Ep. 4: The Story of The Black Cabinet with Jill Watts
Jill Watts and I discuss her book, The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt.
This week, I dive into The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt with author Jill Watts. The "Black Cabinet" was a group of independent, self-directed African American economists, lawyers, sociologists and journalists who worked tirelessly behind the scenes during the Roosevelt administration for the inclusion of Black Americans in FDR's New Deal programs.
Watts shares the fascinating history of how this unofficial brain trust, significantly steered by Mary McLeod Bethune—an educator, civil rights leader, and one the most important American women in the first half of the 20th century—navigated the obstacles and politics of the era to push for change, even as they faced constant racism, roadblocks, and resistance.
Through their perseverance and creativity, they were able to secure some key victories and serve as the bridge used by the next generation of civil rights leaders. This is an important and inspiring story that sheds light on a critical chapter of American history and how Black Americans are still fighting for the same things today.
Listen to our discussion above—or on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
To learn more about Jill Watts, visit her website at: https://jill-watts.com/
I’m a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Subscribe to the Weekly Roundup to get the links to what we’ve written about each week. Here are just a few of my recent favorites:
Nik Heftman of The Seven Times has created an awesome documentary on Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey. It is getting rave reviews and playing at a rapidly growing number of theaters in the U.S. Watch the trailer below, subscribe for the latest updates, and go see the documentary!
Teresa Zilk of Talking Good wrote a beautiful poem about her son, Christopher.
Robert Leonard of Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture paints a worst-case scenario if Trump’s plan of the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is implemented.
Iowa Writers Collaborative Holiday Party 2024
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Location: Harkin Institute on the campus of Drake University, 2800 University Ave., Des Moines
Date: December 13, 5-8 p.m.
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