Raised in Jamaica, Mary Seacole first came to England in the 1850s after working in Panama. She wanted to volunteer as a nurse and aide during the Crimean War. When her services were rejected, she financed her own expedition to Balaclava, where her reputation for her nursing—and for her compassion—became almost legendary. Popularly known as ‘Mother Seacole’, ... Show More
Apr 15
Rawlston Williams, "The Caribbean Cookbook" (Phaidon Press, 2026)
An exploration of Caribbean cuisine and culinary history, featuring more than 380 authentic home cooking recipes from across the region Caribbean cuisine reveals a culture of boundless imagination and creativity. It is the result of resourcefulness and ingenuity, where the need t ... Show More
32m 57s
Mar 31
Tyesha Maddox, "A Home Away from Home: Mutual Aid, Political Activism, and Caribbean American Identity" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024)
A Home Away from Home: Mutual Aid, Political Activism, and Caribbean American Identity (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024) examines the significance of Caribbean American mutual aid societies and benevolent associations to the immigrant experience, particularly their implications fo ... Show More
38m 31s
Mar 27
Why Did Langston Hughes's "Troubled Lands" Go Unpublished for Nearly a Century?: A Conversation with Ricardo Wilson
Why did Langston Hughes's translations of Mexican and Cuban stories go unpublished for nearly a century? A landmark book—the first complete publication of Langston Hughes’s translations of thirty-three stories by eighteen Mexican and Cuban writers In late 1934, Langston Hughes, a ... Show More
48m 24s
Aug 2023
Folk Heroes: Mother Shipton (Ursula Southeil)
Ursula Southeil (c. 1488-1561), better known as “Mother Shipton,” was an English prophetess and seeress known for her predictions about the future. In the decades following her death, Ursula’s own life became the source of speculation and rumor. She was called Devil’s spawn, a wi ... Show More
5m 38s
Aug 2023
Folk Heroes: Margaret "Molly" Brown
Margaret Brown (1867-1932), now known as "the Unsinkable Molly Brown," was a socialite who survived the sinking of the Titanic and desperately tried to convince her fellow lifeboat passengers to return to the debris and search for survivors. This month, we're talking about Folk H ... Show More
7m 57s
Feb 2024
Revolutionaries: Catherine Flon
Catherine Flon (c. 18th century) was a prominent figure in Haitian history, known for her role in the creation of the Haitian flag. During the Haitian Revolution in 1803, she sewed together the first Haitian flag, symbolizing the nation's fight for independence from French coloni ... Show More
5m 35s
Sep 2023
84. A Tale of Two Nurses: Seacole & Nightingale
The Lady with the Lamp, the great nurse who forever changed public health for the better: Florence Nightingale lives large in the national consciousness. Mary Seacole, however, has been largely forgotten by history, even though she too played a significant role in the Crimean War ... Show More
54m 9s