Once Upon a Time in Harlem

In 1972, pioneering Black filmmaker William Greaves gathered Harlem Renaissance luminaries in Duke Ellington’s house and invited them to reconnect and reflect on their legacies. Over fifty years later, his son, David, and granddaughter Liani have taken that footage and brought us Once Upon a Time in Harlem, their brilliant new documentary.David and Liani Greaves joined us to talk about what this film has to say to us today, the recipe we need to create a Renaissance of our own, and why we need conveners, connectors, and contrarians.  Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guests: David and Liani Greaves Want to learn more? Watch:Once Upon a Time In Harlem William Greaves website Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett  Producer: Matt Gant Story Editor: Casey Miner   Fact Checker: Sarah McClure  Researcher & Archival Producer: Caitlin Riggsbee Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock  Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black history is full of stories that’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Not because of ghosts but because they actually happened! We’re joined by podcast hosts Deante Kyle (Grits & Eggs), Big Ice Cup Kat (Grits & Eggs), comedian Jamila Bell and creator Lynae Vanee who each share a shocking true tale.  Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guests:  Jamila Bell Big Ice Cup Kat Lynae Vanee Deante Kyle Want to learn more?Read: Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints As If She Were Free The Making of HaitiFollow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett  Producer: Matt Gant Story Editor: Casey Miner  Fact Checker: Sarah McClure  Researcher & Archival Producer: Caitlin Riggsbee Original Music & Sound Design: Kyle Murdock  Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments Special thanks to REVOLT Studios To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin.  Additional Materials Pittsburgh Courier Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Lionsgate Felicia Blue Library of Congress Formulanone Shawn Harqauil Historic New Orleans Collection Loxahatchee River Historical SocietyPatricia Brintle Gerard Valchin/Haitian Art Society Jacques-Richard Chéry UNESCO Warner Bros. Pictures BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images Evan Vucci Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They called her Joanne Chesimard, enemy of the state and one of the FBI’s Most Wanted. But that wasn't the real story. Assata Shakur was a Black freedom fighter. In this episode, journalist and author Santi Elijah Holley helps us dive into Assata’s story. Weaving in Assata’s own poetry read by Lynae Vanee, we tell the story of how Assata became a symbol for something she never was, the lengths the government took to paint her a terrorist, and how she boldly reclaimed her own story and taught us what it means to be free. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Santi Elijah Holley website  Lynae Vanee Want to learn more? Read: An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created by Santi Elijah Holley Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett  Producer: Matt Gant Story Editor: Julie Caine  Fact Checker: Sarah McClure  Production Supervisor: Hugo Salguero Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock  Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments Special thanks to Lynae Vanee  To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1811, hundreds of enslaved people in what’s now Louisiana joined together to burn down plantations, free captives, and kill their enslavers. They came from different tribes, spoke different languages, and coordinated across long distances with one goal - freedom. So why haven't we ever heard of it? Journalist Michael Harriot joins us to tell the story of the 1811 German Coast Uprising. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Michael Harriot  Want to learn more? Read: Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America Watch/ Listen:Drapetomania: Diaspora Wars Part 1: The Multicultural Revolt of 1811 (featuring W. Kamau Bell and Carvell Wallace) Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett  Producer: Matt Gant Story Editor: Julie Caine  Fact Checker: Sarah McClure  Production Supervisor: Hugo Salguero Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock  Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments  To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Gloria Richardson pushed a National Guardsman’s bayonet out of her face, she captured the defiant spark that made her one of the most important figures of the civil rights and Black liberation struggles. Governor Wes Moore of Maryland joins Garrison to talk about the lasting legacy of the woman known as “The Lady General of Civil Rights.” Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Governor Wes Moore  Want to learn more? Read: The Struggle is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black LiberationCivil War on Race Street: The Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland Watch: Gloria Hayes Richardson Oral History InterviewGloria Richardson Talks About the Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett  Producer: Matt Gant Story Editor: Julie Caine  Fact Checker: Sarah McClure  Production Supervisor: Hugo Salguero Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock  Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did comedy get so… political? Well, we have Dick Gregory to partially thank for that. Garrison and comedian/The Daily Show host Josh Johnson talk about Gregory’s subversive brand of political comedy, his activism and how he put his values above the fear of being cancelled. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Josh Johnson Want to learn more? Read: N****r Dick Gregory’s Political Primer Watch: The One & Only Dick Gregory Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever feel powerless in the face of an atrocity? Well, that never stopped George Washington Williams, a Black man who went from being a “barely literate” veteran to a crusader who exposed a genocide in the Congo and nearly toppled a king. Garrison and activist Mohammed Elnaiem discuss how we can learn from someone who let his faith and love for Black people around the world guide his actions. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Mohammed Elnaiem Want to learn more? Read: George Washington Williams: A Biography History of the Negro Race: 1619-1880 King Leopold’s Ghost Watch: King Leopold’s Ghost More on the crisis in the Congo: Friends of the Congo Congo Week (Oct 18-24, 2026) Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 1 - The Future According to Octavia Butler Sci-Fi author Octavia Butler seemed to have predicted our dystopian present over 30 years ago. But can her understanding of history help us change our future? Garrison and Erika Alexander (actor and futurist) discuss the power of radical imagination and the lasting impact of her work. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack. Guest: Erika Alexander  Want to learn more? Read: Kindred  Parable of the Sower Parable of the Talents  Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler  Watch: Octavia Butler: A Cautionary Tale Octavia Butler Interview with Julie Dash Follow Garrison Hayes: YouTube TikTok Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lessons from the defiant ones– past and present. Coming August 26, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices