Neglected Stories: People, History, Movements

Did Birthright Citizenship Start With the 14th Amendment? At a moment in 2026 when the U.S. Supreme Court is considering challenges to birthright citizenship, Neglected Stories: People, History, Movements welcomes historian Professor Van Gosse for a timely conversation that asks a provocative question: Did birthright citizenship really begin with the Fourteenth Amendment? Professor Gosse, Professo...

Neglected Stories: People, History, Movements welcomes renowned historian Marc Stein for a fascinating conversation about his groundbreaking new book,  Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s . As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Professor Stein takes listeners back to the nation’s 200th birthday in 1976—a celebration remembered for fireworks and patriotic ceremonies, but...

What is happening in Cuba today—and why should people in the United States pay close attention? This is a timely and thought-provoking interview with economist and policy analyst Kevin Cashman , a  researcher at Transition Security Project,  US–UK think tank. Cuba is facing one of the most severe crises in its modern history. Rolling blackouts, fuel shortages, food scarcity, and mass migration are...

A conversation with David Borgenicht, founder of Quirk Books. From a small independent idea to a publisher known for creativity and bold concepts, his story is a reminder that even in a changing world, there’s still space for imagination—and for books that surprise us. Borgenicht is an American publisher, entrepreneur, and co-founder of, he co-created the massively successful Worst-Case Scenario S...

Host Pedro Rodriguez speaks with Northwest Philadelphia native and author Seth Tannenbaum about his provocative new book, Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites . In the book, Tannenbaum examines one of America’s most beloved institutions—Major League Baseball stadiums—and reveals the striking class divisions built into the fan experience. While baseball has long marketed itself as the democratic pastim...

At a time when hard-won rights are being challenged and women across the United States are facing renewed political and cultural backlash, understanding the history—and future—of the feminist movement has never been more urgent. This Neglected Stories: People, History, Movements' episode  presents a powerful and timely conversation with Philadelphia-based feminist, political activist, and comm...

Host Pedro Rodriguez sits down with Dr. Walter Tsou, MD, MPH—a nationally respected physician and public health leader whose career has been defined by a relentless commitment to health equity. Dr. Tsou is President of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, a national board advisor for Physicians for a National Health Program, past president of the American Public Health Association, former Phil...

This episode of Neglected Stories: People, History, Movements brings listeners a powerful and timely conversation on one of Latin America’s most provocative—and overlooked—figures: Servando Teresa de Mier. A Dominican friar, political dissenter, and early voice for Mexican independence, Fray Servando challenged the very foundations of colonial authority. In a bold 1794 sermon, he reinterpreted the...

Hosted by Pedro Rodriguez, this episode features an in-depth conversation with Professor Kimberly Blockett, a leading scholar of African American literature and Chair of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware. Blockett’s groundbreaking research recovers the life and writings of Zilpha Elaw, a Black woman preacher whose transatlantic ministry challenges conventional narratives of religion,...

Guest Geo Maher , a Philadelphia-based writer, community educator, and organizer who has lived and taught extensively in Venezuela. Maher is Coordinator of the W.E.B. Du Bois Movement School for Abolition & Reconstruction and the author of five books, including We Created Chávez and Building the Commune . In this episode, we discuss We Created Chávez , which challenges leader-centered narrativ...

John Meyerson ’s life has been shaped by a deep, lifelong commitment to social justice. His activism began as a teenager, organizing against the Vietnam War and leading a student sit-in for free expression while still in high school. That early commitment to peace and human rights carried him directly into the labor movement, where he would spend decades organizing workers, building coalitions, an...

We believe the most important stories are often the ones told in unexpected spaces. This week, that space is the intersection of science, art, and public trust. At Penn’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics—ITMAT—researchers are pushing life-saving discoveries forward. But they’re also asking a radical question: How do we make medical science understandable, relatable, and accoun...

Acclaimed journalist and author Scott Anderson ’s new book, King of Kings , offers a gripping, deeply reported narrative of the Iranian Revolution—an event that reshaped global politics, yet remains widely misunderstood in the United States. In this conversation, Anderson guides listeners through the complex forces that brought millions into the streets, toppled the Shah, and altered the strategic...

In this episode we are joined by Professor John Fabian Witt of Yale Law School , whose new book The Radical Fund uncoversthis hidden history — the people, the conflicts, the victories, and the visionaries who believed a million dollars could help change America. We’ll explore what happens when radical dreams meet hardpolitical realities, how movements grow when they have even modestbut intentional...

City University of New York's Professor Lissette Acosta Corniel , explores the history of free Black communities in Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico, shedding light on the often-overlooked history of Spanish slavery in the Americas. She also discusses the ongoing identity struggles in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and beyond—where the denial of African ancestry continues to shape culture a...

Our guest is Dr. Alyssa Ribeiro , an urban historian whose work uncovers the intertwined histories of Black and Puerto Rican communities in Philadelphia. We talk about how race, migration, and community power shaped the city from the 1950s to the 1980s—and why those stories still matter today. We also dig into the historic 1976 “Bicentennial Without Colonies” protest, which challenged the contradi...

Host  Pedro Rodriguez  sits down with author and tennis professional  Gabriel Allen  to discuss his groundbreaking new book,  Tennis Tensions: Class, Race, and Gender in the Evolution of the Sport . In this compelling conversation, Allen breaks down  the hidden history of tennis — a sport long associated with privilege and exclusivity — and reveals how class barriers, racial bias, and misogyny hav...

  Ladan Mehranvar , Senior Legal Researcher at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (Columbia University Climate School), continues the conversation about the ongoing conflict between the people and government of Honduras and a private billionaire investors’ firm over control of  Roatán , an island 40 miles off the country’s Caribbean coast. This case raises profound global questions: Wha...

Ladan Mehranvar , Senior Legal Researcher at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (Columbia University Climate School), New York, discusses the conflict between the people and government of Honduras and a private billionaire investors’ firm over control of  Roatán , an island 40 miles off the country’s Caribbean coast. This case raises profound global questions: What happens when the supe...

In this episode, host  Pedro Rodriguez  explores the importance of language justice with two community leaders who know it firsthand. Irene Osorio , a young mother from Colombia now rooted in Philadelphia, is a textile artist, graphic designer, and language justice worker who loves to cook and build mutual aid networks with her neighbors. She is also a founding member of  COMPA Philly Language Jus...

Native to southeastern China, the loquat ( Eriobotrya japonica ) has traveled far beyond its origins, carried across oceans and cultures through trade, migration, and empire. Its journey is a story not just of agriculture but of diplomacy, cultural exchange, and adaptation. From its cultivation in East Asia to its spread into the Mediterranean through Europe’s colonial ventures, and later its arri...

Host Pedro Rodriguez talks with historian  Bennett Parten  about his groundbreaking book  Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman’s March and the Story of America’s Largest Emancipation . Parten reframes Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864 not just as a military campaign, but as a mass movement of self-emancipated people who sought out Union lines, turning the march into a liberation on a scale unmatched...

This episode’s guest is  Dr. Castel V. Sweet , professor at the University of Mississippi, who discusses her short documentary,  Sites of Memory . This powerful film explores overlooked sites of racial violence in the Deep South and how remembering these histories can open the door to healing, justice, and deeper conversations today.  Watch the trailer here:  http://sweetsoilnarratives.com/sites-o...

Host Pedro Rodriguez sits down with the Fordham University graduate and Harvard Law School alum to unpack a five‑decade career spent wielding the law on behalf of everyday people. From securing life‑changing benefits for children with disabilities in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Sullivan v. Zebley to prevailing before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania...

The legendary drummer for Philadelphia's quintessential music group Philly Gumbo, talks about his youth as an organizer for the Black Panther Party in Atlanta, his chance encounter with Malcolm X, a lifetime of activism and his passion for music.