What happens when children grow up never hearing anything accurate or positive about their own history? According to Dr. Maxine Bryant, founder of Griot Speaks, the damage runs deeper than most people realize and sugarcoating history does not protect children. It miseducates them.

In this conversation, Dr. Bryant shares the African proverb that became the foundation of her life's work, why she believes Black genius has been deliberately hidden from the people who need it most, and how a board game she says was downloaded into her spirit is changing the way families, educators and communities connect with accurate Black history.

She also gets personal sharing the moment a high school counselor told her she was not college material, and what happened when she decided to prove him wrong.

This is a conversation for educators, parents, community leaders and anyone who has ever been told they were not enough.

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Introduction and episode preview 

00:18 Meet Dr. Maxine Bryant and Griot Speaks 

01:06 The African proverb that became her mission 

02:11 What a griot is and why it matters now 

03:17 Why telling Black history accurately is essential 

04:56 The high school counselor who said she was not college material 

06:24 How the Griot Speaks board game came to life 

07:54 What happens when people learn Black history through play 

09:24 The teacher and the formerly incarcerated man at the same table

10:28 Where Griot Speaks is meant to be played
11:31 The app and digital expansion in development 

13:05 The difference between the game and the full Griot Speaks platform 

14:45 What excites Dr. Bryant most about where she is headed 

15:55 Does teaching Black history make white children feel inferior 

17:10 Closing thoughts and where to find Dr. Maxine Bryant

What happens when children grow up never hearing anything accurate or positive about their own history? According to Dr. Maxine Bryant, founder of Griot Speaks, the damage runs deeper than most people realize and sugarcoating history does not protect children. It miseducates them.

In this conversation, Dr. Bryant shares the African proverb that became the foundation of her life's work, why she believes Black genius has been deliberately hidden from the people who need it most, and how a board game she says was downloaded into her spirit is changing the way families, educators and communities connect with accurate Black history.

She also gets personal sharing the moment a high school counselor told her she was not college material, and what happened when she decided to prove him wrong.

This is a conversation for educators, parents, community leaders and anyone who has ever been told they were not enough.

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Introduction and episode preview 

00:18 Meet Dr. Maxine Bryant and Griot Speaks 

01:06 The African proverb that became her mission 

02:11 What a griot is and why it matters now 

03:17 Why telling Black history accurately is essential 

04:56 The high school counselor who said she was not college material 

06:24 How the Griot Speaks board game came to life 

07:54 What happens when people learn Black history through play 

09:24 The teacher and the formerly incarcerated man at the same table 

10:28 Where Griot Speaks is meant to be played 

11:31 The app and digital expansion in development 

13:05 The difference between the game and the full Griot Speaks platform 

14:45 What excites Dr. Bryant most about where she is headed 

15:55 Does teaching Black history make white children feel inferior 

17:10 Closing thoughts and where to find Dr. Maxine Bryant

More than a century ago, journalist Ida B. Wells risked her life documenting lynchings across the United States in her groundbreaking investigation A Red Record.

Today, civil rights investigator Jill Collen Jefferson, founder of the organization JULIAN, says some suspicious deaths in the United States deserve closer scrutiny.

In this episode, journalist Esther Dillard speaks with Jefferson about her research examining deaths that families believe were wrongly ruled suicides. Jefferson explains why she believes some cases should be investigated as modern-day lynchings and how her work draws inspiration from the investigative model Ida B. Wells established more than 130 years ago.

The conversation explores the challenges of investigating these cases, the importance of language in civil rights investigations, and why asking difficult questions remains central to journalism.

#IdaBWells

Most people know Harriet Tubman as the fearless conductor of the Underground Railroad. But far fewer know that she also served as a Civil War scout, spy, and military leader for the Union Army.

In this episode of ERASED, award-winning journalist Esther Dillard explores Harriet Tubmans powerful and often overlooked role during the Civil War, including her leadership in the historic Combahee River Raid, a military operation that helped free more than 700 enslaved people.

The episode also features insight from Harriet Tubmans great-great-great grandniece, who shares reflections on Tubmans legacy and why preserving the full story of her life still matters today.

Through archival history, personal storytelling, and expert insight, this episode reveals how parts of Harriet Tubmans story have been overlookedand why reclaiming that history is so important.

Topics covered in this episode:

Harriet Tubmans Civil War military service

ERASED is a storytelling series that examines historical figures whose contributions have been overlooked, misunderstood, or erased from mainstream narratives.

Host: Esther Dillard

We are living in a moment of visible racism, rising authoritarianism, and uncertainty for many families.

In this episode of The Color Between the Lines, Esther Dillard sits down with feminist leader Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee to discuss why they wrote the childrens book Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All.

But this conversation goes far beyond a book.

They talk about:

How to raise strong girls in politically uncertain times

Gloria Steinem has been one of the most recognized feminist organizers in modern American history and co-founder of the Womens Media Center.

Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped lead the womens movement that ended Liberias civil war.

If you are raising, mentoring, or advocating for girls in this moment this conversation is for you.

Subscribe to The Color Between the Lines for more conversations at the intersection of history, justice, leadership, and storytelling.

00:00 Living in a Moment of Racism & Fear

Did Reconstruction fall apart or was it ended by a single vote?

In this episode of The Color Between the Lines, South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn explains how three razor-thin votes reshaped American history including the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, the disputed 1876 election, and the decision that effectively ended Reconstruction.

By an 87 commission vote, Reconstruction came to an end. What followed was nearly 100 years of Jim Crow.

Congressman Clyburn draws powerful parallels between the collapse of the first Reconstruction and todays debates over voting rights, Supreme Court decisions, and democratic institutions.

We also explore the extraordinary life of Robert Smalls the formerly enslaved man who stole a Confederate ship, delivered it to Union forces, helped establish free public education in South Carolina, and served in Congress.

If youve ever wondered:

What ended Reconstruction?

This conversation connects the past to the present.

Because as Congressman Clyburn says:

The three most consequential things that happened to Black people in this country were each decided by a single vote.

The Color Between the Lines is Hosted by Esther Dillard.

Whats the real difference between being rich and being wealthy?

In this episode of The Color Between the Lines, Dr. Willie Jolley breaks down the distinction between income and ownership and why that difference can determine whether your financial success lasts for one generation or many.

We explore:

Rich vs wealthy explained

If youve been working hard but wondering how to move from earning money to building assets, this conversation offers clarity and practical insight.

Because wealth isnt just about what you make.

Its about what you build.

Book: Rich Is Good, Wealthy Is Better by Dr. Willie Jolley

Subscribe for more conversations that connect money, policy, history, and generational power.

#RichVsWealthy

In this interview, Moore reflects on:

Her defining Broadway role in Purlie and what it meant to win a Tony Award without formal theater training

Growing up with strong grassroots values and how family shaped her resilience

Navigating success, setbacks, and financial hardship in the entertainment industry

The role of faith in surviving difficult seasons and rebuilding her life

Why legacy, forgiveness, and healing matter more than accolades

Moore also shares reflections on mentorship, Black artists creating their own paths, and what it means to look back on a career that helped open doors for generations to come.

This conversation is a meditation on perseverance, purpose, and what it truly means to endure and evolve in the spotlight.

Why didnt we learn about Robert Smalls in school?

Robert Smalls was an enslaved Black man who stole a Confederate ship during the Civil War, freed his family and crew, delivered the ship to Union forces, and later became a United States Congressman during Reconstruction. Yet his name is rarely taught in American classrooms.

In this explainer episode, journalist and storyteller Esther Dillard examines why Robert Smalls story was left out of textbooks, how Reconstruction was later reframed as a failure, and how Black political leadership was pushed out of the national memory.

This episode connects Smalls life to a broader pattern of historical erasure and asks why stories about Black citizenship, democracy, and power remain contested today.

This audio explainer accompanies the animated short documentary ERASED: The Robert Smalls Story and invites listeners to rethink what American history chooses to rememberand what it leaves out.