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Freedom delayed is still freedom worth celebrating. Jazzy Poetic: The Juneteenth Experience takes listeners on a soul-stirring journey through music, poetry, and storytelling to explore the profound significance of June 19, 1865—the day when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved people in Texas, a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Bhakti Larry Hough and the Bhakti Project masterfully weave together jazz melodies, African drumming, and powerful spoken word to illuminate this pivotal moment in American history when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with 2,000 troops to enforce freedom. Through original compositions and freedom songs like "Oh Freedom" and "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around," the performance captures both the joy of liberation and the bitter realization that freedom had been deliberately withheld from those enslaved in Texas.

The cultural and historical significance of Juneteenth unfolds through stories of the first celebrations in 1866, initially called "Jubilee Day," held in churches and near water since public spaces remained segregated. We learn how Texas formally recognized the holiday in 1979, and how the tireless advocacy of Opal Lee—who at 89 years old walked from Fort Worth to Washington DC—contributed to Juneteenth finally becoming a federal holiday in 2021 after the racial reckoning following George Floyd's murder. Beyond American shores, we discover connections to celebrations in Mexico among descendants of Black Seminoles.

As the final notes of "We Will Be Alright" remind us, the struggle for true freedom continues, but so does the resilience and determination that have sustained Black Americans through generations. Listen now to experience the power of cultural preservation through art and understand why Juneteenth represents not just a historical milestone but an ongoing commitment to justice, liberation, and hope.

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From the shadows of segregation to the frontlines of protest, Ralph Canty Sr. takes us on an extraordinary journey through the civil rights movement in Sumter, South Carolina. Born in 1945 just blocks from Lincoln High School, Canty emerged as a fearless young activist whose determination to dismantle racial barriers would forever change his community.

With remarkable clarity, Canty recounts the pivotal moment when he and two fellow students staged a sit-in at the Holiday Inn on July 27, 1963—an act that triggered immediate arrest and launched what became known as the "Sumter Movement." Despite opposition from both white segregationists and hesitant Black community leaders, Canty and his colleagues meticulously planned their strategy, understanding they might pay "the ultimate price" for challenging the status quo.

What distinguishes Canty's narrative is his nuanced portrayal of Sumter's unique racial dynamics. While segregation cut through town "like an apple pie," the community largely avoided the brutal violence seen elsewhere in the South, thanks in part to law enforcement leaders who maintained what Canty calls a certain "nobility" in their approach. This environment allowed for strategic civil disobedience that gradually eroded segregation's foundations.

Among the most fascinating revelations is Canty's simultaneous employment at a white-owned business throughout his activism. Despite leading boycotts by day and organizing protests by night, the Jackson family never fired him—a testament to both his exemplary work ethic and the complex economic interdependence that sometimes transcended racial lines.

Canty's story bridges past and present struggles for racial justice. Reflecting on the 2020 protests following George Floyd's murder, he observes a profound shift in focus: while his 1960s activism fought for equal privileges, today's movement fights for the fundamental value of Black lives themselves. This perspective offers a powerful framework for understanding how far we've come and the critical work that remains.

For anyone seeking to understand the courage it takes to stand against injustice, the strategic thinking behind successful movements, or the personal cost of fighting for change, Ralph Canty's testimony provides an essential, firsthand account of history in the making.

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The front porches of Augusta, Georgia shaped Dr. Bobby Donaldson long before formal education ever could. Through his grandmother's stories, the seeds of historical inquiry were planted, setting him on a path to become one of the nation's foremost chroniclers of South Carolina's civil rights movement.

When Dr. Donaldson arrived at the University of South Carolina 25 years ago, established scholars confidently told him "there wasn't much of a civil rights movement in South Carolina." This assertion – which he immediately recognized as false – exemplifies the historical erasure he's spent his career fighting. Drawing inspiration from pioneers like Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who created Negro History Week (now Black History Month) while facing similar institutional barriers in the 1930s, Donaldson has methodically constructed an irrefutable record of Black resistance and activism throughout South Carolina's history.

Through the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, Donaldson has democratized historical knowledge beyond academic circles. His team digitizes forgotten photographs, develops curriculum for teachers, creates walking tours, and records oral histories – all while training the next generation of historians. The work reveals extraordinary stories: Joseph Rainey, the first Black representative in the South Carolina legislature who helped create a constitution mandating integrated education; the brief period when USC had a majority-Black student body in the 1870s; and the ordinary families from Summerton whose petition for better schools became the cornerstone of Brown v. Board of Education.

Guided by civil rights activist Donella Brown Wilson's principle that "history has no purpose unless you use it," Donaldson's work transcends mere documentation. In our current moment, when battles over curricula and historical interpretation rage across the country, his meticulous research provides both inspiration and armor for those fighting to preserve accurate historical narratives. Listen as he shares how these recovered stories illuminate not just where we've been, but where we might go next.