How Americans deceive ourselves about slavery

Clint Smith is a writer who focuses on a very important topic: slavery in America. He wants people to understand this difficult part of American history clearly. He believes that sometimes, people do not fully learn about what happened in the past.

One of his books is called How the Word Is Passed. In this book, Clint Smith looks at how different places in America talk about slavery. He shows that sometimes, the full truth is not taught. Another book he wrote is a collection of poems called Above Ground. In these poems, he writes to his children. He tells them about their ancestors who lived during slavery and later found freedom. He wants his children to know their family's past.

Clint Smith wants everyone to learn from the past so we can understand the present better. He often talks about his books and ideas. He spoke with the radio program "Fresh Air" in both 2021 and 2023. Through his work, he teaches us that it is very important to be honest about our country's history of slavery.