Best The U.S. Civil Rights Trail Podcasts (2025)

Explores the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Examines challenges faced by all-Black Women's Army Corps Recognizes their overdue Congressional Gold Medal honor

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Introducing: The Competition 7:10

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9M ago7:10

7:10

Every summer for the past seven decades, 50 high school seniors—one from every state—descend on Mobile, Alabama to take part in one of the country’s most lucrative scholarship competitions for teen girls. The Competition takes you behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) program, and follows seven girls as they experience the highs …

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North Carolina: Greensboro Sparks a Movement 23:14

1y ago23:14

23:14

This is the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast. A series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. This is the third and final episode, where we take you to protests and movements across the state inspired and energized by the Greensboro Four sit-in in places such …

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North Carolina: The A&T 4 Sit Down 23:36

1y ago23:36

23:36

This is the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast. A series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. This is the second of three episodes. And in it, we’re going to learn about how four young men protesting at a department store lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, influ…

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North Carolina: NC Students Start a Revolution 21:08

1y ago21:08

21:08

This is the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast. A series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. This is the first of three episodes. And in it, we’ll tell the story of the events leading up to the famous A&T Four sit-ins in Greensboro in 1960, including the stor…

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North Carolina: Introducing the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail Podcast 2:37

1y ago2:37

2:37

The North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast is a series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. It features well-known events from larger cities like Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh. It also tells stories of how everyday citizens joined together to make change in th…

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S2.11. The New Mississippi State Flag with Jere Nash 33:10

1+ y ago33:10

33:10

In this episode Mississippi Department of Archives and History director Katie Blount speaks with author Jere Nash about Mississippi’s path to a new state flag.By Speaking of Mississippi

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S2.10. Race and Slavery in the Old Southwest with Christian Pinnen 34:08

2y ago34:08

34:08

In this episode we speak with scholar Christian Pinnen about Natchez, the oldest European settlement on the Mississippi River, and early interactions there between Native peoples, enslaved and free Africans, French, English, and Spanish.By Speaking of Mississippi

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S2. 9 Daniel de Vise and BB King's Guitar Mastery 56:56

2y ago56:56

56:56

In this episode we speak with the author Daniel de Vise about the life of beloved bluesman BB King. Although King is celebrated around the globe for his music, de Vise argues in his new biography that the guitar player's significance in shaping not just the blues, but nearly all contemporary popular music may still be underrated.…

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S2. 8. A Conversation between Eddie Glaude Jr. and Pamela D.C. Junior 45:20

2y ago45:20

45:20

In this episode we feature a conversation between the celebrated author, Princeton University professor, and Mississippi native Eddie Glaude Jr. and Pamela D.C. Junior, director of the Two Mississippi Museums.By Speaking of Mississippi

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S2.7. The U.S. Civil Rights Trail with Deborah Douglas 31:16

2+ y ago31:16

31:16

In this episode we speak with the author Deborah Douglas about her new guidebook on the people, places, and events that made the Civil Rights Movement.By Speaking of Mississippi

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S2. 6. Mileston with Leroy Johnson and Calvin Head 38:50

2+ y ago38:50

38:50

In this episode we speak with Leroy Johnson and Calvin Head about the Black farming cooperative of Mileston, which began eighty years ago as an experimental federal program that aimed to lift Delta sharecroppers out of poverty, but went on to become one of the safe havens of the Civil Rights Movement.…

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Tennessee: The Clinton 12 31:45

2+ y ago31:45

31:45

This episode takes us to the town of Clinton in the eastern part of the state. Following the pivotal U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, a judge ordered the desegregation of Clinton High School. On August 26, 1956, a group of African American students – the Clinton 12 – attended their first day of class, marking the first inte…

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Tennessee: Nashville’s Civil Rights Legacy 27:07

2+ y ago27:07

27:07

The Tennessee Civil Rights Trail podcast explores the most significant aspects of the Movement in the state. This episode takes a look at the integral role college students played in the city (from Fisk University, American Baptist College, Tennessee State University and elsewhere) especially as they participated in significant protests, such as th…

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Tennessee: Memphis's Civil Rights Legacy 32:25

2+ y ago32:25

32:25

The Tennessee Civil Rights Trail podcast explores the most significant aspects of the Movement in the state. This episode offers a sketch of the city’s overall history before bringing us into what it was like there in the 1950s and 1960s. We learn about the city’s Sanitation Workers’ Strike in 1968, the cause that compelled Martin Luther King, Jr. …

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Tennessee: Introducing the Tennessee Civil Rights Trail Podcast 2:56

2+ y ago2:56

2:56

The Tennessee Civil Rights Trail podcast explores the most significant aspects of the Movement in the state. The episodes will take you from the cities of Memphis and Nashville to the town of Clinton. And they will feature the voices of veteran foot soldiers who stood strong against oppression. You’ll also hear from historians and experts who expla…

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The Life and Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt 40:10

2+ y ago40:10

40:10

Although Theodore Roosevelt’s energetic personality is remembered today by most Americans as almost larger than life, who really was Roosevelt the person, not the legend? In our last episode of Season 5, Mary and Kirk are joined by Tony Williams, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow, to explore Roosevelt’s personal and professional life and what it is about …

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The Spell of a Good Story: Harry Potter's Magical Universe 31:10

2+ y ago31:10

31:10

As Emma Watson says in the HBO special “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts,” “there’s something about Harry Potter that makes life richer.” In this episode of Fabric of History, Mary, Kirk, and Haley explore the meaning of this phrase and why Harry Potter has had such a lasting impact on so many people’s lives. What is it about the h…

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Louisiana: Meeting Places, Organizing Protests & Confrontations, pt. 2 24:44

2+ y ago24:44

24:44

In this episode, “Meeting Places, Organizing Protests & Confrontations, pt. 2,” historians and experts help explain the role of the civil rights movement in Louisiana’s rural towns such as Plaquemine, Jonesboro and Bogalusa. You’ll hear the heroic stories of the Deacons of the Defense and learn about the influential 105-Mile March from Bogalusa all…

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Louisiana: Meeting Places, Organizing Protests & Confrontations, pt. 1 26:50

2+ y ago26:50

26:50

In this episode, “Meeting Places, Organizing Protests & Confrontations, pt. 1,” historians and experts help explain the growth of the non-violent protests that helped desegregate Louisiana. You’ll hear the story of the nation’s first bus boycott in Baton Rouge. And you’ll learn about the student-organized sit-ins and protests in New Orleans, Shreve…

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Louisiana: Desegregation 26:47

2+ y ago26:47

26:47

In this episode, “Desegregation,” historians and experts help explain some of the most pioneering moments in desegregation in the state of Louisiana. You’ll learn about the key role that the 761st Tank Battalion at Camp Beauregard played during World War II. You’ll hear the story how a coach fought to integrate the basketball team at what is now kn…

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Louisiana: Introducing the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail Podcast 2:17

2+ y ago2:17

2:17

The state of Louisiana plays a pivotal role in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. And the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail podcast tells the triumphant stories of people there who made a difference both in their communities and around the country. Each episode features historians, experts and eyewitnesses who explain the full context and help us…

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S2. 5. O.N. Pruitt’s Historic Columbus Photographs with Berkley Hudson 35:02

2+ y ago35:02

35:02

In this episode we speak with Berkley Hudson about the photographer O.N. Pruitt, who served as the de facto documentarian of Columbus, Mississippi, during the early twentieth century. But the significance of Pruitt’s work was overlooked, and the photos were in danger of being lost forever.By Speaking of Mississippi

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The Oregon Trail: The Game vs. Reality 44:14

2+ y ago44:14

44:14

What happens when a pop culture depiction of history is better known than the history itself? The well-known Oregon Trail computer game created in the 1970s brings players on a tumultuous journey from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon in the mid-1800s, but how accurate to history is it? In this special episode of Fabric of History, Mary…

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South Carolina: The March for Equality 28:43

2+ y ago28:43

28:43

In this episode, “The March for Equality,” historians and experts help us explore how African Americans in South Carolina, and their allies, began peaceful protests in the late 1950s and into the 1960s, when the state ignored new federal legislation calling for integration and equality. To learn more about the stories and places you hear about, you…

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South Carolina: Separate is Not Equal 29:14

2+ y ago29:14

29:14

In this episode, “Separate is Not Equal,” historians and experts help us explore how some of the pivotal legislation — rooted in South Carolina — made a significant difference in the entire Civil Rights movement. To learn more about the stories and places you hear about, you can visit Columbia where the protest took place at the state capitol and w…

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South Carolina: Precursor to the Movement 25:29

2+ y ago25:29

25:29

In this episode, “Precursor to the Movement,” historians and experts help us explore critical 19th Century events that plunged the nation into a civil rights crisis. To learn more about the stories and places you hear about, you can visit Beaufort County, Hilton Head, Mitchelville and Union County. You can also visit the Reconstruction Era National…

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South Carolina: Introducing the Legacy of Courage Podcast 2:32

2+ y ago2:32

2:32

The South Carolina Legacy of Courage podcast tells the stories of people who stood strong against oppression. Across three episodes, historians and experts help us explore critical 19th Century events that plunged the nation into a civil rights crisis and then illuminates court cases, protests and those who affected positive change in the state and…

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Was the Revolutionary War America's First Civil War? 49:17

3y ago49:17

49:17

As an American in the 21st century, it’s incredibly easy to look back on the Revolutionary War and joke about the "redcoats," but would you really have been a patriot if you lived at that time? In a special episode of Fabric of History, Mary is joined by Dr. Rebecca Brannon, Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies at Ja…

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What Are NFTs and How Can They Impact Our Lives? 29:12

3y ago29:12

29:12

Question: What do a piece of art, a medical record, and a top 40 song have in common? Answer: They can all be NFTs. In this episode, Mary, Kirk, and Haley, break down what exactly NFTs, or non-fungible tokens are, and their real-life applications outside of enthusiast communities. Why are NFTs so revolutionary, and how are they changing concepts of…

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Hollywood: The Origins, the Image, & the Legacy 31:27

3y ago31:27

31:27

What is Hollywood to you? Is it watching a movie that transports you to another world, a tabloid full of colorful celebrity stories, or the larger-than-life neighborhood in Los Angeles? In this episode of Fabric of History, Mary, Kirk, and Haley go back to the very beginning of show business in the once sleepy backwater of California to discover wh…

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S2. 4. The Andrew Bucci Centennial with Margaret Bucci and Beth Batton 39:10

3y ago39:10

39:10

In this episode we speak with Beth Batton and Margaret Bucci about the artist Andrew Bucci, The Vicksburg native transcended the bounds of his small native state, and his art is being celebrated across Mississippi in 2022, the centennial of his birth.By Speaking of Mississippi

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The Highest Court in the Land: How Has the Supreme Court Evolved Through History? 32:20

3y ago32:20

32:20

It’s uncommon to look at the front page of any newspaper and not see an article about impending Supreme Court nominations and debates. But was this always the case? Were proceedings of the Supreme Court as publicized throughout American history as they are now? In this week’s episode of Fabric of History, Mary, Kirk, and Haley explore what the Cons…

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Lawless Piracy & the Struggle for Power in North America 36:38

3y ago36:38

36:38

Lawless bandits, high sea adventure, and buried treasure! When we dress up as pirates on Halloween, do our humorous sayings and elaborate costumes bear any resemblance to the real pirates that once terrorized North America? In this episode of Fabric of History, Mary, Kirk, and Haley discuss piracy's rise and fall in the Mediterranean and American C…

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S2. 3. The Domestic Slave Trade with Joshua D. Rothman 44:49

3y ago44:49

44:49

In this episode we speak with Joshua D. Rothman, author of The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America. The book focuses on the firm of Isaac Franklin, John Armfield, and Rice Ballard, whose slave-trading operation was the largest and most powerful in U.S. history—and which had a principal office in Natchez.…

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Mississippi: Champions in the Fight for Voting Rights 34:17

3y ago34:17

34:17

In this episode, “Champions in the Fight for Voting Rights," we focus on some of Mississippi's most significant Civil Rights leaders and their work and progress in advancing equal Voting Rights. We tell the stories of James Meredith, Amzie Moore, Fannie Lou Hamer and Unita Blackwell. It features journalist and author Charlie Cobb, who was a SNCC fi…

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Mississippi: Organizing the Movement 38:40

3y ago38:40

38:40

In this episode, “Organizing the Movement,” we examine how Civil Rights leaders in Mississippi strategically organized Movement participants and events to affect change. It features historians Robert Luckett from Jackson State University and Daphne Chamberlain from Tougaloo College. We also hear from Civil Rights foot soldier and Jackson State Univ…

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Mississippi: All Eyes on Mississippi 36:45

3y ago36:45

36:45

In this episode, “All Eyes on Mississippi,” we explore some of the most well-known events that occurred in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. The notoriety of these events spread the awareness of what was happening in the state and influenced people to get involved. It features Jackson State University historian Robert Luckett, Benjamin …

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Mississippi: Introducing the Mississippi Freedom Trail Podcast 2:51

3y ago2:51

2:51

Welcome to the Mississippi Freedom Trail Podcast, a series where historians and experts help us explore some of the most significant events of the state’s Civil Rights movement. You’ll hear the real stories of people who were there and who made a difference. And why what took place then is still so relevant to us today. After listening to the podca…

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S2. 2. A Life in the Blues with Bobby Rush (clean) 41:39

3y ago41:39

41:39

In this episode we talk with the King of the Chitlin’ Circuit, Bobby Rush. The Grammy award-winning musician has recorded more than 400 songs over the course of five decades in the music industry. His new memoir is I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story.By Speaking of Mississippi

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S2. 2. A Life in the Blues with Bobby Rush 41:39

3y ago41:39

41:39

In this episode we talk with the King of the Chitlin’ Circuit, Bobby Rush. The Grammy award-winning musician has recorded more than 400 songs over the course of five decades in the music industry. His new memoir is I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story.By Speaking of Mississippi

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S2. 1. Buildings of Mississippi with Jennifer Baughn 38:49

3y ago38:49

38:49

In this episode we talk with Jennifer V.O. Baughn about her new book on Mississippi in the prestigious Buildings of the United States series. Baughn is chief architectural historian for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the author of numerous articles on the state's historic buildings.…

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Alabama: Marching for the Vote 25:33

3y ago25:33

25:33

In this episode, “Marching for the Vote,” we learn about the Voting Rights protests in 1965 in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, the violent resistance to them, and how the Civil Rights Movement ultimately triumphed. It features Betty Strong Boynton, Wanda Howard Battle, Sekou Franklin, Brenna Wynn Greer, Frye Gaillard, Glenn Eskew and Ed Bridges. To …

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Alabama: The Birmingham Campaign 22:48

3y ago22:48

22:48

This episodes tells the story of how in the 1950s and 60s, Birmingham, Alabama, was one of the most racially segregated places in the U.S. People around the world were shocked when they learned of church bombings and saw photos and news footage of police turning their dogs on black teenagers or firemen aiming their hoses at protesters who were marc…

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The U.S. Civil Rights Trail Podcasts

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