State of the Re:Union

August 28^th, 1963 will forever be tied to Martin Luther King Jr.’s hallowed “I Have a Dream Speech.” This historic moment would probably have never come to fruition if it weren’t for a man standing in King’s shadow, Mr. Bayard Rustin.   Bayard Rustin was a man with a number of seemingly incompatible labels: black, gay, Quaker . . . identifications that served to earn him as many detractors as admirers. Although he had numerous passions and pursuits, his most transformative act, one that certainly changed the course of American history, was to counsel MLK on the use of non-violent resistance.  Rustin also helped to engineer the March on Washington and frame the Montgomery bus boycott.  With such lofty achievements, why isn’t Rustin considered an icon of both Civil Rights and humanity?   Why is Rustin not synonymous with Civil Rights? How could a person who changed the course of American history not be a household name? Was he purposely kept out of the history books? On State of the Re:Union, host Al Letson normally sets out to take listeners to a specific place, but for this special, the program takes the audience to a specific time in history that shapes the way we live now. More than just a Black History Month special, we found his complex story one for all seasons.

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Join State of the Re:Union as the show travels to the surprisingly metropolitan and remarkably progressive city of Des Moines, Iowa. Discover an immigrant Iraqi family’s take on the American dream, hear how traditional farming techniques have once again become relevant to 21st century business and get a Middle-American take on the Gay Marriage debate in Heart of the Heartland.

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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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