WEBVTT - IDKMYDE: Stolen Cities Jasper County

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<v Speaker 1>On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>We're gonna take a trip back in time to Jasper County, Mississippi.

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<v Speaker 1>Black folks was out there thriving, bought land, built businesses,

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<v Speaker 1>created their own little empires. But then some white folks

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<v Speaker 1>saw this and thought, you know what this needs a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit of violence entered the KKK. These dudes were like, Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>your farm is successful, we're gonna burn it. Oh your

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<v Speaker 1>house is nice, We're gonna burn it. Your happiness, Oh yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that's gotta go to I didn't know. Maybe you didn't need. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. Maybe I didn't know. I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. I didn't know. Even after all that,

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<v Speaker 1>the Klan wasn't done. In nineteen thirty two, they burned

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<v Speaker 1>down the Paulding Courthouse. Now this wasn't just some random arson.

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<v Speaker 1>That was strategic because that courthouse held the land records

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<v Speaker 1>for the black families in Jasper Caunty, Mississippi. Meanwhile, the

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<v Speaker 1>records for the white families were chilling in another courthouse

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<v Speaker 1>miles away, untouched. Real convenient, huh. Then a few years later,

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<v Speaker 1>along comes a company called Masonite. They're like, oh, Wow,

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<v Speaker 1>look at all this land just sitting here. Guess it's ours.

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<v Speaker 1>They ended up with over ninety five hundred acres of land,

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<v Speaker 1>and we've already done the measurements of acres this season.

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<v Speaker 1>One acre is roughly the size of a football field,

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<v Speaker 1>so nine thousand, five hundred football fields worth of land

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<v Speaker 1>they used to belong to black families. And let me

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<v Speaker 1>tell you that land wasn't just sitting there looking pretty.

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<v Speaker 1>It was full of oil, timber, and gas. Millions of

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<v Speaker 1>dollars came out of it, but not a dime went

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<v Speaker 1>back to the original owners. You see, this is the

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<v Speaker 1>stuff they don't teach you in school. That's why we

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<v Speaker 1>have I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either, because see,

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<v Speaker 1>they'll give you dates, wars, and treaties, but they skip

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<v Speaker 1>over the part where entire black communities were systemically erased

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<v Speaker 1>because they weren't successful. But because they were successful in

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<v Speaker 1>this situation, it was titled imminent domain. And this ain't

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<v Speaker 1>just some dusty old story. It's a reminder that the

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<v Speaker 1>game has been rigged for a very long time. So

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<v Speaker 1>if you're sitting here listening today, thinking what can I do?

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<v Speaker 1>Learn these stories, share these podcast episodes challenge the systems

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<v Speaker 1>that allowed us to happen, and keep showing up because

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<v Speaker 1>black excellence isn't just a moment, it's a legacy, and

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<v Speaker 1>no matter how hard they try, they can't burn that

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<v Speaker 1>a way. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know.