The Breakfast Club - IDKMYDE: Drowning Towns

Episode Date: February 7, 2024

On this episode of #IDKMYDE, did you know that some man-made lakes hold the secrets of forgotten black towns? From Lake Lanier in Georgia to Lake Martin in Alabama, and even the massive Lake Norman in Charlotte, North Carolina – these spots have dark tales beneath the surface. Join us as we uncover the shocking stories of communities forced out, homes burned, and black history erased. So, before your next lakeside chill, listen in and learn about what's hidden beneath the waters. IG: @_idkmyde_ | @BdahtTV | @blackeffectSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers

all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16th, 2017, was assassinated. Crooks Everywhere unearths the plot to murder a one-woman WikiLeaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks everywhere

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On today's episode of I Didn't Know, maybe you didn't either, I want to ask you a question. Do you have a man made lake in your city or town? Because if you do, there might be some black bodies under there.

And I had absolutely no clue. Did you know that black American towns are under man-made lakes? Some of them. Lake Lanier in Georgia. It's beautiful. Folks go there to boat, fish, jet ski. It's named after a poet, Sidney Lanier. And Lake Lanier was formed in 1956 by the Chattahoochee River. Now, 50 years prior to that, it was a black town called Oscarville, where about 1,100 black people lived.

It was burned to the ground in 1912, and all the residents were forced out. See, Rob Edwards, Ernest Knox, and Oscar Daniel were teenagers, and they were arrested for the rape and murder of a young white woman in 1912. Now, Rob Edwards, they drug him up out of jail, beat him with a crowbar, and lynched him from a telephone pole. The other two gentlemen, Daniel and Knox, they were sent to trial and found guilty on the same day. The boys were sentenced to death by hanging.

Now, afterwards, white men named themselves the Knight Riders, but they weren't cool with a talking car. Some of you might not get that reference, so I'm going to move on. But those Knight Riders, but they weren't cool with a talking car. Some of you might not get that reference, so I'm gonna move on. But those Knight Riders of 1912, oh, they forced black folks up out of town. They burned their homes, burned their land, burned their churches, burned their schools. And once the black families fled, Lake Lanier was built on top of what was burned down. 50 years later, Lake Martin in Alabama, a black town is under there. Koaliga, home to the first black-owned railroad started by William E. Benson. And the black school, Koaliga Academic and Industrial Institute. All under Lake Martin in Alabama.

And it's not just lakes. Oh no, they put parks on top of black towns too. Back in season one, we talked about the western edge of Central Park in New York City. A black town is under there, Seneca Village. Even where I live, Charlotte, North Carolina, home to the Panthers, the Hornets. Yeah, yeah, I know. Chill out. The city is suffering. And the state's largest man-made lake, Lake Norman. It covers more than 32 acres, 520 miles of shoreline, and it's got tons of history underneath. There's cotton mills under there. An entire Revolutionary War battlefield from 1781 is under there.

Remnants of old plantations and homes and highways. An abandoned airplane crash. So today's episode of I Didn't Know. Maybe you didn't either. You've got homework. If there's a man-made lake in your town, do a little research and see what was up under there before they put water on top of it. Because there's black towns under some of these man-made lakes.

And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. I didn't know. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this.

It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan.

That's Escape from Z-A-Q-A-Stan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more.

After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best, and you're going to figure out the rhythm of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best and you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q War. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence. And we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other.

So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.