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<p>Growing up as a Black kid in Chicago, <a href="https://www.marciachatelain.com/">Dr. Marcia Chatelain</a> says she learned more about Black history from McDonald’s than from her fancy prep school. Now, she’s a professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631493942"><i>Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America</i></a>, Dr. Chatelain explores the role that McDonald’s has played in Black communities since its founding in the 1940s. In many places, McDonald’s has been a community hub and a pathway to business ownership for Black entrepreneurs. But it’s also been a tool for those seeking to preserve segregation. We dig into the chain’s complicated legacy. Plus, Dan and his family stop in at a very special McDonald’s on Long Island. </p><p>Check out the story Dr. Chatelain is quoted in: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/dining/red-lobster-comeback.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gU...