The public radio program State of the Re:Union has a lofty goal. They want to tell the story of America, one community at a time.
On Monday January 20 at noon and 8 p.m. WUNC will present a State of the Re:Union special called Re:Defining Black History 2014. (Listen to the show here.)
The idea is a simple one. Producers say that during Black History month we are treated to the same familiar stories, over and over again. They are moving stories, like the glory of Martin Luther King Jr.'s words. or the unimaginable hardships endured by slaves.
But, the producers say:
...as important as those narratives are for us to collectively remember, many others get lost in trumpeting the same heroic tales.
The program will explore some "alternate narratives" during the hour.
From a more complicated understanding of the impact of the Civil Rights Act of ’64 on Jackson, Mississippi… to a city in Oklahoma still trying to figure out how to tell the history of one particular race riot… to one woman’s wrangling with her own personal racial history.