A show about our ancestors and all their drama.
Our Ancestors Were Messy, dives into the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines and then history in pre-Civil Rights Era America. Host Nichole Hill takes her guests through the story of an ancestor in search of opportunity, adventure, love, and a way to beat Jim Crow. Along the way, these ancestors make messes that land them in the gossip columns of Black newspapers!
ABOUT THE BLACK PRESS
Before the 1960s nearly every major city in the nation had a newspaper written for, by, and about Black Americans. During their “Golden Era” - the 1930s to 1950s - there were thousands of Black periodicals in circulation across the nation.
The editors, reporters, and columnists of these papers included legends like Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, and Zora Neale Hurston, among many others. They reported on local, national, and international news from the Black perspective.
They also kept track of all the mess people got into in their segregated communities where there was never a dull moment!
Support independent storytelling
This show is made with the help of donations which cover ongoing production expenses like subscriptions to newspaper archives and sound libraries, audio editing software, monthly hosting fees, and more. Those who join the show’s donor community, called The Household, have access to bonus content, director’s commentary, and are the first to hear important updates about the show.
Our Ancestors Were Messy was named a 2024 Tribeca Official Selection, featured on Snap Judgement and NPR’s Code Switch, and selected by a collection of 300 audio industry professionals as one of the 100 best podcasts of all time.