Dark Explorers

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me. And before I be a slave, I be buried in my grave. and go home to my lord and be free. Destination Freedom.

In cooperation with the Chicago Defender, WMAQ brings you Destination Freedom, a new radio series dramatizing the great democratic heritage of the Negro people, a part of the pageant of American history. The men who blazed the way toward the new world were men of all races and all creeds.

Today in this chapter entitled Dark Explorers, Destination Freedom tells the story of some of the Negro Explorers who helped open the new world. The lightning that had disclosed the new world with Columbus Discovery was now but a flicker.

The thunder that rolled over it with the gold hunters Cortez, Balboa, Velas, Al-Margro, Pizarro was now a rumble under the earth. The year is 1541. The place is Peru. Francisco Pizarro has been murdered. Outside the city of Lima, two grave diggers are moving the earth to make room for the dead explorer.

One is Alvaro, a Negro teacher from Sevilla. The other is Omar, an Indian of Peru. Both are slaves. Oh, or tired. I'm tired. Oh, no, look, God algardo. Isn't this deep enough to bury him?

Pizarro dead look smaller than Pizarro living. But no, Romain. Keep digging. Why did they have to kill him just when it's my turn to work in the field? You kill a tyrant when his time comes.

Pizarro was overdue. My eyes are dry. Look at him lying there like he could get up for bugle called. I look out of enough when he lived. Let's get him on the ground. You still scared of him? No, not afraid. Careful. Once I came out of early one of these Spaniards, he'd been assassinated just like Pizarro. And I coughed and he got up and walked away, nonsense. If a