Reckoning With Racial Violence (Some Sunay Context)

Reckoning With Racial Violence (Some Sunay Context)

Author: Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia May 31, 2026 Duration: 24:07
This past week, we talked about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921. For today's "Sunday Context" episode we jump a couple generations ahead to the summer of 1967, when president Johnson convened the “Kerner Commission” to look into the roots of violence and unrest in America, largely in Black and brown communities around the country. The report came out next year and offered a frank and damning assessment of the complicity of white Americans. But it's recommendations were largely ignored and suppresed. Featuring Jelani Cobb, author of an updated version, “The Essential Kerner Commission Report,” out now. Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now. This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

Hosted by Jody Avirgan alongside historians Nicole Hemmer and Kellie Carter Jackson, This Day is a historical podcast from Radiotopia that steps back from the relentless news cycle to find context in the past. The series "50 Weeks That Shaped America" serves as its core, offering a rich, narrative-driven examination of pivotal moments that have fundamentally influenced the nation's political landscape and cultural identity. This isn't a dry recitation of dates but a deep, engaging exploration of the stories and decisions that collectively brought us to the present. Each episode functions as a carefully researched journey, unpacking the complexities and unintended consequences of historical events you might think you know, revealing the surprising threads that connect them to contemporary life. By focusing on these formative weeks, the podcast provides a unique and clarifying lens, arguing that to understand today's headlines, you often need to listen to the echoes of yesterday. The conversations between Avirgan, Hemmer, and Jackson are insightful and accessible, blending scholarly depth with compelling storytelling. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining a new set of tools for thinking about America, its ongoing struggles, and its evolving character, all through the meticulous and thoughtful work of its hosts.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Podcast Episodes
Evacuation Day: NYC's Forgotten Holiday (1783) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:07
It's the last week in November -- on November 25th, 1783, British troops finally left New York City, which had suffered a brutal two years since the formal end of the Revolutionary War. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss wha…
The Myth of The Myth of Lewis & Clark (1805) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:06
It's November 18th. This day in 1805, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark have returned back east to report on their trip to President Jefferson. It hasn't been very successful. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss ho…
The Penny Is Dead [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:32
Welcome to our Sunday Context series, where we try and bring you new conversations and episodes from the archives to give a little context for the news of the day. Today, a look at the very first one-cent coins, as the U…
Sesame Street Premieres (1969) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:27
We continue with part two of our look at the birth of Sesame Street. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the show's premier, how it was received -- and what the program has meant to them over the years. Sign up for our Americ…
The Birth of Sesame Street (1969) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:54
It's November 11th. This day in 1969, a new show for children is on the airwaves -- Sesame Street. Jody, Niki, and Kellie dive into a two-part look at the birth of this new show, from the big ideas about television and c…
Utah's Revolutionary Senator (1868) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:53
It's November 6th. This day in 1868, Martha Hughes Cannon becomes the first female state senator in US history, when she beats her husband in a Utah election. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Cannon's career as a doctor, h…
The Sewer Socialist Mayor (1916) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:49
It's Election Day in many parts of the country, including in New York City, which may elect a Democratic Socialist mayor. 100 years ago, many cities in the US had socialist mayors, who came to be known as "sewer socialis…
Japanese Cars, Made In America (1982) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:54
It's October 30th. This day (technically November 2nd) in 1982, a Honda Accord rolls off the assembly line at a new plant in Marysville, Ohio -- the first Japanese car made by American workers. Jody, Niki, and Kellie dis…
Dizzy Gillespie For President (1964) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:13
It's October 28th. This day in 1964, the presidential election is in the home stretch, with candidates like Lyndon B Johnson, Barry Goldwater -- and Dizzy Gillespie? Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the only-half-joking ca…
The Memory Palace: This Weekend's Teach-In [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:21
This Sunday, we are convening a teach-in in Washington DC with our friend Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace. Here is Nate's latest episode, where he discusses the path to this event and the need to defend the work of histo…