Episodes

The White House is one of most recognized buildings and symbols of American power and democracy. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they illuminate the unsung men and women who built and worked in that fabled building. From the carpenters, brick layers, laborers, entertainers, and servants, all the way to the confidants, diplomats, and policymakers, Black/African Americans, in spite of systemic racism, have left their mark on “the people’s house” and on the nation’s cultu...

The FBI’s COINTELPRO targeted Black/African leaders and civil rights organizations for decades. Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, explore the dark side of the FBI efforts to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" individuals or groups deemed subversive. They’ll examine aspects of the Martin Luther King, Jr. FBI files and how it was intended to undermine and destroy him and his movement. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confro...

Join Dr. Carol François and her niece, Kourtney Square as they ride into the West and share how Black/African Americans contributed to the country’s westward expansion. You’ll hear about Bass Reeves, perhaps the real Lone Ranger, and exploits of pioneers and settlers you’ve never heard of before. Want more---take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA Citations “Lawman legend Bass Reeves: the invincible...

Americans have long looked to the First Amendment of the Constitution to protect their rights of freedom of speech, assembly, and to petition the government. Consequently, Washington D.C. has been the site of thousands of peaceful demonstrations and marches where Americans raised their voices in protest. On January 6, 2021, what cloaked itself as a peaceful demonstration devolved into an all-out attack on the government when pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol Building and attempted, wh...

Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, in their season wrap up when they share both their own and their listeners’ favorite books, episodes, and gift recommendations. Hear the name of the lucky winner of the drawing who will win complimentary access to the online course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it valued at $399. Then get the scoop on what’s planned for next season in 2021. Want more? Take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA

Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they look at popular holidays through the lens of Black/African Americans and systemic racism. Learn about the joys and heartaches associated with Christmas, New Years Day, and other holidays and how Black/African Americans have interwoven their culture into them in spite of their sometimes supremacist roots. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA

Black/African Americans and Native Americans have co-existed as friend and foe, free and slave, and most recently defender and defendant. Join Dr. Carol Francois and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they reveal the curious and sometimes unexpected relationship between Black/African Americans and Native Americans and how that relationship has been shaped by America’s systemic racism. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA

For decades, land theft and underhanded legal maneuverings have been used to divest Black/African Americans of valuable beachfront property. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they peel back the systemic racism underlying the pernicious land appropriation schemes that have contributed to the Black/African American wealth gap in this country. Want more? Take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA#brucesbeach #manhattanbeach #heirsproperty #thehamptons #sagharbor #hiltonhead #landtheft

Happy Veterans Day! Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square salute the U.S. Armed Forces with a special edition honoring the brave women and men who serve. Listen to the thrilling story of Sergeant Edward A. Carter's true heroism; learn the history of the World War II Double V campaign; and hear the solution to the mystery of why Black/African Americans were denied the highest military award, The Medal of Honor, during WWII.

At one time 15 percent of farmers in the United States were Black/African American. Today, that number has shrunken to less than two percent. Dr. Carol Francois and her niece Kourtney Square explain how land swindles, terror, massacres, lynchings, and sly legal maneuvering has robbed Black/African Americans of millions of acres of land. Look for us everywhere a this link  https://linktr.ee/WATSA#antiracism#diversity #whyaretheysoangry #brucesbeach #landtheft #farmers #blackfarmers #partitioning #USDA

When it's election time, Dr. Carol Francois and her niece Kourtney Square want you to know systemic racism is on the ballot, too. In this episode, you’ll hear how voter suppression in the past was violent and murderous. Today, voters are still being intimidated and their rights trampled. Listen to hear what’s being done to keep voters out of the voting booth and how folks are fighting back. Look for us everywhere a this link  https://linktr.ee/WATSA#election2020 #politics #antiracism #votersuppression #diversity #bidenharris #whyaretheysoangry #blackvotesmatter #resist #democracy

Dr. Carol François and Kourtney are at it again uncovering the unsavory history of systemic racism in America’s healthcare system. Human medical experimentation and the United States are two terms rarely uttered in the same sentence, but the duo traces some of the more unnerving instances of experiments done on unsuspecting victims down through the years in American medical and scientific settings. From grave robbing to secret tests, you’ll hear how Black/African Americans were exploited in government sanctioned human experimentation. Learn more about what the aunt and her niece are up to at this link https://linktr.ee/WATSA.#medicalexperimentation #blacklivesmatter #secretscience #graverobbing #antiracism #inclusion #clinicalstudies

Was it a riot or a massacre? Colfax, Louisiana was the scene of a bloody, Reconstruction era incident aimed at suppressing Black/African American votes. Today, some call it a riot, others a massacre. Join Dr. Carol and her indefatigable niece Kourtney as they ferret out the truth while illuminating how voter suppression is part and parcel of systemic racism in America. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA

It’s election time, so Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square decided to jump in with a special episode looking at systemic racism in the American presidency. The highest office of the land should be one of objectivity and fairness, since whoever holds the title of president represents all Americans. Down through history, however, some U.S. presidents have not governed on behalf of all the citizenry. François and Square highlight some of the more egregious examples of systemic racism straight from the Oval Office. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at https://linktr.ee/WATSA

They’re at it again! In this episode, Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square take off the surgical mask to examine systemic racism in healthcare. Medical experimentation and poor healthcare have long plagued the Black/African American community. Learn why this is so and hear  Elaine Riddick’s harrowing experience when she endured an unwanted medical procedure. Want to know more? Go to www.whyaretheysoangry.com for information on systemic racism in America, read the blogs, or take the course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it.

Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square are at it again taking a deep dive into explaining systemic racism. Episode 6 is the final part of the Criminal Justice Trilogy, delving into exploitative prison conditions, convict labor, and post-incarceration issues. Hear the dark history of Texas’ infamous Jester Prison and get tips for confronting systemic racism within your sphere of influence. Warning: this episode contains violent content and is not suitable for young children. Learn more about this team and their work to see, say, and confront systemic racism at www.whyaretheysoangry.com.

Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square are at it again taking a deep dive into explaining systemic racism. Episode 5 is part two of their “Criminal Justice Trilogy”, delving into how justice becomes injustice in America’s courts. They look at the role of jurors, prosecutors, and judges in upholding systemic racism and examine how sentencing and wrongful convictions disproportionately penalize Black/African Americans. You’ll hear about the gruesome murder of teacher David Wyatt at the hands of a white mob as well as the tragic story of Lena Baker. Finally, the duo brings the topic into focus by showing the relationship of the past to present-day prison conditions and practices. WARNING, this episode contains graphic violence and is not suitable for children. Learn more about this team and their work to see, say, and confront systemic racism at www.whyaretheysoangry.com.

Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, the aunt and niece duo, for Episode 4 of Why Are they So Angry? This episode, the first in a three-part series about systemic racism in America’s criminal justice system, examines the phenomenon in policing. Citing the extensive research from Radley Balko’s compendium of studies about systemic racism in the criminal justice system and harrowing encounters with police brutality as detailed in the Algiers Motel incident, the pair trace the long history of policing and over policing starting as far back as America’s Colonial times. The episode ends with recommendations for how listeners can confront systemic racism in their personal spheres of influence. Learn more about this dynamic team at the website www.whyaretheysoangry.com or follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, the aunt and niece duo, for Episode 3 of Why Are they So Angry?, a look at systemic racism in education. Educating the general populace is a cornerstone of American society providing the foundation for an informed and knowledgeable electorate. For over 400 years, however, Black/African Americans have endured poor, inadequate, and substandard education. In this episode, you’ll hear about the heroic battle  Dr. George McLaurin waged to integrate Oklahoma University and how that battle ended. You’ll also hear  how some of the same inadequacies in public education from the Jim Crow era are still in various forms of existence in education today and how those inadequacies impede upward mobility for Black/African Americans.

Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, the aunt and niece duo, for Episode 2 of Why Are they So Angry? This episode focuses on how de jure segregation promulgated in federal, state, and local laws unconstitutionally barred Black/African Americans from owning homes and land. Being able to live in safe, secure housing and buy property to create generational wealth encapsulates the “American Dream”. Historically, for many Black/African Americans that dream has been a nightmare.  You will hear that the outcome of segregation resulted in land theft, deteriorating neighborhoods, and the current day wealth chasm between whites and Black/African Americans. The episode draws heavily on Richard Rothstein’s book The Color of Law: The Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America along with several recent studies and news articles about racial inequity in housing and real estate.

Join Carol François and Kourtney Square, the aunt and niece duo, as they kick off Episode 1 of Why Are they So Angry? Learn the differences among and between the terms bias, prejudice, bigotry, and racism as an introduction to understanding how systemic racism permeates every institution in America. The terms discussed in the episode are taken from the book Institutional Racism: A Primer On Theory and Strategies for Social Change, Second Edition, by Shirley Better. Carol quotes Ijeoma Oluo, “When we acknowledge racism as part of a system, instead of being limited to our ability to win over racists, we can instead focus on how our actions interact with systemic racism.” If you want to expand your knowledge of systemic racism visit the website www.whyaretheysoangry.com or take the course, Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it.

Welcome to Why Are They So Angry? Join Carol Francois and Kourtney Square as they take you through the looking glass to learn American history as you never learned it before. They'll help you understand why, when, and how the seeds of anger in the Black/African American community were sown so you can finally answer the question: why are they so angry? And once you know the answer, you’ll be empowered to clearly see systemic racism, say what it is, and confront it head on. --- Support this pod...