As we continue to elevate Black voices in podcasts, one group of Black voices cannot be overlooked. This population has consistently broken barriers in all facets of society and continues to be a powerful piece of the Black community. Black women have come to dominate discussions and reform across industries and continue to prove the power of the female voice.
Here are 9 podcasts led by Black female powerhouses in an assortment of different genres:
Hoodrat to Headwrap (iHartEricka)
Ericka Hart and Ebony Donnley are a power duo with their unapologetically raw and thought-provoking conversations in their Hoodrat to Headwrap podcast series. They tackle deep topics around race, gender, sexuality, transphobia, white privilege, and much more. Their endearing synergy, entertaining charisma, rigorous intellect and thorough dismantling of comfort throughout each discussion is absolutely brilliant. They continue to challenge societal norms and conditioned behavior with every episode. Ericka and Ebony are truly gems in the podcast medium and are well worth your time and brain power.
Listen to Hoodrat to Headwrap here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
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Tea with Queen and J
Two powerful Black women giving a voice to Black women are Queen and J. Every Tuesday these comedic, feminist, witty Black powerhouses grace their listeners with forward-thinking, intellectual, and hilarious content that keeps them begging for more. They are consistently featured as two of the top Black women podcasters to listen to and for very good reason, they’re amazing! Their open discussions are inclusive, uplifting, challenging, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and comforting all at the same time.
Listen to Tea with Queen and J here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Intersectionality Matters! (African American Policy Forum)
Intersectionality has been a long debated term causing mass division between the different political parties in America, and is still a topic of debate to this day due to the angled interpretations on either side. Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory, is the one who originally coined the theory of intersectionality and brought it to the mainstream. She takes the decades-long debate about intersectionality a step further with her podcast where she brings in thought leaders in areas that are particularly relevant and important to marginalized groups to discuss the intersectional discrimination embedded in different issues. It’s a refreshing, scholarly, and educational perspective into the deep rooted societal and legal norms that continue to drive systemic racism, oppression, and discrimination in this country.
Listen to Intersectionality Matters! here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Rants and Randomness with Luvvie Ajayi
A great podcast sharing its stage to spotlight other voices is Rants and Randomness with Luvvie Ajayi. Best-selling author Luvvie Ajayi is using her platform to showcase other women and people of color and their work in pop culture and business, while also providing personal insights and guidance to her listenership to encourage them to be their best selves. Her episodes are filled with priceless rants, honest interviews, humbling stories, and relatable conversations. Listeners end each episode with a newfound motivation for personal growth as well as a positive energy that keeps them coming back for more.
Listen to Rants and Randomness with Luvvie Ajayi here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Fare of the Free Child
Akilah S. Richards embraces the practice of decolonized living and learning, with particular emphasis on the unschooling or the self-directed education of Black, Indiginous and people of color’s children. Being an “Unschool-er” herself, Akilah shares her personal experiences as she navigates decolonized life as a Black woman and is able to connect with her listenership on a deeper level. Akilah and her guests have open conversations around the fears and struggles of raising free Black and brown children in a world that is already pre-conditioned to diminishing them. Fare of the Free Child is the much needed outlet and resource for a growing community of BIPOC “free people”.
Listen to Fare of the Free Child here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
On She Goes
On She Goes is a travel & lifestyle podcast made for women of color, by women of color. Shadi Rahimi, Nadya Okamoto & Amoya Knudson do a great job of keeping the conversations focused on their audience and have no shortage of valuable tips, insights, and opinions for their listeners. The hosts and their diverse pool of guests speak to privilege, fear, unconscious bias, and more through their stories, discussions, and interviews while also keeping the conversations positive, lively, and inspiring. It’s a great listen for any world traveler, or aspiring-to-be traveler, interested in hearing the stories, tips and experiences shared by women of color.
Listen to On She Goes here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Black Girl Nerds (BGN)
Jaime Broadnax is the embodiment of a very proud, very intelligent, very entertaining, and very influential Black female nerd! She has created a large brand and community around embracing your inner nerd and covers content across interests to appeal to all nerds. The Black Girl Nerds podcast covers a large range of topics including film, social justice, music, tech, business, and pop culture and remains inclusive of all. Jaime and her cohosts provide a great balance of witty banter, informative discussions, raw interviews, and opinionated debates. If you’re a closeted nerd, a proud nerd, a new nerd, or any kind of nerd interested in engaging content across topics, this is a podcast that is well worth your time.
Listen to Black Girl Nerds here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Truth Be Told (KQED)
Tonya Mosley is a well-known name in the media and journalism communities with award-winning work across television and radio that spans topics around implicit bias, systemic racism, and police brutality. Her newest endeavour, Truth Be Told podcast, spotlights her wisdom as an advice podcast. Tonya has created an outlet, via the podcast medium, for people of color to explore navigating a world in which they are often oppressed. Truth Be Told engages the wider audience of people of color by tackling tough conversations in a way that leaves listeners feeling uplifted, on the path to being healed, and encouraged to find joy in the struggles they face. Tonya and her guests excel at connecting with their audience and making them appreciate that their lives and struggles matter in a world in which they are often overlooked or diminished.
Listen to Truth Be Told here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Good Ancestor Podcast
Good Ancestor Podcast is hosted by global speaker, anti-racism educator, and New York Times bestselling author of Me and White Supremacy, Layla F. Saad. This podcast is centered around Layla’s constant inner debate of “How can I become a good ancestor?”. Exploring the legacy that one wants to leave behind for current and future generations and then assessing if they are leading their life to move towards that legacy is the central idea behind this debate and mindset. Layla brings in change-makers and culture-shifters across industries who are also exploring this mindset and leaving their own stamp on issues like racism, equality, spirituality, inclusion and more. The mission of the podcast is to provide listeners with engaging content that helps them find their own answers to their inner debate as well. It is a very soulful, deep, and thought-provoking podcast that will leave listeners with a lot to think about.
Listen to Good Ancestor Podcast here and amplify your favorite pieces across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Further Listening
Looking for more Black voices to amplify? Check out the other podcasts recently featured on Backtracks’ blog. From significant Black voices in health and wellness to hilarious and unique Black perspectives in comedy to notable Black figures in society and culture to much-needed Black perspectives on culture, race, society, and systemic oppression, Backtracks has made it a priority to promote Black voices in podcasts. In addition to being all different kinds of entertaining, educational, and challenging, choosing to amplify Black voices means choosing to stay informed while standing in solidarity with those who are unfairly marginalized and oppressed by our society on a daily basis.
