Dear Everyone, Black Lives Matter.
Dear You,
Sorry Brooke's mic is messed up, but the message is to important to skip this episode! Today we are highlighting Black podcast creators, with short summaries of their shows to enhance your podcast library. Thank you to Angeleaza Anderson for your incredible list. We are excited to learn, grow, and become better allies not just to the Black Lives Matter Movement, but to the Black community as a whole.
Here is the list of Podcasters, Artists, and Fitness pages Angeleaza has recommended:
Podcasts:
· Another Round with Heben and Tracy (on hiatus)
o Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton cover everything from race, gender and pop culture to squirrels, mangoes, and bad jokes, all in one boozy podcast.
· Strong Black Lead
o Strong Black Legends is a weekly show brought to you by Netflix and Strong Black Lead that honors the best of black Hollywood. Every Tuesday, host Tracy Clayton sits down with the legends that paved the way for black representation both on and off screen.
· Off-Book: The Black Theatre Podcast
o Off Book is a fresh, new theatre podcast made with black theatre artists’ interests & issues in mind. Hosted by a theatre journalist, an actress, & a playwright, it’s proven to be an interesting journey.
· Why Won’t You Date Me?
o The podcast features Nicole Byer and a guest exploring why she is single, while discussing topics related to love, life, and sex.
· Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata
o Gayle & Oprah. Bonnie & Clyde. Nicole & Sasheer. Enter the pantheon of best friendship. When you’re forced to change your number, are sick of being single, or want to take a pole-dancing class, you’re going to need a best friend...and if you don’t, you can still have this podcast.
· Brooklyn 99: The Podcast
o Fourth episode called “Part 4: The Truth in Comedy”
§ Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Podcast’s host Marc Evan Jackson cops a squat with co-executive producer/writer Justin Noble, Terry Crews (Terry Jeffords), co-creator/executive producer Dan Goor, writer/executive producer Luke Del Tredici, editor Cortney Carrillo and director of photography Rick Page. They talk about the fourth season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the show’s unique ability to earnestly take on social issues while keeping things comedic. They also discuss a key episode from Season 4, entitled “Moo Moo,” where Terry (Terry Crews) encounters racial profiling by a fellow cop. Terry Crews shares some personal stories about his own experience being racially targeted, which informed his performance in the episode.
· Black Men Can’t Jump In Hollywood
o A comedic podcast that reviews films with leading actors of color and analyzes them in the context of race and Hollywood's diversity issues.
· Okay, Now Listen
o Okay, Now Listen is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell. They share what's on their minds, what they're binging and what's blowing up their timelines. Brought to you by Netflix and Strong Black Lead.
· The Read
o Join bloggers Kid Fury and Crissle for their weekly podcast covering hip-hop and pop culture's most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea with a flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyoncé. (Or Blue Ivy.)
· NPR’s Code Switch
o 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.
· Sooo Many White Guys
o Phoebe Robinson is tired of being the token black woman in an ocean of white dude comedians. So in this podcast, Phoebe’s calling the shots. She’ll host intimate, funny and super honest conversations with musicians, actors, writers and comedians who are killing it in their fields--AND who aren’t white dudes! Stay tuned for the one token white guy (it’s only fair), and a whole lot of hijinks.
· Still Processing
o Step inside the confession booth of Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham, two culture writers for The New York Times. They devour TV, movies, art, music and the internet to find the things that move them — to tears, awe and anger. Still Processing is where they try to understand the pleasures and pathologies of America in 2020.
Artists:
These are a mix of musicians/actors/artists/comedians that I (mostly) know and love in real life!
· Berchie @officialberchie
o I’ve known Paapa Berko (who goes by Berchie as his musician persona) since he was a freshman in high school with my little brother and took voice lessons with my hometown voice teacher. He just graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a double major in exercise and sports science and music. He has also really established himself as an up and coming artists. He combines classical music with hip-hop and rap for a really and truly unique sound! His latest album is O.P.E.R.A. and is available on spotify and other streaming services.
· Jabarii Banks
o Jabarii aka Patrick was a Musical Theatre major at University of the Arts and is truly one of the best singers I’ve ever known. I met him doing Lysistrata Jones a few years ago, and in addition to choosing to major in the arts over his basketball scholarships, he can act and dance his tail off. He writes, produces, and plays his own songs, and has some music available on spotify.
· Sherm @sherm_isiah
o I don’t know him personally, but he is my sister’s friend from college. He is a singer, rapper, fitness coach, and biomedical engineer. Check out his stuff on Instagram.
· Kiah Victoria @kiahvictoria
o I went to elementary school with Kiah, right after she had finished playing Young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway. Since then, she’s done a million amazing things, such as singing for JayZ and then appearing in his Picasso Baby film, recording for Post-Modern Jukebox, and becoming a well-known R&B/Soul singer-songwriter in her own right. Find her on Spotify and other streaming services.
· Birgundi Baker @birgundi_baker
o Birgundi is an actress, best known for shows like “The Chi”, guest starring on “Empire”, and appearing on the “Heathers” TV show. She is also the sweetest human in the world. We were in a show together at Howard University (she went there, I didn’t), and she is such a hardworking, grounded, talented human. Support her work!
· Ryan Jamaal Swain @ryanjamaalswain
o Ryan was also in the show Birgundi and I were in at Howard (“The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin”), and he and I played the ensemble of white characters in the show, which was silly because we’re black. Ryan is now pretty famous, since he stars in “Pose” on FX, an incredible show featuring a huge ensemble of black artists of all shapes, sizes, genders, and sexualities. SUPPORT!
· Awa Sal Secka @_kujichagulia_
o Awa is a DC-based theatre artist, and the kindest, most humble, beautiful-souled actor I’ve ever worked with. She is INSANELY talented and passionate, and has really helped to change the conversation about race in DC theatre. She has used her skill set to speak out about the importance in casting black artists and all of the positive impact that that can have on audiences (not to mention the black actors). She has also been outspoken about the issues of colorism that are prevalent in black culture. Follow her for info about her activism and digital concerts.
· Kevin McAllister @calokikev
o Kevin is a Baltimore-based actor and director. He has starred in shows in every major theatre in the DMV region, and he has appeared on Broadway in “Come From Away” and will be in the upcoming “Caroline or Change” revival. He also founded his own professional theatre company in Baltimore called ArtsCentric, a color-conscious theatre that generally casts to directly represent the racial representation in Baltimore, a city where black people are more than 60% of the population. He is currently spearheading ArtsCentric Academy, a free series of digital theatre courses taught by high level artists.
· Joriah Kwame @joriahkwame
o Joriah is a composer/singer/actor from Michigan. He was one of the winners of Taylor Louderman’s Write Out Loud contest in 2019, which celebrated emerging musical theatre composers (his song “Little Miss Perfect is the BOMB.COM”). He is also a hugely talented actor and an amazingly kind and sweet person and friend (we performed together in a show a few months ago). Support him here https://www.joriahkwame.com/
· Kamille Upshaw @kamilleupshaw
o Kami is my ridiculously talented and successful big-cousin. She has a degree in Dance from Julliard, has danced all over the world, made her Broadway debut in Hamilton, was in the Mean Girls OBC, toured with Hugh Jackman, and was in the process of premiering “Fly” at the La Jolla Playhouse immediately pre-pandemic. She is also very passionate about black issues, and speaks out on social media.
· Demi Adejuyigbe @electrolemon
o I don’t know Demi, but he’s a black comedian and I love him. He co-hosted the podcast Punch Up The Jam until September 2019, and has led and guested on plenty of other podcasts. He also wrote for early seasons of NBC’s The Good Place and The Late Show with James Corden. Follow him for movie recommendations and opinions, and just funny stuff.
Fitness:
Including this to promote the upcoming BLM fundraisers!
· Alex Hooper @_hoopy_
o Alex aka Hoopy is the best fitness coach I have ever known. She is also a motivated entrepreneur, and is opening her own F45 Training location in Oakland, CA as soon as the pandemic allows for it. She is also is a coach for Rumble Boxing and Orangetheory in California.
o Rumble is hosting an all day “Rumblethon” on 6/5 from 7am-5pm. Classes are happening all day. All $$ is donated to a TBA Black Lives Matter Organization @doyourumble
· Angeleaza and Brianne (my sister and I!) @anderstrong_sisters
o Fundraiser HIIT Fitness Classes on 6/5 at 12pm and 4:30pm
o $5 minimum donation to Black Visions Collective or Campaign Zero OR Venmo @Angeleaza-Anderson and I’ll donate
o Donation gets you a spot in either or both classes!
o More info on the Dear Me, Love Me Podcast page!
Love,
Us
