Episode 2: They Came Here on Purpose

Season 3 of Podeia, The Kennedys of Decorah, follows the lives of George and Sarah Jane Kennedy, a Black family who lived in Decorah, Iowa, just after the Civil War. Through six episodes, host Lindsey Row-Heyveld explores their story—piecing together archival traces and personal histories to examine who is remembered, who is forgotten, and what belonging really means.

In this episode, we follow the Kennedy family’s journey across the United States, from the free Black community of Philadelphia to the raw edge of the Upper Midwest. Along the way, we uncover Sarah Jane Kennedy’s legacy as the granddaughter of AME Church founder Richard Allen, and consider the complexities of George Kennedy’s fragmented past. What would lead a family with deep roots in a thriving East Coast community to settle in a muddy Iowa valley? And what did they hope to find when they arrived?

Credits:
Written, hosted, and co-produced by Lindsey Row-Heyveld
Co-produced and edited by Asher Elliott Smith
Executive Producer: Andy Hageman
Theme music by Andrew Murray
Sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement at Luther College
Produced in partnership with KWLC, Luther College’s student radio station