As happens in many industries, black women are disrupting the podcast sector, a $ 1 billion market that has historically left very good memories.
These trailblazers include Karen Civil, Scotty Beam, Ming Li and René Blight, who are using their podcast platforms to amplify the voices of other women of color. Culture caught on (alongside) some of these trailblazers to discuss the ownership and importance of future generations of black (and brown) female podcasters.
"Nothing is more important; representation is paramount," says Scooty Beam, a black podcast podcaster teaming up with Bexx Francois, Gia Papers, Saphira Martin and Elisha P. Beam. Beam has made a name for itself as a culture shifter, with which black-owned businesses using the platform have grown and discussed about the #ListenToBlackWomen Spotify playlist.
Recently, the Black Girl Podcast participated in the Enrizone Media for the Large and Black Girl Podcast: Currently, enter a six-week video series featuring guests such as creative collectors Simone Harrington and actress Kheden Ellis. Beam was tapped to be one of two co-hosts for OK, now listen to the podcast with former Buzzfeed AM writer and DM on-air personality Sylvia Obel. Obel and Beam's critically acclaimed podcast was recently renewed for the second season of Netflix's Strong Black Lead initiative, a platform that aims to celebrate black history every month.
"Being part of [strong black leads] means part of a vertical that understands the beauty and importance of our stories and how necessary it is to amplify the voices that tell them," Beam says. "Its support and platform is unlike anything I've seen or been blessed enough to be a part of."
Podcasting, Beam says, is also a unique opportunity to bond over collective experiences. "It's a point of amplification because it's one of the connections," she says. "Until we share, similar themes and threads in our stories have not been fully appreciated." I am blessed to be a part of these shows, where I get to shine the light on trials, triumphs, emotions - and when I receive a message from a listener I am blessed to know that I know they are How many are connected with Has spoken to.
Above all, she hopes her podcast will help black people understand that they are not alone in their experiences. "I hope they help each Black and Brown community understand how beautiful their voices and experiences are," Beam says. "I hope they help all ages find their share, to see the joy and beauty in their failure as much as their fate. I hope the cultural relevance resonates."
Best Friends and serial entrepreneurs Karen Civil and Ming Li have joined forces for their girl, I Think podcast with the same goal: to highlight the explicit, raw experiences of black women. In the midst of the epidemic, the two were approached by broadcaster Joe Budden, who was about to start a podcast as part of the Joden Podcast Network. "We're reminiscent of Phubu by us, for us, and it's great to be a part of something made by a black person," says Civil. "Everything we are doing is a symbol of our black culture."
Girl, I guess everyone is going to discuss everything from growing your business to dating, cooking, and taking care of your mental health. "People know us from the business aspect, but they don't really know our real personalities and we go through things," Lee says. "People think I'm right or we have this easy life when we go through the same trials and tribulations that everyone goes through."
For René Blit, the brainchild behind the 2019 documentary She Did That, which showed the momentum behind black women entrepreneurs, podcasting doubled down on raising these voices. In time for Women's History Month, Blit launched She Dude the Podcast to continue the conversation about the importance of Black History entrepreneurship. His first episode featured The Honey Pot's founder B. There will be intense interaction with Dixon, and other guests coming in the first season include Monics Rodriguez of Organics, Brie Thompson of Spike Spin, and Fel Noel Felisha Jell.
"There is a huge appetite for this material," Blight says. "People enjoy getting acquainted with these black women entrepreneurs and get a better understanding of our way of thinking about entrepreneurship."
The Blits Goal for Podcast Mirror: Those documentaries include: Normalizing the discussion about black women and their leading roles in history. She says, "Black women are making history in business, art, and politics every day, but we are excluded from textbooks and mainstream conversations about American history."
