In this powerful episode of the Bookum Author Talk Podcast, we sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Marcia Chatelain to explore her groundbreaking book, Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America. We trace the hidden history of McDonald’s in Black neighborhoods—from post-civil rights era franchising to protests, advertising, health, and economic empowerment.

This is not just a story about fast food, it’s about how Black America was both empowered and exploited by one of the most iconic brands in the world.

Timestamps
1:15 – Sinners & The Great Migration
2:55 – Growing up with McDonald's
4:13 – Fast Food Habits as Kids
5:53 – Black Neighborhoods Before McDonald's
7:51 – Sit-ins at McDonald's
9:42 – Pine Bluff Protest
11:55 – Black Ownership in McDonald's
14:10 – Black Restaurateurs
16:30 – Franchising vs. Sole Ownership
18:02 – Black Capitalism Movement
20:00 – Generational Wealth
21:30 – McDonald's in Black Communities
23:20 – Programs McDonald's Provided
24:40 – Relationship with McDonald's
26:32 – Byron Allen and McDonald's
27:42 – McDonald's and Black Ad Agencies
29:07 – Challenges for Black Franchisees
30:33 – Decline in Black-Owned McDonald's
33:35 – Ray Kroc’s Legacy
35:34 – McDonald’s Hidden History
36:48 – The Power of the Black Dollar
38:20 – Target Boycott
40:20 – Black Economics and Target
42:02 – Black Celebrity Restaurants
45:33 – Historical Clarity for Black Entrepreneurship
47:33 – MLK Assassination vs. George Floyd DEI Moments
49:44 – Fast Food & Health Issues
52:12 – Food Deserts and Grocery Access
54:45 – Where Do We Go from Here?
56:30 – Writing Process
57:23 – Perfect Writing Day
59:31 – Book, Podcast, & Doc Recs
1:00:56 – Writer’s Toolkit

📚 About the Book:
Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America reveals the complex history of McDonald’s and how fast food became a site of both opportunity and inequality in Black communities. It won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for History and the James Beard Award for Writing.

Get your copy of the book - https://www.marciachatelain.com/

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Other Resources mentioned in this episode:
Supersizing Urban America: How Inner Cities Got Fast Food with Government Help by Chin Jou
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo14193313.html

Documentary: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Louis Nelson Jr., 2015)
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/the-black-panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution

Rip Curtain – Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/rip-curtain

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