Black History Year is a black history podcast about activists and thinkers left out of mainstream conversations. It is produced by PushBlack , which is the nation’s largest non-profit black media company. There are weekly episodes called “2 Minute Black History” that are concise history lessons about topics and figures that are important to history. A few of the episodes I listened to are about the Angola 3, Benjamin Banneker, and Vivien Thomas. Though short, the episodes are educational and very informative. I highly recommend Black History Year as a way of celebrating Black History Month.
The first episode of this podcast that I listened to is about the Angola 3. The Angola 3 are members of the Black Panther Party named Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, and Robert Hillary King who were imprisoned at the Angola Prison in Louisiana. Though in solitary confinement, they fought for prison reform, such as better food and sanitary conditions. It is impressive how much they were able to accomplish despite being isolated in prison.
Another interesting episode that I listened to is about Benjamin Banneker. Banneker was a free African American that lived during the 18th and 19th centuries. He was a genius that invented gadgets that benefit everyday life and even designed the city plan for Washington D.C. Banneker called out Thomas Jefferson for his hypocrisy over slavery. This episode is fascinating and a lot of little known facts are put in the spotlight.
In How This Janitor Defied Medical History In The Most Unexpected Way, you hear the incredible story of Vivien Thomas who was a medical student until he ran into financial problems and had to drop out of medical school. He worked as a custodian to make ends meet. He eventually worked in medical labs after demonstrating his brilliance. Though he never went back to medical school, he invented revolutionary vascular and cardiac surgeries at research medical laboratories and was well respected in the medical field. This is yet another amazing history tale that I heard for the first time in this podcast.
Black History Year is a fascinating and educational podcast. Each week there are episodes of “Two Minute Black History” that cover people and topics that are not commonly discussed. The people discussed accomplished incredible feats, which make it a perfect podcast for Black History Month.
Black History Year Reading List
A Scientific Revolution by Ralph Hruban
From The Bottom of the Heap by Robert Hillary King
Illustrated Black History by George McCalman
Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family by Rachel Jamison Webster
Michael Walsh is an Adult Services Librarian. He is currently reading Once There Were Giants: The Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing by Jerry Izenberg.