Our Ancestors Were Messy

The Revolutionary Black Loyalists! Live with Tressie McMillan Cottom

Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom [https://tressiemc.com/] taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA.  * Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/] * Sign up for the newsletter and learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/] * Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com [https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/93ed5569-4310-48cb-a006-36426bae29e4/shows/295f1b1f-734a-4cfa-9747-b500a3afeb91/episodes/7bcca154-11af-4e88-8291-7f8da9095891/ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com] * Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.instagram.com/ourancestorsweremessy/] * Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.tiktok.com/@our.ancestors.were.messy] * Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  [https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy] SELECT SOURCES 1. The Black Loyalists of the American Revolution [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/11/black-loyalists-revolutionary-war-harry-washington/684316/] 2. Enslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British Army [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/enslaved-by-george-washington-this-man-escaped-to-freedomand-joined-the-british-army-180982362/] 3. Black Loyalists Exodus to Nova Scotia 4. An Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himself [https://blackloyalist.com/cdc/documents/diaries/george_a_life.htm] 5. George Liele [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p49.html] 6. Thomas Peters [https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/personnage-person/thomas-peters] 7. The Black Loyalist Heritage Center [https://blackloyalist.com/]

The Revolutionary Black Loyalists! Live with BA Parker and Gene Demby

Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring the co-hosts of Code Switch B.A. Parker and Gene Demby [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch] taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC. * Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/] * Sign up for the newsletter and learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/] * Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com [https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/93ed5569-4310-48cb-a006-36426bae29e4/shows/295f1b1f-734a-4cfa-9747-b500a3afeb91/episodes/7bcca154-11af-4e88-8291-7f8da9095891/ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com] * Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.instagram.com/ourancestorsweremessy/] * Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.tiktok.com/@our.ancestors.were.messy] * Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  [https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy] SELECT SOURCES 1. The Black Loyalists of the American Revolution [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/11/black-loyalists-revolutionary-war-harry-washington/684316/] 2. Enslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British Army [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/enslaved-by-george-washington-this-man-escaped-to-freedomand-joined-the-british-army-180982362/] 3. Black Loyalists Exodus to Nova Scotia 4. An Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himself [https://blackloyalist.com/cdc/documents/diaries/george_a_life.htm] 5. George Liele [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p49.html] 6. Thomas Peters [https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/personnage-person/thomas-peters] 7. The Black Loyalist Heritage Center [https://blackloyalist.com/]

Coming Soon: The Revolutionary Black Loyalists - Live (July 8)

A preview of an upcoming episode about the Black Loyalists. Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an unbelievable legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond!  Full episodes air July 8th starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom [https://tressiemc.com/] taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA. You'll also get to hear the same story told again to the co-hosts of Code Switch, B.A. Parker and Gene Demby [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch] taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC. Different guests. Different audiences. Very different perspectives! * Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/] * Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com [https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/93ed5569-4310-48cb-a006-36426bae29e4/shows/295f1b1f-734a-4cfa-9747-b500a3afeb91/episodes/7bcca154-11af-4e88-8291-7f8da9095891/ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com] * Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.instagram.com/ourancestorsweremessy/] * Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.tiktok.com/@our.ancestors.were.messy] * Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/] * Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  [https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy]

Household Exclusive: Researching Our Ancestors

Host Nichole Hill responds to listeners' comments and shares an interview with the show's Research Producer, Chioke I'Anson, [https://www.chiokeianson.com/] about the research behind the histories shared on the show. Their conversation was originally taped for the donor community known as The Household. * Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/] * Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com [https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/93ed5569-4310-48cb-a006-36426bae29e4/shows/295f1b1f-734a-4cfa-9747-b500a3afeb91/episodes/7bcca154-11af-4e88-8291-7f8da9095891/ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com] * Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.instagram.com/ourancestorsweremessy/] * Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.tiktok.com/@our.ancestors.were.messy] * Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/] * Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  [https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy]

Paul and Eslanda Robeson: For the Rights of People. For the Rights of Workers. (Part 2)

Essie & Paul’s passions lead them to the front lines of the fight to defeat fascism. Starring Jason Reynolds [https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/] * Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com/] * Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com [https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/93ed5569-4310-48cb-a006-36426bae29e4/shows/295f1b1f-734a-4cfa-9747-b500a3afeb91/episodes/7bcca154-11af-4e88-8291-7f8da9095891/ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.com] * Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.instagram.com/ourancestorsweremessy/] * Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy [https://www.tiktok.com/@our.ancestors.were.messy] * Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com [https://ourancestorsweremessy.com/] * Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy  [https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy] SELECT SOURCES 1. Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara Ransby 2. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr. 3. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr. 4. Here I Stand by Paul Robeson 5. History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis 6. Haymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby: Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4xq5KpOZZI] 7. The History of Camp Wo-Chi-Ca [https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/the-history-of-camp-wo-chi-ca?ref=hyperallergic.com] 8. The Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement by Matthew Schuerman [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-peekskill-riots-revealed-the-racism-and-antisemitism-hidden-beneath-the-surface-of-the-anti-communist-movement-180984936/]