Special Export Podcast

Episode 11: The Distinction Between the White and Colored People of the North and South Description: Drawing on his extensive travels, Latta offers a controversial comparison of Northern and Southern race relations. He recounts a heartbreaking night in a Northern city where he walked until midnight because no hotel would admit him, contrasting this with the "frank" but manageable segregation of th...

Episode 10: The Investigation Bureau Description: Latta takes aim at the "Investigation Bureau" in New York, which he claims hindered small, struggling institutions. He defends his endorsements from Southern governors and mayors and asserts that his school has done more to uplift "fallen humanity" than any distant bureaucracy. 

Episode 9: Progress of the Latta University Description: A triumphant "prospectus" chapter where Latta describes the physical campus in West Raleigh: 23 buildings, an industrial farm, and a capacity for 1,400 students. He outlines the night school and industrial departments where young men learned masonry and carpentry while young ladies mastered domestic sciences. 

Episode 8: The Great Troubles I Had in Building Latta University Description: Latta details the crushing financial burden of running a school where one-third of the students could not pay tuition. He describes traveling the country with "tears in his eyes" to raise funds, often receiving amounts as small as twenty-five cents while facing both hospitality and hostility from business owners. 

Episode 7: Lynchings in the Southern States Description: In a somber and complex chapter, Latta addresses the epidemic of lynching. While he uses the language of his era to advocate for "moral training" and compulsory education as a cure for social disorder, he maintains that the students of Latta University represent a new, law-abiding standard of citizenship. 

Episode 6: When I Commenced to Establish the Latta University Description: Latta describes the immense local opposition he faced—from both white and Black communities—when he began his university project. He recounts a dramatic morning when his wife believed he was "ruined" by the newspapers and his eventual triumph in securing the "tacit support" of Raleigh’s white leadership despite being labele...

Episode 5: Alleged Expressions Concerning the Negro Race Description: Latta addresses the 19th-century prejudices that claimed Black Americans were incapable of extraordinary achievements. He details his spiritual struggle with these accusations and his ultimate determination to establish a non-sectarian university as living proof of his race's potential. 

Episode 4: My Life in College Description: Latta recounts the harrowing and humorous struggle of attending Shaw University. Arriving with only ten cents, he survived on a trunk full of crackers, cheese, and sugar while working as a janitor. He describes the transition from being mocked as an "idiot" to being hailed as "Professor Latta" after excelling in his examinations and earning money through...

Episode 3: The Colored People's Theory Description: This episode delves into Latta's perspective on the "Back to Africa" movement. While he acknowledges the reasoning of leaders like Bishop Turner, Latta declares his satisfaction with staying in America. He critiques what he perceives as a lack of ambition among some in his community and cites King Solomon as a historical example of Black greatnes...

My Political Life Description: Latta explores his brief but intense engagement with politics during a time when the Republican party controlled North Carolina. He explains his ultimate decision to "wash his hands" of politics, predicting the rise of the Democratic party and advising his race to prioritize property ownership, education, and the "mighty silver dollar" over political campaigning. 

Chapter 1: How I Started in Life Description: Born into slavery in 1853 at Fishdam near the Neuse River, M.L. Latta recounts the extreme poverty of his youth. Following the death of his father and the drowning of his oldest brother, a seventeen-year-old Latta became the primary provider for his mother and twelve siblings. He describes plowing with an ox and studying by the light of pine knots whil...

Episode 1: How I Started in Life Description: Born into slavery in 1853 at Fishdam near the Neuse River, M.L. Latta recounts the extreme poverty of his youth. Following the death of his father and the drowning of his oldest brother, a seventeen-year-old Latta became the primary provider for his mother and twelve siblings. He describes plowing with an ox and studying by the light of pine knots whil...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Lessons from the Forest: Indian Anecdotes and Humor Description: In this final installment of our series on the great chieftains, we step away from the formal history of treaties and battles to look at the human side of frontier life. Through a collection of "Anecdotes and Incidents," we explore the wit, logic, and cultural nuances of the American...

Show Notes: The Flight of the Black Hawk In this episode of Special Export , we delve into the tragic history of Ma-ka-tai-me she-kia-kiak , better known as Black Hawk , and the 1832 war that bears his name. We explore the roots of the conflict, beginning with the disputed Treaty of 1804 , which Black Hawk claimed was signed by representatives who had been "drunk the greater part of the time" and...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Piskaret: The Hero of the Adirondacks Description: In this episode of Special Export , we journey back to the early 17th century to witness the legendary exploits of Piskaret , the most celebrated chieftain of the North. At a time when the Adirondack tribe faced near-extermination by the formidable Iroquois confederation, Piskaret and a small band...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Quanah Parker: The White Comanche Description: In this episode of Special Export , we explore the remarkable life of Quanah Parker , the last and greatest chief of the Quahada Comanches. As the son of a Comanche warrior and a captured white woman, Cynthia Anne Parker, Quanah’s life was a bridge between two worlds. A fierce resistor of the reservati...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Dr. Carlos Montezuma: The Apache Physician Description: In this episode of Special Export , we transition from the battlefield to the world of medicine and advocacy. We follow the incredible journey of Dr. Carlos Montezuma (Wassaja) , a full-blood Apache who was captured as a child and sold for the price of a horse, only to become one of the most p...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Geronimo: The Yawner of the Apache Description: In this episode of Special Export , we explore the life of Geronimo (Go-yat-thlay) , the formidable Bedonkohe Apache leader whose name became a synonym for defiance and survival. Known to his people as "The Yawner," Geronimo was neither a traditional chief nor a king, but a medicine man and warrior wh...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Chief Joseph: The Modern Xenophon Description: In this episode of Special Export , we recount the epic and tragic odyssey of Chief Joseph (Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt) and the Nez Percé. Known as "The Modern Xenophon" and the "Red Napoleon" for his brilliant tactical retreat, Joseph led his people—including women, children, and the elderly—on a harrow...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Sitting Bull: The Great Sioux Prophet and Strategist Description: In this episode of Special Export , we delve into the life of Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka) , the legendary Hunkpapa Lakota leader whose name is forever linked to the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Unlike many war-chiefs, Sitting Bull’s power lay in his role as a medicine man and a...

Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Shabbona: The White Man’s Friend Description: In this episode of Special Export , we explore the life of Shabbona (or Chamblee) , a Pottawatomie chief whose legacy is defined by a rare and steadfast commitment to peace. A nephew of the great Pontiac and a former aide to Tecumseh, Shabbona was once a warrior who stood at the center of the frontier’s most violen...

Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Tecumseh: The Shooting Star of the West Description: In this episode of Special Export , we chronicle the life of Tecumseh , perhaps the most extraordinary leader in the history of the aboriginal American race. From his birth at the Shawnee town of Piqua to his final stand at the Battle of the Thames, Tecumseh’s life was a "meteoric career" fueled by a brillia...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Little Turtle: The Conqueror of the Northwest Description: In this episode of Special Export , we explore the remarkable life of Little Turtle (Michikiniqua) , the Miami war chief who handed the United States some of its most stinging military defeats. A contemporary of Pontiac and a predecessor to Tecumseh, Little Turtle was a master strategist wh...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Red Jacket: The Indian Demosthenes Description: In this episode of Special Export , we explore the complex life and enduring legacy of Red Jacket (Sa-go-ye-wat-ha) , the celebrated Seneca chief whose eloquence Thomas Jefferson once compared to the greatest orators of antiquity. Born into humble parentage, Red Jacket rose to become the primary voice...

Show Notes: Special Export Podcast Episode Title: Logan, the Mingo Chief: Oratory and Vengeance Description: In this installment of Special Export , we recount the tragic and powerful history of Logan (Tal-Ga-Yee-Ta) , a Cayuga chief whose name became synonymous with forest eloquence and the profound sorrows of the American frontier. For years, Logan was celebrated as the "white man’s friend," inh...