Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS
Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS is a podcast launched in 2026 on W. E. B. Du Bois’ birthday, February 23. It is grounded in the belief that every Black person in America deserves to be seen, heard, and respected for their lived understanding of what it means to be Black in this country.
The series explores how personal stories become collective memory, and how history is too often erased, distorted, or left untaught. Reclaiming and telling these narratives ourselves is a powerful act of leadership, guiding the historical narrative as the griots we were always meant to be. Now more than ever, this is an urgent cultural act of truth.
Moving beyond dates and documented facts, the podcast centers truth as lived experience. It explores the emotional, spiritual, and generational perspectives, revealing the depth, complexity, and resilience of Black life. Through intimate conversations, historical reflection, and contemporary voices, Our Truth, Our History, Our Story creates a space where memory is preserved, identity is affirmed, and the fullness of Black humanity is honored.
Our Truth Our History Our Story: Our THS
Carrying the Story Forward: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones
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🎙 Episode 2 Show Notes
Title: Carrying the Story Forward: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones
Description:
As the United States approaches 250 years of independence, this episode asks a deeper question: What happens when we center 1619 in the American story?
In Episode 2 of Our Truth, Our History, Our Story, Rita Coburn reflects on the tradition of the griot — the sacred responsibility of carrying history forward — from Africa and a people born on the water to the modern-day storyteller armed with books, cameras, and digital platforms.
Rita sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project, to discuss truth, power, narrative control, and the national debate that followed the project’s publication.
Together, they explore:
- Why history becomes “dangerous” when it is questioned
- Whether confronting the full truth strengthens or weakens a nation
- The role of libraries as living institutions
- Why reading can be an act of resistance
- How we shape identity when we read with our children
This episode also features a special intergenerational moment with the young Naomi, delivering a heartfelt and powerful reading of excerpts from Born on the Water — a reminder that when children know the truth, they inherit power.
As we move from Black History Month into Women’s History Month, this episode calls us to pause, reflect, read, and continue to record the voices of those who came before us.
Go to the library.
Be still.
Read.
Act.
Repeat.
Carry the story forward.
Our Truth
Our History
Our Stories
Because when we carry the story forward, we carry power forward.
Links & Resources:
Read The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Find Born on the Water for the children in your life
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ritacoburn9240
Listen and subscribe on Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598323
Social / Call to Action:
Share your reflections using #OurTHS
Last Episode: Record the elders in your family and preserve their stories
This Episode: Read he 1619 Project and Born on the Water
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