Journalist, author Lewis W. Diuguid on the new American slaves

Journalist and author Lewis W. Diuguid poses a chilling question: Does the treatment of immigrants in the United States echo the treatment of enslaved people in this country’s early history? Both, he argues, have lived under the constant fear of being seized and irreparably harmed. Both have been compelled to carry papers and prove their right to exist wherever they stand. And in this historical continuum, Diuguid draws a provocative parallel—ICE functions much like the slave patrols that eventually evolved into modern policing.  Lewis observes, "we are caught in the riptides of history, threatened by floodwaters of exclusion and widening economic inequality." Lewis Diuguid brings decades of experience and moral clarity to this conversation. A St. Louis native, he spent more than 39 years at The Kansas City Star, where he rose from reporter to vice president of community resources, overseeing the paper’s philanthropic and community outreach efforts. He wrote an award-winning column for 30 years, served on the editorial board for nearly two decades, and held roles including op-ed page editor and letters editor. Today, he is a multimedia consultant, lecturer, freelance writer and editor, and certified diversity facilitator. His work has earned some of journalism’s highest honors, including the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism and Harvard University’s Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism. In this episode, Diuguid challenges us to confront history—not as something safely behind us, but as a force still shaping who is protected, who is vulnerable, and who belongs. Lewis W. Diuguid is a multimedia consultant, lecturer, freelance writer and editor, certified diversity facilitator. He is a former columnist, editorial board member, op-ed page editor, and letters editor at The Kansas City Star, as well as a published author. He is a St. Louis native and worked more than 39 years as a journalist with The Kansas City Star, rising to vice president of community resources responsible for the newspaper’s philanthropic and outreach efforts in the community. He wrote an award-winning column for The Kansas City Star for 30 years and served on the editorial board from 1999 to 2016. He is the recipient of many awards, including the 2000 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism and the 2017 Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism from Harvard University. Diuguid is a member of the National Association Black Journalists, Kansas City Association of  Black Journalists (president 1986, secretary 1987, vice president 1993, treasurer since 1994), National Society Newspaper Columnists, Monroe Trotter Group of Black Voices in Commentary. He serves as chair of the Political Action Committee for the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME), which honored him with the Carter G. Woodson Service Award in 2014. Books by Lewis W. Diuguid: • Exploring Cuba: Erasing Fears through Multicultural Education [with Bette Tate-Beaver] • Our Fathers: Making Black Men • Discovering the Real America: Toward a More Perfect Union • A Teacher’s Cry: Expose the Truth about Education Today Lewis’ current reading list: Robert D. Putnam: The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again   Host/producer/engineer:   Donna Morrow Wolfe