It is absolutely the time to explore the idea of freedom.
This is especially true for us here in Massachusetts, a place that has always had a connection to the pursuit of liberty while having a murky connection to the legacy of enslavement. We chat with local historian Chris McCarthy about his contributions to the local initiatives, like Freedom Stories of the Pioneer Valley, dedicated to recover more of this history. We talk more with him to learn about some figures that are tied to the Black history of western Massachusetts.
It’s at the Williams College Museum of Art, where we continue our exploration of the recent exhibit, "Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation." We talk with the curator, Destinee Filmore of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to explore how we see ourselves, how we free ourselves, and how the history of emancipation is interwoven through the collection.
And, resident wordster Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, takes a gander at a listener question about graciousness, because it seems people in the modern era have liberated themselves from the phrase, “you’re welcome."
