Reading with Rachelle: Connecting with History through Storytelling, a Book Club Podcast with Rachelle Chase

 In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. William S. Morris to discuss his new book, In Defense of the Nation: Black Iowans at War , which chronicles the contributions and trailblazing feats of Black soldiers from the Civil War to the first Persian Gulf War. Listen in as we discuss the contributions of Black soldiers—along with those of trailblazing African American women in the military—during and afte...

 In this episode, I'm joined by author Dr. Judith Giesberg to discuss her new book, Last Seen: The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost Families , which follows 10 individuals as they search for family and friends from whom they were separated during America's domestic slave trade. Listen in as we discuss the resilience and determination of formerly enslaved African Ameri...

In this episode, I joined John Busbee on his show, The Culture Buzz . Listen in, as we discuss the book The Stories They Hear: Expecting Greatness as the Key to Success with the author, Dr. William A. Keyes. We also discuss Dr. Keyes’ incredible 22-year-old organization, The Institute for Responsible Citizenship, which has helped some of the best and brightest African American male college student...

In this episode, I'm joined by Denise Greer Jamerson to discuss the book, We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy by Natalie Baszile. Lyles Station is the last remaining Black settlement in Indiana. Denise’s family has been farming in the Lyles Station community since 1855, and her father, Norman Greer, has been recognized by the Smithsonian Institution...

DEI is being used as an excuse to get rid of race-based scholarships, cut funding, eliminate initiatives that encourage the hiring of qualified Black teachers, ban books, erase Black history, and much more. It's going to take all of us to change things for the better.   "Living the Legacy of African American Education: A Model for University and School Engagement" offers one possible solution: A p...

My guest this week is Robell Awake, author of the book "A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects." Robell's book stood out to me because it shines a spotlight on the significant but often unacknowledged contributions of Black artisans and craftspeople throughout history, and how enslaved Black people used their skills and ingenuity as a form of resistance and expression. Robell and I not only...

This week's book, "Hannibal's Invisibles" by G. Faye Dant, provides a deeper look into the lives and contributions of Black Americans in Hannibal, the boyhood home of Mark Twain. Faye shares how, until 2013, the only public acknowledgment of Black contributions to Hannibal's history was a 1934 sign welcoming visitors that referenced "the n-word Jim" from Twain's novels. Faye's mission is to preser...

After the Civil War ended, as more and more formerly enslaved Black Americans began making money, they had nowhere to keep it - until the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company was established in 1865. At its peak, the bank had over 100,000 accounts and $50 million in deposits. However, the bank's white administrators and trustees soon began misusing the depositors' funds, leading to the bank's coll...

This week, I'm joined by author Maria Smilios to discuss her award-winning book, "The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis." Smilios' trailblazing book explores the crucial role played by Black nurses in combating the tuberculosis epidemic in 1920s New York. Through meticulous research and powerful storytelling, Smilios brings to life the challenges these nurse...

Today, I'm joined by Dr. Leslie A. Schwalm, author of the book "Medicine, Science, and Making Race in Civil War America." We discuss how the North helped anti-Black racism and white people's belief of Black inferiority beyond the Civil War and into today. This was accomplished by white medical and scientific professionals who used the Civil War as a laboratory and used Black enlisted men and those...

This week, we dive into “The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt” with author Jill Watts. The "Black Cabinet" was a group of African American economists, lawyers, sociologists and journalists who worked tirelessly behind the scenes during the Roosevelt administration for the inclusion of Black Americans in FDR's New Deal programs. Watts sha...

In this week's episode, I'm happy to be joined by Daniel Henderson to discuss his second book, "The Spiritual Journey to Anti-Racism: A Travel Guide for White People." In his new book, Daniel delves into the critical issue of confronting white supremacy and the "white supremacist script" that has infected our culture for centuries. As we explore Daniel's personal journey, he shares how coming to t...

This week, I'm excited to have Erick Nganyange, the creator and host of the Iowa Civil Rights History podcast, on my show today. Erick and I are discussing the book For Labor, Race, and Liberty - George Edwin Taylor, His Historic Run for the White House, and the Making of Independent Black Politics by Bruce L. Mouser. This book tells the fascinating story of Taylor, who ran for President of the Un...

In the inaugural episode of the podcast, I am joined by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, author of the newly released book, Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians. As a professor of law and a Brennan Center fellow, Ciara brings a wealth of expertise to the table as we explore the alarming role corporations play in undermining our democratic process. From the Nazi p...

Are you interested in history but find the idea of reading a history book overwhelming? Do you want to learn about history you weren't taught in school? I'm Rachelle Chase. I'm a published author of historical nonfiction and fiction books; a journalist whose work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic, the Des Moines Register and others; and a public speaker. But most importantly, I'm pass...