Black History Year

The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our...

It's become a cool language trend where everyone wants to drop "savage" or "lit" to sound hip. While it may seem harmless, it perpetuates cultural appropriation and erases the history behind AAVE. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. Yo...

Thousands of Black bodies had been tossed in mass graves after fighting for freedom — it was only right that they honored the fallen. Ten thousand people sang hymns and laid flowers. How did the Black history of this holiday get erased? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Blac...

It’s been decades since they disbanded, but we all know the visual identity of the Black Panthers. Think: the logo, the bold, bright colors, the illustrations of revolutionaries and cops. If that rings a bell, you need to know this artist. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of B...

Gordon Parks knew a picture was worth more than 1,000 words: photographs could be weapons to fight white supremacy. Some saw his career, as a self-taught turned famous photographer, as a way out of the segregated South. But he knew it a way in. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories...

Do you think you know about power? Do you think you know about control? Abolitionist scholar Dr. Joy James shared a theory with Jay back in December 2020 that explores the one specific condition required for Black liberation to occur. All is revealed in this—The Best of Black History Year. ___ Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. P...

He was forced to strip. Standing naked in front of the gawking masses, he scrubbed his skin raw to prove to them that his skin was, in fact, Black. Why on earth would he need to do this? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make Pus...

"Kumbaya” may be a beloved campfire song, but it was a Black spiritual before it was co-opted and became anti-Black. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most p...

Nobody could stop them in their tracks like Rutha Mae Harris. She stood on the frontlines with nothing separating her from them but the gun barrel she stared down. Then, Harris opened her mouth and began to sing. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't lea...

A rattan chair woven together in a light brown hue with a balloon back and round base is familiar. From baby showers to Huey P. Newton’s famous photo, this chair has been special to us for generations—but why? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn...

Our story begins in Nubia and the Nile Valley, the Kingdom of Kongo, the Mali Empire, and the Great Zimbabwe. Our host, Jay, sat down with Dr. Runoko Rashidi in October 2020 to reveal how the origins of Black people lie in great, ancient African civilizations and how our hidden history spans the globe. To learn of Dr. Rashidi's work, visit drrunoko.com -- Black History Year (BHY) is produced by Pu...

He was a hidden figure to many, kept out of the limelight because racists preferred it that way. But working in a white-run profession didn’t stop him from reaching for the stars. LITERALLY. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make...

Malcolm X might have stayed as “Detroit Red” if it wasn’t for a chance meeting in prison with Elton Bembry, better known as “Bimbi,” who showed him the power of education. But who was Bimbi? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make...

The circus was in town, and the tent was filled to capacity. Families traveled from miles around to see something they’d never seen. As the Ringmaster stepped from the shadows, the crowd gasped. What on earth was THIS? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn...

Brothers George and Willie Muse were abducted by the famous Ringling Bros. circus. Though many thought the children would be lost forever, their mother demanded justice… and got it. 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with...

Everything humanity has ever created, the good and the bad, started with imagination. But what if we could harness the power of imagination—tap into a “Black imaginary”—to build a truly just future for Black people, unique in the audacity of its reach? Is that wishful thinking? A mere fantasy? We don’t think so, nor did our guest, author-activist-afrofuturist adrienne maree brown, who sat down wit...

This was one of the bloodiest massacres in American history, but it’s been mostly erased from history! Why? Because it reveals the truth about a terrible racist myth we’ve all been taught. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make P...

He was terrified for his life. There were sores all over his body - was this the new virus the CDC was warning everyone about? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.co...

As a young inventor, he wanted to change the world – but as he got older, he realized that he could actually transform Black people’s lives closer to home. How did his curiosity and brilliance cause him to do both? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't l...

He may as well have been a unicorn: an honest, pro-Black politician during the Reconstruction era, where corruption and racism ran rampant! But soon he was dead – and his name would be as hard to find in history as a unicorn! But why? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black...

In 1907, as Oklahoma was becoming a state, the Dawes Allotment Act divided Indigenous land among natives and formerly enslaved Black people. Each member of the Rector family received land, including 10-year-old Sarah Rector, who would soon become the richest Black woman in America. In May 2020, Jay conversed with author and economic scholar Dr. Boyce Watkins to put Sarah Rector's story in context...

The air was thick with tension. Police lined the back of the auditorium, daring her to sing the first note. “Southern trees bear a strange fruit,” she sang before all Hell broke loose. Here’s the history behind Billie Holiday’s most dangerous song. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the sto...

She fought so hard, for so long, and yet – she felt so small. Her life was falling apart. Her health was failing her, and she was running out of time. Would she live to see the impact of her work? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. Yo...

The day that Tupac Shakur met Maya Angelou on the set of “Poetic Justice,” he experienced a profound moment of empathy that would forever shape his life and career. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with you...

When you think of the Easter holiday, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Black history? It should be. Here’s why the holiday is one of the Blackest celebrations of the year. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make Pu...