Tennessee recently scheduled its first executions after a five-year hiatus. In this episode, we host a conversation between Steven Hale, author of “Death Row Welcomes You” based in Nashville, and Margaret Vandiver, author of “Lethal Punishment: Lynchings and Legal Executions in the South” to talk about the connections between lynching and the death penalty.

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One hundred years ago on May 8, a Black man who could not swim saved 32 white people from drowning in the Mississippi River. 

That heroic act got him a meeting with President Calvin Coolidge and a house in North Memphis. And one of Downtown’s most iconic parks honors his heroism. His name was Tom Lee.

The park was not always welcoming to Black people — even his own descendants. But those striving to keep his story alive, from relatives to park leaders, hope Memphians will be inspired by his willingness to lend a helping hand.

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In this Memphis neighborhood, the economic potential of its future is just as important as the telling of its past. The Klondike Smokey City Community Development Corporation has been working for years to provide affordable homeownership for residents while also preserving its history. 

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The 1968 Memphis sanitation worker's strike was a pivotal point in the Civil Rights Movement. It eventually led to the fatal shooting of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel. Local activists say that although the tragic event left a stain on the Bluff City, it is important to remember the positive change that came in the aftermath of the strike. For the past eight years, The BIG We has been hosting community events to celebrate those contributions. During this year's series, a group of strangers met at the iconic Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios for a community sing-along. Those who attended the event spoke about how this moment in music made them feel. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Anasa Troutman: Founder & CEO of The BIG We, Cultural strategist, writer, director, producer, philanthropist, real estate developer

The BIG We: Non-profit organization

In This Place 2025 Event Series

Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios

In 1961, Dwania Kyles was among the first group of 13 Black children to integrate Memphis’ public school system. To aid in her own healing from that traumatic experience, she became a certified wellness coach. Now, she helps others find healing through deep abdominal breathing, which is known to help reduce stress, anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate.

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Next time you’re walking down South Main Street in Memphis and find yourself in front of one downtown’s longest-standing art galleries, look down. You might learn something. 

Miniature paintings by artist Ephraim Urevbu are now embedded in the sidewalk. Inside them are QR codes that share the more difficult chapters of American history. For our continuing Civil Wrongs series, Laura Kebede-Twumasi sat down with him to talk about the goals of this project and how it came to be. 

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When pundits and politicians talk about rural America, it’s often another way of saying white America. 

But that would also be a misperception, according to the Brookings Institution. The share of people of color living in rural areas has increased in the last decade from one-fifth to about a quarter.

As racial diversity in small towns increases, some are working to improve racial understanding there.

This episode is part of “Agents of Change: Community efforts to overcome racial inequities,” an editorial series created in collaboration with Report for America, with the support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, that highlights the efforts of local communities to address racial inequalities through grassroots approaches.

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People mentioned in this episode: Joyce Washington, Robert Nunley, Linda Ramsey, Scott Williams, Melinda Meador, Madison Jones

This season, we're doing something different by sharing some of the positives that have come from people’s efforts to remember the past. Check back for more episodes.

Black farmers have lost 90% of the land they once owned since 1920. Oral histories of the massacre say land was stolen from victims and survivors. One local group, the Elaine Legacy Center, is digging into the research in hopes of community repair. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

The Elaine Legacy Center

Fund for Reparations NOW!

Reuters: U.S. Black farmers lost $326 bln worth of land in 20th century -study

TIAA Divest

The Arkansas Race Riot by Ida B. Wells

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: OPINION | BRIAN K. MITCHELL: Even in tragedy, memories fail us

Featured in this episode: Victor Zachary, Jennifer Hadlock, James White, Mary Olson, Rhondalyn Peairs, Lisa Hicks Gilbert, David Krugler, David Madlock, Katherine Holmstrom, Ples Spradley, Abigayle Reese, Annie Zachary Pike

Jaylen Archie and Quailvarious Brown reported and wrote this episode. The music is by Andrew J. Crutcher. The podcast was produced and edited by Christopher Blank with additional edits by Marc Perrusquia.

Correction, Oct. 4, 2024: This episode has been corrected to reflect that the landowner Ida B. Wells referenced in her report co-owned the land with his brother, who was one of the 12 men put on trial after the massacre.

Clarification, Oct. 10, 2024: This episode has been updated to clarify the Elaine Legacy Center’s stance on reparations for massacre descendants.

Starting in the immediate aftermath, a "hush mouth" campaign ensued across Phillips County, Arkansas to stifle the telling of the massacre. Now, there are few places that tell the story, and those that do are surrounded by controversy. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Elaine Legacy Center

Delta Cultural Center

Elaine Massacre Memorial

Helena Museum of Phillips County

Delta Heritage Trail

U.S. Supreme Court decision, Moore v. Dempsey

Featured in this episode: Lisa Hicks Gilbert, Mary Olson, Sam Weakley, Otis Sanford, Kyle Miller, David Krugler, John Miller, Ruthie Pride, David Madlock

This episode was reported and written by Henriette Busch, Janina Kaeppel and Will Stewart. The music is by Andrew J. Crutcher. The podcast was produced and edited by Christopher Blank with additional edits by Marc Perrusquia.