Episode

How a single decision made a century ago split a family by race

Podcast: Fresh Air
Published: Jun 3, 2026
Duration seconds: 2668
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Canonical source: https://www.npr.org/2026/06/03/nx-s1-5845128/how-a-single-decision-made-a-century-ago-split-a-family-by-race
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Summary

Pope Leo XIV’s Creole family roots inspired New Orleanian journalist Susan Saulny to research her Creole great-uncle who moved to Chicago, identified himself as white and never returned. She describes her journey to reunite her family. Her piece in the New York Times is called "A Family Secret No More." Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the Netflix series ‘The Boroughs.’ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy