Jackie Robinson, Paul Robeson, & America: A BBM Conversation with Howard Bryant
The Black Baseball Mixtape · Black Baseball Mixtape
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Show Notes
This is a very special episode of the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast. Award-winning author, journalist, and producer Howard Bryant returns to the Mixtape. Cheats and HB go one-on-one discussing his new book, Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America.
The conversation takes place in the immediate aftermath of the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., and Bryant and Cheats take a moment at the start of the episode to reflect on his legacy.
The book is a must-read. Cheats and Bryant discuss many themes in the book, including the looming presence of the Cold War, the overeconomic climate affecting both Robinson and Robeson, political leadership, and, of course, the business of baseball. But the magic of the conversation is how they apply the themes of the '50s, '60s, and '70s to today's landscape.
Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson are giants. But one's legacy, Robinson, is criminally misunderstood, while the other, Robeson, is woefully overlooked, even forgotten. The book tells an amazing story about these two men, and this podcast is an excellent companion.