Watch These Favorite Podcasts Hosted on a Black Server
To respect and honor the protests that are taking place across the country and to show support for the Black Lives Movement, we are taking a break from The Upgrade this week. Instead, we’d like to recommend a few podcasts with voices that we really should listen to. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so please add your favorites in the comments.
This narrative podcast from hosts Layla Day and Hana Baba tells stories of blacks that aren’t always talked about in mainstream media. Their logline speaks for itself: “Stories from the entire black diaspora.” The details are detailed and the personal accounts are beautifully narrated. Listen here .
This weekly podcast from NPR contains some really candid discussions about racing and is hosted by reporters Sherine Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby. He is rich, informative, and his topics range widely from the story of the exodus of blacks (“blexodus”) from the Republican Party to the coronavirus hitting black communities far more than any other group. Listen here .
While The Nod is no longer releasing new episodes, this podcast is packed full of truly wonderful, timeless episodes. MCs Brittany Luze and Eric Eddings are brooding, warm and funny, and the episodes are varied. Sometimes it is a narrative, an important story of black history, sometimes it is a witty quiz game or debate about black cultural icons. You can now find the shows on Quibi , but you can also listen to their episode archive here .
Hosts Jenna Worthham and Wesley Morris are cultural writers for The New York Times, each week immersed in all things art and entertainment and share their inspirations, in both good and bad ways. It’s smart, fun, and a lot of fun. Listen here .
Presenter Josie Duffy Rice is a journalist, lawyer and president of The Appeal , a news agency covering the US criminal justice system. Each week, Rice works with a guest co-host on an emerging criminal justice issue. It’s fun, informative and important to listen to. Take a look here .
Every week, comedian Phoebe Robinson meets up with an actor, musician, writer, or other comedian who is not a white dude. The conversations are honest, heartfelt, and fun, and at the end of each season, Phoebe has one emblematic white guest (you know, to be fair). If you miss 2 Dope Queens , this is a great replacement. Listen here .
This limited edition from The New York Times explores how slavery shaped America from the very moment the first enslaved Africans arrived on the shores of Virginia. Each episode is an elaborate and beautifully written narrative. The podcast is hosted by journalist Nicole Hanna-Jones, who received a Pulitzer Prize for her corresponding personal essay for the project. Listen here .