This year has been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone in the United States for a variety of reasons. Coronavirus, lockdowns, unemployment, loss of family members, the 2020 election, and civil unrest to name a few. One of the most influential events for me came in late May / early June when video footage of George Floyd’s murder was released and tens of millions took to the streets to protest racial inequality, police violence and social injustice.
As many of you know, I listen to a lot of podcasts, mostly focusing around true crime, talk radio, music and sports. Feeling disgusted and ashamed of many of the stories and events of racism that were taking place in the world, I decided to spend some time listening to podcasts to try and further my understanding of how our country’s foundation and structure unfairly impact Black & Brown people in America. All of these podcasts are focused around the injustices in America and are mostly hosted by people of color. I am by no means an expert in anything surrounding this, but I felt a great need to continue to educate myself about events from the past and present, and hope that others can do the same. Understand that people can change their viewpoints over time and people often grow for the better. If you get anything out of this blog, realize that Black Lives Matter and give some of these podcasts a listen. They are in no particular order, but I recommend you read the quick summary and check out ones that seem interesting to you.
1. Scene on Radio (Seeing White) - A fourteen part documentary series asking the tough questions about being white and the privileges that come with it.
“Just what is going on with white people? Police shootings of unarmed African Americans. Acts of domestic terrorism by white supremacists. The renewed embrace of raw, undisguised white-identity politics. Unending racial inequity in schools, housing, criminal justice, and hiring. Some of this feels new, but in truth it’s an old story. Why? Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for?
Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with an array of leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, in this fourteen-part documentary series, released between February and August 2017.”
2. 1619 - Black history - slavery, music, and how it all connects and started so many centuries ago. A six part series from the New York Times.
“An audio series on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling. “1619” is a New York Times audio series, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, that examines the long shadow of American slavery”
3. About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge - Released in 2018, this seven part series comes in nine episodes of stories about race, who would have thought.
“Featuring key voices from the last few decades of anti-racist activism, About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge looks at the recent history that lead to the politics of today.”
4. Floodlines - How the floods from Hurricane Katrina left the city of New Orleans bruised and broken and how the US government was late to help, leaving a lasting impact to this day. A singular story involving eight parts.
“Floodlines tells the story of an environmental catastrophe, human suffering, misleading news reports, and astonishing incompetence from local and national government as it focuses on the days, weeks and months after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.”
5. Black Wall Street 1921 (now Dreams of Black Wall Street) - The telling of the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and the lasting impacts it had on the area. I don’t remember hearing about this one in history class… 15 parts for season one, and now a second season has recently came out.
“Between May 31st and June 1st of 1921, what the Oklahoma Historical Society calls quote, "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history," claimed the lives of potentially hundreds of people and left an entire community in Tulsa, Oklahoma completely decimated. That community, known as Greenwood - an African American district in North Tulsa, suffered a brutal attack by a white mob, which resulted in a horrific scene of chaos, destruction and bloodshed. The area, with a population of about 10,000 at the time, according to the historical society, had been considered one of the most affluent African American communities in the United States for the early part of the 20th century. For that reason it earned the name Black Wall Street. When the mayhem ceased, and the smoke cleared, Black Wall Street laid almost completely flattened. In less than 24 hours, according to a Red Cross estimate, more than 1,200 houses were burned; 215 others were looted but not torched. Two newspapers, a library, a school, stores, hotels, churches and many other black-owned businesses were among the buildings damaged or destroyed by fire. Historians now believe an estimated 300 people were killed during the attack.”
6. Nice White Parents - A five part story of how white parents form school boards and make it seem like they are doing something nice, but often has a result that is just another form of racism and segregation.
“If you want to understand what’s wrong with our public schools, you have to look at what is arguably the most powerful force in shaping them: white parents. A five-part series from Serial Productions, a New York Times Company. Hosted by Chana Joffe-Walt.”
“Years ago, producer Chana Joffe-Walt started reporting on one school in New York. She thought the story was about segregation and inequality in public schools. But the more she looked into it, the more she realized she was witnessing something else. She was seeing the inordinate power of white parents at this school.”
7. Code Switch - Weekly stories and conversations, regarding different aspects of race and culture, brought to you by NPR.
“What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for! Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between. This podcast makes ALL OF US part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story. "We're talking to people who have been marginalized and underrepresented for so long, who are so hungry to see themselves represented fully and with nuance and complexity," says Shereen Marisol Meraji, co-host of Code Switch, Apple Podcasts' first-ever Show of the Year for 2020. Their weekly podcast launched in 2016 but truly came into its own during this historic, transformative year, as Meraji and co-host Gene Demby examine issues of racial, ethnic, and cultural identity through frank one-on-one discussions and incisive non-fiction. In a year dominated by discourse about race, this indispensable show furthered them by providing powerful and timely insight, offering diverse and empathetic personal perspectives to a broad audience.“
8. The Stoop - Only comes out once a month. Stories of black identity and current events.
“The Stoop podcast digs into stories that are not always shared out in the open. Hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba start conversations about what it means to be black and how we talk about blackness. It’s a celebration of black joy with a mission to dig deeper into stories that we don’t hear enough about.”
9. White Lies - A seven part singular story podcast detailing the murder of Reverend James Reeb during the civil rights movement and the lies that white people told in order to cover things up.
“In 1965, Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.”
10. Caught - A nine part series of stories of injustice in the system that results in black males being put in jail, remaining stuck in jail, and if they do get out, continuing to return.
“All kids make dumb mistakes. But depending on your zip code, race, or just bad luck, those mistakes can have a lasting impact. Mass incarceration starts young. In Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, hear from kids about the moment they collided with law and order, and how it changed them forever.”
11. Intersectionality Matters - This podcast brings intersectionality to life by exploring the hidden dimensions of today’s most pressing issues. Discusses current events and thee potential thoughts and feelings we should have.
”Intersectionality Matters! is a podcast hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.”
12. Reveal - Reveal is an investigative reporting podcast that covers individual stories about real life events, often regarding race.
“Reveal combines the power and artistry of “driveway moment” storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.”
Thank you for taking the time to read through this. I hope you can all be the change that you want to see in the world and realize every little bit helps. If you have any additional podcast recommendations please share!
Here are an additional 100 podcasts (non-race related for the most part) I’ve wrote about in the past.
The Final (#10) Podcasts - August 2020
10 Podcasts (#9) to Listen to in 2020 - March 2020
Let’s Talk 10 More Podcasts #8 - December 2019
True Crime Podcasts #7 - November 2019
Let’s Talk 10 Podcasts #6 - September 2019
10 of my Favorite Singular Story Podcasts (#5) - February 2019
Up (4) Another 10 Podcasts To Check Out In 2018 - October 2018
10 Podcasts (X3) To Listen To In 2018 - February 2018
10 More Podcasts You Should Listen to Today - October 2017
Top 10 Podcasts To Listen To Today - April 2017
Black Lives Matter
Josh
