885: Bless This Mess

This American Life episode 885, 'Bless This Mess,' explores the forgotten legacy of Paul and Essie Robeson, a Black supercouple whose fame in the 1920s and 30s was eclipsed by political persecution during the Red Scare. Host Emanuel Berry introduces Nicole Hill, host of the podcast 'Our Ancestors Were Messy,' who recounts the Robesons' rise from Harlem intellectuals to global icons, their radical activism, and their eventual erasure from American history. The episode reveals how Paul Robeson, a multitalented artist, lawyer, and advocate for civil rights, was vilified for his support of the Soviet Union and labeled 'the most dangerous man in America.' His wife Essie, a pioneering scientist and writer, was equally radical, and both were targeted by the FBI, CIA, and State Department. Despite their immense contributions, their passports were revoked, their work was suppressed, and they were blacklisted—until their story was rediscovered through archival research. The episode also features a powerful reading of Jordan Anderson’s 1865 letter to his former enslaver, a stunning rebuke of slavery’s legacy. Ultimately, the story is a meditation on how history is shaped by power, and how the truth of Black lives—messy, brilliant, and revolutionary—is often erased to maintain a sanitized national narrative.