7 Podcasts Lifting Up Black Voices, History & Lives

As protests continue across the country calling for justice and reform, Americans are grappling with this nation’s shameful history of slavery, discrimination, brutality and the systemic racism that persists today — and what they should do about it.

Many people, including a lot of us here at CREDO, are heeding the calls of Black activists and leaders to educate ourselves even more about Black history and racism. That means more reading, more watching and more listening, especially to podcasts that feature Black hosts and topics meant to educate, inform and challenge.

We’ve compiled a short list — which is by no means comprehensive — of some of our favorite podcasts lifting up Black voices, history and lives. These podcasts are not meant as a substitute for the hard work of being anti-racist, but merely a starting point for discussion and to spotlight the issues facing Black America. Take the time to invest in a few or all of these podcasts and let us know what you think.

Code Switch

Support for the Black Lives Matter movement has spiked in recent weeks — two-thirds of all Americans support the movement in a recent poll — and so has the interest in podcasts about race. Gene Demby, co-host of Code Switch, NPR’s flagship podcast on race and diversity, recently revealed that the podcast hit number one on Apple’s Podcast chart as their Twitter following exploded with new, mostly white, followers (find out why here).

Learn more and subscribe to Code Switch.

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

In their brand new, twice-weekly podcast, hosts Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay discuss current events, Black pop culture, politics and sports. Recent episodes have examined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s Black Lives Matter statement, nationwide protests following George Floyd’s murder and Donald Trump’s recent, poorly attended rally. 

Learn more and subscribe to Higher Learning.

QueerWOC

Hosted by Nikeeta and Money, two self-identified Black Queer Troublemakers, who are, respectively, a Black feminist organizer and a mental health expert working with queer and trans women. QueerWOC is a bi-weekly podcast that shines a light on a different queer woman of color in each episode as they build an “insurgent audio syllabus that unites, ignites, and excites the queer women of color community.”

Learn more and subscribe to QueerWOC.

Still Processing

This is one of our favorites. Hosted by the incredible duo Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris, culture writers for the New York Times, Still Processing explores pop culture, art, music and the internet. Although their most recent season ended before protests erupted across the nation over the murder of George Floyd and other Black people by police, the two reunited recently for a livestream to discuss the current moment.

Learn more and subscribe to Still Processing.

Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

With recent episodes covering Black Lives Matter, white supremacy, police abolition and honoring Juneteenth, the Momentum podcast is, without a doubt, a place to “deepen your racial justice lens and get inspired to drive action.” Co-hosts Chevon Drew and Hiba Elyass discuss race and pop culture while lifting up the work of community organizers and leaders who are fighting to advance racial justice.

Learn more and subscribe to Momentum here.

Pod Save the People

Part of the Crooked Media podcast collection, Pod Save the People — hosted by activist DeRay McKesson and Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Samuel Sinyangwe, and Dr. Clint Smith III — explores news, social justice, culture and more with special guests in their hour-long shows. Recent episodes covered reforming the criminal justice system, recent protests, climate change and the experience of Black farmers.

Learn more and subscribe to Pod Save the People here.

1619

Hosted by New York Times Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, this audio series examines the fateful moment 400 years ago when a ship carrying the first enslaved Africans arrived in the colony of Virginia — and the hundreds of years of slavery that followed. The podcast is part of the Times’ 1619 Project, an initiative that “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.”

Learn more and subscribe to 1619 here.

Don’t listen to podcasts?

That’s okay, too! Netflix recently launched a “Black Lives Matter” collection to U.S. subscribers featuring over 40 films, series and documentaries about racial injustice and the Black experience in America. Plus, when you join CREDO Mobile today, you’ll get a year of Netflix (valid for new and existing Netflix subscribers) on us. Already a CREDO Mobile customer? Get a year of Netflix on us when you add a line!