History of John Brown Russuwurm; Interview with Adilah Muhammed

Host Genius Black opens episode 3 with a look at John Brown Russuwurm, a Jamaican born bi-racial man who came to Maine in 1812 with his English father. John lost both his parents at an early age, but grew up with a caring stepmother who eventually helped him enroll into Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. 

Russwurm became Bowdoin’s first African American graduate, and the third inside the United States. He went on to co-found America’s first African-American owned publication, Freedom’s Journal. Later, Russwurm emigrated to Liberia, serving as the settlement’s first Black governor. 

Later in the episode, Genius sits with Adilah Muhammed, originally from Decatur, Georgia currently living and working as a multifaceted leader inside Maine. 

Muhammed shares her experience growing up in Georgia in the 80’s, investing in real estate, founding a non-profit, and looking to her vision of Maine’s Black future.