One Mic Black History

For decades, the Black family reunion has been written off as just a massive summer cookout. But beneath the matching t-shirts and plates of food lies a survival economy built to combat an American system designed to sever the Black bloodline. Gathering hundreds of relatives wasn't just a good time; it was a rescue mission to piece together families shattered by slavery and Jim Crow.

In the Jim Crow South, Black newspapers like the Chicago Defender were banned, seized, and silenced. But the porters found a way. Tucked in suitcases, hidden in stacks of linens, they smuggled news, hope, and opportunity across the South for just 2 cents.onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m

This book sold the same stove, suit, or pair of boots to anyone at the same printed price. When Rural Free Delivery brought it to the mailbox, the Sears, Roebuck catalog landed on Black families’ porches it turned shopping from a ritual of humiliation into something closer to dignity. Here’s how the Sears mail‑order catalog quietly beat Jim CrowAudio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mSourceshttps://www.abhmuseum.org/back-when-sears-made-black-customers-a-priority/ https://fee.org/articles/when-sears-used-the-market-to-combat-jim-crow/ https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/657923126/how-the-sears-catalog-was-revolutionary-in-the-jim-crow-era https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/19/18001734/sears-catalog-bankruptcy-jim-crow-racism-mail-order

In 1866, Congress decided to form the first all-Black Army regiments in peacetime: the 9th and 10th Cavalry, and the 24th and 25th Infantry. For many Black men, especially those just freed from slavery or who’d worn Union blue during the war, the military offered something rare: steady work, a chance for education, and maybe a little dignity in the era of Jim Crow.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mSourceshttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Soldierhttps://www.chron.com/culture/article/beyonce-buffalo-soldier-20389446.php https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/buffalo-soldiers.htm https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/buffalo-soldiersThe forgotten heroes _ the story of the Buffalo Soldiers by Clinton Cox A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry in the West by William H. LeckieBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Fourth of July celebrations took on deep new meanings. While Confederate sympathizers hid away in bitterness, African Americans across the South embraced the day with joy, commemorating their newfound freedom with fireworks, speeches, and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyFollow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnemichistoryPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mSources:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/07/fourth-of-july-black-holiday/564320/ https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/nations-story-what-slave-fourth-july https://www.ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/too-la-loo-fourth-julyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Imagine waking to helicopters overhead and soldiers marching down your street—not due to war or disaster, but because your own government decided your voice had become too powerful. In 2025, this became reality in Los Angeles.President Trump deployed 2,000 federal troops into California, branding immigration protests as an "insurrection." But ask Black activists, educators, and community leaders there—it felt all-too familiar: another chapter in a long story of government muscle flexing against its own people.From Little Rock's schoolhouse steps to Selma’s bloodied streets, history reminds us federal troops haven’t always stood on the right side of justice. Sometimes they protected rights, other times—they silenced them.Join us while we discuss the History the National Guard in your Neighborhood. #blackhistory #losangelesprotests Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Detroit_riot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-little-rock-nine.htm https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-20/lbj-sends-federal-troops-to-alabama-to-protect-a-civil-rights-march https://www.npr.org/2025/06/09/5428107/what-happened-when-lyndon-johnson-federalized-the-national-guard https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/california-attorney-general-sues-trump-over-unlawful-national-guard-n1347674Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Born from the pain, joy, and raw truth of Black life in the Deep South, the blues gave voice to what the church often couldn’t touch desire, heartbreak, defiance, and survival. While gospel promised heaven, the blues told the truth about life on Earth.This clash shook the Black community, especially as sacred and secular worlds collided in juke joints and church pews. But beneath the controversy was a sound that shaped American music forever.But was it really evil?Join us for the untold history of the Devil’s music.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistoryFollow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnemichistoryPlease support our Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mSources:https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2025/apr/21/sinners-ryan-coogler-black-experience-horror https://www.theverge.com/2025/4/17/25058542/sinners-ryan-coogler-movie-review-vampires-horror https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delta_blues&oldid=1285841739 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juke_joint&oldid=1286491315 https://slate.com/culture/2025/04/sinners-movie-ryan-coogler-vampires-villains-white-supremacy-review.html https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/ryan-coogler-sinners-origins-uncle-james-personal-1235090002/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.