Growing Up With Jim Crow
Chatting with Ben Watford, an 88 year old black man who grew up in rural North Carolina. Listen as Ben reveals his humble beginnings and how he overcame being 'dirt poor' as one of a family of fifteen.
Episodes
Ben graduates high school and leaves Winton NC to take up a place at Howard University. But how does a poor black boy get himself through college? And how does he land a plum teaching job at a traditional all white school on Long Island?
Ben and I chat about his encounters with the police and the KKK. His mom would sit him and his brothers down regularly and give them "the talk". This was her warning about encounters with the police in and around Winton.
Ben Watford grew up in rural NC in the 30s and 40s. He was one of 15 children. In this episode we find out about his home life with a particular focus on food. Being hungry was a way of life. From a road side somewhat poisonous plant comes a foodstuff if you're hungry enough... Poke sallet anyone?
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.