Art as Activism, Activism as Art — Pierce Freelon, Revisited

We’re re-releasing a conversation from 2021 that remains strikingly relevant today. In this episode, we speak with Pierce Freelon– musician, filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and former Durham, North Carolina City Councilman– whose work sits at the crossroads of art, activism, and storytelling. From his Emmy Award-winning Beat Making Lab to his Grammy-nominated albums AnceStars and Black to the Future , Pierce shows how storytelling, rooted in family and community, can drive real social change. To learn more, visit our website at fost.org . To get your copy of Charlie’s book, The Future of Storytelling , visit thefutureofstorytelling.com/home . -- © 2026 Future of StoryTelling, Corp. Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp. 124 West 13th Street New York, NY 10011 Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher Director, Carolyn Merriman Assistant Producer, Tsuki Carlson in collaboration with Charts & Leisure Founder, Jason Oberholtzer Producer, Meghal Janardan Editor, Garrett Crowe Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli With special thanks to Pierce Freelon, Luke Gernert, Madison Brown, Lor Simpson, David Gray, Bonnie Eldon, and Megan Worman.

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Art as Activism, Activism as Art — Pierce Freelon, Revisited is an episode from Future of StoryTelling by Future of StoryTelling.

This episode is 25:49 long.

This episode was published on Jan 22, 2026.

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