Before Martin Luther King Jr, there was Paul Robeson, who became an international activist for human rights and racial justice just as radio was beginning to become popular. Robeson used his fame as a star football player, and a popular singer and actor to fight for equality, not only in the United States but around the world. You will hear Paul Robeson perform on the Magic Key radio show on NBC in 1936. After that you will hear his business manager. Paul's wife, Dr. Eslanda Robeson was an anthropologist, author, actress, and civil rights activist, who urged African-Americans to be proud of their history. In 1949 she published her third book, American Argument, which was edited by fellow anthropologist Pearl Buck. In it she spoke freely about society, politics, gender roles, and race relations. You'll hear Eslanda defend her book on the radio show, Author Meets the Critics on NBC in 1949.

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The Beulah Show, a situation comedy about a happy house maid, who was always hoping her boyfriend would propose. It was one of the few top starring roles for an African-American during network radio's golden age. Academy award winner Hattie McDaniel got the job in 1947, at what was then a whopping salary of $1,000 a week. In 1952 she became ill and Lillian Randolph took the position. She was later replaced in 1954 by her sister, Amanda Randolph. We have 4 shows from 1954.

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The Negro - Fascism and Democracy, from the radio show "New World A Coming". A World War Two examination of which political system African-Americans should side with. The program aired in 1944.

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This is a feature length presentation of the Adventures of Superman serial on the Mutual Radio Network in 1946. It's called Superman Fights the Clan of the Fiery Cross. After World War Two, the Klu Klux Klan became very popular in the United States. To fight the terrorist group, the producers of Superman had the Man of Steel take on a mythical but similar clan. The series was so successful, it nearly put the real KKK out of business above the Mason-Dixon Line.

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From 1942, The Negro & Democracy is an episode from the classic radio series Freedom's People. The show was created by NBC to highlight the struggles and triumphs of African-Americans throughout the history of the United States.

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In this podcast series we've focused on wars, music, movies, sporting events, and the Depression, but this time we examine Slavery in America. Occasionally the subject would be presented on radio during the golden age. We start with the 1957 CBS radio Workshop dramatization of Denmark Vesey, the early 19th century free Black leader in Charleston, South Carolina, who was accused and convicted of planning a major slave revolt. Then the 1940 story of Akron, Ohio's John Brown a militant abolitionist on Cavalcade of America. The 1944 Words at War drama about the astounding story of freed slave George Washington Carver. Cavalcade returns with 1949 story about the effort to end slavery in Minnesota. And finally, the story about the leader who took one of the first stands against slavery on the 1950 radio show Mr. President. Can you guess who he is?

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One of the most popular shows during radio's classic era was not a drama, comedy, or musical variety show, it was an educational program called The World Is Yours. The weekly 30 minute show began in 1936 and ran until 1942. It was one of the first public radio projects, and was produced by the Smithsonian Institution. The World is Yours was funded by the Works Progress Administration, and used actors and musicians that were out of work because of the Depression. The show was so popular it generated a half million letters during it's run. Episodes were narrated by a character named the Oldtimer, who explained geography, natural history, science and the arts. You will hear three shows, one from 1937, and two from 1938.

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During World War Two there were several efforts to stem the tide of rising racial violence, as African-Americans became more vocal about bias and discrimination at home while Black soldiers were fighting against fascism overseas. The federal government was concerned that white attacks against African-Americans would affect morale, and provide propaganda for Germany, Japan, and Italy. So they worked with the radio networks to create anti-stereotypical programs to boost the image of Blacks. One was an 8 part series called Freedom's People which aired on NBC in 1941. You'll hear the opening installment. Another show was An Open Letter on Race Hatred aired by CBS in 1943. It featured a personal appeal by Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie. Once the war was over, the networks basically returned to the usual stereotypical shows common during the latter years of the Jim Crow area.

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