Feature: The Lonesome Hearts Column with NPR’s Code Switch (plus an announcement!)

About this episode

The episode explores dating in the past through archival personal ads from 1937 with insights from Nichole Hill and NPR's Code Switch hosts.

Was dating any easier in the past? Nichole Hill joins Gene Demby and B.A. Parker, hosts of NPR's Code Switch, to put this question to the test by traveling back in time to 1937, using archival personal ads from the Washington Afro-American newspaper. Together, the trio gets a small taste of what it was like for Black folks to date almost a century ago. Turns out, the ancestors were messy, too!

People in this episode

Hosts: Gene Demby, B.A. Parker

Guest: Nichole Hill

Topics covered

• dating history
• Black culture
• archival research
• personal ads
• comedy

Keywords

• dating
• history
• Black dating
• 1937
• personal ads
• NPR
• Code Switch

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR, Washington Afro-American

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