The Breakfast Club - IDKMYDE: Epsy and Vero Beach

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

Todays episode of IDKMYDE is a sharp, humorous take on how Black families’ land and generational wealth have been systematically stolen, all while America pretends it’s just part of the game. From airfields to baseball teams, it’s history you didn’t learn in school, but you’ll definitely want to remember.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, Here's the Thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers, and so many other fascinating people, like writer and actor, Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything you're left alone you know you do 3 hours in the morning you're right 3 hours in the afternoon go pick up a kid from school and right at night and after 9 hours you come out with 7 pages and then you're you're moving on. Listen to here's the thing on the I heart radio app Apple

podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. John Stewart is back at The Daily Show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the shows, correspondents and contributors. And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content

you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Dressing. Dressing. Oh, French dressing. Exactly.

I'm AJ Jacobs and my current obsession is puzzles. And that has given birth to my podcast, The Puzzler. Something about Mary Poppins? Exactly. This is fun. You can get your daily puzzle

nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to the puzzler every day 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, let's talk about land. Because apparently if you're black and you own some everybody suddenly gets real interested in your property. Take the Epsi family for example. Back in 1942 they was living the dream in Vero Beach, Florida.

They had 147 acres of land. Now I had to do some homework on that. How much is one acre? Well, for easy math, it's about three fourths of a football field. So let's just say one acre equals a football field or 16 tennis courts or one acre is larger than nine basketball courts. They say you can fit five baseball fields or one acre is larger than nine basketball courts. They said you can fit five baseball fields in one acre.

Well, the Epsi family had 147 acres. Now that's just not land. That's by your kids a pony and still got space for a ferris wheel land. But then the U S government came knocking and it says, excuse me, um, we're going to need your land to build an airfield. Don't worry. It's for the war effort. And the Epsies was like, all right, but can we get it back after? Spoiler alert, they didn't.

Instead, their land went to the Navy, the city of Vero Beach, and dig this, the LA Dodgers. Yes, they even named it Dodger Town. And they ain't even blessed the Epsi family with season tickets or an expensive hot dog at the concession stand or nothing. And I'm gonna keep it a buck. 147 acres of land wasn't just dirt. That's wealth. Generational wealth. But instead of that wealth, staying in the Epsi family got passed around like a Netflix password. Now here's where it gets wild cause people love to ask, why

can't them colored families just build wealth like everybody else? Oh, I don't know. Maybe because every time we do, someone shows up with a clipboard, a bulldozer, and some bad intentions. This is not just history, it's a pattern. From Tulsa to Vero Beach, anytime we start thriving and surviving, somebody decides, yeah, that's nice, but we want that for us.

So here's my challenge to you. Learn these stories that didn't make it into the textbooks. Talk about them. Share them. Because the only way to stop history from repeating itself is to start calling it out. That's the reason for I didn't know maybe you didn't either. The historic Dodger town in Vero Beach is no more. They closed its doors and shut down because they were broke. Haven't had it since March of 2008. But Minor League Baseball did reopen the facilities and now it's named Vero Beach Sports Village. But it ain't owned by the Epsi family.

It's owned by Major League Baseball. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. I didn't know. Calling all Yellowstone fans. Let's go to work. Join Bobby Bones on the official Yellowstone fans. Let's go to work. Yes. Join Bobby Bones on the official Yellowstone podcast for exclusive cast interviews, behind the scenes insights,

and a deep dive into the themes that have made Yellowstone a cultural phenomenon. Our family legacy is this ranch. And I protect it with my life. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Alec Baldwin.

This past season on my podcast, Here's the Thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything. You're left alone. You know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon, go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours, you come out with seven pages and then you're, you're moving on. Listen to here's the thing on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Catch John Stewart back in action on The Daily Show and in your ears with The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. From his hilarious satirical takes on today's politics and entertainment to the unique voices of correspondents and contributors, it's your perfect companion to stay on top of what's happening now. Plus you'll get special content just for podcast listeners, like in-depth interviews and a roundup of the week's top headlines. Listen on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dressing. Dressing. French dressing. Exactly. Dressing. Dressing. Oh, French dressing. Exactly. Oh, that's good. I'm AJ Jacobs and my current obsession is puzzles. And that has given birth to my podcast, The Puzzler. Something about Mary Poppins?

Exactly. This is fun. You can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to The Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.