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Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
The common notion of the beginnings of civilization is that it was remarkably better than a nomadic hunter and gatherer type of existence. It is in fact the opposite; early cities and city-states throughout history were so miserable that these early states went to war in order to capture slaves to keep the city operating, … Continued
Democracy is meant to be ruled by the voice of the poor, and yet our current system is built to protect and amplify the voices of the already rich and powerful. What many consider to be a democracy is not so. What is democracy really? What do we mean when we use the term? And … Continued
Stokely Carmichael, the charismatic, controversial black activist, stepped into the pages of history when he called for “Black Power” during a speech in Greenwood, Mississippi in June 1966. The Black Power term became a slogan for militant activist ever since. Today, we bring a conversation with historian Peniel E. Joseph to talk about the history … Continued
For 5 years after the adoption of 13th amendment to the US Constitution abolishing slavery in 1865, women and girls from China were bought and sold out in the open in the city of San Francisco. Eventually this slave trade went underground but would continue up until the 1930s. Today we are joined by author and … Continued
Accessibility laws in the second half of the twenty century are transforming society like no other laws before them by creating inclusive architecture and city design that enables fuller civic participation not just for disabled people, but for everyone. Today we are in conversation with historian Bess Williamson to talk about the history of disability … Continued
Today we are in conversation with investigative reporter and documentary filmmaker John Carlos Frey. He grew up at the US-Mexico border witnessing how the border has been militarized in a non-declared war in the last 30 years. He has dedicated his award-winning journalistic carer to covering border issues. We discuss the history about how we … Continued
In June 28, 1969, in Greenwich Village, The New York City Police Department fueled by bigoted liquor licensing practices and an omnipresent backdrop of homophobia and transphobia, raided the Stonewall Inn, a neighborhood gay bar, in the middle of the night. The raid was met with a series of responses that would go down as … Continued
Iran is saying that it has shot down a U.S. surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump is saying that Iran has committed a major mistake. This comes as some members of Congress have scored some recent victories in their attempt to rein in presidential war powers. And just moments ago, the Senate … Continued
For the first time in over a decade. Today, Congress held a hearing on reparations for slavery. We talk to Professor Daina Ramey Berry about the history of reparations. Professor Berry is the Oliver H. Radkey Regents Professor of History and associate dean of the Graduate School at the University of Texas at Austin. She is … Continued
The internet was designed to be a kind of free-speech paradise, but a lot of the material on it turned out to incite violence, spread untruth, and promote hate. Over the years, three American behemoths—Facebook, YouTube and Twitter—became the way most of the world experiences the internet, and therefore the conveyors of much of its … Continued
