He tended to the plantations, gardening day in and day out. It was tiring, but he secretly worked on one of his best ideas. And today we’re absolutely nuts about it. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every...

The battle for bodily autonomy in the Black community is nothing new. We’ve been fighting for the right to control our bodies for centuries. However, the acts doctors performed in twentieth-century North Carolina were especially heinous. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your...

The potato chip is one of the most popular snack foods in the world. But did you know it was actually an accident from the kitchen of a Black chef? Here’s how a happy accident changed the way we snack forever. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

Today's History Story: Wealth in Community For centuries, wealth has been forged through land dispossession, ecological plunder, and brutal exploitation, often at the expense of Black lives. But is acquiring wealth this way truly our path to liberation? Or is it time to reimagine wealth built on care and solidarity instead of violence and competition? Today’s guest has a few ideas, and so do we as we lay out a blueprint for a new kind of wealth. Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor is a writer,...

This act was supposed to be anti-slavery. Or at the very least, make life easier for enslaved Africans. But then things backfired. And this history actually teaches us a valuable lesson today. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people...

New parents looking for baby formula are likely to find empty shelves these days! Everyone’s throwing blame for the shortage, which is causing infant deaths and illness. But for Black parents, baby formula issues have a long, troubling history. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions...

"We will fight the white men. We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields." - Yaa Asantewaa. She bellowed these words, a charge to her people. They wouldn’t bow out from this fight - they couldn’t. The liberation of their very souls depended on it.  _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen...

When yet another landlord denied Harry Belafonte's rental application, he knew it could only be because of race. So he got an idea – and they were NOT ready for the trick he had up his sleeve. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a...

Today's History Story: The Jim Crow Etiquette of The Word "LIE" Parenting is never easy, especially when raising a Black child in a world hellbent on dehumanizing us. That’s why today’s episode is so crucial—we’re talking about the historical legacies that have shaped modern parenting and what it takes to decolonize it. Joining us in doing that work is the incredible Yolanda Williams. Yolanda is a racial justice educator, conscious parenting coach, and the visionary behind Parenting...

Black love is one of the strongest in the world. We love each other through the toughest of times and the story of Uncle Levi and Aunt Aggie exemplifies this. Here’s how an enslaved couple kept hope alive until they met again. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

Ginger ale has been in our folks’ get-well-soon arsenal for decades. It’s akin to a cure-all and although the soft drink has questionable ingredients, there may be a generations-old reason why we love it so much. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

When was the last time you told someone to “mind their business?” Were you aware that you’d just used a code word rooted in Black liberation? Here’s how “the business” got us free. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a...

Even if you haven’t heard his music you’ve heard his message. “The revolution will not be televised” was him calling out injustice. But now, in the era of social media, we must ask: should the revolution be televised? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

Today's History Story: Ring Shout Black communities have long leveraged language as a tool of resistance and connection. And often, our survival hinged on mastering a secret language—a coded communication hidden in plain sight. Today, in a time where digital platforms have emerged as vital arenas for Black expression, where a hilarious meme can start a revolution or a TikTok dance can unify generations, understanding the legacy of and possibilities within Black communication is more crucial...

Every other president had been heralded; even the ones who did more harm than good to their nation. He gave everything to unify the country in a time of war, and yet, his story would go untold for over a century. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

They were harmless. A tall, yellow bird. A blue monster who loved cookies. And all the children who came to play. But it was all too Black for this state. And the day they banned the show shares eerie similarities with today. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

Robert Fraizer was doing his job. He stood on the sidelines and cheered like he was supposed to, but when this football team of racists lost, they took it out on him–their mascot-in the WORST way. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most...

The juke joint was smokey and dimly lit. The band played a slow bluesy number, inviting couples onto the dance floor. Pressed tightly together, pelvis’s cradling one another and rocking back and forth, couples swayed into the night. This was Slow Drag. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen...

What’s the real deal with history? Is history as straightforward as we make it out to be? Don’t you ever wonder who decides which stories make the cut? Whose narratives get the spotlight? And who decides what’s deemed worthy of preservation regarding our people and culture? We all know how Black history across the globe has been swiped, twisted, and rewritten by colonialism. But how is this being challenged? How can we ensure our stories aren’t just fabricated footnotes in someone else’s...

Thousands of Black bodies had been tossed in mass graves after fighting for freedom — it was only right that they honored the fallen. Ten thousand people sang hymns and laid flowers. How did the Black history of this holiday get erased? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at...

She is one of the most important storytellers in our history but anti-Blackness tried to make her a sellout. But she was too quick for that. She finessed the hell outta white money. Talk about reparations! _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com...

His is one of the most iconic voices in history. But as a child he experienced a traumatic incident that made him stop speaking. It took a miracle to take him from silent to superstar. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people...

Benin City was well ahead of its time. With palm oil fueled street lights, a sprawling palace, and a great wall four times that of China’s. So why doesn’t this wonder exist today? _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10...

How we enter this world matters. But white supremacy has infiltrated even the most sacred aspects of Black culture, including our birthing practices. On today’s episode, we’re uncovering the often-erased historical roots of Black childbirth and the deadly implications of its medicalization. Our guest, Linda Jones, is here to break it all down. Linda, a postpartum birthing doula, birth photographer, and co-founder of Black Women Birthing Justice, has spent three decades serving women of color...