Black History Month is a time to honor the rich contributions of Black individuals in shaping history, culture, and society. One meaningful way to celebrate is by engaging with podcasts that illuminate the Black experience, sparking reflection, inspiration, and understanding for listeners of all ages. These podcasts go beyond the surface, uncovering overlooked stories, dismantling myths, and connecting the past to the present.
Podcasts help fill the gap, offering deep dives into the people, events, and ideas that continue to influence the world today. As an audio-first medium, podcasts allow for unfiltered conversations, immersive storytelling, and a deeper connection to history-told by the people who lived it, studied it, and continue to shape it today.
Here are some of the best African American history podcasts to listen to throughout the year:
Top African American History Podcasts
- 1619
Created by The New York Times and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, 1619 reframes American history by tracing the lasting impact of slavery. Each episode connects a key aspect of modern life-capitalism, healthcare, music, democracy-back to the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in 1619.
This podcast doesn’t just document history-it exposes how systemic racism is embedded in American institutions. It’s a limited series, with episodes running between 40 and 50 minutes.
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The 1619 project aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States’ national narrative. The first enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in August of the year 1619. The podcast explores the history of slavery in America and examines the legacy of oppression and racism that continues to this day.
A word of warning: There is gruesome material in these stories, material that listeners will find disturbing. That is, unfortunately, as it must be. American history cannot be told truthfully without a clear vision of how inhuman and immoral the treatment of black Americans has been. By acknowledging this shameful history, by trying hard to understand its powerful influence on the present, perhaps we can prepare ourselves for a more just future. Though we believe this show is not for the faint of heart, it is definitely a monumental piece documenting a crucial part of black history that we believe should be heard.
How The 1619 Project Seeks to Reframe American History
- Historically Black
With celebrities including Keegan-Michael Key, Roxane Gay, and Issa Rae narrating, Historically Black uses personal objects to map Black history. Each episode explores the story behind a listener-submitted artifact-a photograph, an instrument, a piece of jewelry-and in the process creates a sort of “people’s museum” that honors the lived experiences of various Black Americans.
Created in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, it’s a unique and intimate way to approach history, illuminating the ways the personal can be fiercely tied to the political.
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Listen: “The Spirit of the Million Man March,” which brings the 1995 gathering of Black men to life through a touching, funny, and thought-provoking conversation between a millennial woman and her father who attended the march.
- Black History Year
Produced by PushBlack, a nonprofit Black media company, Black History Year introduces its listeners to thinkers and activists who have been erased or otherwise marginalized from mainstream conversations about history. Each episode reframes history as a tool for understanding-and transforming-the present.
Featuring interviews with experts, Black History Year provides crisp historical storytelling and analysis, animated by host Jay Walker’s excellent narration. New episodes drop weekly, running between 30 and 45 minutes.
Listen: “Is This the Blueprint for Black Liberation?,” a conversation with Brandon Byrd that outlines the rich and ongoing history of Black resistance and what we can learn from the most successful Black rebellion in history.
- Black History Buff
From Miss Lala, “the iron-jawed acrobat,” to Bill Richmond, “the first Black sports star,” to Yasuke, “the forgotten Black Samurai,” Black History Buff shines a light on the inspiring stories of Black historical figures from all over the world. With each episode clocking in at around 10-20 minutes, Black History Buff is an elegant and efficient way for listeners to expand their knowledge of Black culture across the globe.
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Listen: “The Little Rock Nine,” about the group of nine Black students who were initially prevented from attending a racially segregated school in 1957 by Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, who defied the president and called the National Guard on the teenagers.
- Blackbelt Voices
Hosted by Adena J. White, Kara Wilkins, and Katrina Dupins, Blackbelt Voices explores the vastness of Black Southern culture through first-person narratives and interviews with prominent scholars. It’s another podcast that highlights the importance and richness of more localized Black history-especially when depictions of “Southern culture” are often limited to the experiences of white Southerners.
The name of the podcast itself also has complex and deep roots: “Black Belt” originally described a region of Alabama known for its dark, fertile soil, which in turn made it a highly profitable area for slavery. Today, more than half of Black Americans live in the South, and Blackbelt Voices spotlights their stories and experiences.
Listen: “Rioting in American History,” which looks back at America’s history of racial violence with professor Brian Mitchell of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, who provides a historical perspective on the George Floyd protests.
- Witness Black History
Launched by BBC as an extension of its Witness History podcast series, Witness Black History features interviews with people who were actually present for, or have close ties to key moments in Black and civil rights history. From Rodney King to George Stinney, Jr.’s sister to Reverend Earl Neil, a Black Panther who organized free breakfast for local school children, this interview series is deeply personal and profoundly moving, grounding historical narratives in the raw, honest testimonies of the people who lived them.
Listen: “The Killing of Amadou Diallo,” which features an interview with Diallo’s mother, Kadiatou. After Diallo was shot by the NYPD in 1999, thousands of New Yorkers took to the streets to protest. But his mother strives to remember him in life, not in death.
- Noire Histoir
Created by Natasha McEachron, Noire Histoir is a multimedia exploration of history and inspirational stories from across the Black diaspora. The weekly podcast features profiles of notable figures (particularly Black women, including Matilda Evans, M.D., Shirley Chisholm, and Anna Julia Cooper), examinations of events like the Tulsa race massacre, and reviews of movies and books.
Listen: “Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement,” a book review that explores the life and legacy of Baker, a civil and human rights activist who has been called the one of the “most influential women in the civil rights movement” and held high-ranking positions within the NAACP and Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
- School Colors
Hosted by Mark Winston Griffith and Max Freedman, School Colors is a documentary podcast that follows generations of parents and educators fighting for educational equity in Central Brooklyn. As the hosts tackle topics like gentrification and charter schools, School Colors reveals how race, class, and power heavily impact the quality of education Black students are able to receive.
Not only is the podcast impressive in the rigor of its reporting and the sleekness of its production, it also emphasizes the importance of learning history on a local level.
Listen: “Episode 1: Old School,” which launches the series by asking the question: after decades of overcrowding, why are the schools in Bed-Stuy’s District 16 half-empty? The answer has nothing to do with the pandemic, and everything to do with systemic inequities baked into New York’s schools.
- Collected
Collected is a project of the African American History Curatorial Collective at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
- Season One: Rerooting Black Feminism
Over this six-episode podcast season, listeners will encounter terms and ideas circulating in mainstream society that have their roots in the work of Black feminist writers and activists. By exploring the history around terms like “intersectionality,” “self-care,” and “identity politics,” with the help of notable Black women scholars and writers in the field, Collected highlights the importance of Black women thinkers and shows how their work, past and present, can be used to interpret our present moment. Hosted by Dr. Crystal Moten and Dr.
- Season Two: The Musical Genius of Black Women
Black women have dominated the mainstream stages of American Popular music for almost a century. How can we understand the labor, spirit, and genius that got them there? Building on the exploration of contemporary Black feminist history in Season One, Season Two of the Collected podcast looks again at the brilliant work of African American women, this time through the lens of Black Female musical artists. Over this season’s six episodes, audiences will learn about several core figures spanning genres such as jazz, rock, spirituals, and disco to look at how Black female artists fought their way to the big stages and survived once they arrived there.
Curator of Music Dr. Dr. Krystal Klingenberg is a curator of music in the division of Culture and the Arts at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Table of Featured Podcasts
| Podcast Title | Description | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1619 | Reframes American history through the lens of slavery's impact. | Limited series, exposes systemic racism. |
| Historically Black | Uses personal objects to map Black history. | Celebrity narrators, intimate approach. |
| Black History Year | Introduces listeners to marginalized thinkers and activists. | Actionable knowledge, inspires transformation. |
| Black History Buff | Shines light on inspiring Black historical figures worldwide. | Concise episodes, British accent narration. |
| Blackbelt Voices | Explores Black Southern culture through first-person narratives. | Localized history, deep roots in the South. |
| Witness Black History | Features interviews with people present at key moments in Black history. | Personal testimonies, raw and honest narratives. |
| Noire Histoir | Explores history and inspirational stories from across the Black diaspora. | Profiles notable figures, simple yet captivating production. |
| School Colors | Follows the fight for educational equity in Central Brooklyn. | Documentary style, emphasizes local history. |
| Collected | Explores Black feminism and the musical genius of Black women. | Features scholars and writers, highlights Black women thinkers. |
The Black Studies Podcast
The Black Studies Podcast is a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.
Recent conversations include:
- Tamara T. Butler - Executive Director, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, College of Charleston
- Chelsea Mikael Frazier - Department of English, Cornell University
- Sara E. Johnson - Department of Literature, University of California, San Diego
- Takiyah Harper-Shipman - Department of Africana Studies, Davidson College
- Michael Gillespie - Department of Cinema Studies, New York University
- Jarvis McInnis - Department of English, Duke University
- Janet Helms - Professor Emeritus, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Boston College
- Christina Carney - Department of Black Studies, University of Missouri
Other Great Resources for Exploring Black Voices
Black authors have shaped the literary landscape with works that delve into resilience, identity, and the complexities of life.
Some notable works include:
- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Zeale Hurston
For children and young adults, consider:
- Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Nonfiction and poetry to explore:
- Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
- The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks
- The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
