american-history/1852-frederick-douglass-what-slave-fourth-july/

Now You Know:

We are the world song - https://explorethearchive.com/black-history-month-facts

Book

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love

https://www.left-bank.com/book/9780743456081

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjkUyX0rVw

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

#fourthofjuly #independence #juneteenth

A woman of class, dignity and a force to be reckoned with. Mary Church Terrell was an integral piece to the civil rights decades before subsequent laws were put into place. Coining the term, lifting as we climb - Church Terrell’s values were based upon intersectionality, education and bringing everyone along for the ride. 

“I cannot help wondering what I might have become and might have done if I had lived in a country which had not circumscribed and handicapped me on account of my race, but had allowed me to reach any heights I was able to attain.” - Mary Church Terrell

Sources:

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell 

https://www.aroundrobin.com/product/dignity-and-defiance-the-story-of-mary-church-terrell/ 

Now You Know: https://www.nps.gov/people/idabwells.htm#:~:text=African%2DAmerican%20journalist%20and%20activist,also%20fought%20for%20woman%20suffrage.

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

Mentions:

@theconsciouslee

Now You Know:

Ida B Wells https://www.nps.gov/people/idabwells.htm#:~:text=African%2DAmerican%20journalist%20and%20activist,also%20fought%20for%20woman%20suffrage. 

Did you know 13 of the 15 riders in the very first Kentucky Derby were Black? 

Did you know that 15 of the first 28 derbies were won by black riders?

How did the racist origin of Lawn Jockeys get flipped and turned upside from a young enslaved black boy who froze to death to now be sold as blue eyed, white little boys? Phew, this episode Donna & Jonathan get into the intersections of it all. 

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

Sources:

https://www.espn.com/horse/columns/misc/1929342.html 

https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/may-17/#:~:text=The%20First%20Derby%20Day,-Popular%20rider%20Oliver&text=The%20Kentucky%20Derby%20was%20begun,relatives%2C%20John%20and%20Henry%20Churchill. 

https://goodblacknews.org/2022/05/09/history-jockey-oliver-lewis-won-the-1st-kentucky-derby-147-years-ago-listen/ 

Now You Know

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lesser-known-history-african-american-cowboys-180962144/ 

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/blackface-birth-american-stereotype 

Music is instrumental, pun intended, for many of us in the Black Community - Donna & Jonathan are no exception. From childhood artistry to a now multi-platinum singer-songwriter, Cameron Forbes joins the Now We Know podcast for an episode on the joys, the struggles and the triumphs of building his music career in LA over the last decade. Cameron details how he remains true to himself in keeping the love for music and not becoming jaded in a world that wasn't created for the faint of heart.

How has the world of TikTok and plagiarism impacted the music industry? Are artists having greater control over their creations or will AI totally change the game? 

Instagram:

@CameronForbes

www.cameronforbes.com

EP - Back to Me

@DonnaJaneen

Sources:

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/celebrating-black-music-month#:~:text=The%20earliest%20form%20of%20black,defining%20the%20hardships%20of%20slavery. 

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/30/1011901555/radio-diaries-harry-pace-and-the-rise-and-fall-of-black-swan-records 

https://soundbetter.com/profiles/21436-cameron-forbes 

#blackartistry #blackmusic