About this episode

The episode discusses the legacy of Black Loyalists during the American Revolution, featuring Tressie McMillan Cottom in a live setting.

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 taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA.

People in this episode

Guest: Tressie McMillan Cottom

Topics covered

• Black Loyalists
• American Revolution
• slavery
• freedom
• historical legacy
• live event

Keywords

• Black Loyalists
• American Revolution
• Tressie McMillan Cottom
• slavery
• freedom
• Juneteenth
• historical legacy

Mentioned in this episode

Places: United States, Canada, Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU

More episodes of Our Ancestors Were Messy

• The Revolutionary Black Loyalists! Live with BA Parker and Gene Demby · July 8, 2026 · 1h 14m
• Coming Soon: The Black Loyalists (July 8) · July 6, 2026 · 3 min

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