“Black History in Two Minutes (or so),” (BH2M), a three-time Webby-Award winning video podcast series won its most recent Webby Award for Social Education & Discovery (Video) 2022.

Celebrating the Black Feminist Movement through Black History in Two Minutes

There are more than 60 BH2M podcast episodes so far, and topics range from Heroes of the Civil Rights movement to events that impacted the United States’ founding. BH2M prides itself on covering “some of the more obscure figures in the fight for equality,” and celebrates less-well known activists in Black History.

Of the growthing number of BH2M episodes in 2022, Five of these focus on the origins of the Black feminist movement to liberate Black women across the country. Below are brief descriptions of these episodes:

• “Black Feminist Organizations,” recounts the evolution of the Black feminist movement and founding of the National Black Feminist Organization. 

• “Brenda Travis,” documents the rise of Brenda Travis, a young activist of McComb, Mississippi who was one of the five Negro Freedom Riders beaten by a Mississippi mob after participating in a protest at a Greyhound bus station.

• “The Women’s Club Movement,” reflects on the formation of the National Association of Colored Women and corresponding Women’s Club movement.

• “Black Liberation and Womanist Theology,” discusses the role of the church in revolutionizing Black liberation theory.

• “Black Women Laborers,” looks at how Black women organized in their workplaces after the Civil War to ensure that their rights were protected.

“The 1970s were pivotal for African-American women,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University historian who serves as the Black History in Two Minutes host and producer. “Through the creation of seminal political and literary organizations, they created the infrastructure of the modern Black feminist movement.”

The Motivation Behind Black History in Two Minutes (or so)

Smith, who serves as Executive Producer of the podcast, is passionate about Black history and experienced first-hand the effects of the civil rights movement that shifted America toward progress and equity. As an infant, Smith witnessed the March on Washington in 1963 for Jobs and Freedom. Additionally, Smith has spoken about having the opportunity to attend a desegregated “high-performing” public elementary school due to the outcome of Brown v. Board of Education.

Smith helped create BH2M to inspire more people to learn about Black history, regardless of age or the level of their education. This aligns with Smith’s larger philanthropic efforts, where he invests in organizations preserving the African-American experience.

Learn more about the Black History in Two Minutes (or so) podcast’s cultural impact.