Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS

🎙️ Episode 20 The History They Didn't Teach Us | The Birth of the NAACP What really happened in Springfield, Illinois, in 1908? How did one of the darkest moments in American history lead to the birth of the NAACP? And why does that history still matter today? In this episode of Our Truth. Our History. Our Story. , Rita Coburn travels to Springfield, Illinois, to explore the events surroundin...

🎙️ Episode 19 America 250: Juneteenth & the Obama Presidential Center | Reframing Independence As America begins commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it's worth asking a deeper question: What does independence mean—and who was included in it? In this episode of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story , Rita Coburn reflects on America's founding through th...

🎙️ Episode 18 Father's Day: A Reflection on Black Fathers, Grace, and Love Father's Day can bring celebration, gratitude, longing, grief, and complicated emotions—all at the same time. In this special Father's Day episode of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) , Rita Coburn reflects on the enduring love, sacrifice, and resilience of Black fathers through history. Inspired by...

Taking W.E.B. Du Bois to LightReel Film Festival | Why Festivals Still Matter What makes film festivals so important—for filmmakers, audiences, and the future of storytelling? In this special field episode of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story (Our THS) , award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn takes listeners along to Washington, D.C.'s LightReel Film Festival, where W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a...

🎙️ Episode 16 Kathryn Bostic: Music Is Conversation | The Art of Film Scoring (Part 2) What does music reveal about a people, a movement, or a moment in history? In Part 2 of Rita Coburn's conversation with acclaimed composer Kathryn Bostic, the discussion moves beyond film scoring into the deeper emotional and spiritual dimensions of music. Kathryn reflects on the power of spirituals, the ro...

🎙️ Episode 15 Kathryn Bostic: Music Is Conversation | The Art of Film Scoring (Part 1) What does music say beyond words? Kathryn Bostic is an acclaimed composer, performer, and musical storyteller whose work includes Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, Clemency, and many other award-winning projects. In Part 1 of Rita Coburn's conversation with Kathryn, we explore the...

🎙️ Episode 14 Defending Our Stories: Inside Black Public Media with Leslie Fields-Cruz (Part 2) In Part 2 of Rita Coburn’s conversation with Leslie Fields-Cruz, we go beyond funding and filmmaking to explore the deeper question: Why do stories matter? Leslie shares her personal journey from a family of educators to becoming one of the most influential advocates for Black storytelling in America. T...

🎙️ Episode 13 This Film Became a Movement | W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause Premieres on PBS After more than four years of research, interviews, travel, fundraising, collaboration, and faith, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause premieres nationally on PBS. In this special episode, Rita Coburn reflects on the journey of bringing this documentary to life and the overwhelming response from audience...

🎙️ Episode 12 “Will We Survive This Democracy?” | David Levering Lewis (Part 2) W.E.B. Du Bois was born in 1868 and died in 1963 on the eve of the March on Washington, passing the baton to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this episode, we return to Du Bois not only as a historical figure, but as a living question for our present moment: How do we move forward from here? In conversation with Pulitzer...

🎙️ Episode 11 Black Mothers and Our History | A Legacy of Healing As we approach Mother’s Day, this episode invites us into a deeper reflection on the legacy of Black motherhood, one shaped by history, resilience, trauma, community, and profound love. From the motherland to enslavement, from separation to survival, Black motherhood carries a story that is both painful and powerful. In this moving...

🎙️ Episode 10 What Pulitzer Prize-Winning David Levering Lewis Discovered About His Family & Our History (Part 1) What happens when one of the most respected historians in America turns his lens inward? In this powerful conversation, David Levering Lewis, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of W.E.B. Du Bois, shares what he uncovered when he began exploring his own family history. This episode m...

🎙️ Episode 9 Michael The Price of Music for Our Generation (Our Truth, Our History, Our Story) 📝 Episode Summary What did it mean to be Michael Jackson before he became a global icon? In this episode, we step beyond the music and into the historical reality that shaped his life. Drawing from lived experience in the Midwest near Gary, Indiana, this reflection connects one family’s story to a broad...

🎙️ Episode 8 Show Notes Episode Title: Black Journalism in a Time of Erasure: A Conversation with NABJ President, Errin Haines In this timely and urgent conversation, we sit down with Errin Haines, President of the National Association of Black Journalists, to explore the evolving landscape of Black media, truth-telling, and democracy. As media consolidation, job cuts, and anti-DEI efforts reshape...

🎙️ Episode 7 Show Notes Episode Title: Music as Memory: Dr. Fredara Hadley on Music as Culture and W.E.B. Du Bois (Part 2) Episode Summary In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Dr. Fredara Hadley returns to explore the deeper relationship between music, culture, and identity through the lens of W.E.B. Du Bois . Together, we examine how Du Bois’ Northern upbringing shaped his understanding of Bl...

🎙 Episode 6: Music as Memory: Dr. Fredara Hadley on Culture, Spirituals, and Du Bois (Part 1) Description: In this powerful episode, we sit down with ethnomusicologist Fredara Hadley following the premiere of W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause. Together, we explore the deep relationship between music, history, and the Black experience—uncovering how sound carries memory, identity, and truth across...

Episode 5: Sinners, One Battle After Another, and the Truth Description: In this episode, we explore how Black storytelling—both in documentary and Hollywood—captures the complexity of history, truth, and lived experience. From the Oscar-nominated Sinners to narratives of perseverance and survival, we examine how our stories reflect the battles within our communities and within ourselves. We discu...

🎙 Episode 4 Show Notes Title: Defending Our Stories: Inside Black Public Media with Leslie Fields-Cruz (Part 1) Description: In this episode of Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS, host Rita Coburn sits down with Leslie Fields-Cruz to explore the critical role of supporting and protecting Black storytelling.  This conversation explores the power behind the stories we see on screen and the ins...

🎙 Episode 3 Show Notes Title: Across the Water: Blood Speaks with Michelle McKinney Hammond Description: In this episode of Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS , host Rita Coburn takes listeners across the water —into a conversation about identity, ancestry, and the deep spiritual pull of home. Rita speaks with author, speaker, and cultural bridge-builder Michelle McKinney Hammond about her j...

🎙 Episode 2 Show Notes Title: Carrying the Story Forward: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones Description: As the United States approaches 250 years of independence, this episode asks a deeper question: What happens when we center 1619 in the American story? In Episode 2 of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story , Rita Coburn reflects on the tradition of the griot — the sacred responsibility of car...

🎙 Episode 1 Show Notes Title: We Are Somebody: Launching Our Stories Description: Today is the birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois — a man who dedicated his life to documenting our history, preserving our stories, and defending our truth. In this first episode of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story , host Rita Coburn reflects on the importance of telling our own narratives and why truth lives inside our stor...