America 250 Archives: Woody Guthrie and This Land

America 250 Archives: Woody Guthrie and This Land

Why do so many of us know “This Land was Made for You and Me,” a song that Woody Guthrie wrote in February 1940 — more than 85 years ago? This classic folk song has permeated American culture so deeply and consistently across space and time — but why? Maybe it’s because of Guthrie’s distinct style and reputation for rambling. Or maybe it’s because the song originated as something of a diss track to God Bless America. And notwithstanding its cultural prominence, this song about land currently occupied by the United States of America entirely omits Indigenous people. Please note that this episode features Woody Guthrie interview clips where he uses the harmful descriptor colored in reference to Black and Indigenous people. For more information, and full transcripts, visit ArchivalPod.com [http://ArchivalPod.com] Want to explore more? Shop the Archival Reading List: https://bookshop.org/lists/archival-reading-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/archival-reading-list] Audio Credits: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings; Department of Interior Radio Broadcasting Division Recordings by Alan Lomax and Woody Guthrie; Library of Congress; Pastures of Plenty: A Self Portrait by Woody Guthrie; The Woody Guthrie All-Star Tribute Concert of 1970; Woody Guthrie: A Life by Joe Klein; The Carter Family; Jared Tyler; NPR; Woody Guthrie: American Radical by Will Kaufman; Music by Scott Buckley

America 250 Archives: Mitsuye Endo and James Purcell’s Fight to End Japanese-American Internment

Mitsuye Endo was horrified as she read about the attack on Pearl Harbor in the newspaper. Her mind immediately went to her brother who was serving in the US Army in the Pacific. Her next worry was her job and her own well being as she was fired from her job with the state of California and forcibly removed from her home and into one mass incarceration detention center after another. With the help of attorney James Purcell, Mitsuye was the chief plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that effectively ended Japanese-American mass incarceration centers during World War II. For more information, and full transcripts, visit ArchivalPod.com [http://ArchivalPod.com] Want to explore more? Shop the Archival Reading List: https://bookshop.org/lists/archival-reading-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/archival-reading-list] Audio Credits: And Justice for All by John Tateishi, California State Archives, We Hereby Refuse by Tamiko Nimura and Frank Abe, C-SPAN, National Archives, Densho Encyclopedia, Music by Scott Buckley

Sisterhood Archives: Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's friendship spanned decades, and transitioned from "confrontation via typewriter" as acquaintances, to coordinated advocacy as associates, and ultimately to a genuine friendship full of care and support. Sometimes sisterhood is a journey, and these two traversed miles in terms of understanding and growth to get there. For more information, and full transcripts, visit ArchivalPod.com [http://ArchivalPod.com] Want to explore more? Shop the Archival Reading List: https://bookshop.org/lists/archival-reading-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/archival-reading-list] I want to hear from you! Send me your reactions to the show: juanitatolliver.com/contact [http://juanitatolliver.com/contact] Audio Credits: FDR Presidential Library Archives, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Ebony Magazine Archives, Song in a Weary Throat by Pauli Murray,The Firebrand and the First Lady by Patricia Bell-Scott, Music by Scott Buckley

Sisterhood Archives: Pat Parker and Audre Lorde

Sisterhood is a balm, and Audre Lorde and Pat Parker enjoyed it's healing powers throughout their decades long friendship. A portion of their dynamic is captured in the archived letters between the two friends, and they contain a swirl of vulnerable moments, goofy delights, and nudges of tough love that only a close friend could deliver with next to no stinging sentiment in their delivery, or reception. For more information, and full transcripts, visit ArchivalPod.com [http://ArchivalPod.com] Order Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 1974 - 1989: https://t.ly/CEOCV [https://t.ly/CEOCV] Order A More Perfect Party: https://rb.gy/jfnl6c [https://rb.gy/jfnl6c] Audio Credits: Music by Scott Buckley; Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 1974 - 1989, Edited by Julie R. Enszer; Spelman College; Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe’s Institute for Advanced Studies; Audre Lorde at UCLA; Woman Slaughter by Pat Parker; Debra Wilson, Cathy Cade, Ollie, Lisbet Tellefsen

Witness Archives: Ida B. Wells’ Memphis Diary

Diaries are deeply personal, unfiltered versions of their authors, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s diary from 1885-1887 reveals a young woman in transition. Having just moved from her hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi, to Memphis, Tennessee, Ida's diary paints a picture of her attempt to balance her need to earn a stable salary as a teacher with her desire to be a published writer. Her early experiences Memphis laid the foundation for the investigative journalist, activist, and leader she became, and it was all driven by her desire for more - more opportunity, more published articles, and more social impact. For more information, and full transcripts, visit ArchivalPod.com [http://ArchivalPod.com] Order A More Perfect Party: https://rb.gy/jfnl6c [https://rb.gy/jfnl6c] Audio Credits: Music by Scott Buckley; University of Chicago Digital Archives; The Memphis Diary of Ida B Wells, Edited by Miriam DeCosta-Willis; Middle Tennessee State University Digital Archives