“History,” writes Susan Strasser, “is not a collection of facts, but a way of thinking about how things change…I believe history offers a way for us to become honest with ourselves.”

That’s the spirit with which we approached the difficult fact of lynching. We chose to face it directly, to be curious about our own history, the hidden enormity of the terror, and our own responses to it.  

Historian Susan Strasser and poet Marcia E. Cole joined me for this important conversation:

Listen to Choose to be Curious #53: A Double Take on Lynching, with Susan Strasser & Marcia E. Cole.

We all have stories to tell, some happier than others, all with something to offer the future. Valeria Gellman and others collected stories from legacy businesses in Arlington, VA and turned them into a delightful WERA series, The Local Shop, as part of an effort to help communities prepare for the change that is coming there.

Listen to Curiosity to Go, Ep. 26: A Great Impelling Force

(This episode first aired on WERA in May 2018. It has been refreshed for distribution, September 2023. For several years, Curiosity to Go segments aired on WERA’s morning show as prelude to upcoming episodes.)

Go ahead, choose to be curious!

For more information on lynching, visit Equal Justice Initiative.

You can subscribe to Choose to be Curious on iTunes and Spotify.

Check out the Choose to be Curious shop!