WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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When we think about the Statue of Liberty, American ideals like freedom, equality, and democracy often come to mind. Lady Liberty stands proudly near Ellis Island as a welcoming icon to those entering the U.S. possibly in search of those ideals.
The story we’ve been told about Lady Liberty doesn’t always align with the country we know. The U.S. hasn’t always welcomed everyone equally. In a world where Jim Crow laws and brutal slave codes existed, how does Lady Liberty stand true?
In the first episode of History Unbound, host Brookelyn Lambright breaks down how we might begin to think about Lady Liberty and the American ideals she seems to represent.
She speaks with local community members to hear their understanding of Lady Liberty, and she talks to the Assistant Director of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University, Barbara Truesdell. Truesdell, the co-author of the academic piece, The Changing Face of the Statue of Liberty sheds light on how Lady Liberty has changed throughout America’s history.
Sources used to inform this episode:
Tyler Stovall, White Freedom and the Lady of Liberty
“White Freedom and the Lady of Liberty” by Tyler Stovall
The Changing Face of the Statue of Liberty by John Bodnar, Laura Burt, Jennifer Stinson and Barbara Truesdell
“The Black Statue of Liberty Rumor” by Rebecca M. Joseph Ph.D.
