A podcast that takes a deep dive eploration into a period in history of great promise and great disappointment for Black Americans who dreamed of and struggled for the promise of community and full citizenship in America.

THIS SEASON

Dreams of Black Wall Street Season 4...

explores free Black communities during the antebellum period of the 19th century in New York City. They include one in each of what would become the five boroughs of the city: Seneca Village in Manhattan; Weeksville in Brooklyn; Newtown in Queens, Sandy Ground in Staten Island; and Westchester in the Bronx. This deep dive will also include an exploration of enclaves of free people of African descent in 19th century Manhattan as well as the New York City Draft Riots and Massacre of 1863, which is considered to be one of the worst insurrections in US History.

Season 4

S4 E7 Westchester (the Bronx)

1868 map of the Town of Westchester shows the Bethel A.M.E. Church and Cemetery located on what is now Unionport Road in the Bronx By ...

S4 E6 Weeksville (Brooklyn)

Weeksville native, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney, the state’s first African-American female doctor, and a revered abolitionist The ...

S4 E5 Newtown (Queens)

The first church building of the United African Church and Cemetery, established by the United African Society of Newtown, which was...

S4 E4 Sandy Ground (Staten Island)

Sandy Ground Oyster Gatherers Sandy Ground was settled in 1833 by African-American oystermen fleeing the restrictive industry laws of...

S4 E3 Seneca Village (Manhattan)

Egbert Ludovicus Viele's topographical survey of the land upon which Central Park was created, showing map of Seneca Village June 1856 An...

S4 E2 The Black Elite in Antebellum New York City Part 2

George Downing and family circa 1890s (Museum of African American History) Part 2 of an introduction to the Black elite or "the colored...

S4 E2 The Black Elite in Antebellum New York City Part 1

George Downing and family circa 1890s (Museum of African American History) An introduction to the Black elite or "the colored...

S4 E1 Part 2 - Blacks on Wall Street: How Black People Helped Build Wall Street and New York

George Downing and family circa 1890s (Museum of African American History) An exploration of Black neighborhoods and enclaves in...

S4 E1 Part 1 - Blacks on Wall Street: How Black People Helped Build Wall Street and New York

George Downing and family circa 1890s (Museum of African American History) An exploration of Black neighborhoods and enclaves in...

Season 4 Introduction: Antebellum New York City

This season will focus on free Black communities and free Black societies during the antebellum period of the 19th century in New York, spec

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PREVIOUS SEASONS

Season 3

S3 E12 Durham's BWS and Wilmington, N.C. More Than a Century After the 1898 White Supremacy Campaign

LISTEN OR LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS Many experts view the 1898 Wilmington Insurrection and Coup D’Etat as a turning point in the fortunes...

May 20, 20223 min read

SE3 E11 Pauli Murray: Durham native and Unsung Heroin of the Civil Rights Movement

Pauli Murray - And Justice For All Durham County Courthouse Art Wall LISTEN OR LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS Not only was Pauli Murray was one...

Apr 21, 20222 min read

S3 E10 Documenting Unsung Women Leaders of Black Durham and North Carolina Part 2

LISTEN Black women have often been omitted or written out of history. This much is true when it comes to many women leaders of Black...

Mar 31, 20222 min read

Season 2

S2 E12 Season Finale - Rosewood: 5 Acres of Land

LISTEN: OR LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS In studying the systemic devaluing of Black life, it is important to understand how Black life is...

S2 E11 Rosewood: House Bill 591

The signing of House Bill 591 - the Rosewood claims bill that let to the historic settlement paid to survivors and descendants of the...

S2 E10 Rosewood: Justice for All

Gregory Black: descendant of Rosewood survivor Ruth Davis Bradley LISTEN OR LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS In America, citizenship implies the...

Season 1

Ep. 15 Series Finale - Tulsa's Story

Photo Courtesy: Tulsa Historical Society and Museum LISTEN: OR LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS For decades, a number of scholars and experts...

14. The Legacy of Black Wall Street

Photo Courtesy: Oklahoma State University In the nearly 100 In the years since the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, particularly the...

Ep. 13: Where Are The Bodies Buried?

LISTEN OR LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS A significant number of African American residents of Tulsa’s predominantly black Greenwood District...

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