This week, we’re stepping into sacred but complicated terrain: Black cultural icons and the legacies they leave behind. Culture writer Shamira Ibrahim joins us to unpack how we talk about their harms, who gets held accountable, and what we lose when we flatten people into either heroes or villains.
From R. Kelly to Beyoncé, Sister Souljah to Jonathan Majors, we trace a spectrum of behavior, impact, and influence across pivotal moments in Black culture—and ask: how do we protect our people and demand better? This episode is a tender but unflinching reckoning with fame, forgiveness, and the futures we’re trying to build.
For more from Shamira Ibrahim, find her at https://shamgod.substack.com/.

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With production support from Leslie Taylor-Grover and Brooke Brown, Black History Year is produced by Cydney Smith, Darren Wallace, and Len Webb, who also edits the show. Lilly Workneh is our Executive Producer and Black History Year's host is Darren Wallace.

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