Black History Year

You’ve heard of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus and the boycott that followed. But what’s left out of the history books is the thriving network our people created when riding public transportation wasn’t an option. _____________ 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 his...

The United States' history with the death penalty runs from colonial gallows to modern lethal injections. Under Trump's presidency, understanding history is more important than ever. In this episode, we’re sitting down with William C. Anderson, the activist, writer, and author of " The Nation on No Map ," to unpack why capital punishment still grips this nation and what’s at stake for us all. To f...

Once detained by police herself, Octavia Butler put her powerful observations of the world into her Parables series set in 2024 and 2032. How do her three predictions of what policing would be like today match up to our reality and future? _____________ 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...

You can’t have a family barbecue without some Frankie Beverly and Maze playing. And while our outdoor grills were hot, there’s something even more sizzling about this white-hot symbolism Beverly displayed. _____________ 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 s...

It's pretty wild to think about how the language we use daily can be traced back to some messed-up stuff. We use many of these words so casually that we don’t even notice. How many of these words have you used? _____________ 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 this episode of Black History Year, host Darren sits down with cultural and legal historian Martha S. Jones to discuss how deep research and personal discoveries can help recover lost Black family histories–and why remembering is one of the most powerful ways to resist erasure, defy the archives that tried to forget us, and reclaim our stolen legacies. To learn more about her family's story, Ma...

There is this longstanding belief that plantation owners imposed the custom of jumping the broom on the enslaved, who didn’t have the legal status to get married. However, the truth runs much deeper than the plantation. _____________ 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 did...

It's funny how sometimes our facial expressions can convey more than our actual words. Let’s be real: Black folks have had our fair share of epic side eyes and faces. Here are some iconic moments from the Civil Rights Era. _____________ 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...

A Black woman ran for president, but Black women have always been in the White House. From enslaved runaways to “Black cabinet” members, here are just 3 of the hundreds of Black women who’ve been running the White House. _____________ 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 di...

The government labeled him “the most dangerous negro in America.” But exactly what made a demure intellectual man with high blood pressure and a heart condition so dangerous? Here’s a hint: collective action. _____________ 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 i...

Introducing the tenth season of PushBlack's flagship podcast series, BLACK HISTORY YEAR. This season, we are exploring "The Politics of Legacy."  Whether personal, familial, or systemic, legacy can be a source of pride and conflict. Many of our top stories engage with the theme of legacy—how it is created, how it can be disrupted, and who has the power to define it. We aim to celebrate legacies an...

Tales of people being snatched under the water to their deaths have surrounded Lake Lanier for decades. These stories were born from the wasted potential of the Black lives that had inhabited the town that now rests on the lake’s floor. _____________ 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...

When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and paid slave owners reparations, he didn’t have Black recipients in mind. Here’s how a Black freedman named Gabriel Coakley found a way to get reparations for himself. _____________ 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...

Prince may have been well-known, but his life was still mysterious. For example, why did he give a concert that was never fully seen or heard in 1984? Here’s more about his undercover gathering. _____________ 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...

Has someone ever corrected you for ‘axing’ instead of ‘asking’? History shows that both are right. Here’s why we should keep speaking like we do. _____________ 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...

Faith Ringgold was known for interpreting political movements and their struggles through art, from narrative quilts to paintings. But in 1970, the police thought she’d gone too far - and arrested her for making this powerful and possibly illegal statement.  _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to ampli...

Introducing the tenth season of PushBlack's flagship podcast series, BLACK HISTORY YEAR. This season, we are exploring "The Politics of Legacy."  Whether personal, familial, or systemic, legacy can be a source of pride and conflict. Many of our top stories engage with the theme of legacy—how it is created, how it can be disrupted, and who has the power to define it. We aim to celebrate legacies an...

Holding her infant to her chest, a woman pushed past the young man sweeping the floor. Her child was suffocating. She couldn’t wait for the doctor. Smiling, the young man left his broom and reached for the baby. What was he doing? _____________ 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 hist...

They were three Black troublemakers in a white, bloody prison. They wore black berets, spent decades in solitary, and rattled the cages they’d been put in. This is the story of the Angola 3 - and how they became prison’s worst nightmare. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Bla...

Benjamin Banneker was infuriated! After designing the nation’s capital and inventing gadgets to benefit everyday life, our people were STILL treated like chattel. It was time for a public dragging, and he knew exactly whose wig he needed to snatch. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the sto...

For centuries, white historians’ have attempted to erase and whitewash Black history. Despite their best efforts, it can’t be erased. Today, we're talking with Debora Heard to help us reclaim and recover the history many have attempted to falsify. A Ph. D. As a candidate in anthropology at the University of Chicago, she’s dedicated much time to providing African-descended people with access, oppor...

Before Miami was the hotspot it is today, it was a terrible place to look like us. White supremacy kept our people from the palm tree-lined beaches and art deco rooftops, but we didn’t care! THIS place was our secret escape from it all. _____________ 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...

This “Little Mermaid” has been around for thousands of years — and we’re not talking about Halle Bailey or Disney’s whitewashed Ariel! SHE is the true Queen of the Sea, proving mermaids have ALWAYS been 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...

He was a tall, skinny, hippie “flower child” punk who broke barriers for Black guitarists. But he never imagined that his gorgeous, reimagined version of a beloved American song would have such an unexpected response – and enrage so many white people! _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the...

Coons. Mammies. Jezebels. That’s how Hollywood wanted to paint us on the big screen. But one group of Black filmmakers refused to play nice. Would their ambitious rebellion defeat the ignorant portrayals of Black people? _____________ 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 di...