This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. As the country emerges

from more than a year of pandemic isolation and loss, it's left many in the African-American

community with a new appreciation for our elders and the urgency of preserving their stories.

We're interested in the person, but we're really interested in the stories that reside inside of them.

Juliana Richardson has made it her mission to preserve African-American history, one story at a

time. More on her work and her organization, The History Makers, coming up on a word with me,

Jason Johnson. Stay with us.

Welcome to a work, a podcast about race, embolitex, and everything else. I'm your host, Jason Johnson.

Many of us are planning a post-pandemic summer full of fun, travel, and catching up with our

families, particularly for African-Americans. The catastrophic losses of COVID-19 brought us

a greater appreciation of how important it is to talk with elders, to get a better understanding

of our country, our families, and ourselves. But that wasn't news to Juliana Richardson. She's

the founder and president of The History Makers, a project devoted to creating a video archive

of notable African-Americans. With thousands of interviews already, Richardson has spoken to everyone

from musical legend Quincy Jones, to late congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis.

But the early people was committed to non-violent. It was the right way if you wanted to redeem

the soul of America and the soul of the soft. And then it was a practical thing to do.

If we had tried to engage in violence, we would have been slaughtered.

Recently, I spoke with Richardson about The History Makers Project and whether the pandemic

has given her a greater sense of urgency about her work. It definitely has. But I would also say that

before COVID hit, I was increasingly concerned because I did not realize how significant the fact

that we don't have a lot of documentation of the 20th century. And I don't think I knew that when

...