Curated by the team at piqd.com, an audio discovery platform that recommends and reviews podcasts and audio episodes about your favorite subjects, every day. Visit Piqd for more podcast recommendations.
February is Black History Month, a time to recognize and honor Black history, achievements, and culture. This year, a spate of scandals spurred another kind of conversation. Headlines featuring the student photos of Virginia Governor Northam in blackface and the racist product lines released by Gucci and Prada serve as reminders of how deeply rooted anti-black racism continues to be in the United States and around the world.
While no podcast can adequately address the complex challenges presented by years of institutional racism, this audio medium can help educate people about how we got to where we are now and contributes to a more constructive dialogue on race, while highlighting the remarkable contributions of Black people from different countries all over the world.
View, follow, and listen to the whole collection of shows on RadioPublic, available on iPhone and Android.
Code Switch
National Public Radio’s Code Switch investigates issues related to race and identity in the United States. Produced by journalists of color, each episode takes on complex and sensitive topics (for example, the impact of housing segregation on inequality, police brutality, interracial adoption, and blackface in the media), and makes them accessible and understandable by providing context and commentary. Read a summary of the episode “From Blackface To Black Fishing”.
About Race
About Race is a podcast hosted by Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author of Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race. Through this nine episode series, she dives head first into race and racism in Britain: from looking at race in the context of colonialism and empire, to how to answer the problematic and often-posed question, “What can I [a white person] do to help?” to law enforcement and the rise of the right. Read the full review.
The Stoop
The Stoop “digs into the stories that are not always shared in the open” from across the Black diaspora, what it means to be black, and how we talk about blackness. Co-hosted by Sudanese-American journalist Hana Baba and African-American reporter Leila Day, each episode takes on a different theme: from how genetic testing can impact how we think about identity, to the experience of being black and queer, to the challenges African writers must confront to succeed in the predominantly white world of publishing. Read a summary of the episode “The African Writers Dilemma” here.
The Chicken And Jollof Rice Show
The Chicken And Jollof Rice Show features the perspectives of four first-generation African Americans on current events, pop culture, and what it’s like to live in America. The witty banter between the co-hosts gives the show a humorous, lighthearted feel, even when it’s taking on more serious issues. The podcast is an enjoyable listen, and both entertains and educates. Read the full review.
The Nod
The Nod is both a celebration and exploration of Black history, life and culture in the United States, and around the world. Cohosts Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings tell stories that don’t get told anywhere else in a way that’s both entertaining and deeply thoughtful. One episode, “I Want That Purple Stuff”, takes a lighthearted look at the origins of grape drink, and the history that led grape products to take on sentimental significance to African-Americans, while another more serious episode takes on the potential of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to help Black patients with PTSD. Read the full review.
GirlsLikeMe
GirlsLikeMe is an indie feminist talk show that explores the challenges of living life as a modern African woman—from gender roles and expectations, to dating, raising kids and pursuing a career. Start with this episode on what it means to be an unapologetic African feminist and activist. Read the full review.
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Want to create your own collection of shows that dovetails with your area of interest? Add shows to your Smart Folder on RadioPublic, then inform the Podcast Librarian of your collection: librarian@radiopublic.com.
