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One thing about black folks, we

0:38

love us a good Cadillac. Whether

0:41

it's your old school uncle or your

0:43

favorite play cousin, you can bet at

0:45

least one member of your family adores

0:47

this ride. Here's the

0:50

history of our Cadillac love affair.

0:53

This is 2 Minute Black History. What you

0:55

didn't learn in school. Black

1:04

people and Cadillacs may seem like a match

1:06

made in heaven, but the company once

1:08

gave us hell. Cadillacs

1:11

hit the market in 1902, but

1:13

weren't recognized as a luxury brand

1:15

until 1909. It

1:18

began targeting prestige crowds, meaning there

1:21

was an unwritten rule that no

1:23

dealership would sell black people a

1:25

Cadillac. Yet the

1:28

cars were popular because they were excellent

1:30

rides. Any black person who

1:32

wanted one had to buy one from

1:34

a white person or pay a white

1:36

person to purchase one on their behalf.

1:39

So what changed? Cadillac

1:55

took a hit during the Great Depression.

1:58

The brand suffered so much that it was on

2:00

the verge of closing down. But

2:02

then came a crucial decision. In the

2:05

1930s, the company realized prestige

2:08

wasn't based on whiteness. It

2:10

was based on greed. Anyone

2:13

who had the money for a Cadillac

2:15

was sold a Cadillac. And

2:18

by a Cadillac, we did. Black

2:21

celebrities, teachers, social workers, and

2:23

others purchased so many, there's

2:25

an interesting myth that black

2:27

folks kept the brand from

2:30

closing. And market research

2:32

shows our dollars are still

2:34

keeping the Cadillac brand rolling

2:36

as we prefer Cadillacs to

2:39

other luxury cars. Cadillacs

2:41

might be a luxury, but the real

2:44

wealth in this story is what happens

2:46

when we move collectively. Our

2:48

unity is powerful. Anything

2:50

we decide to make happen will

2:53

happen. So why not turn

2:55

our potent efforts towards our liberation? In

2:59

order to move towards the future, you've

3:01

got to look to the past. This

3:03

has been 2 Minute Black History, a

3:05

podcast by Push Black. If

3:07

you enjoyed this episode and want to

3:09

show your support, please rate and subscribe

3:11

to our podcast. Together, let's

3:13

celebrate and honor the legacy of

3:15

black history.