Our Ancestors Were Messy

By Nichole Hill

Our Ancestors Were Messy, is a podcast covering the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in the Black newspapers of segregated communities during the pre-Civil Rights era. On each epi... more

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FAQs about Our Ancestors Were Messy:

How many episodes does Our Ancestors Were Messy have?

The podcast currently has 16 episodes available.

Our Ancestors Were Messy episodes:

May 14, 2025Nora Holt: The Lives and Loves of Harlem's Legendary Blonde Bombshell
A musical prodigy from Kansas becomes a renowned race woman in Chicago, a tabloid sensation in Harlem, and an internationally renowned musical force. These are the many lives and loves of one of the most famous women of the era: Nora Holt.
Snag your tickets to the live show!
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/). This week's guests are Natalie Tulloch and Christabel Nsiah-Buadi
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller (https://www.patmesiti-miller.com/) with additional music from Mellat Makeda
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)
SOURCES
Nora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani Perry
Nora Holt by Matthew Guerrieri
Nora Holt: New Negro Composer and Jazz Age Goddess by Cheryl A. Wall
"Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us": Classical Music, the Black press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia by Lucy Caplan
...more
1h 20min
May 14, 2025 Minisode #6 | What's Next for Our Ancestors Were Messy
Host Nichole Hill shares updates about the future of the show.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

...more
3min
May 07, 2025Charles Gilpin "The Emperor of Broadway" Has a Note
In 1920, Emperor Jones was a bona fide Broadway hit. The controversial play’s lead is Charles Gilpin, the first Black man to head up an integrated cast on the Great White Way. Gilpin enjoys fame, accolades, and universal acclaim…but he does have a note for his playwright Eugene O’Neil. A note that will make and break careers and change the course of Black history!
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/). This week's guest are Chioke I'Anson and his daughter Amaya Zahar.
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Sound design by Nichole Hill
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)

SOURCES
The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neil
Preserving African-American Cinema: The Case of The Emperor Jones by Jennie Saxena with contributions from Ken Weissman and James Cozart
"The Truth About Haiti: An NAACP Investigation" by James Weldon Johnson
Charles Gilpin. The Kennedy Center
Jackson Ward and its Black Wall Street. National Park Service
Beyond Tulsa: The Historic Legacies and Overlooked Stories of America's Black Wall Streets. Time Magazine
The Richmond Planet is digitized and stored at The Library of Congress.

Episodes release bi-weekly.
...more
57min
April 23, 2025The Doctors Julian and The Affair That Helped Bring Us Birth Control
In the summer of 1932, Anna and Percy learn that their scandalous love affair has been exposed on the front page of the most popular Black newspaper in DC. They were on their way to making history but now that the secret’s out, their futures hang in the balance.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/). This week's guest is Nygel Turner (@unsp.gully)
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Sound design by John DeLore
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)

SOURCES
Julian the Trailblazer by Peter Tyson
Forgotten Genius. Nova. PBS
"Reclaiming a Black Research Scientist's Forgotten Legacy" by Felicia R. Lee
"DuSable Exhibit Highlights Juilan 'Power Couple'" by Robert Felton
You can read the Washington Afro American newspaper which is still in print and holds the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously published Black newspapers in America
You can support the archiving and sharing of this newspaper at Afro Charities

Episodes release bi-weekly.
...more
53min
April 16, 2025 Minisode #5 | Coming Up on Our Ancestors Were Messy
Host Nichole Hill shares how listeners can support the show and a sneak peek at next week's episode.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
...more
4min
April 09, 2025Zora Neale Hurston vs. Langston Hughes: The Pleasures & Perils of Working With Friends
Zora Neale Huston and Langston Hughes finally set to work writing their play but outside influences and crossed wires spell trouble for this historic pair.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/). This week's guest is Alicia Walters (@aliciacreates)
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Sound design by Kyle Murdock (@kcreatesaudio)
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)

SOURCES
Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal by Yuval Taylor
Dust Tracks on a Road by Langston Hughes
In Search of Zora Neale Hurston by Alice Walker
The Complex Literary Friendship Between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston by Yuval Taylor
Check out The Interstate Tattler digitized and stored by the New York Public Libraries
Read the archives at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Episodes release bi-weekly.
...more
1h 9min
April 02, 2025 Minisode #4 | Coming Up on Our Ancestors Were Messy
Host Nichole Hill shares how listeners can support the show and a sneak peek at next week's episode.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
...more
6min
March 26, 2025Zora Neale Hurston + Langston Hughes: Best Friends Forever
It's the summer of 1927 and Zora Neale Huston and Langston Hughes are driving across the South searching for folklore, swapping stories, and enjoying being the newfound stars of the Harlem Renaissance.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/). This week's guest is Alicia Walters (@aliciacreates)
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Sound design by Kyle Murdock (@kcreatesaudio)
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)

SOURCES
Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal by Yuval Taylor
Dust Tracks on a Road by Langston Hughes
In Search of Zora Neale Hurston by Alice Walker
The Complex Literary Friendship Between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston by Yuval Taylor
Jackson's classic collection of Black "toasts" is resurrected by Patricia Donovan
Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me: Narrative Poetry from Black Oral Tradition by Bruce Jackson
Check out The Chicago Defender digitized and stored at The Library of Congress
Read the archives at The Chicago Defender Archives

Episodes release bi-weekly.
...more
56min
March 19, 2025Minisode #3 | Coming up on Our Ancestors Were Messy
Host Nichole Hill shares a research tip, updates for the Household aka the donor community, where to find bonus material, and a sneak peek at next week's episode.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (https://www.nicholelhill.com/)
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)
BONUS STORY
To access the bonus story check out this article: Black history emerges from 1897 time capsule.

Episodes release bi-weekly.
...more
6min
March 12, 2025A Love Story for the Ages!
Nichole, Zakiya and Emmanuel read three drama-filled love stories from historic Black newspapers and select the one that they believe could stand the test of time.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram
THE A-TEAM
The show is hosted by Nichole Hill (@nicholewthanh). This week's guests are Emmanuel Dzotsi (@newsmanual_) check him out on This American Life and Zakiya Gibbons (@zak_sauce) check her out on Hang Up.
Executive Producer A.A. Hernandez
Sound design by Helena de Groot (https://www.helenadegroot.me/about)
Story Producer Martina Abrahams Ilunga (@m_tina)
Research Producer Chioke I'Anson (https://www.chiokeianson.com/)
Story Editing by Shonte Hill
Show art by Aseloka Smith (@naturallyherown)

SOURCES
Support the reporting done by the legendary Oklahoma Eagle still in print today!
Check out The Colorado Statesman, archived at the Library of Congress.

Episodes release bi-weekly.
...more
51min

FAQs about Our Ancestors Were Messy:

How many episodes does Our Ancestors Were Messy have?

The podcast currently has 16 episodes available.

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