In this powerful and reflective episode of Older & Bolder, Debbie McCulloch is joined by the remarkable Nancy Oliver-Mackenzie, a lifelong educator, historian, and passionate advocate for social justice.

At 83 years old, Nancy continues to break barriers and share stories that matter. She discusses her deep family roots, tracing her lineage back to slavery in the United States, and how that legacy inspired her to research and preserve Black history in Montreal. Her work culminated in a compelling historical exhibit and earned her recognition across Canada—including her recent honour as the City of Montreal’s Black History Month laureate.

Nancy also recounts her vibrant teaching career, which spanned from a fine arts school in Montreal to an Inuit community in Canada’s North, and even across the globe in Africa. Her storytelling is filled with wisdom, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to equity and truth.

From hosting workshops on anti-racism for clergy to reflecting on the day Nelson Mandela visited her community church, Nancy’s insights are a powerful reminder of how one person’s dedication can create ripples of understanding and change.

This conversation will leave you thinking, feeling, and inspired to contribute to the communities you care about—at any age.

-----

Recorded in Saskatoon & Rosetown, Saskatchewan
Show producer: Christina Cherneskey Communications
Theme music: ES_By the Neon Sign
Music for this episode:  ES_A Long Awaited Journey - Helmut Schenker, ES_Building Something Together - Eden Avery, ES_Ascent - Martin Landh, ES_Magma - Lama House, ES_Night And Day (Instrumental Version) - Craig Reever, ES_Gentle Heroics - Trevor Kowalski, ES_Amber Hibernation - Lama House.
Voice over: Christina Cherneskey
Original artwork: Jackie Peterson
Artwork developed for digital media pages: Christina Cherneskey

Season 3 Ep 31: Nancy Oliver-Mackenzie, Historian & Social Justice Advocate

A'Lelia Bundles is an American journalist, author, and public speaker, best known for her biographies of her great-great-grandmother, Madam C.J. Walker, and great-grandmother, A'Lelia Walker. Born on June 7, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois, Bundles graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and earned a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She had a distinguished career as a producer and executive at NBC News and ABC News. 

A'Lelia joins the show to talk about her book: "Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker & the Harlem Renaissance". The book is a biography of Madam C.J. Walker's daughter, A'Lelia Walker, who became America’s first high-profile black heiress and a prominent patron of the arts. The book goes into detail about the maturation of A'Lelia Walker struggling to define herself as a wife, mother, and businesswoman outside her famous mother’s sphere. 


A’Lelia Bundles | Reality Check w/ Tonya Pendleton - 6.4.25

"B is for Black" is a cinematic spoken word and rap piece by Feezy B. Waby, layered with symbolism, cultural pride, and resistance. From courtroom backtalk to barbershop theories, Feezy weaves a lyrical tribute to Black resilience, brilliance, and legacy. The visuals build a collective narrative—one golden headphone at a time—culminating in a communal chorus of power and presence. This isn’t just a track. It’s a statement.

B is for Black

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DM7224VK
Audiobooks: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/834811
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-we-stand-to-lose-kristen-buras/1146487390?ean=2940193529491
Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780807020920

ABOUT
Spotlights the tireless work of Black teachers in a historic New Orleans public school, one of countless public schools now part of a school closing crisis in cities nationwide

Time and again, teachers of color have been blamed for every conceivable wrong in urban schools, a tactic that ignores the history of racism and bolsters the expansion of charter schools that lack community roots. Covering the rich, 50-year legacy of George Washington Carver Senior High School from 1958-2005, What We Stand to Lose investigates how public school closures have impacted predominantly Black urban neighborhoods in New Orleans. This institutional history demonstrates the cultural value of school communities over time, including the ways they have navigated and excelled despite racism and state neglect.

Through oral history interviewing and archival research, antiracist organizer and author Kristen Buras offers an in-depth look into counter stories that oppose white majoritarian allegations of school failure. She conducted oral history interviews with more than 30 Carver alumni and teachers, unveiling the intergenerational culture that nurtured self-determination and an abiding sense of community in the face of endemic racism. In turn, Buras demonstrates Black teachers’ invaluable and often unrecognized contributions.

In compelling detail, Buras highlights the dire consequences of school closings, illuminating why the assault on veteran teachers, and the communities they have fostered, is the civil rights issue of our era.

A Selection from "What We Stand to Lose"

Michael Santiago, an award-winning photojournalist, shares his experience capturing history in real time. From documenting the final crossing of Civil Rights icon John Lewis to reflecting on the power of photography in shaping our understanding of the past, Santiago’s work is a testament to the impact of visual storytelling. In this exclusive interview, he discusses the responsibility of photographers in preserving history, the emotions behind his most powerful images, and what makes a truly great photo. 

Read his essay, "Photographing History in the Making":
https://picturingblackhistory.org/photographing-history-in-the-making/
 
Learn more about Michael Santiago: https://picturingblackhistory.org/author/santiago/
 
Explore more photographs and stories that changed the world from Picturing Black History at https://www.picturingblackhistory.org/, a collaboration between Origins: Current Events In Historical Perspective (https://origins.osu.edu) and Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.com/). Picturing Black History strives to contribute to an ongoing public dialogue on the significance of Black history and Black life. We embrace the power of images to capture stories of oppression and resistance, perseverance and resilience, freedom dreams, imagination, and joy within the United States and around the globe.

Order the book Picturing Black History: https://amzn.to/4h9ab0G
Learn more: https://bit.ly/4hsoJYW
 
Interviewed by Damarius Johnson

Purchase

Michael Santiago, a Picturing Black History Interview

The Voice of Kam Brice Ep 1

Black Republic Media 08-11-25: How BLM Plaza in DC Came to Symbolize the Movement’s Tombstone

Ghost Voices is a haunting, cinematic anthem of truth and resilience. Fusing conscious hip-hop with gospel soul, it channels the voices of those history tried to silence—slaves, builders, dreamers, and survivors—into a roaring testimony of endurance. With thunderous beats, ancestral echoes, and raw gospel harmonies, this song tells the story America avoids, but the world needs. For fans of Kendrick Lamar, Common, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade, this is more than music—it’s a reckoning wrapped in rhythm.

Themes: Historical injustice, ancestral power, cultural memory
Vibe: Cinematic, soulful, defiant, sacred
For fans of: Kendrick Lamar, Common, H.E.R., Beyoncé, J. Cole

GHOST VOICES

When the Colonized Join the Colonizers to form a New Global Rainbow Coalition Series Part 1: Step Right Up, and Get Your Ticket to The Greatest Show on Earth - Harvard’s Three-Ring Circus, Starring the Minstrel Scholar, Roland Fryer

Black Republic Media 09-28-25: Step Right Up, and Get Your Ticket to The Greatest Show on Earth

This recording of Gil Noble’s WABC-TV program "Like It Is" features an exclusive interview with Angela Davis done by her lawyer, Margaret Burnham, while she was held in New York at the Women's House of Detention and awaiting trial on the case of the Soledad Brothers in 1971. Joe Walker of Mohammed Speaks, the leading Black newspaper at the time, arranged the interview, drawing questions from a poll conducted on what the average Harlem resident would ask Davis if given the chance. In her answers to these questions Davis is unapologetic and unwavering in her beliefs, stating "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, which could deter me from continuing to fight with all my energies for the freedom of my people."

Angela_Davis_Like_it_is

This week on the Edge of Sports podcast, we speak to Brian Jones, author of the new book Black History is for EVERYONE. Also, we are back with hoops savant Arya Shirazi discussing the Western Conference and who we think the top 6 teams are. 

Zirin, Zohran Mamdani Is Right to Call Out FIFA. But He Doesn’t Go Far Enough.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/nfl-trump-dublin-ireland-steelers-vikings/

— 
http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfSportsPod | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: edgeofsports@gmail.com | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-426-3343 (EDGE)


Apple

Black History is for EVERYONE and a Western Conference Preview

Natasha de Bourg is a celebrity chef who is the executive chef at the new and acclaimed Caribbean restaurant RumHouse in Annapolis, MD. She is also the founder and president of the Trinidad Culinary Association, an organization that is dedicated to promoting and nurturing the growth of culinary arts in Trinidad.

Natasha joins the show to discuss her culinary journey, the initiatives of the Trinidad Culinary Association, her work at Rum House, and how she's using food to preserve Black and Caribbean history.


Natasha de Bourg | The Midday Break Room w/ Tiffany Bacon - 10.13.25

jochannan--blackman-wake-up-1972

Antz Boogie Reggae Show - Aaja Channel 1 - 18 10 25

Linda Salley is a founding member, President, and Executive Director of the African American Museum of Bucks County (AAMBC). AAMBC was founded as a mobile museum, and for the past 11 years,  its workers have visited different schools and community groups. Now, AAMBC is in the process of having its own physical location. 

Linda joins the show to further talk about the significance of AAMBC, and to talk about AAMBC having its first physical location. 

Linda Salley | The Midday Break Room w/ Tiffany Bacon - 11.17.25

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DR38BQNH
Audiobooks: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/when-its-darkness-on-the-delta-how-americas-richest-soil-became-its-poorest-land/855830
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-its-darkness-on-the-delta-w-ralph-eubanks/1146996065?ean=2940194484393
Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780807022368-when-it-s-darkness-on-the-delta

ABOUT
For readers of The Sum of Us and South to America, an essential new look at the roots of American inequality—and the seeds of its transformation

Once the powerhouse of a fledgling country’s economy, the Mississippi Delta has been consigned to a narrative of destitution. It is often faulted for the sins of the South, portrayed as a regional backwater that willfully cleaved itself from the modern world. But buried beneath the weight of good ol’ boy politics and whitewashed histories lies the Delta’s true story.

Mississippi native and award-winning writer W. Ralph Eubanks digs through this loamy topsoil, revealing a microcosm of economic oppression in the US. He traverses the Delta, examining its bellwether efforts to combat income inequality, and introduces people like

*Theodore G. Bilbo and William Whittington, segregationist congressmen who sabotaged federal reparations for former sharecroppers in the 1940s and ’50s
*Gloria Carter Dickerson, founder of the Emmett Till Academy, whose parents were instrumental in desegregating schools in Drew, MS, where Till was murdered
*Calvin Head, a community organizer who runs a farming co-op in Mileston, who revived the legacy of his hometown, the only Black resettlement community in Mississippi

With clear-eyed analysis and heart-rending prose, Eubanks exhumes a rich seedbed of racist political machinations and economic turmoil. Yet scattered within, yearning for transformation and reinvention, are the undying seeds of the oppressed. Their thirst, Eubanks argues, is one that can be quenched by thoughtful policymaking—and by investing in the very people whose ancestors tilled such fertile land.

A Selection from "When It's Darkness on the Delta: How America's Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land"

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F6FRYWYQ
Audiobooks: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/907677
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-black-queer-history-of-the-united-states-c-riley-snorton/1147316778?ean=2940192908013
Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780807022153

ABOUT
The first-ever Black history to center queer voices, this landmark study traces the lives of LGBTQ+ Black Americans from slavery to present day

Gender and sexual expression have always been part of the Black freedom struggle

In this latest book in Beacon’s award-winning ReVisioning History series, Professors C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost unearth the often overlooked history of the Black queer community in the United States.

Arguing that both gender and sexual expression have been an intimate and intricate part of Black freedom struggle, Snorton and Bost present historical contributions of Black queer, trans, and gender non-conforming Americans from slavery to the present day to highlight how the fight against racial injustice has always been linked to that of sexual and gender justice.

Interweaving stories of queer and trans figures such as:

*Private William Cathay/Cathay Williams, born female but enlisted in the Army as a man in the mid-1860s
*Josephine Baker, internationally known dancer and entertainer of the early 20th century who was also openly bisexual
*Bayard Rustin, prominent Civil Rights activist whose well known homosexuality was viewed as a potential threat to the movement
*Amanda Milan, a Black trans woman whose murder in 2000 unified the trans people of color community,

this book includes a deep dive into the marginalization, unjust criminalization, and government legislation of Black queer and trans existence. It also shows how Black Americans have played an integral role in the modern LGBTQ rights movement, countering narratives that have predominantly focused on white Americans.

Through storytelling and other narratives, Snorton and Bost show how the Black queer community has always existed, regardless of the attempts to stamp it out, and how those in it continue to fight for their rightful place in the world.

A Selection from "A Black Queer History of the United States"

Marion Orr is a political scientist and the inaugural ‘FrederickLippitt’ Professor of Public Policy at Brown University. An award-winning author, his publications include Black SocialCapital: The Politics of School Reform in Baltimore and TheColor of School Reform: Race, Politics, and the Challenge of Urban Education. 

Marion is the author of the book, House of Diggs. This book is the first biography of Charles C. Diggs, Jr, a Civil Rights-era politician who Orr proposes was the most consequential Black congressman in U.S. history. As Michigan's first Black member of Congress, Diggs was also the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till's killers, worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr., founded the Congressional Black Caucus, pioneered the desegregation of airline travel, and ignited the American anti-apartheid movement. 

Marion joins the show to talk about the dynamics of being a Black politician and his book, "House of Diggs".

Marion Orr | The Midday Break Room w/ Roxi Fab - 11.26.25

We preserve black radical audio memory, from spoken word, lectures, interviews and music. Keeping it #trill

Built from bars and broken memory.
Emotional, unpredictable, always replayable.
B is for Barely Holding On. Float anyway.
Feezy B. Waby: Not real. Too real.

Sports and Politics collide on the Edge of Sports. Each week, The Nation sports editor Dave Zirin sheds light on the dark corners of the sports world. Edge of Sports, the people’s sports show.

All of my latest music is on..
https://unitedmasters.com/a/mbaileyz

Immersive soundscapes that blend trap, hip-hop, electronic, and experimental genres. Fuses cultural commentary with unforgettable rhythm.

mBaileyz

Aaja is a multi-purpose community radio station, event space and bar. Situated along Deptford High Street, the local cultural hub hosts an eclectic mix of radio hosts, DJs and events. Open since 2018, Aaja has provided a space that has nurtured and aided the growth of creative minds and groups within South-East London and beyond.
‘A unique hi-spec sound installation that’s non-intrusive, but heavy for the heads’ 

‘An authentic melting pot, dedicated to music and culture’

www.aajamusic.com

WURD Radio is the only African-American owned and operated talk radio station in Pennsylvania, and one of few in the country. Taking a multimedia approach – on-air, online and in the community – WURD is widely recognized as the pulse of the African-American community locally, regionally, and nationally. From mayoral races to presidential elections, from the street corner to the corner suite, WURD has tackled the hard issues as an influential, respected and powerful voice in the marketplace.

Smart conversations about today’s most interesting topics - a history podcast for everyone, produced by Origins from Ohio State's Department of History

New tracks tagged #BLACKHistory