Jori Lewis is the author of Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History.

The Thread Collectors. is a co-authored book, all the more compelling because of the family connections of the authors to the events of this story, set during the Civil War, much of it in Louisiana, and centering around two couples, one couple enslaved, and the other couple White & Jewish. Shaunna J.

Monica Tetzlaff is an associate professor of history at the University of Indiana of South Bend, and her special interest is in African-American history.

Throughout his career, Dwight L. Wilson has held many jobs: educator, administrator, chaplain. In each role, he worked to advance equality, opportunity and understanding. He continues this work in his carefully researched historical fiction series Esi Was My Mother, which follows the lives of an enslaved black family from 18th century Africa to the American Civil War. He strives to portray triumphant examples of black stories that will make history come alive for readers.

Dwight L. Wilson returns today for Spirit In Action - we had him with us about 2 years ago discussing, among many things, his book series Esi Was My Mother, a fictional account of the real situations of his enslaved ancestors.

A visit with America's #1 progressive talk show host, Thom Hartmann, about his latest book, The Hidden History of American Oligarchy: Reclaiming Our Democracy from the Ruling Class. We've temporarily dodged the bullet of oligarchy-into-tyranny in the USA, and Thom spells it all out - the history, present, and possible future.

Two powerful, and badly neglected, forces in our national history around race are featured in Educated for Freedom: The Incredible Story of Two Fugitive Schoolboys Who Grew Up To Change a Nation by author & educator Anna Mae Duane. The 1800's debate between two students of the NY African Free School, James McCune Smith & Henry Highland Garnet, echoes to current issues.

Racism is deeply rooted in the USA, and entwined with religion. Katharine Gerbner, author of Christian Slavery: Conversion and Race in the Protestant Atlantic World, helps uproot the attitudes and untwine the prejudices in the hope of finding a clear way forward. Katharine is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Minnesota.

Will the issues every stop repeating themselves? Everything is not about the Bible, but a good share of everything is in the Bible, at least if you look with the discerning eyes of Peterson Toscano, a gay man who produces the monthly Citizen's Climate Radio blog, and Liam Hooper, a North Carolinian trans man of Ministries Beyond Welcome.