The Story of Louise from $500 to Priceless with Leonard Smith III

Today’s episode is entitled The Story of Louise: From $500 to Priceless, a work of narrative nonfiction that documents the eleven-year legal fight for the freedom of Louise, an enslaved woman purchased in 1833, and the generations who followed her.

Joining me is Leonard Smith III  - a Louisiana-based documentary filmmaker, genealogist, author and cinematic historian. He owns LS3 Studios. Smith is Louise's third great-grandson, and his book grew out of a research journey that began in 1978, when he discovered a single word in an 1880 census record while servicing microfilm equipment at the New Orleans Public Library. Smith is also the director of the award-winning feature documentary A Place Called Desire and The Gulfside Assembly Story. His work has earned eight Telly Awards, three AVA Digital Awards, and official selections at film festivals across the country. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation.

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