Ellie 2.0 Radio – June 19, 2021

To commemorate today’s first-ever federal Juneteenth holiday, I talk about Opal Lee, a 94-year-old idealist who began pushing for federal recognition of June 19, 1865 (the date when federal troops ended slavery in Texas) when she was 89. The Big Interview is with Torrie Allen, executive director of Arts Midwest, which just received an $8 million grant from MacKenzie Scott (another idealist, who I featured on my 4/10/21 show). In my C-Block, I reflect on some economic realities that I found during a recent visit to Iowa for my 45th class reunion.