Reclaimed

ABC News

For decades, Black baseball players were excluded from the major leagues and forced to create their own space: the Negro Leagues. In “Reclaimed: The Forgotten League,” we’ll uncover the stories of some of these overlooked greats, including Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, one of the best hitters of all time. Overshadowed by racial prejudice and oppression, their legacy was hidden — but now, experts and family members reflect on their impact, which extended far beyond the game. We’ll discover how newly acknowledged Negro Leagues stats could rewrite history and redefine baseball’s roster of GOATs. Vanessa Ivy Rose, granddaughter of Turkey Stearnes, brings us on a quest to excavate the stories and stats of Black players who were shut out of the major leagues, a legacy that still haunts the sport. The series includes interviews with family and friends of Turkey Stearnes, including a living Negro Leagues player; never-before-published audio of Stearnes himself; and interviews with leading historians. Season 2 of this series, “The Story of Mamie Till-Mobley,” explored the story of the civil rights trailblazer before the death of her son, and was recognized with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Podcast. Season 1, “Tulsa’s Buried Truth,” covered the search for mass graves beneath Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the fight for justice for the descendants of the Black Americans killed in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. read less

Our Editor's Take

Reclaimed by ABC News is a civil rights podcast about several important moments. The first season discusses “Tulsa's Buried Truth.” This talks about one of the darkest moments in American history. The season opens with an inspection of the mass graves in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here, the podcast revisits the Tulsa race massacre of the 1920s. Ugly as this part of American history is, it's important to examine because of the lessons it imparts. It also gives important context for the Black experience in the following decades.

The second season of the Reclaimed podcast discusses Mamie Till-Mobley. She was the mother of Emmett Till. The 14-year-old boy from Chicago was tortured and then murdered in Mississippi in 1955.

For those unfamiliar with his story, the podcast explains. Emmett's demise was so cruel that it spurred a movement nothing like this country had ever seen. Mamie refused offers by a funeral home to “touch up” her son's body, and instead had an open casket service. She said she wanted to “let the world see” what happened to her son. This act helped galvanize the civil rights cause.

This podcast shares sensitive, even controversial, topics. But both Sunny Hostin in season one and Leah Wright-Rigueur in season two handle it with the grace required. As Leah explains, Mamie was ahead of her time. She was out on the streets working for equality long before the civil rights movement was born. She was crying out for justice long before the Mothers of the Movement rose. Her inspiring actions preceded even those of Rosa Parks. Unfortunately, it was born out of the heartbreaking tragedy of losing her son to violence.

The effects of both Tulsa and Emmett's death are still felt today. There have been several documentaries about the Tulsa massacre in recent years. In 2022, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed Congress. With this law, lynching is now recognized as a federal hate crime. Also, in 2022, Till the movie shared Emmett's story for audiences.