Noire History

In this episode we'll be hearing from Adekunle Oduye, a Design Technologist from my hometown, Brooklyn, New York. As a kid Adekunle had a strong passion for art and enjoyed creating abstract and landscape paintings. Needing a change of scenery in college, he studied abroad for a semester and used the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. In this interview we'll discuss some aspects of web desig...

In this episode we'll be hearing from Christopher Taylor, a Job Hunt Strategist hailing from Chesterfield, Virginia. Chris' work experience began with a Burger King broiler and later included an internship at Lizzie Grubman Public Relations, a decade in sales at a large company, and few years as a headhunter before striking out on his own. In addition to his past roles, Chris also shares his philo...

I visited The Legacy Museum, if not the first week, then the second week that it opened. The Legacy Museum was created by the Equal Justice Initiative and is located in Montgomery, Alabama. The Legacy Museum is split into four parts or themes that chart the history of the systematic oppression of Black people. The first section is kidnapped, which relates to slavery. The second is terrorized which...

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is dedicated to the memory of African-Americans who lost their lives to lynchings. Reading books about lynchings is one thing. But, it was something different to walk through the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and crane your neck to look at all of these blocks knowing that each one of them represented the loss of at least one person's life. Show...

Phillip Dray details the history of mob violence and lynchings in "At the Hands of Persons Unknown". Dray lays out how lynchings were used as a form of political terrorism aimed at subjugating Black people and enforcing white supremacy.   Show notes and video available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/at-the-hands-of-persons-unknown .

I recently took a day trip to Birmingham as part of my goal to visit as many Southern cities as possible while living in Atlanta. I was attracted to visiting the city by its role in the history of the Civil Rights Movement and also the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute was founded in 1992 and is located in Birmingham's historic Civil Rights District. Read abo...

"Black Against Empire" by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin, Jr is the definitive history of The Black Panthers. The book not only charts the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party but also provides detailed backgrounds of its most prominent members. Visit http://noirehistoir.com/blog/ black-against-empire for show notes and video.

"Before the Mayflower" by Lerone Bennett Jr is the ultimate book to read if you're interested in Black History, especially American Black History. Originally published in 1962, the book covers the history of Black America from 1619 to 1962.   Visit http://noirehistoir.com/blog/before-the-mayflower for show notes and video.

"The Other Wes Moore" explores the lives of two young Black men coming of age during the same era, in similar neighborhoods, and with the same name. (What are the odds?) They both experience adolescent bumps and bruises. But, their lives diverge setting one on the path to prison and the other to becoming a Rhodes Scholar. Show notes and video are available on the Noire Histoir website at http://no...

I had high expectations for "The Coming" by Daniel Black. The book tells the story of a group of Africans being enslaved and enduring the experience of the Middle Passage. Lots of other people thought "The Coming" was a moving experience but the writing style wasn't my cup of tea. Visit http://noirehistoir.com/blog/the-coming-book-review for show notes and audio.

"The Assassination of Fred Hampton" by Jeffrey Haas is an incredible book about a less celebrated but important Black figure. The details may differ but the story of Fred Hampton is unfortunately not uncommon. Yet, his death stands apart from most others as it was proven to have been the result of a concerted effort by the FBI and Chicago police.  

"The Book of Harlan" by Bernice L. McFadden tells the story of a Black musician from Harlem who travels to Paris around the time the city falls to the Nazis. McFadden uses the main character's life to tie together moments in the Black experience from about the 1920's to the 1960's/1970's. Visit  http://noirehistoir.com/blog/the-book-of-harlan-book-review for show notes and video.

Moonlight  is a great study in the facade of machismo and hyper-masculinity. It explores the development and suppression of Black boys' and men's identities and sexuality. On a basic level, it's a coming of age story about a gay Black male. Yet, because it's about that it's also about so much more. Show notes and video are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/moonlight-movie-review .

"Ain't I a Woman" by Bell Hooks explores the impact of racism and sexism on Black women. Not as separate factors but through the lens of intersectionality. The book charts the history of how "sexism operates both independently of and simultaneously with racism to oppress us" (Black women). Show notes and video are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/aint-i-a-woman-book-review.

"Coming of Age in Mississippi" by Anne Moody is the story of a young Black woman coming of age in rural Mississippi during the 40's and 50's. Moody's introduction to and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement unfolds in a beautifully written story. It was refreshing to read about the development of an activist juxtaposed against a young woman's journey to define herself. Hushed whispers introduc...

"The Book of Negroes" (aka "Someone Knows My Name") by Lawrence Hill is a great work of historical fiction. In this episode I discuss how the author weaves together a gripping story with historical tidbits. Visit http://noirehistoir.com/blog/the-book-of-negroes-book-review for show notes and video.

In some ways, "Manchild in the Promised Land" is about a rambunctious boy and his group of friends coming of age in the 1940s-1950s. In a different place and if Claude were a different race, this could have been an innocent and heart-warming story. But, on the gritty streets of Harlem, Claude's life is rife with violence, crime, and despair from a young age. In this review, I contrast the book's p...

"Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi is a work of historical fiction but it's a good jumping off point for venturing into the history of the Black diaspora. The book charts a timeline of the effect of the slave trade on the people that remained in Africa and the enslaved people who were brought to America. Visit http://noirehistoir.com/blog/homegoing-book-review for show notes and video.

In this episode, I discuss "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead. The book tells the story of Cora, a young slave woman who makes plans to escape with a fellow slave, Caesar. Show notes and video are available on the Noire Histoir website at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/underground-railroad-colson-whitehead-book-review.

In this episode of the Noire Histoir podcast I discuss "Watch Me Fly" by Myrlie Evers-Williams. "Watch Me Fly" is more than the story of the widow of a civil rights hero. It's also the story of a rather sheltered woman who struggles to find herself in her thirties after her world is ripped apart. Visit http://noirehistoir.com/blog/watch-me-fly-book-review for show notes and video.

"Freeman" by Leonard Pitts, Jr. follows three main characters at the end of the Civil War. Tilda, a former slave woman freed by the end of the war. Her estranged husband, Sam Freeman, who had been a slave but managed to escape to the North. And Prudence Kent, a White woman from Boston whose father was wealthy. Through these three characters, we get very different perspectives on the time. I enjoye...

"13th", a documentary by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, explores the history of institutional racism through the lens of the 13th Amendment. In this episode, I discuss the economic motivations for using mass incarceration and the prison-industrial complex to target the Black community. Visit NoireHistoir.com for show notes and video.

Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority written by Tom Burrell, is a book about "the greatest propaganda campaign of all time": the concept of black inferiority. In this episode, I discuss the book's theories on racial stereotypes and its exploration of the lingering effects of slavery on the Black psyche and community. Visit NoireHistoir.com for show notes and video.

"Django Unchained" is a western set two years before the Civil War that tells the story of a slave named Django who works as a bounty hunter to obtain his and his wife's freedom. In this episode I review the movie and discuss the impact of Quentin Tarantino's penchant for visual violence on the film's story and characters. Visit NoireHistoir.com for show notes and video.

"Selma" provides a snapshot of the efforts to end systematic suppression of Black voting and other civil rights in the South. In this episode, I discuss the film's portrayal of Martin Luther King, Jr.; President Lyndon B. Johnson; and other key figures from the Civil Rights Movement. Visit NoireHistoir.com for show notes and video.