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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-america-keeps-erasing-black-soldiers-from-history-
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Black soldiers have defended America throughout its history, even while America denied them full citizenship, equal treatment, and recognition. Why have so many of their sacrifices been erased from the stories the country tells about itself?
Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed sit down with veteran journalist and author Stephen A. Holmes, whose distinguished career includes nearly 50 years covering race, politics, history, and American institutions for CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Stephen discusses his historical novel, Black Messiahs, inspired by the true story of a young Jewish Holocaust survivor rescued by a Black tank battalion during World War II.
He explains how he uses a “spine of truth” to combine documented history with fictional characters and emotionally powerful storytelling. The conversation explores the sacrifices of Black soldiers and their families, the shared struggle against racism and antisemitism, the myth of a colorblind society, and the continuing effort to remove Black history from America’s national narrative.
Stephen also shares how he entered an entirely new creative chapter after turning 70. He reveals how consistency helped him defeat self-doubt, build creative momentum, complete his first novel, and transform the responsibility of promoting his book into running a small business.
This episode is about more than war or forgotten history. It is about courage, empathy, discipline, reinvention, and the responsibility to recover stories that were pushed into silence.
Because it is never too late to begin again, tell the truth, or complete the assignment still living inside you.
▶︎ In This Episode
00:00 The Black Military History America Erased
02:00 Meet Journalist and Author Stephen A. Holmes
07:20 From Award-Winning Journalism to Historical Fiction
12:50 The True Story Behind Black Messiahs
20:10 Fighting for a Country That Denied Black Citizenship
29:10 Using Storytelling to Bring Forgotten History to Life
32:00 Connecting Black Soldiers and Jewish Holocaust Survivors
40:10 Reinventing Yourself and Defeating Self-Doubt After 70
49:20 What Stephen Wants Readers to Learn
1:03:10 Tony’s Tidbit: The Assignment Is Not Finished
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