Diane Orson
Special CorrespondentDiane Orson is a special correspondent with Connecticut Public. She is a longtime reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here and Now; and The World from PRX. She spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.
Diane received a regional 2024 Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing by the Radio Television Digital News Association. She was awarded a 2023 New England Emmy for CUTLINE | Antisemitism Rising: Bearing Witness Then and Now, which she co-produced and hosted.
Her radio story about an 83-year old atomic veteran placed first in the Public Media Journalists Association 2021 national arts awards. She is the co-recipient of a 2021 Edward R. Murrow Award for a video based on that story.
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For decades, most Black and Indigenous maritime histories were missing at Mystic Seaport, the country’s largest maritime museum. “Entwined” aims to change that – by presenting those histories through Native American and Black perspectives. -
Sawney Freeman may be America's first Black composer. He was likely enslaved in Connecticut, and his music has been performed there for the first time in two centuries.
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For centuries, stories of northern slavery were not easy to find. Understanding slavery in this project involves learning the stories of those enslaved — and bearing witness.
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In our fourth episode, reporter/producer Diane Orson and editorial consultant and curator Frank Mitchell highlight how Sawney Freeman’s music challenges the way most people think about the lives of the enslaved. -
Venture Smith's story is the first published narrative by an enslaved person in the U.S. It’s also one of the few published narratives of slavery in New England. He describes his capture in Africa and life in Connecticut. -
Reporter/producer Diane Orson and editorial consultant and curator Frank Mitchell discuss what slavery looked like in Connecticut, recovering family stories, and ethical questions that arise when restoring ancestral histories. -
In this hour, we're airing the first and second episodes of Connecticut Public's new podcast 'Unforgotten,' a deep dive into the hidden history of slavery in our state. -
There’s a deeply-rooted perception that the North was home to the “good guys,” the abolitionists. The truth is far different. Hear from people who are shedding light on this history and why it matters. -
Experts are uncovering Connecticut’s ties to slavery. But students are also chronicling stories of northern enslavement right where they live. -
Connecticut volunteers have reconstructed the life of Sawney Freeman, a violinist and composer, and restored his work for contemporary muisicians.
