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Reading with Rachelle Podcast

In my new weekly podcast, Reading with Rachelle, I discuss books covering the history we never learned in school—but wish we had—with authors, experts, and those impacted by the subject of the book. 

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Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 9: Some of the Black artisans who shaped the nation

Listen to Ep. 9 of the Reading with Rachelle podcast, as Robell Awake and I discuss his new book, A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects, which was just released February 4, 2025.The book grabbed me from the first few paragraphs. I was hooked after reading the stunning statistic that Robell says he stumbled upon in an essay written by historian James E. Newton titled, “Slave Artisans and Craftsmen: The Roots of Afro-American Art,” that talked about artisans in the Southern United States....
Reading with Rachelle •

Sneak peek into Jim's Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center

If you missed Episode 8 of the Reading with Rachelle podcast, I traveled to Hannibal, MO to interview Faye Dant at Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center. As I stated in my last post, Hannibal is known for being the hometown of Mark Twain. But what many don’t know is the experiences and contributions of Black Americans in Hannibal.Faye Dant has changed that. In 2011, she opened Hannibal's first African American museum, the Hannibal African American Life and History Project, then Jim’s Journ...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 7: The Lasting Impact of the Freedman's Bank

After the Civil War ended, as more and more formerly enslaved Black Americans began making money, they had nowhere to keep it—until the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company was established in 1865. At its peak, the bank had over 100,000 accounts and $50 million ($1.4 billion today) in deposits. However, the bank's administrators and trustees soon began misusing the depositors' funds, loaning it out to white borrowers—requiring no application and, oftentimes, no collateral—to fund risky ventures,...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 6: The Black Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis

My Uniting Through History Book Club read The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis earlier this year. So I was really excited when author Maria Smilios agreed to be my guest on the Reading with Rachelle podcast.There were so many things to like about this book! First and foremost, of course, is the story of the Black nurses, hired to work at Sea View Hospital on Staten Island, after the white nurses quit. Over the years, Sea View was home to 1,800 tuberculosi...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 5: Medicine, Science and Making Race with Leslie Schwalm

Today on the Reading with Rachelle podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Leslie A. Schwalm, author of the book Medicine, Science and Making Race in Civil War America. We discuss how the North helped anti-Black racism and white people's belief of Black inferiority beyond the Civil War and into today. This was accomplished by white medical and scientific professionals who used the Civil War as a laboratory and used Black enlisted men and those escaping slavery as objects of study to try to prove that African...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 4: The Story of The Black Cabinet with Jill Watts

This week, I dive into The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt with author Jill Watts. The "Black Cabinet" was a group of independent, self-directed African American economists, lawyers, sociologists and journalists who worked tirelessly behind the scenes during the Roosevelt administration for the inclusion of Black Americans in FDR's New Deal programs.Watts shares the fascinating history of how this unofficial brain trust, significantly...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 3: Confronting the White Supremacist Script

In this week's episode, I'm happy to be joined by Daniel Henderson to discuss his second book, The Spiritual Journey to Anti-Racism: A Travel Guide for White People. In his new book, Daniel delves into the critical issue of confronting white supremacy and the "white supremacist script" that has infected our culture for centuries. As we explore Daniel's personal journey, he shares how coming to terms with his own white privilege and the hidden ways that racism manifests has been a transformative...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 2: The Black man who ran for U.S. president in 1904

Did you know George Edwin Taylor, a Black man, ran for president of the United States in 1904 against Theodore Roosevelt? Did you know he ran as a candidate of the newly formed African American party, the National Liberty Party? Did you know that before he joined the National Liberty Party, Taylor was a Democrat when most Black Americans were Republican? Did you know he was living in Ottumwa, Iowa at the time he ran for president?These are just a few things that Erick Nganyange, creator and host...
Reading with Rachelle •

Ep. 1: Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians

Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was released yesterday. Its release feels prophetic and/or timely because we need it today.Literally.This excerpt from the back cover resonated with me:So did this:So did the opening of the book, a preface titled, "The Pathetic State of American Democracy," which seems like the perfect title to summarize the belief of many today.I was going to write a long introduction to this book and the...