Freeman’s Challenge is a meticulously researched yet highly readable account of William Freeman, a formerly incarcerated Black man who sought pay for his labor—and faced deadly consequences. Bernstein skillfully situates the history of the region and the Freeman family, tracing the events that led to William’s false imprisonment and its tragic aftermath. Equally compelling is the setting of Auburn, New York—known both for its rich abolitionist legacy and for housing a prison that continues to operate today. Through careful archival work and narrative clarity, Freeman’s Challenge sheds light on the roots of America’s prison-for-profit system and the human cost embedded within it.
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ROBIN BERNSTEIN is a cultural historian and the Dillon Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. Her recent book Freeman's Challenge won the 2025 PROSE Award for North American/U.S. History and the 2025 Montaigne Medal. Freeman's Challenge also received Honorable Mention for the 2025 Merle Curti Award for Social History from the Organization of American Historians and received Honors in the Mass Book Awards. She is the author of multiple award-winning books, and her scholarship has been featured in leading academic journals and national media outlets.
FRAN RODGERS is the Chair of WFD, Inc., which she founded in 1983 as Work/Family Directions. A pioneer in work–family innovation, she built one of the nation’s largest woman-owned businesses, whose LifeWorks program served more than three million employees before its acquisition by Ceridian in 1999. A graduate of Barnard College and Tufts University/MGH’s clinical psychology program, Rodgers has served on numerous boards, including BankBoston/FleetBoston and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she chaired the Strategic Plan for Women’s Health. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and has been widely recognized for her national leadership in work, gender equity, and corporate change, with honors from Barnard College, the YWCA, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Working Mother Magazine, and others.
