Who We Are

Episode 7: Why They Came: Hope and the Black Community

In this episode, host and Jonestown survivor Leslie Wagner Wilson sits down with Sikivu Hutchinson to explore what drew so many Black families to the San Francisco area during the 1970s — and the deep sense of hope that the Peoples Temple represented for the Black community.Together, Leslie and Sikivu unpack the social and political climate of the era: the search for racial equality, economic opportunity, and genuine community in a country that had so often denied all three. They examine why the Temple's message of integration, dignity, and collective purpose resonated so powerfully with Black Americans — and how that hope was ultimately betrayed.This is a conversation about faith, longing, belonging, and the dreams that brought a generation to the Bay.🎙️ Host: Leslie Wagner Wilson, Jonestown survivor and author🎙️ Guest: Sikivu Hutchinson, author and scholarSikivu Hutchinson, PhD. is an educator, writer, and stage director with a background in gender and social justice youth leadership, professional development and training, as well as research on culturally responsive teaching, Black feminism, women of color feminism, sexual violence, LGBTQ+ youth and family affirming best practices, humanism and atheism. As the founder of the Women’s Leadership Project and Young Male Scholars’ programs she has successfully assisted first generation, foster care, undocumented, and LGBTQ students of color go on to college and careers. Show Notes and Linkshttps://www.amazon.com/White-Nights-P... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkhjVVhlOENzUS1iVzZUQ3Q0WEhYUlo2akNsQXxBQ3Jtc0ttZXZ6TnpBNnZCaDgzaWxfM0tLVENGLVA2M1hSTG1MNkd0TTR2TlNveDJUNmFIX3BZaDRfQkNVLW9wbVF3WHY1T2N5dk1TVjh1cEJibDdpUVI3RWRLeVVnVjQtUGM3VmxHejBSOVdubWtwNW9RTmNMMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FWhite-Nights-Paradise-Sikivu-Hutchinson%2Fdp%2F0692267131%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fcrid%3D313AIKQR7FHDP%26dib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9._sPUd_xpZH3l5SrjeGbKDp8QkvjQpWt8UBNj_MbxXTpXcSRCnY_VcWSGhdk-Fb8pxkgMr1pm0rGgLI5pMmjOvfEwaE0nT5A41V_y1l8DWZ0r_JXtnwWmNkHoIkz01yzaCdsYTdGkAMQogkfT2RYRcwWoqnCuU76SdTd3VpxYTzY6g7YQ3cDEdgvaILzaap0_RsOFVRyG2IUoqcIaVnZEjhKU3chVNEnYiIsp0xwuJos.oHqL8cFHI20nrbF0VgkrW0OtpRdGu_XMdJEXdBD1Vvc%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3DSikivu%2BHutchinson%26qid%3D1781829596%26sprefix%3Dsikivu%2Bhutchinson%252Caps%252C143%26sr%3D8-3&v=a9N52wRQ8HI]https://thehumanist.com/magazine/wint... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTZWa1pabzFuaGtLWjd5WHd1dG9Dbk0xRXNLd3xBQ3Jtc0tuS05ZT3ZuR01pX0w1cHJ5Y01XaUpKd1FtR25VRkZIUTR5YzdIMENsRWtRWGp2LUN5aWJJLVR2WWFaUXNVZFlVMlRpMG5Ha1N3Z2ZRX19RNlA1NU5wUDRNVHhMVDJsblJWSnhTTGQwbFZzcGdodHc2aw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fthehumanist.com%2Fmagazine%2Fwinter-2022%2Ffeatures%2Fwhy-we-need-more-black-humanists-in-academia&v=a9N52wRQ8HI]https://www.amazon.com/Humanists-Hood... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbndWVW8wNTFBWl9FY1YybEZmLVJ4LXQtSTN5UXxBQ3Jtc0trcmpBX3cwQnAwYzQ1LUM3eVk1dVB2NjFzMTFUeGxFZlprVXloV1ZJekJNN1VkTDZ0MEhxTHBNcjYwWWE1aER4OFlkMzk2cHhMV3BGMGRscl9wMXVFdFBFR2QwQ0NPMG9qQmE0YXpCWV9PNEZBMWJHZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHumanists-Hood-Unapologetically-Feminist-Heretical-ebook%2Fdp%2FB085F3C8N1&v=a9N52wRQ8HI]Womens Leadership Projecthttp://www.sikivuhutchinson.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDZWeE1OV25xWnZOU2hTTGlnd25sUzRkN011d3xBQ3Jtc0tsMzdaNXNuRy1vQlZZWWlrQWhZV1RTeTdnX0E4SVpCNG9MVVVMaDgxaDlGdFlWNTd4a3lwb2R6bFp3cjZBZFYyUFhCMnpocWlLVmw1NEp5TGtZdkFlV0YteXEwbTcxVU5iZmdhWUk3MDNibDVTSVJ5NA&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sikivuhutchinson.com%2F&v=a9N52wRQ8HI]https://hollywoodprogressive.com/stag... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbF94YVBoRTl5S2hJZjUzZldVQ3RTTnhqQjVJd3xBQ3Jtc0tsa0NXaXFvYWRYNTdHaEtEaGRaam1YbUdzUzVKcnItSHRaRXNGQmhkejF0T3V6RC1XV1IwbEUwT0VvN09DY1p4LU1iNmsxS2xUOWFEdjRTVWxMNDNpYU44UlJEb3hXNGJLalI3MkRIamFvaEtJdXlLaw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fhollywoodprogressive.com%2Fstage%2Fwhite-nights-black-paradise&v=a9N52wRQ8HI]https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jonest... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbUNyNFJ1UHFycGROSzhWM1RsaF9WV0RaVmhHUXxBQ3Jtc0trWlNRbHJxQjU5OGNDSVd2WnBpVWY2ancySWdwU2pEaWhoUWduejN4ZnNaU3dHa2RpdjZ5cVE4M2lKRWdNVzNOaTVZTHNCWE9xdElqZ21KYy1RZ0FiV1Y3aFJVaU14TC1sbWZpcEo1MG8yd3RUU21Sbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fjonestown-in-the-trump-era-commemorating-the-black_b_582d2396e4b0eaa5f14d4054&v=a9N52wRQ8HI] #BlackJonestown [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/blackjonestown] #PeoplesTemple [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/peoplestemple] #JimJones [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/jimjones] #Jonestown [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/jonestown] #JonestownSurvivor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/jonestownsurvivor] #LeslieWagnerWilson [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/lesliewagnerwilson] #SikivuHutchinson [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sikivuhutchinson] #BlackHistory [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/blackhistory] #BlackCommunity [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/blackcommunity] #SanFrancisco [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sanfrancisco] #BayArea [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bayarea] #CivilRights [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/civilrights] #BlackChurch [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/blackchurch] #Cult [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cult] #CultSurvivor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cultsurvivor] #AmericanHistory [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/americanhistory] #blackvoicesmatter [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/blackvoicesmatter] Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode of Black Jonestown.

Episode 6: The Man with the File- Inside the Peoples Temple Investigation

Before Jonestown became a tragedy the world could no longer ignore, someone was already watching. In this episode, host and Jonestown survivor Leslie Wagner Wilson sits down with David Reuben, Special Investigator with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. David Reuben shares how he became involved in the investigation, what drew law enforcement's attention to Jim Jones and his organization, and what the evidence revealed about the Temple's activities. He takes us inside the findings — the files, the witnesses, and the disturbing picture that began to emerge. He reflects on the aftermath — what happened to the investigation, the evidence, and the people connected to it. This is the side of the Jonestown story that rarely gets told — the paper trail that existed before the tragedy, and the man who followed it. Show Notes: Church Vs. Statehttps://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/artic... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTg1VTVOUW5td1Robk9tOUtYaVRqdkoxVVNWd3xBQ3Jtc0ttdUM2cGZnMjhkSk5lTFF4MTFDU2puVGJyWTJMTXlWZHNDbzRYcHBsVnB0ZlZHdlN3UFcyUUdhR0ExTHduUkhrX3lRQnJ4cnJsai1SR0NmUll5d1JtUmVWSTJUUndHRWJwMUs0cDI3ZXA4My1VMFA5OA&q=https%3A%2F%2Ffirstamendment.mtsu.edu%2Farticle%2Festablishment-clause-separation-of-church-and-state%2F%3Futm_source%3Dchatgpt.com&v=k8Vw-S3osPM]New West Article/Linda Mertle Abusehttps://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-content... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmdzcnBtUDR2X2NRTUEyeThWa3hTQ3VfWHF5UXxBQ3Jtc0ttQ19zaHFFbUlHU0NCZ1FaN3E0c0JlellLUmtjMEZ4S2xhejJjUDVxUGhGQzhfc2FZaHF3SWFseEpVdWVsVElDVnJVcWl3Q2kwVmxWV0p5NGdSNVVJOGY0YkFhTXp1R3ZUb29DZ0xGblNrdGJfRkozbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fjonestown.sdsu.edu%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F10%2FnewWestart.pdf&v=k8Vw-S3osPM]Affidavits & Lettershttps://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=8... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1MxaW80dkxnN1RNRG5SU1VNRWxYaE45VjFuZ3xBQ3Jtc0trTUNoV1pmQ1pVdHd6N1YxQVJ0cnJYVFVQSHBtWEdHaGJkZHBGalBfcUtkTGd4Zk1QOUVrSUVjV1NZcDNXZGhFWFhLU19kZFVvRGRFTFVCVEx3STc3bkN2Y1prNE11cV9JZWRhekloOWt6XzlqVU1FMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fjonestown.sdsu.edu%2F%3Fpage_id%3D88147https%3A%2F%2Fjonestown.sdsu.edu%2F%3Fpage_id%3D109000&v=k8Vw-S3osPM]

Episode 5: The Grift: Jack Colbert - Life Inside Peoples Temple

In this powerful episode, survivor and Host Leslie Wagner Wilson sits down with Jack Colbert, a former member of People's Temple, for an intimate and unflinching conversation about what it meant to grow up inside of a movement that weaponized hope against the very people it claimed to serve. Jack opens up about his childhood within the Temple — the community, the faith, and the sense of belonging that drew so many families in. He reflects on what daily life looked like under Jim Jones, the control, the contradictions, and the moments that slowly began to crack the foundation of everything he believed. This is more than a story about a cult. It's a story about community, survival, and the complicated search for something real.

Episode 4: The Grift; Power, Money and the Promise

In this episode of Black Jonestown, we trace the ideological blueprint that shaped Jim Jones long before Jonestown existed. Episode 4 examines Jones’s formative influences—specifically his ties to William Branham, a controversial revivalist whose theology, healing theatrics, and authoritarian control methods helped model how spiritual authority could be performed, protected, and monetized. We then widen the lens to Father Divine and the Peace Mission Movement, whose structure demonstrated something even more powerful than charisma: infrastructure. Through Father Divine, Jones witnessed how religious devotion could be fused with: Economic systemsCommunal livingLand ownershipPolitical accessCarefully managed racial opticsThis episode explores how Jones did not invent his methods—but studied them. Adapted them. And ultimately weaponized them. The Grift: Part 1 reveals how belief becomes currency, how loyalty becomes labor, and how power disguises itself as promise.This is not the story of a madman. This is the story of a student.

Episode 3: Janet Shular Interview

Episode 3 of Black Jonestown centers the voice of Janet Shular, the oldest known surviving former member of People’s Temple, as she reflects on her life, her time within the movement, and the experiences that shaped her understanding of faith, community, and survival.