One Mic HistoryUnder Jim Crow, many venues refused Black performers. The Black community built the Chitlin’ Circuit, a network of church basements, barbershops, lodges, cafés, and juke joints that booked bands, paid cash, fed them, and found a safe bed. This episode shows how that route outsmarted Jim Crow, the people who ran it, the risks on the road, and how it powered R&B and Rock & Roll.
How the Chitlin Circuit Outsmarted White Promoters in Jim CrowOne Mic History2025-10-11 | Under Jim Crow, many venues refused Black performers. The Black community built the Chitlin’ Circuit, a network of church basements, barbershops, lodges, cafés, and juke joints that booked bands, paid cash, fed them, and found a safe bed. This episode shows how that route outsmarted Jim Crow, the people who ran it, the risks on the road, and how it powered R&B and Rock & Roll.
This video traces how Victor Green’s community guide met corporate distribution, why James A. Jackson at Standard Oil of New Jersey pushed dealers to stock the book, and how Black‑owned Esso stations, credit cards, and Touring Service maps helped families outsmart a thousand local rules from sundown towns to “restrooms for customers only.”
Please support our Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mThe Black NewspaperOne Mic History2025-09-15 | ...How Pullman Porters Outsmarted Jim CrowOne Mic History2025-09-14 | 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.
Please support our Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mThe Black SodaOne Mic History2025-09-11 | ...How Pepsi Outsmarted Coca‑Cola in Jim CrowOne Mic History2025-09-07 | 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?
Please support our Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mHow the Post Office Outsmarted Jim CrowOne Mic History2025-08-31 | The Post Office gave Black Americans federal protection and pay when local Jim Crow blocked them. From civil service exams to money orders and depot pickup, here’s how mail outsmarted the system.
We going to be talking about the sears catalog accidently fought Jim Crow, then talk about the this week in black history
Afterward we be taking questions and thoughtsHow the Sears Catalog Outsmarted Jim CrowOne Mic History2025-08-24 | Sears used mail‑order, cash by post, and depot pickup to bypass Jim Crow store policies. Here are the ads, policies, and outcomes.
Here’s how the Sears mail‑order catalog quietly beat Jim Crow
Please support our Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mHow Buffalo Soldiers Shaped the West You KnowOne Mic History2025-08-03 | The Buffalo Soldiers, Black cavalry and infantry regiments formed after the Civil War fought on the frontier and in Cuba, earning Medals of Honor. We trace their service and why their story was erased under Jim Crow
Join the discussion!The Black Paramedics Who Built EMS—Then Were ErasedOne Mic History2025-07-20 | Imagine calling an ambulance and the police show up instead. No paramedics. No medical gear. Just badges and a squad car. For Black communities, that was reality just 60 years ago.
In Pittsburgh’s Hill District, everyday people got tired of watching their neighbors die and decided to change the system. What they built didn’t just save lives. It transformed emergency care for the entire country.
Now that Sinners is finally streaming, it’s the perfect time to break down the Black history behind the story on live
I was going to plans for this on the first live stream, but Today is a good day.
After the breakdown, I’ll be taking questions and thoughtsHow Freedom Summer Murders Exposed Jim Crow Justice (Remastered)One Mic History2025-07-12 | On June 21st, 1964, three activists, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were kidnapped and killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, during the 1964 Freedom Summer campaign.
This is a live retelling of this story from my Live Chat
She's not real, she's a carefully crafted stereotype called the "Mammy." Designed during slavery to mask harsh truths, this image portrayed Black women as joyfully obedient servants, hiding their true struggles and exploitation. Shockingly, this harmful myth still shapes perceptions today, limiting how society sees Black women's intelligence, strength, and complex humanity.
We are going to talk about the Mississippi burning case and afterwards. I’m going to answer your your questions about Black history live on Saturday. Drop your questions below and if you see one you like? Give it a thumbs up.
I hope to see you Saturday 6/28!
Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Substack: substack.com/@onemichistory Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Treads: @blackhistorybyonemicWhy Medicine Betrayed Black FamiliesOne Mic History2025-06-22 | 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
Recently, President Trump deployed 2,000 federal troops to California, labeling immigration protests an "insurrection." But ask Black activists and community leaders—it felt painfully familiar: another chapter in America’s long history of force used against its own citizens.
From Little Rock's school steps to the brutal march in Selma, federal troops haven't always stood on the side of justice. Sometimes our protecting rights, sometimes silencing our voices.
Join me as we unpack the complicated history of the National Guard in our neighborhoods. #blackhistory #losangelesprotests
I’m going to answer your your questions about Black history live on Saturday. Drop your questions below and if you see one you like? Give it a thumbs up.
I hope to see you Saturday 6/14!
Audio Onemichistory.com Follow me on Substack: substack.com/@onemichistory Follow me on Instagram: @onemic_history Follow me on Treads: @blackhistorybyonemicHow Jaywalking Criminalized Black PedestriansOne Mic History2025-06-08 | 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
In the 1930s, the U.S. government launched a housing policy that changed the future of Black communities. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) drew maps labeling Black and minority neighborhoods in red—signaling banks to deny loans, investments, and homeownership.
This practice, known as redlining, wasn’t just local—it was national policy.
And it helped lock in racial segregation and generational wealth gaps that still exist today.
Please support our Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=25697914 Buy me a Coffee buymeacoffee.com/Countryboi2mWhy the Black Church Tried to Silence the BluesOne Mic History2025-05-25 | 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.
Music Licenses: Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Why Nottoway’s Fire Forced a Reckoning With SlaveryOne Mic History2025-05-18 | On May 15, 2025, flames consumed Louisiana's Nottoway Plantation, reducing one of America's biggest and most iconic antebellum mansions to smoldering ruins. But behind those grand columns and glittering chandeliers were hidden stories, stories of pain, resilience, and the suffering of enslaved Black lives America's history often glosses over.
So Join us as we pull back the curtain and talk about the real history behind Nottoway Plantation
Music Licenses: Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Sinners” Uses Horror to Tell Black HistoryOne Mic History2025-04-27 | In American cinema, few portrayals of the Deep South capture our attention quite like the eerie world of "Sinners." Yet behind the dark aesthetics and suspenseful storytelling lies a much deeper truth, one tied strongly to America's uncomfortable racial past. From smokey juke joints to sprawling cotton plantations, "Sinners" confronts powerful realities of Black history that many films shy away from.
Join us as we uncover the hidden connections between the haunting fiction of "Sinners" and the REAL experiences of Black Folks..
Music Licenses: Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0How the GI Bill BETRAYED Black VeteransOne Mic History2025-04-13 | When World War II finally ended millions of American veterans returned home, eager a chance to rebuild their lives. The GI Bill promised just that, free education, access to homeownership, and economic opportunities more generous than anything the America had ever seen. It was a revolutionary law that created the American middle class. However, beneath its celebrated legacy are the stories of Black veterans who faced discrimination and lost opportunities.
This is the untold story of how the GI Bill left Black servicemen behind.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Bill history.com/articles/gi-bill-black-wwii-veterans-benefits Half American: The Heroic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad Matthew F. DelmontWhy Aunt Jemima Was Erased from HistoryOne Mic History2025-03-31 | 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.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Jemima wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/labor-and-industry/aunt-jemima Slave in A Box: The Strange Career of Aunt Jemima by Maurice M. ManringThe Police Raid That Killed Fred Hampton With FBI HelpOne Mic History2025-03-16 | Late on an evening in December 1969, Fred Hampton, a charismatic young leader, finishes a class on politics and law before sharing a quiet meal with his pregnant fiancée, Deborah Johnson. But beneath the calm surface, unseen forces are stirring. In the early hours of December 4th, an unexpected and violent raid unfolds. Within moments, a flurry of gunfire erupts, leaving Hampton and fellow Panther Mark Clark dead and the survivors facing arrest.
As the dust settles, shocking revelations emerge from disturbing autopsy findings to manipulated crime scene photos, intensifying the mystery surrounding Hampton’s death.