It’s Black History Month, but while you’re brushing up on the lives and legacies of well-known heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass, don’t forget that there are plenty of examples of black excellence that have been overlooked by the history books, as well as critically urgent conversations to participate in about the world today. So turn to these ten podcasts to help expand your horizons. From historic black legends to contemporary black icons, these shows celebrate all the #blackboyjoy and #blackgirlmagic that usually gets ignored. Learn about black pharaohs and samurai, and hear from living legends like costume designer Ruth Carter, civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, comedians like Marlon Wayans and Sherri Shepherd, and so much more.
Did you know there are more pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt? Ever heard of Benjamin Banneker or Stagecoach Mary? Did you know the father of modern medicine was Egyptian? The entire African diaspora is explored in Black History Buff, teaching us about the father of Russian literature, black samurai, African myths and legends, and contemporary icons like Coretta Scott King and Kareem Abdul-Jabar. Essential listening for any history fiend.
Inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, activists, engineers – black excellence can be found in every industry, and Everyday Black History: Afro Appreciation is here to highlight them for us. Learn about Africa’s first female billionaire, the history of Morehouse College, biomedical engineers working in stem cell research, the guy who invented interchangeable video game cartridges, and many more fascinating people who made notable contributions to the world that you might not know anything about.
Hosted by Janelle James, this podcast focuses on incredible black comedians, actors, and entertainers who have truly made their mark. Ruth Carter, Marlon Wayans, Lynn Whitfield, Sherri Shepherd, Nicole Byer, Roy Wood Jr., Mike Epps, and many more talk about their careers, their influence on the culture, their next project, and what it takes to be a Strong Black Lead.
The five women who host Black Girl Podcast met at the iconic hip hop station Hot 97 and decided to make their hilarious and insightful conversations about natural hair, R. Kelly, pop culture, love and relationships, goals and growth, therapy, Black Twitter, and much more available on demand. So if you’ve been looking to get a little more #blackgirlmagic into your life, Black Girl Podcast is the answer.
Video and board games, Kobe Bryant, the CW Arrow-verse, Birds of Prey, Picard, anime, and much more are covered by the blerds at Blacker Than Black Times Infinity. For geeks by geeks, this podcast is full of entertaining hours of conversation around your favorite things, and sometimes they get deep, too, talking about abundance vs. scarcity mindsets, politics, parenting, and climate change.
Got questions? Questions about Bobby Brown, code switching, interracial dating, Ghana, Kwanzaa, or Charlemagne? Is there such a thing as black church culture appropriation? Is there any domestic violence in Wakanda? What should you do when you encounter white people who think they’re “experts” in black culture, or start tone-policing? Sounds like you need to Ask a Black Woman. Real talk.
Hosted by Blair Durham of Black BRAND, Black Wall Street Today focuses on black wealth and entrepreneurship. Blair, and a variety of guest hosts, sit down with some of the greatest community builders, business leaders, innovators, investors, and mompreneurs out there to dive deep into how to transform communities, launch successful initiatives, what it takes to be a great leader, balancing life and work, and much more. Empowering and inspiring.
Niram and Niambi are a young, black (and sometimes ratchet) couple from Detroit who moved to “white-a** New England,” and their new surroundings have led to a lot of hilarious and raw conversations about #livingwhileblack. Enjoy their reflections on not losing your roots, finding their inner Obamas, and everything love and marriage on their podcast, Black Love Matters.
Rod and Karen host The Black Guy Who Tips, a comedy podcast discussing everything from Tyler Perry haters to Mo’nique’s Showtime special to Michelle Obama’s workout playlist and everything in between. Whether they’re laughing at some of the more bizarre headlines of the day or getting into serious topics like white supremacy or how social media affects creativity, the couple keeps it hype and hilarious.
Civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw hosts Intersectionality Matters! Crenshaw’s critical race theory started the conversation about people who experience prejudice and systemic oppression in intersecting ways based on a variety of identities (race, gender, sexual orientation, and so on), creating unique forms of discrimination. True justice can only be achieved with intersectionality, so tune in to this podcast to learn more about this theory and get your regularly scheduled wake-up call.
If you want to be sure you're listening to the podcasts everyone else is checking out, iHeartRadio has you covered. Every Monday, iHeartRadio releases a chart showing the most popular podcasts of the week. Stay up to date on what's trending by checking out the chart here. There's even a chart just for radio podcasts here, featuring all your favorite iHeartRadio personalities like Bobby Bones, Elvis Duran, Steve Harvey and dozens of others.
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