Our Ancestors Were Messy

Was dating any easier in the past? Nichole Hill joins Gene Demby and B.A. Parker, hosts of NPR's Code Switch, to put this question to the test by traveling back in time to 1937, using archival personal ads from the Washington Afro-American newspaper. Together, the trio gets a small taste of what it was like for Black folks to date almost a century ago. Turns out, the ancestors were messy, too!
Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
Stay in touch at [email protected]
Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy
Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy

In this episode a musical prodigy from Kansas becomes a renowned race woman in Chicago, a tabloid sensation in Harlem, and a musical force the world over. These are the many lives and loves of one of the most famous women of the era: Nora Holt. Starring Natalie Tulloch and Christabel Nsiah-Buadi
Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
Stay in touch at [email protected]
Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy
Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy 
SOURCES
Nora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani Perry
Nora Holt by Matthew Guerrieri
Nora Holt: New Negro Composer and Jazz Age Goddess by Cheryl A. Wall
"Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us": Classical Music, the Black press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia by Lucy Caplan

Host Nichole Hill shares updates about the future of the show.
To learn more about the show and keep in touch, check out https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
To access bonus content and support this independent production visit  https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
To stay in touch email [email protected] or follow the show @ourancestorsweremessy on Instagram

In 1920, Emperor Jones was a bona fide Broadway hit. The controversial play’s lead is Charles Gilpin, the first Black man to head up an integrated cast on the Great White Way. Gilpin enjoys fame, accolades, and universal acclaim…but he does have a note for his playwright Eugene O’Neil. A note that will make and break careers and change the course of Black history! Starring Dr. Chioke I'anson and Amaya.
Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
Stay in touch at [email protected]
Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy
Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy 
SOURCES
The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neil
Preserving African-American Cinema: The Case of The Emperor Jones by Jennie Saxena with contributions from Ken Weissman and James Cozart
"The Truth About Haiti: An NAACP Investigation" by James Weldon Johnson
Charles Gilpin. The Kennedy Center
Jackson Ward and its Black Wall Street. National Park Service
Beyond Tulsa: The Historic Legacies and Overlooked Stories of America's Black Wall Streets. Time Magazine
The Richmond Planet is digitized and stored at The Library of Congress.

In the summer of 1932, Anna and Percy learn that their scandalous love affair has been exposed on the front page of the most popular Black newspaper in DC. They were on their way to making history but now that the secret’s out, their futures hang in the balance. Starring Nygel Turner.
Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com
Stay in touch at [email protected]
Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy
Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy
Learn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.com
Listen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy 
SOURCES
Julian the Trailblazer by Peter Tyson
Forgotten Genius. Nova. PBS
"Reclaiming a Black Research Scientist's Forgotten Legacy" by Felicia R. Lee
"DuSable Exhibit Highlights Juilan 'Power Couple'" by Robert Felton
You can read the Washington Afro American newspaper which is still in print and holds the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously published Black newspapers in America
You can support the archiving and sharing of this newspaper at Afro Charities