In Glenda Gilmore's book Gender and Jim Crow, she reveals the connection between white supremacy and patriarchy by recounting the shocking story of the 1898 coup in Wilmington, North Carolina. White Democrats, unhappy with the progressive government elected in the city, staged a violent takeover, killing African Americans and driving out black leaders. This successful coup marked the end of reconstruction and ushered in a long period of one-party white supremacist rule. Gilmore explains that white Democrats justified their actions by spreading racist lies rooted in patriarchy, portraying black men as a threat to white women. This propaganda perpetuated the suppression of black people's rights and led to a new wave of lynchings.
The struggles against sexism and racism come together in the bodies, and the lives, of black women. Co-hosts Celeste Headlee and John Biewen look at the intersections between male dominance and white supremacy in the United States, and the movements to overcome them, from the 1800s through the 2016 presidential election. Guests include scholars Glenda Gilmore, Ashley Farmer, and Danielle McGuire.
Music by Alex Weston, and by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine. Music and production help from Joe Augustine at Narrative Music.