By Vincent L. Hall
The absolute joy of parenting begins after you have steered your children “through many dangers, toils, and snares” and they come of age. Vania, the baby and second of my three, is a joy and a significant source of my jealousy. I love her life.
My baby, Dr. Birch, found the career I now know would fit me perfectly. She teaches grad-level and doctoral students, researches and writes extensively. Besides my grandson, all her daily duties, chores, and commitments involve learning.
Learning and teaching are my passions; if there is a reincarnation, I want to return as a college professor with all rights and privileges, therefore appertaining unto. I haven’t decided on doing this “Black” thing again. This sh!t is too complicated, and folding chairs are hard to come by. If you know what I mean!
Because I value her daily unearthing of history, science, and social construct, I listened to a podcast she sent me called “Drapetomaniax!”
Back in the day, the old Black adage was, “Anything White folks don’t want us to know, they put it in a book! Y’all still aint readin’ so now they put it in a podcast!
Except in this case, it’s some Black folks with the knowledge and they are begging you to come, so they can “pour you the tea” or “break you off!
When she first told me about “Drapetomaniax, I thought it had something to do with the rapper Drake. “Champagnepapi” be showing up on everybody else’s project. I thought the podcast was about him. But it turns out, that it’s about a little-known scientific theory called Drapetomania.
According to the Massachusetts Historical Society, the concept of Drapetomania tore through White Intelligencia in the 1850s.
“Samuel Adolphus Cartwright invented “Drapetomania” to describe the “psychological disorder” that caused a phenomenon of enslaved Blacks to run away from bondage before the Civil War. He spent enormous energy to research, diagnose, and suggest corrective treatments to mitigate the deviant tendency of Blacks to escape.”
The essay later described this ignorant hypothesis as “Folk biology,” but thank God that singer/producer Pharrell Williams tapped Michael Harriot to use the phony phenomenon to educate us on Black history facts that we would never be exposed to.
Here is how Forbes introduced this podcast a few months ago.
“It’s always refreshing to hear a new well-made history podcast, especially one that seems to learn from both the lessons of the past, and how to make an engaging podcast in the present.
Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History, launching today from Sony Music Entertainment and Pharrell Williams OTHERTone, seems to be just that kind of podcast. Host Michael Harriot, the self-proclaimed “Dean of Black Twitter,” says of the show, “We picked the most fascinating figures and important-but-largely-unknown events from Black history and seasoned it with the biggest stars, the best storytellers and the most respected scholars.’”
Now let me give you the V. Hall, Quit Playin’ reviews after being mesmerized by the first five episodes. This ‘ish is funny AF! Drapetomaniax Unshackled History is educational, entertaining, and effervescent. You will laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh again.
The first iteration, “The Outlandish Forest Joe,” features MSNBC’s Joy Reid and comedian Roy Wood Jr. It accurately accounts for a renegade formerly enslaved person. This maroon wreaked havoc on White folks on the land and the swamp he made home. I pushed the 15-second replay button on my Spotify app five times to hear Harriot say the same thing about Forest Joe.
“Forest Joe was a Black man that nobody could own!”
That may not mean much to everyone, but as you understand how many rich White men hold the title to Supreme Injustice, Clarence Thomas, that statement should resonate with the Black and prideful.
But the one-liners that are stuffed in every episode get me. Harriot refers to himself as a “Whitepeopleologist.” One episode throws major shade on the founding fathers, calling them “the 41 slave owners who sent out the group text we know as the Declaration of Independence!” Drapretomaniax is a must for truthseekers and revolutionaries.
Pharrell has blessed us with some great collaborations like Frontin’, Beautiful, and Happy. So ain’t no sense in me “frontin’, Drapetomaniax History Unshackled is “Beautiful,” and I am so “Happy,” my daughter turned me on to it!
Check it out!
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