Now We Know

On a very special bonus episode of Now We Know, Donna interviews artist Adderly Grant-Lord; an incredibly talented, vibrant and joyous woman based out of Boulder, Colorado. The Proclaiming exhibit at the Museum of Boulder showcases Adderly’s work, along with others in their AfroFuturistic exhibit that will be available through September of 2025. 

To check out more about the museum, the inspirations of Adderly’s work as well as the other fantastic artists in the Proclaiming exhibit, take a look at the resources below:

The depths, intricacies and beauty of Afrofuturism have been practiced in more ways than Donna & Jonathan realized in their own lives. Discovering more of the definitions and applications has brought a new level of appreciation for the movement as well as creators in the space. 

How do you feel you apply Afrofuturism in your life?

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Kicking off the 4th season of Now We Know with an episode easy like Sunday morning. Donna & Jonathan discuss the making of, hits from and modern time influence from Motown - one of the biggest record labels with an iconic sound our parents, and our parents parents, know all too well and love dearly. As soon as that first 8 count hits, you know exactly what song is about to grace your ears. What are some of your favorite Motown hits/artists?

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In this episode of Now We Know, Jonathan and Donna discuss the origins of Kwanzaa, the meaning of the holiday, and their personal connections or disconnections with the annual celebration.

What are your connections with Kwanzaa? Did your family celebrate growing up or into adulthood?

However you celebrate this holiday season, we hope it's a beautiful and memorable one.

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York, who also unwillingly was brought on the Lewis & Clark Expedition by his enslaver, Clark, has a story that not only varies historian by historian but also did not include full truths of what he experienced. York traveled nearly 8,000 miles cross country with the promise of freedom and land, only for neither to occur.

Sacagawea, in a similar, if not more heartbreaking story, was all of 12 years old when she was sold to be married, pregnant, and set off on the expedition - giving birth while on the trek. Listen in for more detail on these untold or not widely known histories of York & Sacagawea.

Sources:

York and Sacagawea - Lewis & Clark expedition

Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas seem like two sides of a coin, that's because they are. Thurgood being the first black person on the supreme court paved an incredible path for Clarence and Ketanji Jackson to come.

On this episode, Donna & Jonathan discuss the forging of Thurgood's path and the complexities of his successor after deciding to retire.

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Good ol’ Bass Reeves. From HBO’s mini series Watchman, to the Lone Ranger, to the many unanswered questions that have followed. The duality of Bass Reeves’ life as the first Deputy U.S. Marshall as a formerly enslaved person comes to ahead later in his career as racial tensions rose in the late 1800s. How did Reeves become involved with the government as a black man in the US, especially at the time?

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@DonnaJaneen

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A short break was all Donna & Jonathan needed to reset and refresh their minds. On this episode, they circle back to the Now You Know segment from the Kentucky Derby about Black Cowboys . From Esteban the Negro to Bass Reeves, black cowboys have been incredibly impactful throughout western world history. Admittedly, these names may be more widely know in southern US states; the way it's portrayed beyond the southern states transformed complex stories into a Hollywood misrepresentation of history. The reality? Take a listen to learn more. Resources https://www.blackcowboymuseum.com/ https://youtu.be/PWlLNIGIbd0 https://www.npr.org/2019/01/05/682318409/dom-flemons-presents-a-new-image-of-the-american-cowboy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoNV40Hk5o8

Now You Know

Sometimes, Donna & Jonathan need a vacation too. Re-sharing a popular episode from July 2022.

Fredrick Douglass - we all (most of us) know the name. But, do we really know the gravity to which he changed not only his life but those that were enslaved and for generations to come? Douglass’ incredibly powerful speeches has resonated through history and will continue to do so for millennia to come.

In this episode of Now We Know, Donna & Jonathan get into one of Douglass’ famous speeches, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” A compelling HBO documentary based on the life of Frederick Douglass and his impact. What would Douglass' feel/say about the state of our country today?

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A woman of class, dignity and a force to be reckoned with. Mary Church Terrell was an integral piece to the civil rights decades before subsequent laws were put into place. Coining the term, lifting as we climb - Church Terrell’s values were based upon intersectionality, education and bringing everyone along for the ride. 

“I cannot help wondering what I might have become and might have done if I had lived in a country which had not circumscribed and handicapped me on account of my race, but had allowed me to reach any heights I was able to attain.” - Mary Church Terrell

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Did you know 13 of the 15 riders in the very first Kentucky Derby were Black? 

Did you know that 15 of the first 28 derbies were won by black riders?

How did the racist origin of Lawn Jockeys get flipped and turned upside from a young enslaved black boy who froze to death to now be sold as blue eyed, white little boys? Phew, this episode Donna & Jonathan get into the intersections of it all. 

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@DonnaJaneen

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Music is instrumental, pun intended, for many of us in the Black Community - Donna & Jonathan are no exception. From childhood artistry to a now multi-platinum singer-songwriter, Cameron Forbes joins the Now We Know podcast for an episode on the joys, the struggles and the triumphs of building his music career in LA over the last decade. Cameron details how he remains true to himself in keeping the love for music and not becoming jaded in a world that wasn't created for the faint of heart.

How has the world of TikTok and plagiarism impacted the music industry? Are artists having greater control over their creations or will AI totally change the game? 

Instagram:

@CameronForbes

www.cameronforbes.com

EP - Back to Me

@DonnaJaneen

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Black Greek Letter Organizations have been around since the early 1900s; created out of the difficulty of the times to establish collegiate camaraderie, forward advancement and philanthropy in the black community. 

For the first time in Now We Know history, Donna & Jonathan have a guest join the podcast to talk about their experience and how transformational being part of the first black fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha, was for their life.

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Often times it's noted how black women really come through to help save us all; Dorothy Height was no exception. Walking alongside the likes of the big Civil Rights names we all know, Dorothy was the true voice of reason to help propel some of the most monumental times of the movement. 

Now You Know:

WC Handy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSuTTSOctGw 

Jake Blount

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

Sources:
The Life and Surprising Times of Dr. Dorothy Height

Black Panther leader, Fred Hampton's, downfall was one that shook the party in the 1960s. How William O'Neal infiltrated the Party in Chicago from FBI funding was absolutely astonishing on so many fronts. Donna & Jonathan dissect Judas and the Black Messiah, the movie based on this historical event, bringing in clarifying facts and speak more on the overall mission of the Black Panther Party. 

Did you know how many people infiltrated the organization? Where would we be on social justice issues if Fred Hampton were still alive today?

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It’s still rather unclear how Donna and Jonathan endured the preparation of this episode. Nonetheless, if they’re going to better understand propaganda films, they have to experience, firsthand, the foolery behind the biggest one of them all: Birth of a Nation.

It was, undoubtedly, a painful experience. However, somehow, they made it through the 3 hour drama film to tell the tale. How has Birth of a Nation perpetuated the gross, inaccurate, and absurd narrative of black people in America? What effects do we still see today, in film or otherwise?

Instagram:

@DonnaJaneen

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Welcome to Hispanic Heritage month! Little did Donna know, the preparation of this episode would come with a feeling of soul fulfillment and a (highly possible) life-changing revelation. The similarities between black Americans and AfroLatinos in history is giving fraternal twins: so so much alike, but each has their own individual flavor.

From the joys to the wows to the disappointments, join Donna & Jonathan on this roller coaster ride of an episode of Now We Know.

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Mary McLeod Bethune paved the way for education in the black community. How do we receive and spread the knowledge throughout the community today? From childhood education to adults, like Donna and Jonathan, learning and diving deeper, how do we retain it all? What’s the best format in which you learn? How do we help educate those whose hearts and minds are the hardest to change without bearing the burden ourselves?

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Fredrick Douglass - we all (most of us) know the name. But, do we really know the gravity to which he changed not only his life but those that were enslaved and for generations to come? Douglass’ incredibly powerful speeches has resonated through history and will continue to do so for millennia to come.

In this episode of Now We Know, Donna & Jonathan get into one of Douglass’ famous speeches, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” A compelling HBO documentary based on the life of Frederick Douglass and his impact. What would Douglass' feel/say about the state of our country today?

Sources:

Happy Pride! In this episode of Now We Know, Donna & Jonathan dive into the Netflix documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson. As a trailblazer for the movement, Marsha's legacy has been underrepresented. She was extremely influential for LGBTQ rights and loved by many. Why is her death still a mystery 30 years later? Let's celebrate the life she lived and impact she had, she touched the lives of innumerable people of the time and certainly for generations to come.

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Roe v. Wade, very likely, being overturned will affect so much more than abortion rights. From the way you simply have sex to birth control to who you have/want to marry; it's all on the line. Yes, that includes you, too; straight, white, male. This month, Donna & Jonathan relate the leaked SCOTUS opinion and its ripple effects to another way the 13th amendment has a loophole to create enslaved people, once again. Do you think you're immune to this being overturned? We bet not!

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We have heard so much, every black history month, about Rosa Parks and how she refused to give up her seat. But, did you know Claudette Colvin did it first? This episode of Now We Know released on the 67th anniversary of Colvin’s bold act, a 15 year old black girl, refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. Donna and Jonathan discuss how intriguing, strong willed and beautiful of a person Claudette is and colorism played a big factor into who became the face of the historic bus boycott of 1955-1956.

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This episode, sparked from watching Self Made on Netflix, a docuseries about Madam CJ Walker, named the first black millionaire, has left Donna & Jonathan with more side-eyes about history than we normally have. What does it really mean to be self made? How did Madame CJ walker become dubbed the first self made black millionaire when others came before her? How do we obtain that level of wealth for our own and future generations? Were we given the correct tools or were they purposefully kept from us?

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Did Marcus Garvey start a cult or was it simply the most impactful organization fueling movements for decades to come? Yet another tremendously impactful historical figure we didn’t learn about in school who would have been instrumental in putting together the pieces of the rest of the civil rights movement we were taught. Controversial? Yes. Perfect leadership style? Not quite. This month Donna & Jonathan are eyes wide open exploring the document, The Story of Marcus Garvey, to bring full circle the impact Garvey’s radical ways of thinking and leading have impacted the world of today. You know what would’ve helped us to connect the dots sooner? We’ll let you take a wild guess.

Resources:
The Story of Marcus Garvey, A Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsKWGIZIhw 

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/marcus-garvey

Keep Cool

Colorism and hair are not as widely discussed as they need to be. We experience discrimination from the hue of our skin to the bounce of our hair or lack there of. Let's dive into these topics, as really they coincide, and figure out how it all started. Remember original Aunt Viv on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Claire on My Wife & Kids? Exactly.  

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@DonnaJaneen 

@RealRelatablePodcast