Leading By History

In this episode, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with the Shockoe Institute's President and CEO Marland Buckner. The Shockoe Institute is a national organization based in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated to uncovering and understanding the lasting impact of racial slavery on the American experience. We discuss the Institute’s powerful mission, the challenges of truth-telling in public history, and the vision driving their wo...

In this episode, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul speaks with Regina Chaney of HOMEVA (Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc.). HOMEVA was born out of the necessity to enforce the Fair Housing Act. As long as discriminatory practices prevent access to housing, HOMEVA is there to protect the rights of all Virginians. They tackle systemically divisive housing practices through fair housing enforcement, research, advocacy, and ...

In this fun and insightful episode, ending the recent series on Jewish history, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with inspirational speaker and Kosher rapper Zechariya Levine aka L'Chaim OG. They discuss practical Torah as a lifestyle, making Aliyah to Israel and how to pursue one's goals in spite of the odds. This inspiring episode will make you laugh as well as reflect on what's really important in life. Take a listen and share!

In this episode, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Micha Perry from the University of Haifa in Israel to discuss the Medieval world and the impact of literacy and writing on religious communities. Covering topics like Eldad the Danite, the Babylonian Talmud and the Book of Eli film, this episode is a nice teaser for the newly initiated into this area of history. Have you ever wondered if religious texts have been edite...

In this episode, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Rachel McMillian to discuss her work in Black education and critical prison studies. In this dialogue they discuss their personal experiences with those in prison and address a broken criminal system of punishment that leads to recidivism and not progressive change. It is important to remember those who are trapped behind bars and to advocate for the acknowledgement of...

In this episode, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Michael Robison to discuss his book, "The Lost White Tribe". In his text, Robinson traces the rise and fall of "the Hamitic Hypothesis." In addition to recounting Stanley's "discovery," Robinson shows how it influenced encounters with the Ainu in Japan; Vilhjalmur Stefansson's tribe of "blond Eskimos" in the Arctic; and t...

In this episode of Leading By History Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down for a talk with author and mental health advocate Andrea "Drea" Williams in order to discuss suicide prevention. Drea is a survivor of multiple suicide attempts and has dedicated herself to the mission of helping and supporting those struggling with ideas of death and suicidal ideations. Drea is a firm believer that the more we listen to, learn from a...

In this episode of Leading By History, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Ms. Jeannine Cook to discuss her journey from street vendor to brick n' mortar business woman and the power of literacy to transform a city. The conversation is engaging, insightful and inspiring. The Philadelphia Citizen rated Jeannine as one of the city’s most dynamic change-makers. If you want to hear a story of resilience and the power of edu...

In this episode, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Lucas Morel to discuss his persuasive work of intellectual history. Morel argues that the most important influence on Abraham Lincoln’s political thought and practice was what he learned from the leading figures of and documents from the birth of the United States. In this discussion Morel and Isra-Ul  discuss how Lincoln can be understood through an examination of the Am...

In this episode of Leading By History, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Jacqueline Battalora to discuss her research on the origins of racially-based hierarchies in America, starting with the first Virginia Colony. This is a DEEP DIVE into the origin of race in the American colonies and how "catch-all" terms were invented in order to separate and discriminate privilege access among residents of the early colonies. Dr. Battalo...

In this long awaited episode of Leading By History, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down for a chat with Dr. Evyn Le Espiritu Gandhi. In this dialogue there is a discussion of Dr. Gandhi's book (read free here-> Archipelago of Resettlement Vietnamese Refugee Settlers and Decolonization across Guam and Israel-Palestine - PROMO 13W0801 in discount coupon when ordering from University of California Press) and the idea of displacement and ...

In this episode of Leading By History, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Vince Bantu to discuss his research into ancient African Christian liturgical languages and his perspectives on Christianity for African Americans today. While LBH is not a religious podcast, this show seeks to transcend dogmatic religious views in favor of discovering a rich African religious culture steeped in some of the earliest forms of Christianity....

In this discussion, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Christina Proenza-Coles to discuss the process and products of history and the development and defense of New World settlements by Black people who "undermined slavery, and championed freedom throughout the hemisphere". While conventional history tends to reduce the roles of African Americans to antebellum slavery and the civil rights movement - the truth is that African pe...