In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, introduce ourselves as collaborative creatives, scholars, and archivists. We share an introduction to Uncle Francis through a discussion of the documents and methods we've used to learn more about him. He was a poet, musician, and vocalist, like his mother, aunt, sister and many others in the family, but he died young during the 1947 TB epidemic that struck much of the United States and especially Uniontown and Western PA. In that epidemic, there was another member of our family, a barely one year old cousin of Francis who died. Her sister, just a few years older, lost a lung but survived. In this episode, though, we celebrate Francis, what we were able to learn about him, his wife, and his life while also perhaps inspiring listeners to listen, investigate, document, and learn more about the past to root themselves and cast healing and hope into the future.
Cover photo from Rohan DaCosta
Cover art from Dr. Raina J. León
Theme song, Funky Percussions, from AudioCoffee on Pixabay
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