08-24-24 The Emancipation Oak - This Old Tree

In this episode, host Doug Still introduces us to a 300-year-old Live Oak tree on the campus of Hampton University in Virginia that stuns visitors with its strength and beauty. It’s also an enduring symbol of a watershed moment in American history - the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, which freed enslaved people in the rebel states. How could a tree play a role in that momentous event locally? What did emancipation truly mean to African Americans in 1863? How does the tree still inspire the hearts and imagination of people today?