In this powerful continuation of Sankofa & Solidarity: Uncovering Black and Native Legacies for Health Equity, host Niasha Fray is joined once again by award-winning historian Dr. Elena Roberts for a discussion on land and power after emancipation.

This episode unpacks:

The story of Black Freedmen—formerly enslaved people held by Native nations—and the land they were granted in Indian Territory How these land allocations helped build thriving Black communities like Tulsa’s Greenwood District The federal policies (like the Homestead Act and Reconstruction-era treaties) that reshaped identity and racial hierarchy Frederick Douglass’s complex support of Black westward migration—and what it reveals about freedom and belonging The violent backlash to Black landownership in the West, including the Tulsa Massacre How the fight over land continues to shape health and justice today

Niasha and Dr. Roberts invite us to consider a deeper truth: land has always been about power and survival.

If Episode 2 asked us to sit with hard histories, Episode 3 challenges us to ask what freedom looked like in the aftermath of slavery—and what stood in the way.

Learn more about Dr. Alaina E. Roberts and her work: alainaeroberts.com

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