New World A'Coming

The Vermont Experiment

English · Radio, Social Science, History

New World A'Coming was a documentary radio series that brought the lives and concerns of African Americans to a national audience. Its broadcasts explored Black communities, culture, history, and the struggle for equality, presenting subjects often overlooked by mainstream radio.

The program combined narration, interviews, and documentary material to give listeners a close view of its subjects. Rather than relying on fictional plots, it used real voices and reported detail to illuminate people, institutions, and social conditions. The episode title, “The Vermont Experiment,” points to a focused report within that broader documentary approach.

The listening experience is thoughtful and historically grounded, with an emphasis on testimony and social context. The series offers a window into the questions and experiences shaping Black life in the 1940s, conveyed through the direct, informative style of radio documentary.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.