How Black People Built American Democracy: A Juneteenth Celebration

How Black People Built American Democracy: A Juneteenth Celebration

The promise of American democracy could not be fulfilled until all Americans were free.

Following the moment of Black liberation marked by Juneteenth, Black Americans began the ongoing project of securing and protecting their rights to vote, and to lead. In this special Juneteenth episode, host Kai Wright traces the lineage of our democracy being actualized to the period after Emancipation, when political leadership like that of late Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan emerged and began to shape the potential and the power of the Black vote on our nation.

Recorded live at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church where Jordan was a member, Kai welcomes Rev. Ronald Bell, the church's senior director of membership, and scholar Mary Ellen Curtin, author of the forthcoming biography "She Changed The Nation: Barbara Jordan's Life and Legacy in Black Politics," to reflect on the first Black person elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress. They're also joined by Sonny Messiah-Jiles, CEO and Publisher of Houston's Defender Media Group, a Black community news organization, to discuss how Black voters continue to shape politics in an election year that's crucial to the sustainability of our democracy.

Special thanks to event partner AHF through its We The People Coalition, marching forward to protect democracy. Thanks also to Houston Public Media, Rice University and the community of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church including Pastor D.Z. Cofield, Linda Whitley, Mark Taylor, David Donaldson, Daniel Williams, Ian Chestnut and Travis Rucker.

Companion listening for this episode: "Juneteenth is an Act of Bravery" (6/19/2023)

Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.

Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Jaksot(424)

Revisiting Caught: 'I Just Want You to Come Home'

Revisiting Caught: 'I Just Want You to Come Home'

The United States locks up more people - and more children - than any country in the world. Two years ago, Caught delved into the experiences of youth whose worst decisions led them to be entrapped wi...

30 Heinä 202028min

The Laws of Soil and Blood

The Laws of Soil and Blood

Being Black in Italy means you’re likely NOT born a citizen. Until the Civil War, the same was true for Black people in the United States. Citizenship was reserved for white people only. These histori...

17 Heinä 202039min

Zoned for Resistance

Zoned for Resistance

As Covid-19 first spread through Chicago, the residents of Little Village faced another imminent crisis — the hastily-approved demolition of an old coal-fired power plant that left the neighborhood sh...

10 Heinä 202041min

Juneteenth, an Unfinished Business

Juneteenth, an Unfinished Business

Juneteenth marks a triumphant moment for not just Black Americans, but all people who have sought liberation globally. On June 19th, Kai Wright hosted a special episode of “The Brian Lehrer Show” with...

26 Kesä 202044min

Rage, Grief, Joy

Rage, Grief, Joy

After months of fear and mourning amid a global pandemic, we’re now in the streets. This week, we talk about catharsis and the ways we gather to fight, to grieve and to show up for each other. We hear...

18 Kesä 202033min

'Community' Is a Verb. And It’s Hard

'Community' Is a Verb. And It’s Hard

As the nation faces the dual brunts of the pandemic and the on-going brutality against black bodies, people more than ever are finding ways to “do the work” in their communities. This week our reporte...

12 Kesä 202028min

Keeping Released Prisoners Safe and Sane

Keeping Released Prisoners Safe and Sane

It’s hard enough when there’s no pandemic to keep mentally ill inmates from falling through the holes in a patchwork system. Now it’s harder than ever. A huge number of people who are locked up in thi...

4 Kesä 202041min

'I Did Not Watch the Video'

'I Did Not Watch the Video'

The week Ida B. Wells’ reporting on lynching received a Pulitzer Prize, a video of 25 year-old Ahmaud Arbery being chased and killed began to circulate on social media. It was one of the few news stor...

21 Touko 202030min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-pinnalla
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
the-ulkopolitist
otetaan-yhdet
rss-podme-livebox
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-asiastudio
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
aihe
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-50100-podcast
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel