Best Splc Podcasts (2025)

Film historian Ron Briley returns with more suggestions for teaching through film — from thought-provoking documentaries and feature films to miniseries. Spanning productions from the works of Ken Burns to the blockbuster Black Panther, this episode offers essential background information and practical strategies. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph…

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Film and the History of Slavery 46:39

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3M ago46:39

46:39

Film has long shaped our nation's historical memory — for good and bad. Film historian Ron Briley offers ways to responsibly use films in the classroom to more accurately frame the narrative of American slavery and Reconstruction. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (…

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Diverse Experience of the Enslaved 35:35

4M ago35:35

35:35

The experiences of enslaved people varied greatly based on a variety of factors, including time, location, crop, labor performed, size of slaveholding and gender. Yet, most students leave school thinking enslaved people lived like the biased representation in Gone With the Wind. Deirdre Cooper Owens, Ph.D., discusses how the lived experience of sla…

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Resistance Means More Than Rebellion 1:07:02

4M ago1:07:02

1:07:02

For a more complete picture of enslaved people's experiences, we need to expand our understanding of resistance. Kenneth S. Greenberg, Ph.D., examines the numerous ways enslaved African Americans incorporated resistance into every aspect of their lives, offering a lens to help students see how enslaved people fought back against the brutality of sl…

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In the Footsteps of Others: Process Drama 43:17

5M ago43:17

43:17

In learning about slavery, students often ask, "Why didn't enslaved people run away or revolt?" Lindsay Anne Randall explains "process drama" — a method to help build empathy and understand the risks and complexities that enslaved individuals faced. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty L…

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Doing the Work of Teaching Hard History 43:37

5M ago43:37

43:37

In many ways, the U.S. has fallen short of its ideals. How can we explain this to students — particularly in the context of discussing slavery? Salem State University professor Steven Thurston Oliver shares practical strategies for teaching hard history and creating supportive classroom environments in which relationships are strong enough to be ab…

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Slavery and the Northern Economy 33:21

5M ago33:21

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When we think of slavery as a strictly Southern institution, we perpetuate a "dangerous fiction," according to historian Christy Clark-Pujara. Avoid the trap with this episode about the role the North played in perpetuating slavery and the truth behind the phrase "slavery built the United States." Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D., and Learning…

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Slavery and the Civil War, Part 2 29:52

6M ago29:52

29:52

Salem State University professor Bethany Jay returns to examine how the actions of free and enslaved African Americans shaped the progress of the Civil War and contributed to emancipation. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (This episode originally aired in Jan. 2018…

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Slavery and the Civil War, Part 1 32:44

6M ago32:44

32:44

What really caused the Civil War? In this episode, Salem State University Professor Bethany Jay examines the complex role that slavery played in causing the Civil War and outlines ways to teach this history and clarify our understanding of the Confederacy. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Po…

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Wake-Up Call: Part II 56:56

3+ y ago56:56

56:56

This episode opens with Matriculation Day at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington – the start of school for first-year students. Racial justice protests in 2020 promoted a state-ordered independent investigation documenting an institutional culture of racism and sexism. What has changed at VMI since then? Have the changes gone far eno…

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Wake-Up Call: Part I 57:55

3+ y ago57:55

57:55

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington is a college embedded in Southern military tradition – which includes an unquestioning respect for the Confederacy. But in the spring of 2020, a racial reckoning came to VMI after students of color and some alumni began to air their frustrations and demand change. In this episode, you’ll discover h…

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Season 4 Sneak Peek 1:54

3+ y ago1:54

1:54

This exclusive trailer for season four of Sounds Like Hate (coming June 14) takes you inside the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, where an independent investigation exposed a longstanding culture of systemic racism. Alumni and students demanded change – including the removal of memorials glorifying the Confederacy. Now, for the first…

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Why Hard History Matters: Addressing the Legacy of Jim Crow – w/ Rep. Hakeem Jeffries 1:19:43

3+ y ago1:19:43

1:19:43

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries represents New York's 8th congressional district. Our final episode this season takes us to the U.S. House of Representatives for a conversation between Rep. Jeffries and his brother, our host, Dr. Hasan Jeffries, to discuss the lingering effects of the Jim Crow era—including voter access, prison and policing reform and …

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Criminalizing Blackness: Prisons, Police and Jim Crow – w/ Robert T. Chase and Brandon T. Jett 1:49:05

3+ y ago1:49:05

1:49:05

After emancipation, aspects of the legal system were reshaped to maintain control of Black lives and labor. Historian Robert T. Chase outlines the evolution of convict leasing in the prison system. And Historian Brandon T. Jett explores the commercial factors behind the transition from extra-legal lynchings to police enforcement of the color line. …

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Music Reconstructed: Lara Downes' Classical Perspective on Jim Crow – w/ Charles L. Hughes 24:19

3+ y ago24:19

24:19

From concertos to operas, Black composers captured the changes and challenges facing African Americans during Jim Crow. Renowned classical pianist Laura Downes is bringing new appreciation to the works of artists like Florence Price and Scott Joplin. In our final installment of Music Reconstructed, Downes discusses how we can hear the complicated h…

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Music Reconstructed: Adia Victoria and the Landscape of the Blues – w/ Charles L. Hughes 16:30

3+ y ago16:30

16:30

When we consider the trauma of white supremacy during the Jim Crow era—what writer Ralph Ellison describes as "the brutal experience"—it's important to understand the resilience and joy that sustained Black communities. We can experience that all through the "near-comic, near-tragic lyricism" of the blues. In part 3 of this series, acclaimed musici…

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Black Political Thought – w/ Minkah Makalani 1:05:20

3+ y ago1:05:20

1:05:20

Black political ideologies in the early 20th century evolved against a backdrop of derogatory stereotypes and racial terrorism. Starting with Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Agency, historian Minkah Makalani contextualizes an era of Black intellectualism. From common goals of racial unity to fierce debates over methods, he shows h…

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Music Reconstructed: Dom Flemons, Black Cowboys and the American West – w/ Charles L. Hughes 18:02

4y ago18:02

18:02

From ranches to railroads, learn about the often unrecognized role that African Americans played in the range cattle industry, as Pullman porters and in law enforcement. In part two of this special series, Grammy Award-winner Dom Flemons takes us on a musical exploration of the American West after emancipation. "The American Songster" joins histori…

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Medical Racism: A Legacy of Malpractice – w/ Deirdre Cooper Owens 40:24

4y ago40:24

40:24

This nation has a long history of exploiting Black Americans in the name of medicine. A practice which began with the Founding Fathers using individual enslaved persons for gruesome experimentation evolved into state-sanctioned injustices such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, among others. Award-winning author, historian Deirdre Cooper Owens details…

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Music Reconstructed: Jason Moran, Jazz and the Harlem Hellfighters – w/ Charles L. Hughes 22:28

4y ago22:28

22:28

This is a special four-part series where historian Charles L. Hughes introduces us to musicians who are exploring the sounds, songs and stories of the Jim Crow era. In this installment, Jazz pianist Jason Moran discusses his acclaimed musical celebration of a man he calls "Big Bang of Jazz," bandleader, arranger and composer James Reese Europe. Dur…

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The Harlem Renaissance: Restructuring, Rebirth and Reckoning – w/ Julie Buckner Armstrong 56:24

4y ago56:24

56:24

During the Harlem Renaissance, more Black artists than ever before were asking key questions about the role of art in society. Oftentimes the Harlem Renaissance is misconstrued as a discrete moment in American history–not as the next iteration of a thriving Black artistic tradition that it was. Literature scholar Julie Buckner Armstrong urges educa…

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Changing the Game: Sports in the Jim Crow Era – w/ Derrick E. White and Louis Moore 1:05:11

4y ago1:05:11

1:05:11

In the United States, Black athletes have had to contend with two sets of rules: those of the game and those of a racist society. While they dealt with 20th century realities of breaking the color line and the politics of respectability, Black fans, educational institutions, and the Black press were building sporting congregations with their own we…

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The New Deal, Jim Crow and the Black Cabinet – w/ Jill Watts 52:43

4y ago52:43

52:43

Opportunities created by the New Deal were often denied to African Americans. And that legacy of exclusion to jobs, loans and services can be seen today in federal programs and policies as well as systemic inequities in housing, education, health and the accumulation of wealth. Historian Jill Watts examines the complicated history of the New Deal, …

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Red Flags Everywhere 38:05

4y ago38:05

38:05

In this special episode of Sounds Like Hate Season 4, we travel back to the months leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, to track white supremacists as they plan, prepare and execute their violent plot to attack the U.S. Capitol and overturn an election. Listen now as we examine the events that should have been 'red flags' in 2020 as the hate and extremism m…

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Black Soldiers: Global Conflict During Jim Crow – w/ Adriane Lentz-Smith 54:00

4y ago54:00

54:00

U.S. involvement in world wars and the domestic Black freedom struggle shaped one another. By emphasizing the diverse stories of servicemen and women, historian Adriane Lentz-Smith situates Black soldiers as agents of American empire who were simultaneously building their own institutions at home. While white elected officials worked to systemicall…

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The Unwelcome: Part II 51:42

4y ago51:42

51:42

The Season 3 finale of Sounds Like Hate centers on the small town of Arivaca, Arizona, just 11 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Here, residents have taken a decidedly pro-migrant stand – but armed anti-migrant militia groups continue to operate nearby, and more anti-migrant residents are moving in. Can Arivaca’s commitment to embracing inclus…

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Building Black Institutions: Autonomy, Labor and HBCUs – w/ Jelani M. Favors and Tera W. Hunter 1:21:31

4y ago1:21:31

1:21:31

Historian Tera Hunter describes Black institution-building post-slavery and throughout the Jim Crow era, illustrating how Black workers reorganized labor to their advantage, despite virulent white resistance. During the same period, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) produced future leaders while cultivating resistance to white su…

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The Unwelcome: Part I 49:55

4y ago49:55

49:55

In Part I of “The Unwelcome,” we’re on the southern border in Arizona, where armed militia groups stalk migrants traversing harsh desert conditions. In some cases, militia members arm themselves with guns, scopes and motion activated video cameras seek to capture migrants and destroy their water sources, putting migrants’ lives at an even steeper r…

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Season 3 Update 8:59

4y ago8:59

8:59

This special bonus episode of Sounds Like Hate provides an exclusive update on The Base, an international “white power” terrorist group that we’ve been tracking since Season 1 of the podcast. Since then, some members of The Base have been arrested and charged with hatching violent plots – here are the details of the disturbing crimes these extremis…

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Fostering Hate: Part II 54:42

4y ago54:42

54:42

In part II of “Fostering Hate,” we tell the stories of LGBTQ parents and children navigating a foster system with a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Too often, foster parents are not adequately vetted or trained. In this episode, we meet LGBTQ people who have been deeply impacted by issues of bias, rejection and queer identity in the foster sy…

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Premeditation and Resilience: Tulsa, Red Summer and the Great Migration – w/ David Krugler 45:18

4y ago45:18

45:18

Naming the 1921 Tulsa massacre a "race riot" is inaccurate. Historian David Krugler urges listeners to call this and other violent attacks what they were: premeditated attempts at ethnic cleansing. Decades before, African Americans moved North in record numbers during the Great Migration. Krugler delves into connections between diaspora and violenc…

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Fostering Hate: Part I 55:00

4y ago55:00

55:00

In 2018, Philadelphia tried to defend its policies to prevent discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ parents in its foster care system – and got sued by a religious right organization over it. This episode unravels the ongoing legal battle over the future of queer parents in Philly’s foster system and includes interviews with some of the kids and parent…

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Collateral Damage: Part II 50:50

4y ago50:50

50:50

In Florida, many people who have previously been incarcerated have had their right to vote taken away by discriminatory legislative measures. In this episode, we meet some of these people who have served their sentenced time and simply want their rights back – and are bravely fighting to be heard by lawmakers and to give voice to others who share t…

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Lynching: White Supremacy, Terrorism and Black Resilience – w/ Kidada Williams and Kellie Carter Jackson 1:21:01

4y ago1:21:01

1:21:01

Black American experiences during Jim Crow were deeply affected by the ever-present threat of lynching and other forms of racist violence. Historian Kidada Williams amplifies perspectives from Black families, telling stories of lynching victims obscured by white newspapers. She and Kellie Carter Jackson urge educators to confront the role of this v…

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Collateral Damage: Part I 52:27

4y ago52:27

52:27

In this episode, we visit Georgia to investigate a devastating new voter suppression law and meet the activists and community members who are fighting its deliberate and calculated suppression of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups.By Southern Poverty Law Center

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Correcting History: Confederate Monuments, Rituals and the Lost Cause – w/ Karen Cox 1:05:48

4y ago1:05:48

1:05:48

The Lost Cause narrative would have us believe that Confederate monuments have always been celebrated, but people have protested them since they started going up. Historian Karen Cox unpacks how the United Daughters of the Confederacy used propaganda to dominate generations of teachings about the Civil War through textbooks, legislation, and popula…

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Sneak Peek: Season 3 7:56

4y ago7:56

7:56

In this exclusive sneak peek at Sounds Like Hate’s third season, we travel to the deadliest border crossing in the nation, along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, where undocumented migrants are crossing in record numbers. Humanitarian organizations are attempting to help the migrants, venturing into the Sonoran Desert to distribute food and water…