dr. suzanne smith is an assistant professor of history here at george mason university, and she has a new book out published by harvard funeral directors of the african-american we of death. dr. smith is the african-american we've def? >> the african american way of death is a way of thinking about death as not just deaf but connected to freedom and to the struggle for civil rights. in the book until the story about how the connection between def and freedom so essential to an african americans understand of funerals and deaths of that is it hasn't been considered in quite the way i do in the book before but it is essential to our understanding of the civil rights movement and also the history of african-american entrepreneurship. >> what is the story? >> it goes back to slavery and the african-american culture, they call a funeral home going, and in the book i trace the story beginning there and in the west african and transatlantic slave trade, african slaves who try to escapes often jump in the ship on the middle passage and the call it the home going because they believe their spirits

dr. suzanne smith is an assistant professor of history here at george mason university, and she has a new book out published by harvard, "to serve the living: funeral directors and the african american way of death". dr. smith, what is the african american way of death? >> guest: the african american way of debt is a way of thinking about death as not just death, but connected to freedom and connected to the struggle for civil rights. in the book that tell a story about how the connection between death and freedom is so central to african-americans understanding of funerals and deaf that it hasn't been really considered in quite the way i do in the book before, but it is essential to our standing of the civil rights movement and also the history of african american entrepreneurial ship. >> host: what is the story? >> guest: the story goes back to slavery. in african-american culture they call a funeral of going. in the book i trace the story beginning there, and in the west african transatlantic slave trade african slaves who tried to escape enslavement also jump ship on the middle passag

dr. suzanne smith is a professor at george mason university has a new book published about to called to serve the living the funeral directors said the african american way of death. what is that? >> connected to freedom and the struggle for civil rights did in the book i tell a story about how the connection between death and freedom is so essential to african-american understanding of funerals that it has not been considered in the way that i do if the book but essential for our understanding of the civil-rights movement and african and american entreprenuership. it goes back to slavery. in african-american culture day call the funeral the home going and in the book phi trace the beginning fair and the transatlantic slave trade african slaves who tried to escape by jumping ship on the middle passage jim believed to have the point* deduct their spirit goes back to africa that they would literally go home. the homebuildingiéóo concept begins with the slave trade been my book i began their then trace through slavery through the civil war in to the formation of the modern funeral industry but d