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Episodes

Feb. 9, 2026

How They Got Rich on a $0 Salary

The Pullman Porters were the backbone of the railroad, but the system forced them to survive on tips. Here is how they took a $0 wage and built the Black Middle Class."Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_hi...

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Jan. 19, 2026

How a Barber Stole the Blueprint from Millionaires

In 1898, the American financial system had a specific label for Black people: "Uninsurable." They said we died too young. They said we were too poor. They wrote us out of the equation.But John Merrick, a barber in Durham, NC,...

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Jan. 5, 2026

The Town Where White People Were Illegal

In 1904 Mississippi, a white man stepped off a train and made a dangerous mistake: he thought the law was on his side. He didn't realize he had just walked into Mound Bayou, the only town in the South where Jim Crow had no ju...

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Dec. 8, 2025

How Ebony Exposed the White Beauty Lie

Two magazines changed the mirror. Ebony and Jet put everyday Black life on the cover, turned a touring fashion show into a cosmetics empire, and forced Madison Avenue to see—then spend. This episode shows how pictures became ...

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Nov. 10, 2025

The Deal McDonald's Made With Black America

In 1968, Chicago after Dr. King’s murder. Windows are boarded. Stores sit dark. McDonald’s needs a plan. Operation Breadbasket has one: put Black owners in Black neighborhoods. In December, Herman Petty opens the first Black ...

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Oct. 27, 2025

Why Black Folks Put Hot Sauce on Everything

Hot sauce isn’t just a condiment in Black kitchens, its a passport. From jars of pepper‑vinegar on the stove to a bottle parked on every table, here’s how heat became culture, comfort, and pride and why so many of us still pu...

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Oct. 12, 2025

Why Esso Backed Black Travelers During Jim Crow

On Jim Crow roads, the lifeline wasn’t a law, it was a gas station. Esso used maps, credit, and a nationwide dealer network to turn the Green Book into safe miles.Audio Onemichistory.comFollow me on Instagram: @onemic_history...

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