Best Podcast Miniseries on Black History and Culture
While there are countless fantastic podcasts from Black creators that you can listen to throughout the year, Black History Month can provide a time to find shows that aim to take a deep dive and explore the Black experience in America , from events centuries ago to stories that still unfold every day. These 12 podcast miniseries combine expert research, compelling storytelling, and in-depth interviews to explore untold (or untold) chapters in Black history.
Godmother
When notorious mobster Lucky Luciano stood trial in New York in 1936, that was all there was to talk about. But the “trial of the century” overshadowed something important: Eunice Carter, the first black woman to serve as a prosecutor in America, who is credited with bringing his case back. In Godmothered , Nicole Hill gives Eunice the attention she deserves, shining a light on her life as a writer, social worker, mother, teacher, sister, socialite, political candidate, community organizer, and unheralded pioneer of justice.
MLK Tapes
It is generally believed that James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, but he actually pleaded guilty, although he later tried to retract his confession. Ray’s involvement has been the subject of constant speculation and conspiracy theories over the years, and The MLK Tapes takes us deeper into those theories by examining existing evidence. It’s filled with never-before-heard interviews and rare eyewitness recordings, all designed to explore whether Ray was the lone gunman some believe he was, or whether King’s death was part of a larger conspiracy involving the FBI.
Refurbished
Reclaimed is a podcast that explores often forgotten and overlooked stories, delving into new topics each season. The first season, Tulsa’s Buried Truth , covered the search for mass graves near Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the fight for justice for the descendants of black Americans killed in the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. Season two of The Mamie Till-Mobley Story explores how Mamie, Emmett Till’s mother, shaped the civil rights movement. The latest season covers the stars of the Negro Leagues, where black baseball players were forced to play due to segregation. All three seasons are worth watching.
1619
Created by Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project (named after the year 1619, when the first enslaved Africans were brought to America) is a multimedia work including articles, essays, photographs, and the 1619 Podcast, which explores historical events. social and cultural aspects of black life in the United States. Through interviews, stories, and discussions with scholars, historians, and experts in a variety of fields, he reframes our understanding of American history, emphasizing the central role of slavery and its consequences in shaping the nation.
What is due?
A year after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appointed a formal reparations task force to help Black residents, GBH News is launching “What’s Due?” , a podcast about what form reparations might take. The seven-part limited series, hosted by GBH News political reporter Saraya Wintersmith, covers the history, animosity and current status of the reparations movement. Guests include Kelly Carter Jackson (who you may recognize from Oprah’s You Get a Podcast! ) and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, What’s Due? starts on February 15th.
Afterlife
Afterlives , hosted by Raquel Willis, tells the story of Leylin Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, an Afro-Latina trans woman who died on Rikers Island in 2019 at age 27. It’s a celebration of Leylin’s life, but it also speaks to the abuse that so many black trans people have endured at the hands of the police and the world at large. We hear from Black trans people who were formerly incarcerated sex workers but survived and are now sharing their stories and fighting for a better world. This is the first true crime podcast to address the epidemic of violence against the trans community, especially trans women of color.
I AM HISTORY
Created by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and hosted by Lee Saunders (the first African American to serve as AFSCME president), I AM STORY explores the legacy of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike, a movement that began after two sanitation workers were crushed to death in in the back of their truck while hiding from the rain. Strikers worked in tandem with the civil rights movement and with the support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., fighting for safer working conditions, fair pay, and to have their voices heard. Their statement “I AM A MAN” captured the attention of the entire nation.
To America: Countless Millions
In Coming to America’s all-new series , Countless Millions, host Tremaine Lee examines one of the most pressing debates of our time: reparations. On a journey that begins in the nation’s capital at the height of the Civil War and ends in modern-day Brooklyn, he tells the little-known story of one of the few black people to receive reparations after the Civil War, and note that it remained in this family for future generations. The series asks the question: If more black families had received reparations decades ago, how would black America look different today? The show debuts on February 15th.
Urban roots
Urban Roots , which just won a Silver Anthem award, preserves a sense of place through storytelling. There are several standout episodes that focus on black history: three focus on black neighborhoods in Cincinnati , two on the history of Biddy Mason in Los Angeles , one on the African-American section of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn , and two on the history of Indianapolis. Indiana Avenue , where Madame C. J. Walker, America’s first female self-made millionaire, had her headquarters.
Secret Adventures of Black People
Nicole Hill’s Secret Black Adventures is an award-winning, immersive audio series documenting the ways in which Black identity is constructed through community connections. The series previously produced a fantasy series about black history told in the society pages of old black newspapers. (Listen to “The Ancestors Were Dirty,” a two-part episode about a black Victorian love triangle that was reported in gossip columns at the time.) Another season focused on blackness in Europe in terms of the way Christmas was celebrated. (Listen to Black Christmas in Ireland .) The new season, which launches later in February, is an audio diary in which Nicole documents moving to Los Angeles to pitch her own podcast ideas.
Manufacturing
Making is a podcast about the history of our greatest icons and how they were shaped. There are miniseries about Oprah, Obama and Rihanna, as well as episodes that delve into the lives of people like Jordan Peele, RuPaul, Shonda Rhimes, Whoopi and others. These are names you know and stories about their legacies and life experiences you don’t.
Driving Green Book
Driving the Green Book is a living history podcast in which award-winning BBC broadcaster Alvin Hall and social justice activist and trainer Janie Woods Weber literally hit the road from Detroit to New Orleans, collecting evidence of how black Americans have exploited blacks . The Motorist’s Green Book at the height of segregation. You can explore even further with the show’s accompanying Apple Maps Guide, a visual representation of everything you hear.