Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History

Mary Ellen Pleasant: Black Capitalist (featuring Touré, Diamond Stylz, and Jody Simms)

Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History

Show Notes

Can you name the 19th century Black woman entrepreneur who funded hundreds of Black people to flee from slavery? Mary Ellen Pleasant reported in 1875 a net worth of 30 million US dollars. Which today would be worth just shy of one billion dollars. Join the students at Drapetomaniax Agricultural and Technical State University School as they learn all about this self-made millionaire abolitionist.

Drapetomaniax is created by Michael Harriot in collaboration between OtherTone, Sony Music Entertainment and Queer Media.

This episode features:

Professor MX Fa Rizzle Diamond

Black Billionaire Aspirant Guy Toure

City Girl Jody Simms

Special thanks to our voice actors:

Mary Ellen Pleasant Leila Gray or LaPorshe Thomas

Aunt April Ola Ronke

Aunt May Kim Baum

Aunt June Allegra White

Free person of color John Etienne

Quaker Friend David Easton

Marie Laveau Sabine Blaizin

Bank Teller Noleca Radway

Executive Producers Pharrell Williams, Scott Vener, Noleca Radway, and Moses Soyoola

Senior Producer Janicia Francis

Managing Producer JoAnn DeLuna

Production Coordinator Homero Radway

Production Assistant Gilianne Roberts-Atkinson

Writers Taylor Le Melle, Dallas Rico, Roderick Morrow, Danielle Solomon and Randolph Terrence

Audio Engineer Toni Paulsen

Fact checker LaPorsche Thomas

Music Supervisor Patricia Kihoro

Theme Song Freedom by Pharell Williams

Songs featured in this episode include: Wicked Cinema - Cold Case, Hitstreak - Michael Briguglio, Messages and Portraits - O Mio Babbino Caro, come to find out. - Le Melle, Ethos by Johannes Bornlof, Learn to Let Go - Ben Elson, El Baile del Barrio - El Equipo Del Norte, 80’s Horror Movie by DJ Denz The Rooster, and music by Chad Milner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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