Conversations with Julian Bond

The late Julian Bond conducted 51 extensive interviews with prominent black leaders in America. Phyllis Leffler who led the project with Bond, has written a book on the series that offers insights into the intractable disparities of race in America. Also: In the 1940’s Fatima Massaquoi penned one of the earliest known autobiographies by an African woman. Arthur Abraham is one of three editors of The Autobiography of an African Princess, which traces Fatima’s life from her youth in Africa to her later years in America.

Later in the show: In his book, The Truth About Cultural Bias, Allen Lewis looks at race in light of the Obama presidency and the George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn court cases as well as his own life. And: Twitter is speeding up communication about racial incidents. Bridgett Robertson says three-fourths of all African-Americans use Twitter to discuss political and social issues of importance to the black community.

Also: The Geography of Slavery is a website that catalogues more than 4,000 advertisements offering rewards for runaway slaves (including one written by Thomas Jefferson) placed in newspapers in the later part of the 18th century. Tom Costa says these advertisements humanize the stories of the runaway men and women and will also be used in the classroom to teach American history.