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In this episode, I chat with historian Peniel E. Joseph about his latest book, Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America's Civil Rights Revolution.

Joseph's storytelling prowess brings James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jn., President Kennedy, and Bobbie Kennedy to vibrant life, not as static icons but as complex humans navigating treacherous terrain. 

Particularly fascinating is Joseph's exploration of the forgotten women who shaped the movement—Gloria Richardson, Lorraine Hansberry, Diane Nash—who confronted both racial oppression and patriarchal limitations within activist circles. Their stories provide crucial context for understanding today's intersectional movements.

What resonates most powerfully throughout our conversation is how the struggles of 1963 remain eerily familiar six decades later. As we witness contemporary battles over voting rights and historical memory, Joseph reminds us that reconciliation can only emerge through confronting difficult truths about our past, a lesson America is still struggling to learn.

Peniel E. Joseph

Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution, Peniel E. Joseph

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