Belonging to Blackness

In this episode, host Dr. Yndia wants us to consider the question: What does it mean to truly Read Caribbean? In this inspiring conversation, she sits down with Cindy Allman, founder of BookOfCinz, to explore how Caribbean literature shapes Black identity, preserves cultural memory, and connects communities across the African diaspora. From building a global literary movement, as featured in Caribbean Beat Magazine, Trinidad Express, Designer Island, and Penguin Random House, to curating transformative reading retreats throughout the Caribbean, Cindy shares her journey as a reader, traveler, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for Caribbean authors. Together, they discuss representation, belonging, the power of storytelling, and why Caribbean voices deserve a central place in conversations about global Black literature and culture. Whether you're an avid reader or just beginning your literary journey, this episode will inspire you to discover the stories that have been waiting for you. Production credit: @Masauko.  Episode sponsored by Give Black Alliance.

Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.  

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#BelongingToBlackness #Podcast #Season8 #ReadCaribbean #CindyAllman #BookOfCinz #CaribbeanLiterature #BlackLiterature #BlackIdentity #AfricanDiaspora #BookRetreats #ReadingCommunity #CaribbeanCulture #BookLovers #DrYndia

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In this Season 8 premiere, Dr. Yndia is in conversation with Dr. Cheryl McKissack Daniel, chair of McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority- and woman-owned design and construction firm in the United States, as she shares her family's remarkable journey from enslavement to engineering as one of America's most enduring Black business legacies. Together, they explore Black history, generational wealth, entrepreneurship, leadership, infrastructure, and the hidden legacy of the Black builders, architects, and engineers.  Cheryl also discusses her acclaimed book, The Black Family Who Built America, and reflects on identity, belonging, resilience, and the responsibility of carrying a five-generation legacy into the future. This is a powerful conversation about building more than structures; it is about building history, opportunity, and lasting Black legacy. Production credit: @Masauko.

Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.  

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#BelongingToBlackness #CherylMcKissackDaniel #BlackHistory #BlackExcellence #BlackBuilders #TheBlackFamilyWhoBuiltAmerica #GenerationalWealth #BlackEntrepreneurship #Leadership #Infrastructure #Engineering #Architecture #BusinessLeadership #Legacy #Construction #BlackOwnedBusiness #Podcast #History #BlackCulture #AmericanHistory #Season8Premiere

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What happens when a life-altering injustice becomes the catalyst for leadership and change? In this Season 7 finale of Belonging to Blackness, host Dr. Yndia sits down with Dakarai Larriett, a Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama and author of Don’t Flush: From False Arrest to a Political Awakening. Dakarai shares his journey from navigating a wrongful arrest to embracing advocacy, public service, and political engagement. This powerful conversation explores resilience, accountability, civic responsibility, and the transformative power of turning personal adversity into a mission for societal change. Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance.  Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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#BelongingToBlackness #AfricanDiaspora #DakaraiLarriett #BlackLeadership #DemocraticCandidate #2026AlabamaSenateRace #DontFlush #BlackPodcast #PrideMonth #Juneteenth #CaribbeanHeritageMonth #ImmigrantHeritageMonth

The post S7, Ep 068 with Dakarai Larriett, on the heritage of political awakenings, from false arrest to purpose-driven collective action appeared first on Yndia Lorick-Wilmot, PhD.

In this episode, Dr. Yndia and guest global wine traveler Stephanie Browne, founder of Sipping Sense and Divas Uncorked, discuss all things related to wine, culture, leadership, and connection. Drawing from more than thirty years of corporate experience in Human Resources and DEI at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Stephanie shares how her professional journey, as a cultural connector who celebrates Black life through food, wine, and storytelling, has shaped her approach to hospitality, entertaining, and inclusion. They also discuss her new book, Sipping Sense: Uncorking the Flavors of Wine, Entertaining and Healthy Cooking, the evolving landscape of wine culture, and why gathering intentionally remains a powerful expression of identity, confidence, and belonging in African descended communities.

Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance.  Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia.

Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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#BlackWines #EntertainWithStyle #SippingSense #BelongingToBlackness #DivasUncorked #StephanieBrowne #HealthyCooking #FoodAndWineExperience #WomenInWine

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In this powerful episode, author and leading scholar of African diaspora religions, Black sacred imagination, and womanist thought, Dr. Dianne M. Stewart joins Dr. Yndia for a rich conversation on Black spirituality, memory, and becoming across the African diaspora. Together, they explore how faith, African ancestral and heritage traditions, and embodied histories continue to shape African descendant identity, resilience, and liberation. This timely conversation invites listeners to reflect on the sacred ways our stories and belief systems live within us.

Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance.  Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Support the podcast & use 21% off Discount Code: BELONGTOBLACK at CozyEarth.com

#Season7 #BlackSpirituality #BlackIdentity #AfricanDiaspora #BelongingToBlackness #BlackSpirtuality #AfricanHeritageTraditions #SpiritualHealing #BlackCulture #DiasporaStudies #OrishaPower #BlackMemory #DrDianneMStewart

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Commemorating Black Women’s History Month, Dr. Yndia is in conversation with Dr. Lisa Woolfork, professor, writer, host of the award-winning podcast @Stitch Please, and founder of @Black Women Stitch. From sewing rooms and lecture halls to virtual and in-person community spaces, they discuss the power and significance of fiber arts in African descendant culture, how crafting becomes community, and why spaces created by and for Black women are essential sites of resistance, knowledge production, and joy. This conversation is a love letter to gathering, creating, and belonging; also a reminder that when Black women build together, they build worlds. Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance.  Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Support the podcast & use 21% off Discount Code: BELONGTOBLACK at CozyEarth.com

#StitchPlease #Season7 #BelongingToBlackness #WomensHistoryMonth #BlackWomenHistory #WomenInPodcasting #Liberation #BlackPodcasts #CommunityBuilding #FiberArts #SewingCommunity #BlackCraftCulture

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It’s #BlackHistoryMonth 365 and Dr. Yndia is joined by Hasan Salaam (King Noire), social justice activist, sex educator, writer, and international Hip Hop artist for a transformative conversation on Black Love as liberation. Together, they explore how social justice advocacy, consent/ consent culture, and sacred pleasure are essential to healing African descended individuals and communities. Hasan Salaam/ King Noire also shares insight on repairing harm and (re)building trust in private and public spaces, and valuing Black pleasure as worthy of protection and joy. Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance.  Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Support the podcast & use 21% off Discount Code: BELONGTOBLACK at CozyEarth.com

#HasanSalaam #KingNoire #Season7 #BelongingToBlackness #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackPleasure #HealingJustice # LiberationThroughLove #Kink #ConsentCulture #BlackPodcasts

The post S7, Ep 064 with Hasan Salaam “King Noire” on Black Love as Liberation and Healing Through Social Justice Advocacy, Consent & Pleasure appeared first on Yndia Lorick-Wilmot, PhD.

In this episode, MacArthur Genius and Chicago-based artist Tonika Lewis Johnson joins host Dr. Yndia for a deeply moving conversation on reparations as reclaiming home, dignity, and neighborhood life. They explore Tonika’s groundbreaking projects Unblocked Englewood and The Folded Map Project, and how she uses photography as a tool for social justice and collective memory. Tonika reflects on growing up in a household filled with artists and how that foundation shaped her commitment to community, place, and storytelling. This episode centers the power of Black neighborhoods and why honoring them is essential to maintaining thriving communities for generations to come.  Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance.  Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The post S7, Ep 063 with Tonika Lewis Johnson, MacArthur Genius and Chi-Town Artist Reimagining Reparations as Reclaiming Home, Dignity, and Neighborhoods appeared first on Yndia Lorick-Wilmot, PhD.

It’s December and this month offers an opportunity to prioritize our wellness in ways that feel nourishing, restorative, and empowering for entering the new year! In this episode, Dr. Yndia sits with Sherece Brown, the founder of Dr. Pabs, Pineapple is a Berry—a natural food and wellness brand for families.  Listen in as they discuss how Sherece’s Jamaican immigrant family influenced her entrepreneurial spirit, and passion and concern for children’s overall wellbeing that led to the development of high-quality, plant-based multivitamins, Dr. Pabs. Sherece also shares lessons learned as a Black woman navigating obstacles in a competitive wellness industry and her drive to create products that support our future generation’s growth and development. Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance and @Get Konnected! Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The post S7, Ep 062 with Sherece Brown, founder of Dr. Pabs, Pineapple is a Berry on the importance of all natural, plant-based wellness on Black family health and prosperity appeared first on Yndia Lorick-Wilmot, PhD.

In this episode, Dr. Yndia sits with award-winning luxury event designer Ieasha James, founder and creative director of Endless Flair Events, a Boston-based event-design firm nationally recognized for immersive, luxury, story-driven installations. Listen in as Ieasha shares her journey as a former healthcare professional who leaned into her creative and entrepreneurial vision to become a highly sought-after creative known for crafting unforgettable, high-end experiences for celebrities, politicians and everyday people. Her story of artistry, mental health resiliency, and faith-based purpose-driven leadership will inspire you to dream bigger and boldly. Production credit: @Masauko. Episode sponsored by @Give Black Alliance and @Get Konnected!

Share and Follow on IG: @BelongingToBlackness_Podcast & @ProfYndia. Listen to episodes directly at: https://yndialorickwilmot.com/belonging-to-blackness/ and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The post S7, Ep 061 with Ieasha James, award-winning luxury event designer, visionary founder and Creative Director of Endless Flair Events, on aligning faith and purpose in design and visual storytelling appeared first on Yndia Lorick-Wilmot, PhD.