Episode 22: The Freedom to Read | Why Books Have Always Meant Freedom

Episode Summary

Summer is the season for reading, but for African Americans, books have always meant far more than a way to pass time. In this episode of Our Truth. Our History. Our Story, Rita Coburn explores the powerful history of Black literacy in America, from anti-literacy laws during slavery to the determination of formerly enslaved people to build schools after emancipation.

Rita reflects on the books that shaped her life, celebrates Black authors and independent bookstores, and reminds us that every book we open honors those who risked everything for the right to read.

Reading is more than education. It is resistance. It is memory. It is freedom.

In This Episode

• Why reading was once illegal for many Black Americans.
• Anti-literacy laws after the Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner rebellions.
• Frederick Douglass and his pursuit of literacy.
• How formerly enslaved people built schools after emancipation.
• The legacy of Black teachers during Reconstruction and Jim Crow.
• Brown v. Board of Education and the fight for educational equity.
• Why summer reading matters in the Black community.
• Rita's memories of growing up in a family that valued books.
• Authors and books that shaped Rita's understanding of identity and history.
• Why supporting Black bookstores and authors matters today.
• Black book clubs and reading communities continuing this tradition.

Featured People

• Rita Coburn
• Frederick Douglass
• Sophia Auld
• Denmark Vesey
• Nat Turner
• W.E.B. Du Bois
• David Levering Lewis
• Toni Morrison
• Maya Angelou
• Viola Davis
• James Patterson
• Nikole Hannah-Jones
• Karida L. Brown
• Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
• Amy Tan
• Terry McMillan
• Sister Souljah
• Sidney Poitier
• Diahann Carroll
• Lela St. Mosley
• Cecelé S. Berry
• Vivian G. Harsh
• Tania Davis

Featured Locations

• Homewood, Illinois
• Beyond the Book Bookstore, Homewood, Illinois
• The American South
• Reconstruction-era Freedmen's Bureau schools
• Woodson Regional Library, Chicago, Illinois

Books Mentioned

• The Bluest Eye — Toni Morrison
• Jazz — Toni Morrison
• Finding Me — Viola Davis
• Judge Stone — Viola Davis & James Patterson
• Corduroy Takes a Bow — Viola Davis
• W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868–1919 — David Levering Lewis
• W.E.B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919–1963 — David Levering Lewis
• The Souls of Black Folk — W.E.B. Du Bois
• And Still I Rise — Maya Angelou
• The 1619 Project — Nikole Hannah-Jones
• The Battle for the Black Mind — Karida L. Brown
• Begin Again — Eddie Glaude Jr.
• Democracy in Black — Eddie Glaude Jr.
• The Joy Luck Club — Amy Tan
• Mama — Terry McMillan
• The Coldest Winter Ever — Sister Souljah
• The Measure of a Man — Sidney Poitier
• Diahann! — Diahann Carroll
• Meant to Be — Rita Coburn
• Black-Eyed Peas for the Soul — Anthology featuring Rita Coburn; edited by Lela St. Mosley
• Rise Up Singing — Anthology featuring Rita Coburn; edited by Cecelé S. Berry

Links & Resources

🎥 Watch this episode
https://youtu.be/8U59un8Caiw

📺 Watch Our Truth. Our History. Our Story on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@ritacoburn9240

🎧 Listen on the ALIVE Podcast Network
https://alivepodcastnetwork.com/our-_ths/

🎙️ Follow in your favorite podcast app
https://rss.alivepodcastnetwork.com/our-truth-our-history-our-story-our-ths

🌐 Visit the Our THS website
https://www.ritacoburn.com/ths-podcast

🔗 Stay connected with Rita Coburn
https://linktr.ee/ritacoburnmedia

📚 Learn more about the NCTE African American Read-In
https://ncte.org/get-involved/african-american-read-in/

📖 Support a Black-owned bookstore or your local library. Every book you read helps preserve our stories and history.

Subscribe

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Join the Conversation

What book has changed your life?

Share one book that expanded your understanding of yourself, your history, or the world around you.

How are you celebrating the freedom to read this summer?

Leave your recommendations in the comments—we’d love to hear from you.

About the Series

Our Truth. Our History. Our Story. is hosted by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn.

Each episode explores the people, events, and ideas that have shaped African American history and continue to influence our lives today, uncovering stories often omitted from traditional history books while celebrating the resilience and contributions of Black communities.

Production Credits

Host: Rita Coburn

Written by: Rita Coburn

Executive Producer: Andrew T. Carr

Communications Director & Producer: Christine Coburn Whack

Producer: H. Lee Whack

Produced by: RCW Media Productions, Inc.

© 2026 RCW Media Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.