‘1619,’ Episode 5: The Land of Our Fathers, Part 1

<p>Today on “The Daily,” we present Episode 5, Part 1 of “1619,” a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/podcasts/1619-slavery-sugar-farm-land.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/1619podcast</a>.</p><p>More than a century and a half after the promise of 40 acres and a mule, the story of black land ownership in America remains one of loss and dispossession. June and Angie Provost, who trace their family line to the enslaved workers on Louisiana’s sugar-cane plantations, know this story well. Guests: The Provosts, who spoke with Adizah Eghan and Annie Brown, producers for “1619.”</p><p>Background reading:</p><ul><li>The story of the Provosts contains “echoes of the policies and practices that have been used since Reconstruction to maintain the racial caste system that sugar slavery helped create,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/sugar-slave-trade-slavery.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Khalil Gibran Muhammad writes</a> in his essay on the history of sugar in the United States.</li><li>The “1619” audio series is part of The 1619 Project, a major initiative from The Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Read more from the project here</a>.</li></ul>