Coming Soon: Eslanda and Paul Robeson (Jan. 28th)

Summary

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Episode Overview

Episode: Coming Soon: Eslanda and Paul Robeson (Jan. 28th)
Podcast: Our Ancestors Were Messy (Coco Hill Productions)
Host: Nichole Hill
Date: January 21, 2026

In this preview episode, host Nichole Hill introduces listeners to an upcoming special honoring the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week—now celebrated as Black History Month. The episode teases lively, dramatic, and sometimes messy stories from Black history, focusing on the partnership and personal lives of Eslanda and Paul Robeson amidst the backdrop of the early 20th-century fight for dignity, equality, and revolution. Author and MacArthur Fellow Jason Reynolds appears as a special guest.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. 100 Years of Celebrating Black History [00:00–01:51]

• Nichole Hill reveals the historical context behind Black History Month, tracing its origins to community gatherings in the 1890s to honor Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass in February:

  "Black people have been coming together in February to celebrate our history, actually since at least the 1890s." [01:51]

• She describes Carter G. Woodson’s pivotal role in launching Negro History Week in 1926, as a way to formalize community efforts to honor Black heroes and encourage intergenerational storytelling and archiving:

  "Carter G. Woodson...was like, okay, my people, why don't we turn these couple days into a week long celebration?... Why don't you and your church group start a committee to collect books on black heroes and get them into your local libraries?" [01:51]

• The celebration expanded in the 1970s to a full month, marking the legacy and continuing importance of Black historical memory and self-documentation.

2. Trailer for the Upcoming Episode: Eslanda and Paul Robeson [00:24–01:38]

• The trailer opens with a playful tone, promising an energetic, drama-filled episode about the iconic couple’s love life and activism in the Roaring Twenties:

  "Today witness a roaring twenties meet cute." [00:34] "You didn't tell her she had a boyfriend?" [C, 00:34]

• The podcast embraces the messiness of its subjects, hinting at scandal, unconventional relationships, and the complications of public life:

  "They also want an unconventional arrangement where... they are gonna be equal." [A, 00:44]

• Political and revolutionary commentary on labor, citizenship, and freedom is previewed:

  "He's like, they want your labor for as close to free as possible and they want to treat you like second class citizens, just like black American and Russian serfs." [D, 00:55]

3. Special Guest: Jason Reynolds [01:05–01:22]

• The episode will feature acclaimed writer Jason Reynolds:

  "This episode stars 2024 MacArthur Fellow and New York Times best selling author of young adult novels and poetry, Jason Reynolds." [B, 01:05]

• Reynolds expresses a personal connection to the show’s theme:

  "There's an honoring of the sacrifice of my ancestors that I think I would want to see through." [C, 01:14]

4. Storytelling Style & Format [01:22–01:38]

• The episode is recorded live in a distinctive and intimate setting:

  "Live in front of a studio audience in a living room in Washington D.C. this is our Ancestors Were Messy." [B, 01:27]

• The tone is conversational, lively, and candid, inviting listeners into both historical drama and community storytelling:

  "I feel like a setup, a show about our ancestors and all their drama." [C & B, 01:34–01:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Black History Month’s Origins:
  "So black people have been coming together in February to celebrate our history, actually since at least the 1890s. On February 12, everyone would get together and reread the Emancipation Proclamation..." — Nichole Hill [01:51]

• On Carter G. Woodson’s Vision:
  "Why don't you and your friends start a petition to get your school to teach black history? Carter G. Woodson called this Negro History Week and He envisioned it not as the one week that we acknowledge black contributions, but as the time we celebrate a year's worth of efforts to preserve and promote black history." — Nichole Hill [01:51]

• On Ancestral Drama:
  "A show about our ancestors and all their drama." — Voice C [01:38]

• Jason Reynolds on Legacy:
  "There's an honoring of the sacrifice of my ancestors that I think I would want to see through." — Jason Reynolds [01:14]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–00:24 — Introduction and context for the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week/Black History Month
• 00:24–01:05 — Trailer for the Eslanda and Paul Robeson episode (including dramatic highlights, hints of scandal, and key themes)
• 01:05–01:22 — Announcement of special guest Jason Reynolds and his reflection on legacy
• 01:22–01:38 — Live podcast setting and show's lively tone
• 01:51–End — Nichole Hill explains the history and ongoing celebration of Black History Month

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Summary

This preview encapsulates the heart of "Our Ancestors Were Messy": vibrant, real, and sometimes chaotic lives that made history in ways that are still felt today. With a focus on the intertwining of personal and political stories, the upcoming Eslanda and Paul Robeson episode promises to entertain and enlighten by diving into the gossip, activism, and relationships that shaped Black America in the pre-Civil Rights era. The inclusion of Jason Reynolds guarantees thoughtful, engaging conversation, while Nichole Hill’s warm and insightful narration grounds everything in a rich historical context. The full episode arrives January 28th, celebrating a century of Black people reclaiming and recording their own stories.

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Transcript

[A]

February 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of what started out as Negro History Week and later became Black History Month. I'll tell you the whole story. But first, in honor of this milestone, we at Our Ancestors Were Messy would like to bring you a bonus episode on January 28th. Here's the trailer.

[B]

The Secret Adventures of Black People presents. Our ancestors were mess Today witness a roaring twenties meet cute.

[C]

You didn't tell her she had a boyfriend?

[B]

She had a boyfriend.

[D]

A doctor.

[C]

He was dirty.

[B]

Mackin Paul and Islanda Robeson forge a bond defined by love.

[D]

They also want an unconventional arrangement where

[A]

they are gonna be equal.

[B]

War.

[C]

You said she already did it. See, I'm glad you said that. Not me, not me.

[B]

And ultimately revolution.

[D]

He's like, they want your labor for as close to free as possible and they want to treat you like second class citizens, just like black American and Russian serfs.

[B]

This episode stars 2024 MacArthur Fellow and New York Times best selling author of young adult novels and poetry, Jason Reynolds.

[C]

There's an honoring of the sacrifice of my ancestors that I think I would want to see through.

[B]

And your host, Nicole Hill.

[D]

So in the movie version, it's winter time. They get to a house just like this.

[B]

Live in front of a studio audience in a living room in Washington D.C. this is our Ancestors Were Messy.

[C]

I feel like a setup,

[B]

a show about our ancestors and all their drama.

[A]

So black people have been coming together in February to celebrate our history, actually since at least the 1890s. On February 12, everyone would get together and reread the Emancipation Proclamation and and commemorate freedom on Abraham Lincoln's birthday. And then right after Frederick Douglass passed, people started getting together again on his birthday, February 14, to celebrate his contributions to the race. So every February we're having these black history days. Some people would do it like kind of stoically. Other people treated it like Coachella. And then in 1926, in the midst of Jim Crow, Carter G. Woodson, who's like obsessed with black history, was like, okay, my people, why don't we turn these couple days into a week long celebration? Why don't you sit down with your elders and learn about the black heroes and history in your own family? Why don't you write it down and start a personal archive? Why don't you and your church group start a committee to collect books on black heroes and get them into your local libraries? Why don't you and your friends start a petition to get your school to teach black history? Carter G. Woodson called this Negro History Week and He envisioned it not as the one week that we acknowledge black contributions, but as the time we celebrate a year's worth of efforts to preserve and promote black history. So starting in 1926, every February, year after year, decade after decade, we celebrated for a week. And then in the 1970s, the elder Scott Negro History Week expanded into Black History month. And this February 2026 marks our 100th celebration. So let's celebrate. The new episode comes out on January 28th. Everywhere you get your podcast, including YouTube, Jason Reynolds is my guest. I mean, let's go.