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'The Reckoning, Episode 3: Aftermath'

Creative PR Entertainment & Media

In a four-hour series for public radio, "The Reckoning" traces the history and lasting impact of slavery in America by looking at how the institution unfolded in Kentucky.  This history is the genesis of many of the issues that have exploded into public consciousness throughout the country in 2020.

The state remained in the Union during the Civil War, but many white Kentuckians fought to hang onto slavery and the wealth the enslaved provided.  In the years that followed, former Unionists and Confederates banded together to violently deny black citizens a seat at the table. As part of this story, we will meet members of two families, one white and one black, whose lives were intertwined through slavery. These families reflect how slavery touched nearly every person, place and institution in America, and how the country still needs to reconcile this painful past with the impact slavery has had on the present-day health, wealth and safety of African Americans.  

Episode 3: Aftermath

White Kentuckians fought on both sides of the Civil War but came together at war’s end to oppose a common foe -- newly emancipated African Americans yearning for education, dignity, and a decent living. In the years that followed, Kentucky pioneered restrictive racial laws that became models for the rest of the South and thwarted many efforts by Black Kentuckians to prosper -- using violence and terror to accomplish whatever the law could not. Join us for this hour-long special on Sunday, November 15 at 7 p.m. The fourth episode will air in the coming weeks on WRVO.