The Counternarrative

In this episode, producer Sara A. Lewis investigates stories—why and how they’re told at some of the South’s most vital and complicated civil rights sites. Join Sara on a trip from Louisiana’s Whitney Plantation, where the forgotten stories of enslaved people take center stage; to Mitchelville, South Carolina, where the joyful history of emancipation is remembered and recreated; to Birmingham, Alabama, where the city seeks to preserve and interpret some of the greatest tragedies and triumphs of the 20th century civil rights movement. Along the way, Sara speaks to experts and educators to learn more about how telling these stories shapes our understandings of our histories, our homes, and ourselves.

This episode was produced by Sara A. Lewis, Christian Leus, and Christian Brown. Thank you to Dr. Joyce Zoë-Farley, Ashley Rogers and Amber Mitchell, Lola Campbell, and Denise Gilmore. Post-production and score thanks to Curtis Fye and Trey Pollard of Spacebomb.

This episode is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Julia Child Foundation.

Visit OxfordAmerican.org/PointsSouth to find more episodes, plus films, photographs, and more from the world of Points South.