Episode 2: The Arrival

Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children begins with a single, arresting image: five Black girls in Montgomery, 1968, wearing outsized military clothes. Their arrest was not the end of their story, but the desperate beginning of their attempt to be heard. They were runaways from the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children at Mount Meigs, a state institution masquerading as a reform school. This podcast meticulously traces their journey and the brutal system they fled-a world of physical and sexual violence, decrepit facilities, and exhausting field labor that defined their incarceration. The narrative expands from that moment in 1968 to excavate the full, harrowing history of the school itself, an institution that operated for decades. Produced by iHeartPodcasts, this series sits at the intersection of history, culture, and society, examining how such places were permitted to exist and the lasting scars they left on generations. Listeners will hear a deeply researched account that goes beyond a simple timeline, weaving together archival material, historical context, and personal testimony to give voice to those who were silenced. It’s a story about the fight for truth in the face of a powerful machinery of neglect and cruelty, revealing how the past’s unresolved injustices continue to resonate. Each episode of this podcast builds a compelling and necessary portrait of a chapter in American history that demands to be understood.