The Sporkful29 Sep 2025

What Can McDonald’s Tell Us About Black America?

Growing up as a Black kid in Chicago, Dr. Marcia Chatelain says she learned more about Black history from McDonald’s than from her fancy prep school. Now, she’s a professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, Dr. Chatelain explores the role that McDonald’s has played in Black communities since its founding in the 1940s. In many places, McDonald’s has been a community hub and a pathway to business ownership for Black entrepreneurs. But it’s also been a tool for those seeking to preserve segregation. We dig into the chain’s complicated legacy. Plus, Dan and his family stop in at a very special McDonald’s on Long Island.

Check out the story Dr. Chatelain is quoted in: “Red Lobster Is Betting on Black Diners With Its Brand Comeback.”

This episode originally aired on Jun 14, 2021 and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.

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