The Voice of Dr. Edda Fields-Black

As we step into May, I sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Miami native Dr. Edda Fields-Black for a powerful conversation on history, storytelling, and the voices too often left unheard. Fresh off her groundbreaking book COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War, she shares the decade-long journey behind her research from walking historic rice fields to uncovering overlooked names and stories. We explore the importance of telling history through the perspectives of the freed, the emotional weight of this work, and the discipline of bringing research to life for a broader audience. She also reflects on her Miami roots and the personal discoveries that shaped her work, including her own family’s connection to this history.