Black History Buff: Uncovering Untold Stories

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican activist, and entrepreneur who founded the UNIA and campaigned for a better quality of life for all black people. The Pan African red black and green colours you see and that form part of the Ghanian flag come from Garvey’s organisation. I’ll be doing an episode on Garvey soon but for today I wanted to focus on...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: Have you ever wondered how the medical profession came to be? or in fact who started the profession at all? Well, take a seat and prepare to be amazed because today’s episode is about Egyptian genius Imhotep the Father of modern Medicine. Imhotep, was born sometime around 2667 BCE in Egypt. A commoner by birth but genius by nature Imhotep...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: Todays Black History Blitz is about the 7’2, Kung fu fighting, book writing legend. Kareem Abdul-Jabr one of the greatest players to ever grace the sport of basketball Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr, on April the16th 1947, in New York City. Alcindor was always one of the tallest kids in his class and by the age of 9 stood an impressive 5...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: I'm going to be very honest here and make a confession. I'm a procrastinator, there I said it and it feels good. It’s taken me ages to finally admit that. So this particular proverb really hits home for me. “Supposing doesn't fill the grain basket “if” doesn't fill the larder.” This sounds so sounds obvious, it’s even a lit...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: Todays Proverb is an Igbo saying from Nigeria: “The big game often appears when the hunter has given up the hunt for the day” This saying really resonates with me as often I feel called to just quit, to give up and do something easier. I can Imagine the hunter, tired, deflated and on the verge of going home empty-handed. When suddenly thei...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: This Episode is about an African Queen who defined Rome and carved out a place for herself in History. Kandake Amanirenas is one of the most celebrated rulers of the Ancient Kingdom of Kush, located in the region of Nubia, which we now know as Sudan. She ruled from 40BC to 10BC. Kandake - also known as Candace, Kendake or Kentake - was the...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: To tide you over while Im researching and writing longer episodes I've created a new segment called Black History blitz. Short, bite sized and fun, like any good snack its best when shared with friends, so tell your friends about it. Today's Black history Blitz is about the hard-drinking, shotgun carrying wild west legend known as...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: To tide you over while Im researching and writing longer episodes I've created a new segment called Black History blitz. Short, bite sized and fun, like any good snack its best when shared with friends, so tell your friends about it. Today's Black history Blitz is about Cathy Williams. The first African American Woman to enlist in...

Today's episode features a scathing response to possibly the most Ill advised “take me back” letter ever and some wisdom from an ancient African proverb. Every so often, when I’m browsing the internet I’ll come across something that for some reason stops me dead in my tracks. Recently it was an image. The picture was of a sober looking dark skinned, middle aged Blackman, sporting a very full v...

African Folklore and Black History: Learn the untold wisdom of 'The Man Who Never Lied,' a powerful African proverb about truth, integrity, and moral courage. This episode is about a wiseman who offends a whole village and outwits a King. Essential education in African storytelling traditions missing from mainstream curricula The Black History Buff Podcast is a fully independent project. ...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: In this episode I take the opportunity to say thank you to the amazing supporters of the show and to you the listeners. I speak about why I started the show and give a hint at where it's going. If you want to learn more black history and more about what I do you can find me at https://www.blackhistorybuff.com/ (www.blackhistorybuff.com...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: There is a common misconception about Europe and Black people; that basically, there are no black people there other than maybe in London. As a first-generation West Indian born in London myself, I too fall victim to this strange phenomenon. Occasionally, a reader from Russia or as happened this week from Estonia will contact me and I'...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: This Episode Is about Bill Richmond. When we think about black sports stars we often go to names such as Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, perhaps Kareem Abdul Jabbar or even Jack Johnson, however, if we dig a little deeper and look a little harder we might come across the Legend of Bill Richmond the first black sports star. You can read abou...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee In this episode I am joined by Jessica Jane Robinson. Jessica talks to me about reggae, becoming Miss Alameda and climate change . In the show Jessica mentions her movie "Recycle woman" and so for your viewing pleasure I have tracked down the film and you can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/57430675 She also mentions Reggae Singers Rankin Scr...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: Cisero Murphy (1937–1996) was an American professional pool player. Murphy was the first African-American professional pocket billiards player to ever win world and U.S. national titles. This recording was provided by Tyriek Murphy and he does an amazing job of honouring his ancestor. There are some extras over at my Patreon Page and on my...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: This is an interview completed with the Family members of Asquith Xavier. The Interview took place over the phone with Ebanie Xavier and Edrina Xavier, who speak about their inspiring ancestor at length and give us an insight into what life was like in Britain in the 1960's. Asquith Camile Xavier was a West Indian-born Briton who ended...

While interacting with people on Instagram, I often get contacted by individuals who have either carved out a place in history for themselves or have a connection to someone who has. So this segment is to give those people a chance to tell those stories for themselves. Unedited and raw, this recording is a conversation I was privileged enough to have with Figure Skating legend Rory Flack. She has...

This episode is a simply amazing story of love, heroism and mutiny on the high seas, so please kick back relax and enjoy the show. Madison Washington was an American cook who started the most successful slave revolt in US history. On the night of Nov. 7, 1841, Washington led 17 enslaved men in a mutiny. Taking control of the Creole, they commanded that it be sailed to the Bahamas, which was under...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee In this episode of the Black history Buff podcast, we look at the life of Alexandra Pushkin. I also look briefly into the Russian "Caucasian War" at the end of the show. Born in 18th century Russia, Alexandar Pushkin was Russian nobility and would eventually become immortalised as the “Father of Russian literature.” Pushkin was born in Moscow,...

Netflix is not representing BLACK BOY’s on it’s platform and I decided to call them about it. This is my follow up call. If you’ve not seen my previous video or listened to the audio please stop now watch it and then come back to this one……… Right, you back, all up to speed? Great So if you made it to the end of the video you’ll see that there is an address to write to. “I’ll do my bit, now you do...

Black History and Media Representation: Listen to a conversation between the streaming platform and myself about why there are no black avatars? The Black History Buff Podcast is a fully independent project.  We aren't backed by a publishing house, advertising partners or a major enterprise. For our existence, we depend on our loyal listeners – we depend on you. So, if you enjoy our content an...

Support the show on Patreon OR Buy me a coffee Show Notes: Just some thoughts. You can find the Black History Buff Podcast at: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6CDExrHONAzUy8ksCgXsYy Anchor https://anchor.fm/blackhistorybuff Google Podcasts https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNzMxMDIwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/black-history-buff Pocket Cast...

She is often remembered as the wife of a great man, but Coretta Scott King was a powerful force for justice in her own right—a leader, strategist, and activist whose own story has been quietly airbrushed from the main narrative of the Civil Rights Movement. In this special episode, dedicated to the women "hidden in plain sight," we explore the life and legacy of the woman who was truly the...

This episode is about the forgotten Black Samurai Yasuke. Find out who he was and how he gained the title Samurai. There is a Japanese proverb which says “For a Samurai to be brave, he must have a bit of black blood.” Yasuke first appears in history in 1579 as an attendant of the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano coming to Japan to visit the missions that had been set up there. Yasuke was aro...

Black History's Greatest Untold War Story: Henry 'Black Death' Johnson earned his nickname in the bloodiest hand-to-hand combat of WWI. This Albany railroad porter, weighing just 130 pounds, single-handedly fought 36 German soldiers through the night in France's Argonne Forest. Using rifle butts, grenades, and a bolo knife while bleeding from 21 wounds, he saved his comrade and hel...