logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
37m 59s

35 | Hate It Or Love It | For Real, For ...

Wondery
About this episode
Black people’s accomplishments aren’t usually celebrated without creating some discomfort in the white cultural zeitgeist. There’s something about Black Excellence that often leads to knee jerk criticisms. From the complicated Jack Johnson, to the modern-day struggles of Serena Williams and Colin Kaepernick, this question in sports keeps popping up: why do B ... Show More
Up next
Nov 2024
43 | My President Is Black | It’s the Senate, and We in It
Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants, once dreamed of justice on the streets of Oakland. Barack Obama, born to a Kenyan father and a Kansas mother, found his voice on Chicago's South Side. Against the odds, both rose from the margins to the Senate, ultimately shattering ceil ... Show More
44m 14s
Nov 2024
42 | Outsiders On The Inside | It’s the Senate, and We in It
It's 1978, and Senator Edward Brooke is fighting for his political life. As the first Black U.S. Senator elected by popular vote, Ed broke barriers and reached the heights of power. But scandal and betrayal threaten to bring it all crashing down. Meanwhile, a young Carol Moseley ... Show More
45m 26s
Nov 2024
41 | Lord Give Me a Sign | It’s the Senate, and We in It
The Civil War’s over, countless Black people are making their way in a new and dangerous world, and their fight for equality and representation ain’t over. Two Black men – preacher Hiram Revels and the formerly enslaved Blanche Bruce – rise up during U.S. Reconstruction with diff ... Show More
38m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
Muhammad Ali vs. The Draft | Black Athletes and Activism | 4
Muhammad Ali risked his career and even his freedom to take a stand against the Vietnam War. He followed in the footsteps of men like baseball great Jackie Robinson and singer Paul Robeson, who started out playing football. These Black athletes are all part of a heritage of worki ... Show More
36m 8s
Feb 2022
The Art of King Making
The term “Black excellence” can be a double edged sword. The pressure to be twice as good, and the burden of being Black enough can be a heavy task to bear. But in this episode, Khadeen and Devale explain the way they encourage and embrace their Princes on their journey to becomi ... Show More
54m 52s
Feb 2025
Hip-hop is 'fight the power' but also advertises for the power
Critics point out the apparent hypocrisy of a pro-Black rapper like Kendrick Lamar headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, since the NFL isn't exactly an institution that's known for its support of Black lives. So on this episode, we're digging into the history of hip hop and ho ... Show More
34m 45s
Feb 2021
Black Kiss-tory
Too often, Black history is portrayed as a story of struggle and suffering, completely devoid of joy. So we called up some romance novelists whose work focuses on Black history. They told us that no matter how hard the times, there has always been room for love.See pcm.adswizz.co ... Show More
26m 53s
Jan 2023
How Black creators are navigating Black History Month
Black History Month is almost upon us. It’s a time meant to celebrate Black culture, but as we’ve seen year after year, it’s also a time for racist trolls, tone-deaf brand campaigns, and corporate platitudes that amount to little change if any at all. It’s a lot to deal with, so ... Show More
23m 8s
Jul 2021
The Weight On Black Women In Sports; Plus, 'We Are Lady Parts'
With Sha'Carri Richardson's recent disqualification, and the controversy surrounding the banning of natural hair swimming caps, there's a lot to talk about the treatment of Black women in the Olympics and across the sports world. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe brings on ESPN producer a ... Show More
36m 39s
Jun 2020
This Is Not a Game
Maria and Julio get into how race and activism show up in sports - historically and in the current Black Lives Matter movement - with Howard Bryant, a senior writer for ESPN and correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition. They talk about Bryant’s recent book, Full Dissidence: Notes ... Show More
55m 22s
Sep 2018
351. Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete
<p>There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. A variety of Olympic and professional athletes tell us how they made it and what they sacrificed to get there. And if you can identify the sport most likely to get a kid into a top college — well ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 2023
Is black history still being overlooked?
As the UK marks Black History Month, a panel of expert historians – Hannah Cusworth, Pamela Roberts and Hakim Adi – tackle some of the biggest questions around bringing black histories to light. Speaking to Matt Elton, they explore the value of Black History Month in highlighting ... Show More
40m 5s