In 1992, a Minnesota-based software company known for its educational hit The Oregon Trail released another simulation-style game to school districts across the country. Freedom! took kids on a journey along the Underground Railroad, becoming the first American software program to use slavery as its subject matter.
Less than four months later, it was pulled from the market. In this episode, we revisit this well-intentioned, but flawed foray into historical trauma that serves as a reminder that teaching Black history in America has always been fraught.
This episode was written by Willa Paskin. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. This episode was also produced by Benjamin Frisch, and edited by Erica Morrison. Derek John is executive producer. Joel Meyer is senior editor-producer and Merritt Jacob is senior technical director.
We’re grateful to Julian Lucas for his expertise, reporting, and generosity, without which this episode would not have been possible. His New Yorker article, “Can Slavery Reenactments Set Us Free?,” revisits the Freedom! story as part of an exploration of the live Underground Railroad re-enactments that Kamau Kambui pioneered.
Thank you to Jesse Fuchs for suggesting this topic. Thanks also to Coventry Cowens, Brigitte Fielder, Bob Whitaker, Alan Whisman, Wayne Studer, Alicia Montgomery, Rebecca Onion, Luke Winkie, and Kamau Kambui’s children: Yamro Kambui Fields, Halim Fields, Mawusi Kambui Pierre, Nanyamka Salley, and Kamau Sababu Kambui Jr.
If you haven’t please yet, subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.
If you’re a fan of the show, please sign up for Slate Plus. Members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads and have total access to Slate’s website. Your support is also crucial to our work. Go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summer 2023 Teaser
Who Owns the Tooth Fairy?
Why You Can’t Find a Damn Parking Spot
The Artist Who Was Both Loved and Disdained
The Curious Case of Columbo's Message to Romania Part 2
The Curious Case of Columbo's Message to Romania Part 1
Spring 2023 Teaser
Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season
The Mailbag Episode
Encore: ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Got It Wrong
Cellino & Barnes, Injury Attorneys, 800-888-8888
How Preppy Became Streetwear
The New Age Hit Machine
The Butt and the Bustle
The Truth About #TheDress
Fall 2022 Teaser
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 2
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 1
Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season
The “Sex” Scandal That Made Mae West
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Slow Burn
Slate Debates
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
The Gist
How To!