#seizing freedom

As Black Americans ventured into the new lives made available to them by their hard-earned freedom, they continued to face relentless opposition—overtly from ex-Confederates, and more subtly from indifferent whites who viewed the end of enslavement as the end of the struggle for equality.

Even as African Americans gained the right to vote and began to exercise their new rights in political life, they were already faced with the prospect of losing that right or even their lives. Their recognition that emancipation was the beginning of a long haul towards civil, political and social rights was essential in safeguarding the futures of millions of Americans.

Seizing Freedom: Interview with historian Kate Masur

Kidada speaks with the professor and historian about how, even though rights being granted to African Americans through the passage of the 13th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was a solid foundation to build from, it was little more than that without enforcement.

They discuss the role Black people played in continuing to organize for equality and justice through Constitutional amendments and persevered even in the face of multiple defeats, as well as how the long battle during Reconstruction paved the way for future civil rights movements through the 1900s and up to today.

Seizing Freedom: Rights 1: The Final Word on Liberty

African Americans knew that, even with the abolition of slavery through the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, they would still need to pursue additional rights and protections under the law if they were to enjoy the full benefits of freedom.

Following emancipation, Black soldiers and citizens alike rallied for their civil rights by forming community councils and convening assemblies to petition local, state and federal governments to expanded their access to justice and liberty in an official capacity.

Seizing Freedom Episode 14: Interview with the Very Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas

Kidada speaks with the Reverend and author about the evolution of the Black church in America, coming out of the numerous West and Central African faith traditions that were preserved and, in many cases, married with Christianity.

They also discuss the role of the church in African American communities over time, how Black women have been and continue to be prominent figures in the expansion of freedom and equality in religious institutions, and how to find comfort in the justice of God during times of struggle and pain.

Seizing Freedom Episode 13: Equal Children of God

The Civil War marked one of the most dramatic state changes in how Black people practiced their faith. Those born or living free in the North had long had the option to choose which church to join. But, prior to emancipation, going to formal church service in the South usually meant attending the Baptist church of your enslaver.

After the war, freed people claimed the right to free worship in churches they could establish for themselves, with thousands of local congregations of different ideologies springing up all over the South. Soul liberty would act as a springboard for religious community among African Americans, and would embolden them to push for concrete social and political change during Reconstruction.

In 1783, Belinda Sutton, a woman formerly enslaved to wealthy Harvard benefactor Isaac Royall, petitioned Massachusetts for reparations, illuminating what many historians see as the long-fought battle for reparations that continues today.

Between the university's founding in 1636 and the end of slavery in the commonwealth in 1783, Harvard faculty, staff, and leaders enslaved more than 70 individuals.

Seizing Freedom Episode 12: Interview with historian Hilary Green

Kidada speaks with the historian and professor about how African American families have passed down their histories from generation to generation, and the differences between those who were free people of color and those who had been enslaved.

We also hear how many of the stereotypes that have been associated with Black people in the United States came to be, why they’re simply not true, and what the pursuit of knowledge meant and looked like to African Americans during and after Reconstruction.