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To celebrate Juneteenth we tell the story of plant biologist Beronda Montgomery. When she sat down to write what became a personal memoir mixed with a botanical history of African Americans, she found her research as a PhD lab scientist had brought her squarely into the world of social science as well. From her studies of how plants respond to light during photosynthesis, she started shining a light on the history of extensive plant cultivation by African Americans, including those who endured forced labor. She joins us to discuss her book When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, Historyand America’s Black Botanical Legacy.

Also, George Washington Carver was born into slavery but went on to become a famous agronomist and helped poor people in the South improve their lives and soils by planting peanuts and other legumes. This week, he comes back from the past in the form of actor and playwright Paxton Williams, who joins us as “George Washington Carver” to talk about the future of modern-day agriculture and intersections between racial dynamics and agricultural development.

Music licensed from Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue

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