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A new documentary produced partly in Minnesota shows how thousands of African Americans were imprisoned on trumped-up charges after the Civil War and leased to the owners of factories, farms and mines as slave laborers.

"Slavery By Another Name" airs tonight at 8pm on PBS

MPR's Cathy Wurzer discussed the documentary, "Slavery By Another Name," with author Douglas Blackmon and producer Catherine Allen

. The film is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Blackmon and was produced in conjunction with Twin Cities Public Television. It airs on PBS stations around the country tonight.

The history most students learned was that the number of African American prisoners was due to a high crime rate among former slaves who "couldn't handle" freedom, but Blackmon said it soon became clear this was nothing more than a fabrication:

, or listen to it by clicking on the link below. "Slavery By Another Name" airs tonight at 8 p.m. on PBS.

Arts and Culture

State of the Arts Blog

Marianne Combs

Author

The documentary, co-produced by Twin Cities Public Television, earned strong reviews at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

‘Slavery By Another Name’ documentary airs tonight

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