Podcasts Created by POC to Listen to in Lockdown
Podcasts are perfect for when you’re doing mindless activities- and I’ve been doing lots of them in lockdown. Whether you’re baking up some fresh bread or going for a walk, it’s great to have the company of a podcast. So here is a list of podcasts- old and new; produced, created, or hosted by people of colour- to highlight content which is often overlooked. In the aftermath of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths, there has been a much larger emphasis on actively supporting and listening to content created by Black people. However, this must not just be a momentary action. I encourage you to continually listen to and amplify Black voices, and listening to podcasts is one way in which to do so. All podcasts below can be found on the Apple Podcast app and Spotify.
Black Men Can’t Jump [In Hollywood]
This comedy podcast does a deep dive into the diversity issues within Hollywood by exploring a different film each episode which features a person of colour in a main role. At the end of their discussion, hosts Jonathan Braylock, Jerah Milligan, and James III decide whether the film is good or not, based on what it has achieved for the cause of diversity in the film industry. This is such an entertaining podcast, especially for film-lovers. Once you listen to one episode, you’ll want to listen to them all, and luckily, there are plenty!
The legendary David Chang of the Momofuku restaurants hosts this brilliant podcast, in which he interviews guests from within and outside the food world on a wide range of topics. A prominent theme of the show revolves around the complex experiences of being Asian American, which is not a perspective we often get to hear, but is emerging especially in discussions of food culture today.
Radio presenter Clara Amfo’s podcast has been helping me through the restrictions of lockdown. This City explores the vast variety of cultures which exist in my home city of London, through interviews with celebrities who have lived here. They discuss the parts of the city which have shaped them- from where they grew up or currently live, to their favourite spots to eat. The discussions act as a perfect way to discover more about the city from home, and to be reminded of the forgotten parts of London that have momentarily been put on hold.
In these relatively short episodes, host Meghna Chakrabarti invites notable people to narrate a love story that has been written in the New York Times. What’s more, in the second half, Chakrabarti invites the authors themselves to discuss their experience. I discovered this podcast from the Amazon Prime series of the same name, which is definitely a must-watch!
The dynamic duo that is Bobo Matjila and Flex Mami explore all topics in this thought-stimulating conversational podcast. If you’re looking for honest opinions and debates about the problems and issues facing our society, specifically with regards to the experiences of women, then this is definitely a must-listen. Think anything from the ethics around owning pets to the problem with wokeness.
This podcast examines the history of Black people and slavery in America, and I recommend it to anyone interested in learning the details of this history and how they have shaped the America we see today. Host Nicole Hannah-Jones touches on aspects such as the economy, democracy, and music through personal and more general stories, pointing to how the legacy of slavery has influenced them.
This brilliant, relatively new podcast is hosted by Jameela Jamil and is inspired by the I Weigh movement which she began on Instagram two years ago. In each episode, Jameela interviews a celebrity guest, discussing topics which have historically been viewed as taboo- particularly in open discussions of mental health. At the end of each episode, Jamil asks her guests what they weigh- not in terms of physicality, but in terms of achievements, relationships, and selfhood.
Art institutions often have an exclusionary history, and hosts Ariana Lee and Palace Shaw aim to unpack this history in their podcast through interviews with artists, museum visitors, and activists. Although there aren’t many episodes, their focus on “The Crisis at The Whitney” in 2019 regarding its connection to state violence through the Vice Chair of its Board of Trustees, raises important questions about the ethics of art institutions.
I hope you give these podcasts a listen so that they may convert you into a pod-enthusiast- if you aren’t already. Happy listening!
Geena Sandhu is a fourth year student at the University of Edinburgh studying History of Art.