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"We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power"

Aired on Friday, June 3rd.
Aired on Friday, June 3rd.

"Gayle's rich and important book reminds us that American history is more surprising, terrible, and, yes, inspiring than we often care to know. The history he weaves is deeply relevant to today's movements for racial justice and Indigenous rights." -- Heather McGhee, author of "The Sum of Us"

Our guest is the journalist and educator Caleb Gayle, now based in Boston and originally from Tulsa. He joins us to talk about his new book, "We Refuse to Forget," which tells the remarkable story of the Creek Nation, a Native tribe that some two centuries ago both owned slaves and accepted Black individuals as full citizens. As was noted of this book by Ibram X. Kendi (the author of bestselling "How to Be an Antiracist"): "When Caleb Gayle wrote this book, he reached back into history to find power. By telling the stories of elders like Cow Tom and other Black Creeks who refused to simplify our understanding of race, he amplified that our stories escape categories because our lives are rich and complex. In the end, he let us not forget that America can handle every part that makes us whole." (Please note the Gayle will appear in-person at a Magic City Books event on Wednesday night, the 8th, at 7pm. The event is free to the public and complete details are posted here.)

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