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African-American anthology radio series(1948-1950)

Destination Freedom was a weekly radio program produced by WMAQ in Chigago from 1948 to 1950 that presented biographical histories of prominent African-Americans such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Satchel Paige, Roscoe Dungee, Dr. Ralph Bunche, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. DuBois, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Lena Horne. The scripts for the shows were written by Richard Durham.

The show was the brainchild of African-American journalist and author Richard Durham. In cooperation with the Chicago Defender, he began this series over NBC Chicago outlet WMAQ in July of 1948, with scripts emphasizing the progress of African-Americans from the days of slavery to the ongoing struggle for racial justice. Airing in Sunday-morning public-service time, the series built a steady audience in the Midwest with inspirational stories of social progress, earning strong support from Civil Rights organizations, and offering employment to a wide range of African-American performers.

Richard Durham's Destination Freedom premiered on June 27, 1948 on Chicago radio WMAQ. Durham's vision was to reeducate the masses on the image of African American society, since he believed that it was tainted with inaccurate and derogatory stereotypes. Week after week, Durham would generate all-out attacks on these stereotypes by illustrating the lives of prominent Affrican-Americans. For two years, Durham wrote script after script for Destination Freedom, receiving no financial compensation for his effort. In 1950, Durham's financial needs forced him to accept an offer by Don Ameche to write material for him. It is also said that Durham's relationship with NBC and WMAQ was not entirely harmonious. Continuing without Durham, the final year of the program turned to general themes of "American freedom," without the sharp focus on the African-American experience that had made it notable. This, WMAQ hoped, would create a show to rival Paul Revere Speaks, which was a popular show at the time. For about 50 years, the show was long forgotten until some transcripts were found, and the characters voiced by Fred Pinkard, Oscar Brown Jr., Wezlyn Tilden, and Janice Kingslow, were heard once more.