A recap of the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines and then history in pre-Civil Rights Era America. Host Nichole Hill takes her guests through the story of an ancestor in search of opportunity, adventure, love, and a way to beat Jim Crow.
Along the way, these ancestors make messes that land them in the gossip columns of Black newspapers. Support this independent production by joining the donor community at: ourancestorsweremessy.
Follow us on Instagram @ourancestorsweremessy @nicholewthanh
Episodes
Latest Episode
October 16, 2026 · 38m
An interview with David Greaves and Liani Greaves, the father-daughter duo behind the documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem about a party organized in 1972 by filmmaker William Greaves. He invites some of other last living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance ver and for four hours, this incredible group, reminisce, laugh, and argue, about the Renaissance and their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape. Support this independent production and access bonus content at Stay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@ Follow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessy Follow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessy Learn more about the show at Listen on YouTube at
More Episodes
Jul 8, 2026 · 1h 38m
Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA. Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCESThe Black Loyalists of the American RevolutionEnslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British ArmyBlack Loyalists Exodus to Nova ScotiaAn Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himselfGeorge LieleThomas PetersThe Black Loyalist Heritage Center
Jul 8, 2026 · 1h 13m
Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an outsized legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond. Starring the co-hosts of Code Switch B.A. Parker and Gene Demby taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC.Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCESThe Black Loyalists of the American RevolutionEnslaved by George Washington, This Man Escaped to Freedom-and Joined the British ArmyBlack Loyalists Exodus to Nova ScotiaAn Account of the Life of Mr. David George from SLA given by himselfGeorge LieleThomas PetersThe Black Loyalist Heritage Center
Jul 6, 2026 · 2m
A preview of an upcoming episode about the Black Loyalists. Thousands of our ancestors escaped slavery during the American Revolution, fought for the British on the promise of freedom, and left an unbelievable legacy in the US, Canada, and beyond! Full episodes air July 8th starring writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillian Cottom taped live on Juneteenth at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU in Richmond, VA. You'll also get to hear the same story told again to the co-hosts of Code Switch, B.A. Parker and Gene Demby taped live at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC.Different guests. Different audiences. Very different perspectives!Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy
Apr 8, 2026 · 21m
Host Nichole Hill responds to listeners' comments and shares an interview with the show's Research Producer, Chioke I'Anson, about the research behind the histories shared on the show. Their conversation was originally taped for the donor community known as The Household.Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy
Jan 28, 2026 · 52m
Essie & Paul’s passions lead them to the front lines of the fight to defeat fascism. Starring Jason ReynoldsSupport this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCESEslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara RansbyThe Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr.The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr.Here I Stand by Paul RobesonHistory of America in Ten Strikes by Erik LoomisHaymarket Book Talk with Barbara Ransby: Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson The History of Camp Wo-Chi-CaThe Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement by Matthew Schuerman
Jan 28, 2026 · 53m
Eslanda Cardozo Goode and Paul Robeson meet and fall in love during the Roaring 20s in Harlem. They give up promising careers and devote themselves to climbing the ladder of fame and fortune. Can their relationship survive the success that follows? Starring Jason ReynoldsSupport this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SELECT SOURCESEslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson by Barbara RansbyThe Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey 1898-1939 by Paul Robeson, Jr.The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson, Jr.Here I Stand by Paul RobesonHistory of America in Ten Strikes by Erik LoomisHow American Slavery Echoed Russian Serfdom by Matthew WillsHaymarket Book Talk with Barbara RansbyThe Scramble for Africa Arturo Alfonso SchomburgThe Atlanta Daily World
Jan 21, 2026 · 3m
Host Nichole Hill shares the story behind Black History Month ahead of the 100th anniversary of it’s celebration and gives listeners a sneak peek of a new episode coming out on January 28th.Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy
Sep 3, 2025 · 34m
Was dating any easier in the past? Nichole Hill joins Gene Demby and B.A. Parker, hosts of NPR's Code Switch, to put this question to the test by traveling back in time to 1937, using archival personal ads from the Washington Afro-American newspaper. Together, the trio gets a small taste of what it was like for Black folks to date almost a century ago. Turns out, the ancestors were messy, too!Support this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy
May 14, 2025 · 1h 19m
A musical prodigy from Kansas becomes a renowned race woman in Chicago, a tabloid sensation in Harlem, and a musical force the world over. These are the many lives and loves of one of the most famous women of the era: Nora Holt. Starring Natalie Tulloch and Christabel Nsiah-BuadiSupport this independent production and access bonus content at https://ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.comStay in touch at ouranestorsweremessy@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram at @ourancestorsweremessyFollow the show on TikTok at @ourancestorsweremessyLearn more about the show at https://ourancestorsweremessy.comListen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurAncestorsWereMessy SOURCESNora Holt: The Most Famous Woman You've Never Heard Of by Imani PerryNora Holt by Matthew GuerrieriNora Holt: New Negro Composer and Jazz Age Goddess by Cheryl A. Wall"Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us": Classical Music, the Black press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia by Lucy Caplan