episode summary

Governors nationwide have moved to reopen their states, even as the coronavirus crisis continues to grow. This impulse has a precedent: it’s what many towns, including Richmond, Virginia, did during the 1918 flu — a global health crisis that killed more than 50 million people worldwide, and more Americans than all 20th- and 21st-century wars combined. This special segment, offers a snapshot view of Richmond’s experience with the 1918 flu. A 24 year-old soldier — a budding playwright who supported women's suffrage — dies just days after getting a promotion. An African American leader successfully lobbies the governor to provide resources to care for African American patients, who were being treated in a windowless basement. A city health official wavers over when to re-open the city, and then, under pressure, does so too soon.

EMMY WINNING

This episode was awarded a National Capital Emmy Award in 2021.

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