Published June 19, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT

'Freedom Won, Freedom Lost'

Eugene Robinson’s new book Freedom Won, Freedom Lost explores an uneven and unsteady journey of civil rights for Black Americans through a personal lens.

We spoke with Robinson about Florida’s efforts to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and his own family’s history alongside the march for civil rights.

Guest:

• Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. 

History of Fort Mose  

The first free Black settlement in the U.S. was called Fort Mose, and it sits just north of St. Augustine, America’s oldest city.

A new film produced by Flagler College in St. Augustine explores this fascinating history. It’s called A Book of Freedom, the Confessions of Francisco Menéndez.

Guests:

• Jim Gilmore, Visiting Filmmaker at Flagler College. 
• Zeus Xavier Scott, actor who portrayed Francisco Menéndez. 

Florida’s Black History Museum 

St. Augustine will host the Florida Museum of Black History.

We looked at what the future might hold for the new state museum with a member of the task force who helped choose the location.

Guest:

• Regina Gayle Phillips, executive director of The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center.

Emancipation Day in Florida 

Juneteenth commemorates when Union troops made it to Texas, spreading word that enslaved Black people were freed.

But that emancipation day came a few weeks earlier here in Florida when Union soldiers arrived in Tallahassee to occupy the city.

Guest:

• Tameka Bradley Hobbs, president of the South Florida branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.