Seizing Freedom
Highlighting true stories of Black people’s fight for liberation, progress and joy from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Seizing Freedom illustrates the myriad ways Black people have sought and defined their own freedom in spite of the monumental forces at work to keep them from it.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 39 minutes
- Episodes
- 40
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2022
Interview: Kate Masur
A discussion of the central role African Americans played in securing constitutional change for their civil and political rights during Reconstruction, as well as the long-lasting impacts of their ef…
00:49:49 |
Mon 10 May 2021
The Final Word On Liberty
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, but African Americans knew the “freedom” of emancipation was incomplete without universal citizenship and rights protected by law. Learn how their insist…
00:56:29 |
Mon 03 May 2021
Interview: Kelly Brown Douglas
The Reverend shares what church has meant to the Black community, both historically and currently, as well as how to find God in times of struggle and injustice.
Support the show: http://donate.vpm.…
00:44:42 |
Mon 26 Apr 2021
Equal Children Of God
How a thirst for soul liberty and the freedom to worship as they saw fit sustained Black Americans through centuries of enslavement. And how the sustenance they found in religious community emboldene…
01:07:45 |
Mon 19 Apr 2021
Interview: Hilary Green
Conversation about family histories and education, how many of the stereotypes that have been associated with Black people in the United States came to be, why they’re simply not true, and what the p…
00:52:40 |
Mon 12 Apr 2021
Truth Makes The Free Man
Education was regarded as the "real liberation" by many African Americans following emancipation from slavery, and they were willing to go to extreme lengths to secure literacy for themselves and the…
01:04:52 |
Mon 05 Apr 2021
Interview: Tera Hunter
Kidada speaks with Princeton Historian Tera Hunter about how Black workers wanted to shape their working lives after the Civil War, what communal labor looked like, and what activities they found joy…
00:39:13 |
Mon 29 Mar 2021
They Can't Keep Me Out
Further exploring the stakes of making a living as a Black person following emancipation and how, despite violent retaliation in light of their successes, African Americans never lost sight of what m…
01:00:26 |
Mon 22 Mar 2021
A New Joy Awaiting Me
How newly emancipated African Americans established communities and expanded their labor on their own terms to build livelihoods for themselves and their families, and how they were met with extreme …
00:59:58 |
Mon 08 Mar 2021
Interview: Deborah Willis
Photography professor Deborah Willis speaks with Kidada about the power of photography during the Civil War era, and the stories images can reveal to us about the lives Black people led and wanted fu…
00:34:10 |
Mon 01 Mar 2021
Reconstructing Family
How freed people sought out their kin following emancipation, and how they worked to establish new lives with their families, pushing for recognition in the eyes of the law.
Support the show: http:/…
00:57:39 |
Mon 22 Feb 2021
Interview: Abigail Cooper
Conversation with Abigail Cooper about the communities that Black people established in Civil War refugee camps, how they celebrated their African traditions and how they had to adapt to survive in t…
00:33:20 |
Mon 15 Feb 2021
A Bedrock For Freedom
How freedom wasn't as clear-cut as wartime refugees from slavery expected, and how— despite terrible conditions in many camps—Black people's desire for self-determination kept them going.
Support th…
00:52:38 |
Mon 08 Feb 2021
Interview: Crystal Feimster
Interview with historian Crystal Feimster about the importance of digging into archives and disrupting the myth that the Civil War and Reconstruction are histories that belong to white men.
Support …
00:29:45 |
Thu 04 Feb 2021
A Powerful Black Hand
How Black men and women fought to participate in the war against slavery, and how the Union’s decision to allow them to enlist shifted the tide of the Civil War.
Support the show: http://donate.vpm.o…
01:00:44 |
Mon 01 Feb 2021
Spotlight: Susie King Taylor
A deeper look into the life of Susie King Taylor, who pursued her vision of freedom for herself, her family and for future generations.
Support the show: http://donate.vpm.org/site/Donation2?1557.do…
00:12:36 |
Mon 01 Feb 2021
Spotlight: Cyntha Nickols
African Americans had to go to extraordinary lengths in order to be reunited with their families after emancipation, including this grandmother’s struggle to gain custody of her grandson.
Support the…
00:11:14 |
Mon 01 Feb 2021
Spotlight: Ambrose Headen
Follow the incredible journey of Ambrose Headen, a man born into slavery who eventually played a pivotal role in founding one of the nation’s first Black colleges.
Support the show: http://donate.vp…
00:09:01 |
Mon 01 Feb 2021
Intro: Time For A New Story
If you’ve heard stories about Reconstruction, you’ve probably heard that it failed. And sure, some parts of Reconstruction did fail—but not because Black people didn’t claim their freedom.
Support th…
00:08:40 |
Mon 01 Feb 2021
Seizing Freedom: Official Trailer
In most history classes, you learn that the Emancipation Proclamation and Union victories “freed the slaves.” But ending slavery in America required so much more than battlefield victories or even of…
00:02:35 |
Mon 18 Jan 2021
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