American History Too!

On this month's episode we're joined by Lancaster University's politics lecturer Richard Johnson (@richardmarcj) to discuss five pioneering black politicians who ran for election in the decades before Barack Obama's ascension to the White House in 2008: Ed Brooke, Tom Bradley, Douglas Wilder, Harvey Gantt, and Carol Moseley Braun.  

The podcast begins with a clip of Richard's interview with Braun in which she discusses her views on race and politics.  

Throughout the discussion Richard reflects on whether Obama was a political unicorn with his appeal to white and black audiences; how these five pioneers navigated the choppy waters of racial politics and what their candidacies tell us about the country in wich they were running; and finally, whether their candidacies - and, in some cases, spells in office - were able to inspire change in American society.  

Thanks again for listening, we'll be back next month, discussing barbeque diplomacy and Vietnam (all will be explained).  

Cheers,

Mark and Malcolm

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