When reporter Eric Roper buys a 113-year-old house in Minneapolis, he wants to find out everything he can about its history.
But he quickly becomes obsessed with one couple who owned the house 100 years ago.
Harry and Clementine Robinson send him down a surprising rabbit hole into an incredible history he’d never heard before.
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AmazonHarry and Clementine Robinson were one of a handful of Black families who owned homes more than a century ago in what is now the whitest part of Minneapolis. When reporter Eric Roper moved into the same house where the Robinsons lived, he became determined to find out who they were and what happened to them.
Eric spent nearly five years piecing together the Robinsons’ lives, through genealogy records, old public documents and fascinating tidbits from articles in local Black newspapers from the 1900s. This six-episode podcast takes listeners on an intimate journey into Minnesota's past through the experiences of this one trailblazing couple.
watch now: ‘Ghost of a Chance’ video trailer
The Robinsons’ lives are a window into the ambition, discrimination and resistance that shaped the city that would become ground zero for an unprecedented global racial reckoning.
Listen to all episodes of the six-part series, out now, with episode guides below. Bonus episodes will be released on Mondays as they are available. The Minnesota Star Tribune will be hosting events to help spur community conversation and action about the history in the podcast. You can sign up for alerts about the episodes and events here. Got questions? Send them to ghostofachance@startribune.com.
Episode 1
Falling Down the Rabbit Hole
Reporter Eric Roper moves into his 113-year-old house and finds an irresistible piece of history that sends him down a rabbit hole like no other. It takes him back in time to the Civil War and across the Midwest to uncover the mysterious origins of two of the former owners of his home – Harry and Clementine Robinson.
Episode 2
Nice Little House
Clippings from the Black newspapers back in the 1910s help Eric piece together the lives of Harry and Clementine Robinson as they settle in a place as far north as they could get. Those articles lay out a map to success. But just as the Robinsons find their footing, a rash of racial conflicts across the country threatens to unravel their progress.
Episode 3
“It Was Ugly”
It’s one thing to become successful. It’s another to hold onto it. Eric finds that in the 1920s, people were coming for the Robinsons and their Black neighbors. And he uncovers how the blatant threats hid beneath mild-mannered suits and ties. The Robinsons’ courage and ambition are putting them more and more at risk.
Episode 4
Why did he do it?
There is sometimes a steep price to pay for being bold. Eric investigates a mysterious shooting involving Harry, and a damaging accusation that threatens his livelihood on the eve of a global catastrophe. He also makes a shocking discovery that pulls back the curtain on the Robinsons’ relationship. They are tested.
Episode 5
The Corner
Eric turns to the people who lived alongside Harry and Clementine Robinson to show him what it was like to start over in the new reality of the 1930s. They are outcasts in their own city, but gradually become central figures in what is emerging as the Black middle class community there.
Episode 6
The Dividing Line
To find out what happened to the Robinsons in the 1960s, Eric doesn’t need old records anymore. People alive today tell him the story of the historic moment when the jack hammers and bulldozers arrived. Eric learns what is left of Harry and Clementine Robinson’s lives.
Bonus
The Speech
Eric finds a book that includes a jaw-dropping piece of history from a Black woman who lived in Minneapolis in the 1920s and ’30s. Her words become the name of this podcast. This is the speech that inspired the title “Ghost of a Chance.”
Credits
Reporter
Eric Roper
Writer and Producer
Melissa Townsend
Executive Producer
Jenni Pinkley
Editor
MaryJo Webster
Fact Checking
Eric Roper
MaryJo Webster
Sound Design
Marcel Malekebu
Legal Review
Randy Lebedoff
Contributing editors
Maria Reeve
Suki Dardarian
Catherine Preus
Research assistance
Mapping Prejudice at the University of Minnesota Libraries
Promotion
Casey Darnell
Amanda Anderson
Matt Gillmer
Art and design
Anna Boone
Brock Kaplan
Mike Rice
Carla Fabian
Tricia Peterson
Lauren Munro
Product Development
Jon Opacich
Sia Xiao
Paulie Hendrickson
Dan Eichholz
Sydney Lewis
Brian Ganas
Special thanks to
Kyndell Harkness, Zoë Jackson, Laura McCallum, James Shiffer, Nancy Yang, MaKayla Hart, Laura Yuen, Tane Danger, and members of the community who served as advisers
