

Black History Year
PushBlack
Learning your history makes you - and your people - stronger.
As Black people, we know we’re often left out of the history books. That media images are skewed. That we need access to experts, information, and ideas so we can uplift our community.
The Black History Year feed connects you to the history, thinkers, and activists that are usually excluded from mainstream conversations, through must-hear interviews and 2-Minute Black History stories. You might not agree with everything you hear, but we’re always working toward one goal: uniting for the best interests of Black people worldwide.
BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black media organization - contact us at BlackHistoryYear.com.
As Black people, we know we’re often left out of the history books. That media images are skewed. That we need access to experts, information, and ideas so we can uplift our community.
The Black History Year feed connects you to the history, thinkers, and activists that are usually excluded from mainstream conversations, through must-hear interviews and 2-Minute Black History stories. You might not agree with everything you hear, but we’re always working toward one goal: uniting for the best interests of Black people worldwide.
BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation’s largest non-profit Black media organization - contact us at BlackHistoryYear.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 31, 2024 • 45min
Black Horror and the Monstrous Fear of Self with Dr. Kinitra D. Brooks (May 2022)
They say urban legends aren’t real and are only cautionary tales to keep unruly children at bay, but there are elements underlying these stories that are far more terrifying than any monster or ghoul. The biggest horror? We, as Black people, have learned to fear ourselves.In 2022, Jay sat down with Dr. Kinitra Brooks to guide this conversation. Beyond being a horror scholar, she is a horror fan. She’s authored two books: Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Hauntings of Contemporary Horror and Sycorax’s Daughters, and is working on her next work about Conjure Women. She is also the Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies in the Department of English at Michigan State University.__________________________Black History Year (BHY) 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 and explore pathways to liberation with people leading the way. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.Hosting BHY is Jay (2020-2023) and Darren Wallace (2024). Our producers are Cydney Smith and Len Webb. BHY’s executive producers are Julian Walker and Lilly Workneh. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 30, 2024 • 3min
The Little-Known Black History Of The Easter Holiday
When you think of the Easter holiday, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Black history? It should be. Here’s why the holiday is one of the Blackest celebrations of the year._____________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 dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 27, 2024 • 3min
This Popular Holiday Drink Is Rooted In Black History
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about eggnog? Here’s why you might want to start considering the drink a symbol of unity for Black people everywhere._____________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 dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 26, 2024 • 3min
How Formerly Enslaved Bermudians Created This Holiday After Emancipation
When slavery ended in Bermuda, Black folks had a plan for the following year. Now that they were paid employees, it was time to regain their power from white supremacy, and they did it in the most genius 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 people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 24, 2024 • 1h 32min
“Poetry Is Not a Luxury”: How Words Shape Freedom with Yolanda Wisher
Host Darren Wallace, with our producer Len riding shotgun, sits down with poet, educator, and former Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher to talk poetry. Together, they dive into the historical and cultural significance of griots and spoken word, revisit the impact of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” and reflect on Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize win. Yolanda also shares how her work—through projects like Love Jawns: A Mixtape and Stellar Masses—inspires and mobilizes communities. Poetry is all around us. This episode is here to help us understand and reconnect with its healing and transformative power.To learn more about our guest, visit www.yolandawisher.com—Black History Year (BHY) 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 and explore pathways to liberation with people who are leading the way. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work. Hosting BHY is Darren Wallace. The BHY production team includes Brooke Brown, Amber Davis, Mina Davis, Kevin McFall, Gabby Roberts, and Leslie Taylor-Grover. Our producers are Cydney Smith, Darren Wallace, and Len Webb, who also edits the show. BHY’s executive producers are Julian Walker and Lilly Workneh. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 23, 2024 • 3min
As Hip-Hop’s First Godmother, She Helped Build The Billion-Dollar Industry
Against all odds, Sylvia Robinson transformed her setbacks into the world's first hip-hop record and ignited a global movement. Without her, hip-hop may not be what it is today. Here’s how she laid the foundation for hip-hop to go worldwide._____________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 dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 20, 2024 • 3min
Resurfacing The Black Roots Of Rumba Dancing
Drumbeats filled the air, navels pressed against each other, and hips swayed. A dance of celebration was one of the few things the Congolese were able to take into enslavement. The history of the rumba is a tale of cultural erasure._____________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 dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 19, 2024 • 4min
This Trailblazing Doctor Challenged Racism And Changed Medicine Forever
He was told Black blood shouldn’t be mixed with white blood. Refusing to accept this racism, he chose another, more powerful path. His story is ironic, given that he was the one who made blood storage possible in the first place._____________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 dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 18, 2024 • 4min
The ‘Angry Black Woman’ Trope And The Truth About Black Rage
She got heated often. Yelled. Raged. Her emotions were belittled. She was called Sapphire and used to weaponize how Black women express anger. Thankfully, she stayed mad, and her rage was her greatest teacher of what it means to protest._____________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 dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 17, 2024 • 1h 35min
The Black History of The DJ with Skeme Richards
DJ Skeme Richards, known as the Nostalgia King, dives into the soulful world of DJs and their indelible impact on Black culture. He discusses the art of space-making through music, exploring how DJs like Frankie Knuckles and Kool Herc shaped hip-hop and house. Richards reflects on the evolution of dance, the importance of physical music media, and how genres like techno emerged from Detroit’s rich cultural legacy. The conversation underscores music's role in uniting communities and inspiring resistance against oppression.


