It is absolutely the time to explore the idea of freedom.

This is especially true for us here in Massachusetts; a place that has always had a connection to the pursuit of liberty but also a much murkier connection to the legacy of enslavement. We chat with local historian Cliff McCarthy, who has participated in some of the local initiatives to recover more of these histories including Freedom Stories of the Pioneer Valley, about some figures that are tied to the specific black history of Western Mass.

It’s the whole conceit behind the recent exhibit at the Williams College Museum of Art. We continue our exploration of Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation with curator Destinee Filmore and see how history has been interwoven throughout the collection, and question how color and stance can both influence how we see ourselves, and how we free ourselves.

And Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, takes a gander at a listener question about graciousness as it seems in the modern era, people have liberated themselves from the phrase “You’re Welcome” .