Our Ancestors Were Messy, is a show about the ancestors and all their drama. On each episode, host Nichole Hill and her guests unpack the ancestors’ historical schemes, feuds, and quests to examine how their relationships with one another shaped who we are today. Before the 1960s nearly every major city in the nation had a newspaper written for, by, and about Black Americans. During their “Golden Era” between the 1930s-50s, there were over ten thousand newspapers with an estimated subscriber count of over 1 million. The editors, reporters, and columnists for these papers included legends like Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, and James Weldon Johnson. They reported on local, national, and international news from the Black perspective. They also kept track of what everyone was up to in their segregated neighborhoods and spoiler alert: there was never a dull moment! *** Listen to Our Ancestors Were Messy: https://thesecretadventuresofblackpeople.com/our-ancestors-were-messy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is 'Our Ancestors Were Messy' about?
True Story Media. Hello, it's Andrea, and I have a special treat for you today. The first episode of my absolute favorite new podcast, Our Ancestors Were Messy, from the incredible Nicole Hill, who was also our story editor for season five. This new show covers the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in the black newspapers of segregated communities in pre-civil rights America.
It is a history show, but told as gossip with all of the juiciest bits. Who was beefing? Who was canoodling? Who was posting saucy love letters? It's so fun and fascinating and just makes history come alive. I'm telling you, I only want history in the form of gossip going forward.
Our Ancestors Were Messy was an official selection at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, and I just really think you will love it. You can find the show wherever you listen to podcasts, so go check it out and we will include a link in our show notes. Enjoy!
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Well, friends, it's 2025. It's here. This year is going to be, well, one thing it won't be is boring. And that's about the only prediction I'm going to make right now. But one piece of news that I am excited to share is that the wait for my new book, The Mother Next Door, is almost over. It is coming at you on February 4th from St. Martin's Press. So soon. So soon.
I co-authored this book with friend and beloved contributor of this show, Detective Mike Weber, about three of the most impactful cases of his career. Even if you are one of the OG-est of OG listeners to this show, I promise you are going to learn so many new and shocking details about the three cases we cover.
We just go into so much more depth on these stories, and you're also going to learn a ton about Mike's story. Now, I know y'all love Detective
mike because he gets his very own fan mail here at nobody should believe me and if you've ever wondered how did mike become the detective when it came to munchausen by proxy cases you are going to learn all about his origin story in this book and i know we've got many audiobook listeners out there so i'm very excited to share with you the audiobook is read by me andrea dunlop your humble narrator of this very show i really loved getting to read this book and i'm so excited to share this with you
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Chapter 2: How did Black newspapers shape Black communities?
And then there's all this, like, class anxiety that's harder to move up in the world. And then you feel defensive about it. And it's just, it gets sticky so quickly.
How comfortable are you with discussing class?
Oh, I'm pretty comfortable with it. But again, I think that's because I've been arguing in bathrooms about slavery for the past 15 years.
OK, the story is about class and is actually in D.C.
Oh, back when it was really Chocolate City.
Back when it was becoming Chocolate City. We are in the Gilded Age, a.k.a. the Victorian era, a.k.a. the 1880s. Oh, a progressive lady. A progressive young lady. Reverend Dr. Sutherland is like, fine, we can do whatever you want because I've already been in so much trouble.
Because he'd married another DC couple recently, and in doing so, he'd ushered in one of the biggest society scandals that the Black elite had ever seen. This is the story of a battle between romance and class. This is the story of the scandalous loves of Lulu Francis.
Ooh!
I love, first of all, I love love. I love scandals. I love drama.
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Chapter 3: Who are the key figures in early Black journalism?
We just go into so much more depth on these stories, and you're also going to learn a ton about Mike's story. Now, I know y'all love Detective
mike because he gets his very own fan mail here at nobody should believe me and if you've ever wondered how did mike become the detective when it came to munchausen by proxy cases you are going to learn all about his origin story in this book and i know we've got many audiobook listeners out there so i'm very excited to share with you the audiobook is read by me andrea dunlop your humble narrator of this very show i really loved getting to read this book and i'm so excited to share this with you
If you are able to pre-order the book, doing so will really help us out. It will signal to our publisher that there is excitement about the book, and it will also give us a shot at that all-important bestseller list. And of course, if that's simply not in the budget right now, we get it. Books are not cheap. Library sales are also extremely important for books.
So putting in a request at your local library is another way that you can help. So you can pre-order the book right now in all formats at the link in our show notes at And if you are in Seattle or Fort Worth, Mike and I are doing live events the week of launch, which you can also find more information about at the link in our show notes.
These events will be free to attend, but please do RSVP so that we can plan accordingly. See you out there.
And now for the thrilling conclusion of this week's installment of Our Ancestors Were Messy.
After the elopement, it's reported that Craigwell went to see about making arrangements for him and Lulu to get to Pennsylvania. And Lulu and her sister went home to face their parents. Allegedly, Mr. Sneed is also there.
Me? I would just fake my own death.
Yeah, how would your parents react to you showing up at the door being like, okay, Mary.
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