When people ask me what my favorite episode of 99% Invisible is, I have a hard time answering. Not because theyβre all my precious little babies or some such nonsense, but mostly itβs because I just canβt remember them all and thereβs no simple criteria to judge them against each other. But the show is definitely in contention for the best episode weβve ever made. It just has everythingβ engaging storytellers, brilliant reporting, and a compelling history of a moment when the world really changed. Itβs called the Freedom House Ambulance Service. It originally aired in the summer of 2020, when a lot of the fundamental aspects of work, life, health, law enforcement, structural racism, cities were all being questioned by more and more people because of COVID and the George Floyd protests. Kevin Hazzard, who reported the piece, subsequently released a whole book on the Freedom House Ambulance ServiceΒ called American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics. Itβs new, itβs out now, you should buy it. should read it, it should be on all your Christmas lists. To celebrate the bookβs release, Iβm proud to re-present to you: The remarkable story of the Freedom House Ambulance Service.
Β
Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.Β
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.Β
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.