About That Life

Garrison Hayes
  • 4.7 (74)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

To fully understand what we’re living through right now, we need to dig deeper into our history. Hosted by award-winning journalist Garrison Hayes, About That Life uncovers unsung and overlooked figures from Black history who challenged the status quo — from Gloria Richardson to George Washington Williams. Each episode traces the defiant, strategic and deeply human choices they made and sits down with people whose life and work connects to their legacy. The fight for justice has always had a playbook. And these stories provide the blueprint for a better future.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Gloria Richardson and The Revolutionary Road to Change

    When Gloria Richardson pushed a National Guardsman’s bayonet out of her face, she captured the defiant spark that made her one of the most important figures of the civil rights and Black liberation struggles. Governor Wes Moore of Maryland joins Garrison to talk about the lasting legacy of the woman known as “The Lady General of Civil Rights.” Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Governor Wes Moore  Want to learn more? Read: The Struggle is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black LiberationCivil War on Race Street: The Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland Watch: Gloria Hayes Richardson Oral History InterviewGloria Richardson Talks About the Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Senior Producer: Kristen Bennett  Producer: Matt Gant Story Editor: Julie Caine  Fact Checker: Sarah McClure  Production Supervisor: Hugo Salguero Original music & sound design: Kyle Murdock  Executive Producer: N’Jeri Eaton Head of Brand & Audience: Anhelo Reyes Head of Video: Tonja Thigpen Huge thanks to our partners at American Experiments To Kevin, Allie, Dom, Simone, and last but not least — Mr. Benjamin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Gloria Richardson and The Revolutionary Road to Change

  2. Sep 17

    Dick Gregory and The Art of Subversive Comedy (with Josh Johnson)

    How did comedy get so… political? Well, we have Dick Gregory to partially thank for that. Garrison and comedian/The Daily Show host Josh Johnson talk about Gregory’s subversive brand of political comedy, his activism and how he put his values above the fear of being cancelled. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Josh Johnson Want to learn more? Read: N****r Dick Gregory’s Political Primer Watch: The One & Only Dick Gregory Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Dick Gregory and The Art of Subversive Comedy (with Josh Johnson)

  3. Sep 4

    How to Expose a Genocide: The George Washington Williams Story

    Do you ever feel powerless in the face of an atrocity? Well, that never stopped George Washington Williams, a Black man who went from being a “barely literate” veteran to a crusader who exposed a genocide in the Congo and nearly toppled a king. Garrison and activist Mohammed Elnaiem discuss how we can learn from someone who let his faith and love for Black people around the world guide his actions. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack Show Notes Guest: Mohammed Elnaiem Want to learn more? Read: George Washington Williams: A Biography History of the Negro Race: 1619-1880 King Leopold’s Ghost Watch: King Leopold’s Ghost More on the crisis in the Congo: Friends of the Congo Congo Week (Oct 18-24, 2026) Follow Garrison YouTube TikTok Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    How to Expose a Genocide: The George Washington Williams Story

  4. Aug 26

    The Future According to Octavia Butler

    Episode 1 - The Future According to Octavia Butler Sci-Fi author Octavia Butler seemed to have predicted our dystopian present over 30 years ago. But can her understanding of history help us change our future? Garrison and Erika Alexander (actor and futurist) discuss the power of radical imagination and the lasting impact of her work. Who’s a defiant person you think we should feature on the show? Or do you have a story about someone who inspired you to be “about that life"? Leave us a voicemail at 814-326-2866.  Support the show by subscribing on Substack. Guest: Erika Alexander  Want to learn more? Read: Kindred  Parable of the Sower Parable of the Talents  Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler  Watch: Octavia Butler: A Cautionary Tale Octavia Butler Interview with Julie Dash Follow Garrison Hayes: YouTube TikTok Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Future According to Octavia Butler

  5. Trailer

    Introducing About That Life with Garrison Hayes

    Lessons from the defiant ones– past and present. Coming August 26, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • 1 Trailer
    4 Episodes

Trailer

4.7
out of 5
74 Ratings

About

To fully understand what we’re living through right now, we need to dig deeper into our history. Hosted by award-winning journalist Garrison Hayes, About That Life uncovers unsung and overlooked figures from Black history who challenged the status quo — from Gloria Richardson to George Washington Williams. Each episode traces the defiant, strategic and deeply human choices they made and sits down with people whose life and work connects to their legacy. The fight for justice has always had a playbook. And these stories provide the blueprint for a better future.

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