State of the Re:Union

Episode 3, Jacksonville: Bold New City of the South?, visits host Al Letson’s hometown and explores the colossal city of Jacksonville, Florida. We look at how the past and present vie to shape the future of Florida’s First Coast and try to capture some of the City’s spirit.

Unlike previous State of the Re:Union episodes, our Jacksonville show uses three major stories to confront the difficult issue of race in the South. Through the perspectives and experiences of the area’s residents we look to answer the question, “Is Jacksonville the bold new city of the South?”

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Episode 1, Motor City Rebound, visits Detroit, MI, to find out how the area creates community and answer the question, “What happens to the people when their local government fails them?” Segments include:

Letters to Detroit – Heard throughout the episode, residents read their a letter they’ve written to their city.

Walking on Broken Glass – Two young Detroit artists collect broken car-window glass from the streets of the city and transform it into community based art.

Interview with Grace Lee Boggs – 93 year old activist and her young protégé outline the issues Detroit faces and their ideas of how the city can move forward without the promise of industry or government.

Avalon Bakery – Small-business owner Jackie Victor talks about Detroit’s open entrepreneurial landscape and how the city’s lack of infrastructure has brought the community closer together than she thought possible.

Inner City Green – Detroit is leading the country in an urban agricultural revolution. By transforming the city’s many vacant lots into farms and gardens citizens are making communities healthier and bringing people together.

Bakers Keyboard Lounge – An interview with the current owner of the oldest consistently operating jazz club in America. In hearing the history of this well known spot, we learn how it has become a pillar of the community.

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The pilot episode of the State of the Re:Union series, Welcome to DC, visits our nation’s capital and examines aspects of the city you wouldn’t know about unless you lived there. From Go-Go music to the Shaw district’s challenges with gentrification, enjoy an audio tour of the city that shows how we as citizens are more alike than we are different, regardless of background or location.

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