Episodes

Restaurant names and themes can be methods for upholding systemic racism or dismantling it. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they serve up a menu from American restaurant history describing restaurants that made no bones about using racial stereotypes and slurs as part of their names and themes and others that were central to the Civil Rights movement. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhe...

The phrase “Black/African American beaches” is not an oxymoron. For years, Black/African Americans have flocked to beaches and resorts built exclusively for them where they escaped the scourge of systemic racism and racial ostracism. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square as they take a deep dive into beaches past and present where Black/African Americans enjoy leisure and intellectual pursuits by the sea. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyare...

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, “Wh...

Although the lyrics of a famous folk song proclaim, “This land is your land, this land is my land; this land was made for you and me,” America’s great outdoors hasn’t always beckoned or been friendly to Black/African Americans. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, on an excursion to public and national parks to learn why these spaces weren’t originally intended for everyone’s enjoyment. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheys...

When it comes to swimming, the old song “Meet Me in St. Louis” takes on a whole new meaning. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they expose details of one of America’s most deadly race riots in St. Louis all because a handful of children wanted to swim. Hear how the incident laid the foundation for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case intended to end segregation in public schools. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whya...

What could be more fun than an outing at an amusement park or skating rink, a swim in a neighborhood pool or at the beach, a cookout at a beautiful city or National Park? Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they take you on a roller coaster ride through the systemic racism of America’s leisure and recreation spaces to learn how it wasn’t all fun and games as Black/African Americans fought to desegregate the country’s leisure activities. Want more, take our course Systemic ...

America has its own versions of the Berlin Wall, in fact there are twenty-six existing, demolished, or planned segregation walls, fences, road barricades/closures, and buffer strips in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia built between white and Black/African American neighborhoods as late as the 1970’s. Known as segregation walls, these barricades were erected by cities, neighborho...

Spelling bees seem like innocent competitions where the idea of systemic racism should be foreign. But flashback to the year 1908, and Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, will tell about how the level playing field of the national spelling bee was unleveled by systemic racism and a Black/African American girl almost became the first national spelling bee winner years before Zaila Avant-garde’s historic 2021 win. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confron...

It’s that time of year again, though postponed for the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Summer Olympic Games are back. Before heading out to Tokyo for the 2021 games though, listen as Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, talk about protests and systemic racism that have been part of the games since their inception. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at www.podpage.com.whyaretheysoangry Citat...

This is a reprise of a popular Why Are They So Angry? episode. 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. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism:...

Most BlackAfrican Americans are familiar with the statement, “people died for your right to vote,” yet they don’t really know how true the words are. This year’s rapt attention on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has awakened America to its sordid past, but there are hundreds of well-documented massacres of Black/African Americans throughout this nation’s history. In this fourth and final part in their series Massacres Denied , Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, relate stories of mas...

Violence against workers seeking better pay, working conditions, or the right to unionize is well-documented throughout American history. What isn’t documented as well, are the many instances when Black/African Americans were massacred simply for attempting to unionize for fair working conditions and wages. This year’s rapt attention on the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 has awakened America to its sordid past, but there are hundreds of largely unknown instances of Black/African Americans being m...

Believe it or not, the Tulsa Race Massacre only scratches the surface. Join Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square for Massacres Denied Part II: Cicero Siege to hear about the ongoing resistance to Black/African Americans buying homes and living in what were considered white enclave neighborhoods. Their four-part special series Massacres Denied exposes how Black/African Americans have been targets of domestic terrorism, racial purging, massacres, land theft, and exile intended to deny ...

This year’s rapt attention on the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 has awakened America to its sordid past, but since 1863 up until the present, there are hundreds of well-documented instances of Black/African Americans being murdered, terrorized, and stripped of their property. That history, though, has gone unrecorded, untaught, and purposely purged from most history books. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they expose the racial purging, massacres, land theft, and exile of...

This week’s Why Are They So Angry? salutes the women of the U.S. Armed Forces who bravely served America since the Revolutionary War. Listen as Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, share about the Black/African American sheroes past and present who heard the call and served their country despite systemic racism in the ranks including the women of the determined 6888th Battalion who took on the Army’s most dangerous enemy. Want more? take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, ...

George Floyd’s death triggered an outpouring of reactions around the world ranging from outrage, fear, frustration, and militancy. How did you respond to the televised murder of George Floyd? That’s the question raised in the next episode of Why Are They So Angry? Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they remember George Floyd on the anniversary of his death and memorialize him through remembrances and recollections of how lives have been impacted forever. Want more, take o...

Horse racing has long been popular in America, but few people know how or why Black/Americans dominated the sport in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Listen in as Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, tell why Black/African Americans excelled in horse racing, how systemic racism caused them to be overshadowed, and learn about a jockey who attempted a daring escape from the Russian Revolution on the next episode of Why Are They So Angry? . Like what you hear? Please give us a ...

Black/African Americans have close ties to Mexico that few people know about or understand. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to learn why Juneteenth is celebrated across the border, how an African prince led an uprising in Mexico and achieved freedom, and what Blaxit is all about on the next episode of Why Are They So Angry? . Like what you hear? Please give us a review at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1528399551 Your 5-star rating will help us promote more conte...

What do Denmark Vesey, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr. and William Barber have in common? Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to find out how these people worked within the church forming the foundation of the fight for social justice in America. Learn how the Black/African American church from its earliest founding to its modern incarnation continues to see, say, and confront systemic racism. Like what you hear? Please give us a review at https://podcasts.apple.com/...

Understanding American laws and its legal system requires a bright mind. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, to hear about Black/African American women who excelled and overcame systemic racism in the legal profession as well as the story of one who helped bring down a Mob kingpin in the 1930’s. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at www.podpage.com.whyaretheysoangry. Citations “Eunice Carte...

Women formed the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement but rarely get the recognition they deserve for their important contributions. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they shine the spotlight on women past and present who moved and are moving the social justice efforts to eradicate systemic racism. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoangry.com and find us anywhere at www.podpage.com.whyaretheysoangry Citations “Bef...

Show Notes Girl Scouts of the USA began as an all-white organization in Savannah, Ga., in 1912. But over time, the organization confronted systemic racism in its own ranks and became what Dr. Martin Luther King described as “a force for desegregation.” Listen as Dr. Carol François and her niece Kourtney Square trace the evolution of Girl Scouts and their connection to Maggie Lena Walker, a little known but powerful figure in economic, civic, and social change in America. Citations “Black History...

The intersection of race and gender presents an interesting way to look at systemic racism in America, and the inventions, organizations, and movements impacted and made great by Black/African American women are a microcosm of the phenomenon. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, take a look at female scientists and inventors---their struggles and triumphs in spite of systemic racism. Want more, take our course Systemic Racism: See it, Say it, Confront it at www.whyaretheysoa...

We'd like to think of sports as the great equalizer, as the one area of American life where a person regardless of race can enter the arena and find a level playing field, so to speak. Unfortunately, systemic racism is as deeply rooted in sports as it is in most other aspects of American society. Join Dr. Carol François and Kourtney Square, her niece, as they peel back the systemic racism that permeates major league, college, and all levels of sports in America. Want more, take our course System...