One Mic Black History

In 1968, Chicago after Dr. King’s murder. Windows are boarded. Stores sit dark. McDonald’s needs a plan. Operation Breadbasket has one: put Black owners in Black neighborhoods. In December, Herman Petty opens the first Black owned McDonald’s in Chicago. It works, More owners follow and a pipeline is created. But there is a catch. McDonald’s owns the land, sets the fees, and picks the sites. This is how a Black franchise empire created, and what it cost.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m

Hot sauce isn’t just a condiment in Black kitchens, its a passport. From jars of pepper‑vinegar on the stove to a bottle parked on every table, here’s how heat became culture, comfort, and pride and why so many of us still put it on everythingAudio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mIf this story hit home, watch next:Why Black Folks Love Collard Greens (pepper vinegar’s perfect partner)How Barbecue Whitewashed Its Black PitmastersFurther reading/creditsJessica B. Harris; Michael W. Twitty; Adrian Miller; Frederick Douglass OpieEarly cookbooks: Mary Randolph (1824), Malinda Russell (1866), Abby Fisher (1881)

On Jim Crow roads, the lifeline wasn’t a law, it was a gas station. Esso used maps, credit, and a nationwide dealer network to turn the Green Book into safe miles.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m

Johnson Products brand financed Soul Train when others wouldn’t. This is the story of the Afro Sheen sponsorship, the dollars behind it, and how they built an institutionAudio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m

In the Jim Crow South, Black newspapers like the Chicago Defender were banned, seized, and silenced. But the porters found a way. Tucked in suitcases, hidden in stacks of linens, they smuggled news, hope, and opportunity across the South for just 2 cents. onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m

Under Jim Crow, Pepsi did what others wouldn’t, hired a Black sales team and put Black folks in its ads. Sales soared but then came the internal backlash. How did a nickel soda become quiet powerhouse and who tried to kill it? This is why Pepsi became ‘the Black soda.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_historyFollow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_historyPlease support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m

This book sold the same stove, suit, or pair of boots to anyone at the same printed price. When Rural Free Delivery brought it to the mailbox, the Sears, Roebuck catalog landed on Black families’ porches it turned shopping from a ritual of humiliation into something closer to dignity. Here’s how the Sears mail‑order catalog quietly beat Jim Crow Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources https://www.abhmuseum.org/back-when-sears-made-black-customers-a-priority/ https://fee.org/articles/when-sears-used-the-market-to-combat-jim-crow/ https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/657923126/how-the-sears-catalog-was-revolutionary-in-the-jim-crow-era https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/19/18001734/sears-catalog-bankruptcy-jim-crow-racism-mail-order

This book sold the same stove, suit, or pair of boots to anyone at the same printed price. When Rural Free Delivery brought it to the mailbox, the Sears, Roebuck catalog landed on Black families’ porches it turned shopping from a ritual of humiliation into something closer to dignity. Here’s how the Sears mail‑order catalog quietly beat Jim Crow Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources https://www.abhmuseum.org/back-when-sears-made-black-customers-a-priority/ https://fee.org/articles/when-sears-used-the-market-to-combat-jim-crow/ https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/657923126/how-the-sears-catalog-was-revolutionary-in-the-jim-crow-era https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/19/18001734/sears-catalog-bankruptcy-jim-crow-racism-mail-order Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

In 1985, In a stand off with the Black organization MOVE. Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on a Black neighborhood, killing 11 people and leveling an entire city block. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_MOVE_bombing Let It Burn: by Michael Boyette On a Move: by Mike Africa Jr. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-reflection-day-city-council/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

In 1866, Congress decided to form the first all-Black Army regiments in peacetime: the 9th and 10th Cavalry, and the 24th and 25th Infantry. For many Black men, especially those just freed from slavery or who’d worn Union blue during the war, the military offered something rare: steady work, a chance for education, and maybe a little dignity in the era of Jim Crow. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Soldier https://www.chron.com/culture/article/beyonce-buffalo-soldier-20389446.php https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/buffalo-soldiers.htm https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/buffalo-soldiers The forgotten heroes _ the story of the Buffalo Soldiers by Clinton Cox A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry in the West by William H. Leckie Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Imagine calling an ambulance because someone you love is dying. You need urgent medical help—but instead of paramedics, The police shows up at your door. No medical training, no emergency equipment just the police vehicle. Hard to imagine, but this was real life for Black communities throughout America just 60 years ago. This is the true story of everyday people from Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District ended up inventing emergency medical care as we know it. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House_Ambulance_Service https://www.pbs.org/show/freedom-house-ambulance-the-first-responders/ American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard https://teamrubiconusa.org/news-and-stories/freedom-house-ambulance-service-a-legacy-of-life-saving-care/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Fourth of July celebrations took on deep new meanings. While Confederate sympathizers hid away in bitterness, African Americans across the South embraced the day with joy, commemorating their newfound freedom with fireworks, speeches, and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/07/fourth-of-july-black-holiday/564320/ https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/nations-story-what-slave-fourth-july https://www.ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/too-la-loo-fourth-july Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

For over a century, Black bodies were used—examined, experimented on, and exploited in the name of science. From plantation doctors perfecting procedures on enslaved women without anesthesia, to the government letting Black men die slow deaths in Tuskegee, to the stolen cells of a unsuspecting Black women changing medical history. This isn’t ancient history. It’s a pattern. And it shaped the way Black communities view medicine, hospitals, and doctors. So join us today for the dark history of the Medical Apartheid Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Substack: https://onemicblackhistorypodcast.substack.com/ Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@onemic_history Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans by Harriet A. Washington https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henrietta-lacks https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Syphilis_Study https://www.history.com/articles/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study https://www.history.com/articles/the-father-of-modern-gynecology-performed-shocking-experiments-on-slaves Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Imagine waking to helicopters overhead and soldiers marching down your street—not due to war or disaster, but because your own government decided your voice had become too powerful. In 2025, this became reality in Los Angeles. President Trump deployed 2,000 federal troops into California, branding immigration protests as an "insurrection." But ask Black activists, educators, and community leaders there—it felt all-too familiar: another chapter in a long story of government muscle flexing against its own people. From Little Rock's schoolhouse steps to Selma’s bloodied streets, history reminds us federal troops haven’t always stood on the right side of justice. Sometimes they protected rights, other times—they silenced them. Join us while we discuss the History the National Guard in your Neighborhood. #blackhistory #losangelesprotests Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Detroit_riot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-little-rock-nine.htm https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-20/lbj-sends-federal-troops-to-alabama-to-protect-a-civil-rights-march https://www.npr.org/2025/06/09/5428107/what-happened-when-lyndon-johnson-federalized-the-national-guard https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/california-attorney-general-sues-trump-over-unlawful-national-guard-n1347674 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Imagine an American city street around 1900, the sidewalks spill over as children play tag in the roadway, vendors call out to neighbors, and people wander wherever they please. The street is alive—a true communal space, owned by everyone. No crosswalks, no traffic lights—just freedom and connection. But this all changed almost overnight. What replaced those vibrant streets? Automobiles, Laws, and, most shockingly, a tool to control and discriminate against Black communities. Join Us as we uncover the The forgotten History of Jaywalking #history #blackhistorymatters #jaywalking Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistory Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jaywalking&oldid=1290502104 https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/why-is-it-called-jaywalking https://www.denver7.com/news/national/two-americas/how-jaywalking-has-exposed-racial-bias Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Born from the pain, joy, and raw truth of Black life in the Deep South, the blues gave voice to what the church often couldn’t touch desire, heartbreak, defiance, and survival. While gospel promised heaven, the blues told the truth about life on Earth. This clash shook the Black community, especially as sacred and secular worlds collided in juke joints and church pews. But beneath the controversy was a sound that shaped American music forever. But was it really evil? Join us for the untold history of the Devil’s music. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistory Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2025/apr/21/sinners-ryan-coogler-black-experience-horror https://www.theverge.com/2025/4/17/25058542/sinners-ryan-coogler-movie-review-vampires-horror https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delta_blues&oldid=1285841739 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juke_joint&oldid=1286491315 https://slate.com/culture/2025/04/sinners-movie-ryan-coogler-vampires-villains-white-supremacy-review.html https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/ryan-coogler-sinners-origins-uncle-james-personal-1235090002/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

On May 15, 2025, flames tore through Louisiana's Nottoway Plantation, reducing one of America's largest, largest most lavish antebellum mansions to ashes. Behind the grand columns and gleaming chandeliers lay buried truths of pain, oppression, and exploitation, Black stories glossed over in the narrative of American history. Join me today while we discuss the destruction of Nottoway Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistory Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antebellum_South https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottoway_Plantation https://www.explorelouisiana.com/lodging/bed-breakfasts-and-guesthouses/nottoway-plantation https://abcnews.go.com/US/nottoway-historic-louisiana-plantation-destroyed-massive-fire/story?id=121876986 AmericanYawp.com Robin D. G. Kelley, Earl Lewis - To Make Our World Anew: Volume I: A History of African Americans to 1880 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

Sinners isn’t just a vampire story, it’s a mirror. Set in Jim Crow Mississippi, it sinks its teeth into the real horrors Black folks faced: chain gangs, racial passing, and survival by any means. And it doesn’t stop there, Mississippi’s Chinese communities had their own battles, caught between exclusion and uneasy alliances. Join us for Part 2 of my breakdown of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistory Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2025/apr/21/sinners-ryan-coogler-black-experience-horror https://www.theverge.com/2025/4/17/25058542/sinners-ryan-coogler-movie-review-vampires-horror https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delta_blues&oldid=1285841739 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juke_joint&oldid=1286491315 https://slate.com/culture/2025/04/sinners-movie-ryan-coogler-vampires-villains-white-supremacy-review.html https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/ryan-coogler-sinners-origins-uncle-james-personal-1235090002/ Music Licenses: Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

In 1932 Mississippi, twin brothers Smoke and Stack return home seeking redemption, only to awaken chilling horrors from their past. Step into a shadowy world filled with juke joints, cotton plantations, and dark Southern secrets. But how much of "Sinners" draws from actual events in Black history? Join us for a journey, revealing that sometimes the scariest monsters aren't vampires, they're human. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistory Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2025/apr/21/sinners-ryan-coogler-black-experience-horror https://www.theverge.com/2025/4/17/25058542/sinners-ryan-coogler-movie-review-vampires-horror https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delta_blues&oldid=1285841739 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juke_joint&oldid=1286491315 https://slate.com/culture/2025/04/sinners-movie-ryan-coogler-vampires-villains-white-supremacy-review.html https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/ryan-coogler-sinners-origins-uncle-james-personal-1235090002/ Music Licenses: Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.

In the world of breakfast staples, few names echo through American kitchens like Aunt Jemima. Yet, beneath the familiar face lies a story deeply intertwined with America's racial past. From minstrel shows to modern grocery aisles, Aunt Jemima's image has carried more than just a pancake mix; it has carried the weight of cultural stereotypes. This emblem of comfort food is also a stark reminder of our uncomfortable history. Join us as we uncover the complex journey of Aunt Jemima. Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemichistory Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onemichistory Please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2m Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Jemima https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/labor-and-industry/aunt-jemima/ Slave in A Box: The Strange Career of Aunt Jemima by Maurice M. Manring Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/one-mic-black-history--4557850/support.