Freedom: From Civil War to Civil Rights.

President Abraham Lincoln. November 1863.

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Freedom is a very large and very important concept. Our country is build on it. Our civic and personal identity tied to it. Our physical landscape is both scarred and improved by it. People have fought for it, people have died for it. One thing for sure about freedom, it’s not free. But, it is absolutely worth it.

Joining us in the studio this month are four guests each with their own experience and their own story to tell about freedom and the journey our nation and our world has taken from the Civil War to Civil Rights in pursuit of it.

We’ll start with the Civil War and Gordon Jones, Senior Military Historian with the Atlanta History Center.  Jones shares historical accounts of the American Civil War, the impact the war had on freedom, and a sincere sensibility about the importance of storytelling in relation to history.

Brer Rabbit, Brer Terrapin, and wolf as illustrated for Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus tales.

Lain Shakespeare is the great, great, great grandson of Joel Chandler Harris, a great man in the journey of freedom.  Shakespeare is Board Chairman of The Wren’s Nest, the now historic house museum in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood, where Harris wrote his world famous Uncle Remus tales.  Lain shares stories about the “trickster hero” role (both Brer Rabbit and Harris) in the pursuit of Civil Rights, and a bit about the history of Harris himself.

“If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?”

- John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis has been “Getting into good trouble since 1960″ and the world is a better place for it.  It was a true honor to have Civil Rights icon and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Congressman Lewis, on this month’s show.  Lewis has been a true leader in the pursuit of freedom since he joined the Civil Rights Movement as a 15-year-old.  Lewis was beaten unconscious and nearly to death in Selma, Alabama, spoke at the March on Washington, and joins our host Gene Kansas in the studio this month to speak about being a voice for freedom.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights as designed by the award-winning team of architects at Freelon/HOK.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights CEO Doug Shipman looks toward the future.

A new leader in the quest for freedom is National Center for Civil and Human Rights CEO Doug Shipman.  Charismatic, compassionate and with an eye toward progress, Shipman is poised to help lead us into the future of freedom.  Doug shares an insider’s look into the new Center, now under construction in Atlanta, and how the design of the campus plays a large part in connecting and understanding.  The Center will focus on education, its physical design helping to create a dialogue for people from all over the world.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”- Martin Luther King Jr.

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This show is dedicated to Winston “Bud” Newell, a man who served our country in WWII, an adoring husband, a fabulous father, a giver of great toasts, a lover of jazz, a friend to all, and a gentle and loving uncle.  He will be missed, but his spirit lives on.

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ART STROLL: THE WREN’S NEST

The Wren’s Nest, the oldest house museum in Atlanta, is where Joel Chandler Harris penned his famous Uncle Remus tales.  Brer Rabbit illustration by Harry Rountree in 1906.

THIS SHOW AIRS MONDAY JULY 23rd on AM 1690 at 8:20 am & 6:20 pm.  TUNE IN ON YOUR RADIO OR LISTEN LIVE ONLINE.

The Wren’s Nest is the historic, West End home of Atlanta author Joel Chandler Harris, where some of the world’s most famous literature was written.  We all remember Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit along with the other multitude of incredible characters and colorful tales written by Harris.  However, not many know that Harris’ stories have their origin in Africa.   More than that, Harris learned these stories (and their lessons) while working on a plantation.  Harris was never a slave owner, but was a stuttering, bastard child and was considered to be a lesser person than the other whites in rural Georgia.

It was this upbringing that relative and current Board Chairman of The Wren’s Nest, Lain Shakespeare, says contributed to Harris’ moral compass and his pen, instruments that over 100 years ago were pointing solidly in the direction of Civil Rights through his writing; the first collection of tales was published in 1880.

Lain joins Gene on this month’s ART STROLL to talk about the legacy of Harris and his contributions to Civil Rights.  Also joining is “Wren’s Nest Rambler”, Curtis Richardson, a more than charismatic storyteller with The Wren’s Nest.  Listen to this show to hear Curtis and Lain share their stories.  Enjoy.

ENJOY FREE STORYTELLING and tours each Saturday at The Wren’s Nest.  This upcoming Saturday, July 28th, Sidewalk Radio will be providing FREE KING OF POPS popsicles to all guests.  Show starts at 1:00, but come a little early for a VIP tour of this historic house museum.