Forever Black History

In this special Juneteenth and Black Music Month edition of Forever Black History, host Anthony Smith explores the history of Juneteenth, from the delayed arrival of freedom in Galveston, Texas, to its significance as a symbol of resilience, hope, and liberation for Black Americans. Learn why Juneteenth remains one of the most important celebrations in Black culture and how its legacy continues to...

**Part 4: Rise and Fall of Buried Black Towns: Oscarville, GA** focuses on the tragic history of Oscarville, a once-flourishing Black community established during the Reconstruction era in Forsyth County, Georgia. The episode breaks down the town's history through three core phases: ### 1. The Rise of Oscarville Following the Civil War, formerly enslaved African Americans established Oscarville. B...

Closing Thoughts ANTHONY: Mose Norman and July Perry were not radicals. They were successful, hardworking men who believed in the promise of America enough to try to vote. Their story, and the story of Ocoee, shows the extreme lengths some would go to prevent Black political and economic power. In our next episode, we’ll continue this powerful series with another Black town that fought for surviva...

Rise & Fall – Rosewood, Florida: A Town That Dared to Thrive** In the early 1900s, Rosewood, Florida was a quiet, self-sufficient Black town where families like the Carrier, Goins, and McClendon built homes, raised children, and created stability in the heart of Jim Crow Florida. Sarah Carrier, a respected matriarch and truth-teller, ran a boarding house and stood boldly for what she saw. Her...

Rise & Fall – Part 2: Seneca Village – Buried Under Central Park In Part 1, we uncovered how free Black New Yorkers built Seneca Village starting in 1825. Visionary founders like Andrew Williams, a 25-year-old shoeshiner who bought the first three lots, and Epiphany Davis, a store clerk who purchased twelve lots, laid the foundation. Together with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church an...

Rise & Fall – Part 1: Seneca Village – The Dream Beneath Central Park Before Central Park existed, there was Seneca Village — New York City’s first major free Black community and a true Black Wall Street in Manhattan. In this powerful first episode of our new series, we uncover how free Black New Yorkers, many just one generation removed from slavery, came together in the 1820s and built a thr...

self-determination, connects the past to the present, and explores modern revival efforts happening across America today. Whether it’s a deep dive into a single powerful figure, a destroyed Black community, or the ongoing fight for justice and reparations — Forever Black History refuses to let the truth stay silent. This isn’t just history. This is Forever Black History. New episodes every week. B...

Forever Black History: The 111-Year Witness – Part 2: The Century of Silence After the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed Black Wall Street, the city tried to erase the entire event from history. But one little girl carried the truth for a century. In Part 2 of this powerful three-part series, host Anthony Smith explores Mother Viola Ford Fletcher’s long road through silence and survival. Viola’s...

"I still smell smoke. I still see fire." In the premiere episode of our 3-part special series, host Anthony Smith takes you back to May 1921. Before it was a crime scene, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was "Black Wall Street"—a beacon of economic independence and Black excellence. Through the eyes of a seven-year-old girl named Viola Ford Fletcher, we explore the vibrant life of Greenw...

In this episode of Forever Black History, host Anthony Smith tells the powerful story of the founders of Nicodemus, Kansas — the first successful Black settlement on the Great Plains. In 1877, a group of determined Black leaders and pioneers set out to build a town where formerly enslaved families could finally own land, govern themselves, and create opportunities for future generations. Through c...

In this episode of Forever Black History, host Anthony Smith tells the remarkable story of Walter Francis White, one of the most courageous investigators in American civil rights history. As a leader of the NAACP, White used his unique ability to pass as white to secretly investigate lynchings across the American South during the early 20th century. Traveling into dangerous territories where racia...

Black History is American History is a storytelling podcast hosted by Anthony Smith that explores the people, communities, and untold stories that shaped Black history and American history. Preserving the past. Inspiring the future. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forever-black-history--6902122/support .

Hello everyone, and welcome to Black History is American History I’m your host, Anthony Smith. This podcast was created for one powerful reason: to preserve, explore, and celebrate the stories that have shaped Black history and, in turn, shaped the history of America itself. But before we dive into the stories, we must ask an important question. What is Black history? Black history is more than a...