Why Are They So Angry?

Spelling bees seem like  innocent competitions where the idea of systemic racism should be foreign. But flashback to the year 1908, and  Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, will tell about how the level playing field of the national spelling bee was unleveled by systemic racism and a Black/African American girl almost became the first national spelling bee winner years bef...

It’s that time of year again, though postponed for the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Summer Olympic Games are back. Before heading out to Tokyo for the 2021 games though, listen as  Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, talk about protests and systemic racism that have been part of the games since their inception. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it,...

This is a reprise of a popular Why Are They So Angry? episode. When it's election time, Dr. Carol Francois and her niece Kourtney Square want you to know systemic racism is on the ballot, too. In this episode, you’ll hear how voter suppression in the past was violent and murderous. Today, voters are still being intimidated and their rights trampled. Listen to hear what’s being done to keep voters...

Most BlackAfrican Americans are familiar with the statement, “people died for your right to vote,” yet they don’t really know how true the words are. This year’s rapt attention on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has awakened America to its sordid past, but there are hundreds of well-documented massacres of Black/African Americans throughout this nation’s history. In this fourth and final part in thei...

Violence against workers seeking better pay, working conditions, or the right to unionize is well-documented throughout American history. What isn’t documented as well, are the many instances when Black/African Americans were  massacred simply for  attempting to unionize for fair working conditions and wages. This year’s rapt attention on the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 has awakened Amer...

Believe it or not, the Tulsa Race Massacre only scratches the surface. Join Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square for Massacres Denied Part II: Cicero Siege to hear about the ongoing resistance to Black/African Americans buying homes and living in what were considered white enclave neighborhoods. Their four-part special series Massacres Denied exposes how Black/African Americans have be...

This year’s rapt attention on the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 has awakened America to its sordid past, but since 1863 up until the present, there are hundreds of well-documented instances of Black/African Americans being murdered, terrorized, and stripped of their property. That history, though, has gone unrecorded, untaught, and purposely purged from most history books. Join Dr. Carol François an...

This week’s Why Are They So Angry? salutes the women of the U.S. Armed Forces who bravely served America since the Revolutionary War. Listen as Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, share about the Black/African American sheroes past and present who heard the call and served their country despite systemic racism in the ranks including the women of the determined 6888th Battalion who t...

George Floyd’s death triggered an outpouring of reactions around the world ranging from outrage, fear, frustration, and militancy. How did you respond to the televised murder of George Floyd? That’s the question raised in the next episode of Why Are They So Angry? Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they remember George Floyd on the anniversary of his death and memorialize h...

Horse racing has long been popular in America, but few people know how or why African/Americans dominated the sport in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Listen in as Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, tell why Black/African Americans excelled in horse racing, how systemic racism caused them to be overshadowed, and learn about a jockey who attempted a daring escape from the Ru...

Black/African Americans have close ties to Mexico that few people know about or understand. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to learn why Juneteenth is celebrated across the border, how an African prince led an uprising in Mexico and achieved freedom, and what Blaxit is all about on the next episode of Why Are They So Angry? . Like what you hear? Please give us a review at h...

What do Denmark Vesey, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr. and William Barber have in common? Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to find out how these people worked within the church forming the foundation of the fight for social justice in America. Learn how the Black/African American church from its earliest founding to its modern incarnation continues to see, say, and...

What we watch on television and in the movies shapes our thinking and culture in general. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to hear about Oscar Micheaux, a pioneering Black/African American filmmaker from the early 20th Century. They’ll also share examples of systemic racism in the television and motion picture industry and the creative ways Black/African Americans are beatin...

Understanding American laws and its legal system requires a bright mind. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to hear about Black/African American women who excelled and overcame systemic racism in the legal profession as well as the story of one who helped bring down a Mob kingpin in the 1930’s. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whya...

Women formed the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement but rarely get the recognition they deserve for their important contributions. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they shine the spotlight on women past and present who moved and are moving the social justice efforts to eradicate systemic racism.  Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront...

Show Notes Girl Scouts of the USA began as an all-white organization in Savannah, Ga., in 1912. But over time, the organization confronted systemic racism in its own ranks and became what Dr. Martin Luther King described as “a force for desegregation.” Listen as Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square trace the evolution of Girl Scouts and their connection to Maggie Lena Walker, a little...

The intersection of race and gender presents an interesting way to look at systemic racism in America, and the inventions, organizations, and movements impacted and made great by Black/African American women are a microcosm of the phenomenon.  Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, take a look at female scientists and inventors---their struggles and triumphs in spite of syste...

We'd like to think of sports as the great equalizer, as the one area of American life where a person regardless of race can enter the arena and find a level playing field, so to speak. Unfortunately, systemic racism is as deeply rooted in sports as it is in most other aspects of American society. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they peel back the systemic racism that per...

What is the origin story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and are they still relevant? Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, explore these questions and tell about the deadly but largely unknown Orangeburg massacre at South Carolina State University--one of the most violent incidents of the Civil Rights movement They’ll shine the spotlight on notable HBCU gradua...

Black/African love, marriage, and families have been under assault from the time enslaved people were brought to this country. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they explore how, in spite of this assault, Black/African Americans have forged unbreakable bonds for love to survive and thrive. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyar...

Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, explore the evolution of Black History Month. From its creation by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to the present, Black History Month has both its celebrants and detractors. Listen to hear about Black History Month classroom lessons gone wrong but why teaching Black History is relevant and needed. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it,...

The White House is one of most recognized buildings and symbols of American power and democracy. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they describe the scandal that erupted because of a White House dinner invitation and the “alternative facts” it produced. Learn the impact some Black/African American confidants, diplomats, and policymakers had on the executive branch of gover...

The White House is one of most recognized buildings and symbols of American power and democracy. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they illuminate the unsung men and women who built and worked in that fabled building. From the carpenters, brick layers, laborers, entertainers, and servants, all the way to the confidants, diplomats, and policymakers, Black/African Americans,...

The FBI’s COINTELPRO targeted Black/African leaders and civil rights organizations for decades.  Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, explore the dark side of the FBI efforts to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" individuals or groups deemed subversive. They’ll examine aspects of the Martin Luther King, Jr. FBI files and how it was intended to under...

Join Dr. Carol François and her niece, Kourtney Square as they ride into the West and share how Black/African Americans contributed to the country’s westward expansion. You’ll hear about Bass Reeves, perhaps the real Lone Ranger, and exploits of pioneers and settlers you’ve never heard of before. Want more---take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com...