Down Home

Building Brilliance: grassroots organization in action

In this episode, we’re honoured to speak with Cheryl Henhoeffer, the founder and director of Building Brilliance—a nonprofit dedicated to empowering BIPOC children through literacy programs, STEM education, and cultural enrichment. Cheryl and her team are working tirelessly to ensure that young people in underserved communities have access to the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.
 
 
 
Building Brilliance contact details:
http://www.buildingbrilliancekw.com/
Instagram - @buildingbrilliancekw
Email: buildingbrilliancekw@gmail.com
 
 
 
#GrassrootsPower #EducationForAll #CommunityEmpowerment #BuildingBrilliance #EquityInEducation #SocialJustice #SupportLocalOrganizations #LiteracyMatters #STEMEducation #CulturalEnrichment
 

Northern Rhymes: The Rise of Hip Hop in Canada

Join us as we take a deep dive into the story of hip hop in Canada from our perspective. From the powerful influence of American rap to the Canadian pioneers who helped shape the culture.
 
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe!
 
#HipHopCanada #CanadianRap #HipHopHistory #RapCulture #TrueNorthBeats #OldSchoolHipHop #90sHipHop #CanadianMusic #HipHopLegends

The Evolution of Ghettos: A Hidden History

In this episode we’re diving into a word that carries with it a very heavy meaning: ghetto. In modern times, ghettos are often associated with poverty, crime, and neglect—areas of cities where municipalities have failed to invest in the people that live there. marginalized communities that are left to live under difficult conditions. But where did this negative connotation come from?
 
 
 
 
#blackhistory #podcast #history #ghetto #warsaw #blackhistorymonth2025 #americanhistory

The Dark History of Sundown Towns

In this episode we’re talking about Sundown Towns—places where, for decades, people of colour were not welcomed after dark. But this isn’t just a relic of the past. The legacy of these towns still lingers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
#blackhistory #blackhistorymonth #canadianblackhistory #history #sundowntown #greenbook #segregation #canadianblackhistory #jimcrow #bhm #today #podcast #blackfacts #americanhistory

The Truth About "Uncle Tom" (It's Not What You Think)

We’ve all heard the term “Uncle Tom” used as an insult—a label for a Black person seen as a traitor to their own people. It’s a phrase deeply embedded in pop culture, shaped by books, films, and everyday language. But where did it come from? Who was the real Uncle Tom?
 
 
 
#blackhistory #blackhistorymonth #canadianblackhistory #history #podcast #uncletom #uncletomcabin #slavery #slaveryhistory #slave #minstrel #blackfacts #jimcrow #blackface

The Fancy Trade, the most insidious aspect of The Transatlantic Slave Trade

While most of us are familiar with the forced labor and dehumanization of enslaved people, there's a much more insidious aspect of the Transatlantic Slave Trade that speaks to the systematic buying and selling of biracial enslaved women—not for their labor, but for the brutal purpose of prostitution and concubinage. The Fancy Trade
 
#blackhistory #blackhistorymonth #canadianblackhistory #history #podcast #fancygirl #slavery #slaveryhistory #slave

The Ward

Toronto is celebrated as one of the most culturally rich and diverse cities in the world—a reputation that owes much to one of its original neighbourhoods: The Ward.
 
Listen in as Derek Wyse and Jay Jones take a closer look at this historic Neighbourhood
 
#toronto #torontohistory #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #canadianblackhistory

The Business of Slavery: the disrespect

In parts one and two of our three-part series on The Business of Slavery, we explored the intricate web of money and power that fuelled this inhumane institution. Today, we turn our focus to the mindset that enabled such brutality. Join us in this episode as we delve into the pervasive mindset that sustained the system of slavery and examine how echoes of this mindset persist in today's forms of modern slavery.
 
One in 200 people is a slave. Why? (The Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/feb/25/modern-slavery-trafficking-persons-one-in-200
 
No region is immune as the number of people in modern slavery climbs to 50 million (NPR) https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/09/13/1122714064/modern-slavery-global-estimate-increase
 
#transatlantic #transatlaticslavetrade #atlanticslavetrade #blackhistory #downhome #americanhistory #canadianhistory #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #moderndayslavery

The Business of Slavery: the power

In our first episode of this series, we explored the immense profits generated by the Trans Atlantic Slave trade. Today, in part two, we focus on how European powers wielded their influence to enslave Africans.
 
If you haven’t listened to the first part of The Business of slavery, you can find it in the episode list.
 
I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/
 
#ashanti #fulani #igbo #Benin #westafrica #power #blackhistory #americanhistory #canadianhistory #downhome #atlanticslavetrade #transatlantic #moneypower #africanqueens

The Business of Slavery: the money

This is the first of three episodes where Jay and D take a deep dive into the business of slavery. In this episode they take a look at the wealth generated on the backs of African slaves and how slavery became a cornerstone of European economic systems.
 
Sources: - "Capitalism and Slavery" by Eric Williams: Investigates the relationship between the Atlantic slave trade, British economic growth, and the development of capitalism. * Williams, E. (1944). Capitalism and Slavery. University of North Carolina Press.
- "The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism" by Edward E. Baptist: Explores how slavery was integral to the development of American capitalism, with detailed economic analysis. * Baptist, E. E. (2014). The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism. Basic Books.
- "The Economic Aspect of the History of Slavery in the United States" by Ulrich Bonnell Phillips: Analyzes the economic dimensions of slavery in the U.S., including the profitability of slave labor. * Phillips, U. B. (1908). The Economic Aspect of the History of Slavery in the United States. The South Atlantic Quarterly
- "Slavery, Atlantic Trade and the British Economy, 1660-1800" by Kenneth Morgan: Examines the economic impact of the Atlantic slave trade on Britain. * Morgan, K. (2000). Slavery, Atlantic Trade and the British Economy, 1660-1800. Cambridge University Press
NYT article on The American civil War and Slavery https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1863/08/22/issue.html
 
#transatlantic #transatlaticslavetrade #atlanticslavetrade #blackhistory #downhome #americanhistory #canadianhistory #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #businessofslavery #colonialamerica #colonizer #cotton #tobacco #coffee #rice #generationalwealth #slavers #nytimes