Blackbelt Voices

Adena and Kara talk to broadcast journalists Brittany Noble and Lisa Benson, who share their experiences with racism in the newsroom. This episode's Turn to Your Neighbor segment features newspaper reporter Stephen Simpson. 

This summer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery wrote an article called a "Reckoning Over Objectivity, Led by Black Journalists." His reflections were poignant — that media organizations do not reflect the diversity of the  communities they cover.  And that all became obvious to more people (not us; we been knew) with the protests following the murder of George Floyd. 

Media institutions, while trying to be objective, had to come to terms with their role perpetuating the status quo. And when Black journalists challenge those conventions, they’re often pushed aside or labeled as a non-team player, looked over for promotions, and/or fired.

Brittany Noble tells her story in this Medium article. 

Lisa Benson  is now a diversity and racial consultant who recently published the book, Anchored in Bias: Fired Over White Tears.

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC. 

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Adena and Kara talk about media and storytelling with Cierra Hinton, executive director of Scalawag and director of network-building and strategy at Press On Media. You will also finally hear the story of how Blackbelt Voices came to be.  The Turn to Your Neighbor segment features filmmaker and teacher Prentice Dupins Sr.

Watch Last Stop on Vimeo on Demand by visiting 1410 Media Group's website.

Follow Cierra Hinton on Twitter and learn more about Press On and Scalawag. 

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adena and Kara talk to the founder of a nonprofit that works to build political power among Black voters and end voter suppression.

In 2016, Charlane Oliver and a group of friends sat in a Chili’s and pitched in a few hundred dollars and a lot of time to form The Equity Alliance, which is now a million-dollar organization in Nashville that has helped thousands.

In this episode's Turn to Your Neighbor Segment, Lynn Norment talks about her storied career and love for writing. She is one of the guest speakers at the 2020 John H. Johnson Day Celebration on November 1. Click here to sign up to register for the virtual event.

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Blackbelt Voices, we’re exploring the facets of public policy and how it affects societal norms with Tamika Edwards. Plus, Gennie Hirschy shows real-life connections that may serve as motivation to stay informed and engaged in local politics. And this week’s Turn to Your Neighbor segment features Dazzmin Murry, a young woman from Little Rock whose creativity is multifaceted.

Follow Tamika Edwards and Gennie Hirschy on Twitter.

Other websites mentioned:

For AR People

Arkansas Strong

Go Vote AR

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The election is one month away. Please make sure you're registered. If your plan is in place, send this as a reminder to your friends. Deadlines are approaching quickly.

Here are a few resources that will get you started.

https://votesaveamerica.com/be-a-voter/

https://govotear.org/

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Adena and Kara want to remind you to not underestimate the importance of the census. There’s a lot riding on those numbers and we don’t get another chance until 2030.

There are only four days left to fill out the 2020 census, but there are still ways to help make sure we get as many people counted as we can.

• Spread the word!

• Help those who are not as internet savvy fill out the form. You can do it anywhere as long as you know the person’s address and who lives in the home.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Political organizers Tristan Wilkerson and DeJuana L. Thompson talk about what led them to start Think Rubix, a social innovation consultancy with branches across the country. They work with nonprofits businesses and government to create equitable solutions.

Tristan and Dejuana give their predictions for Election Day.

Dejuana also founded Woke Vote to encourage organization through long-term engagement. It is a program of Think Social Impact, an organization managed by Think Rubix.

This episode introduces a new segment we're calling Turn to Your Neighbor. This episode features Uniqueika Nauden, who leads group meditation sessions. It's called SBMR, which stands for Sun Bathe, Moon Rinse.

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the past 16 days, protesters in every state and around the world are demanding change and speaking out against systemic racism and police brutality that disproportionately affects Black Americans. As the protests have become mainstream, many major businesses and institutions have issued their own statements of proclamations — acknowledging the need for change and that Black Lives Matter.

On this episode, Adena and Kara outline what changes the movement is hoping for in our communities and talk about changes that have already happened. We also talk to Arkansas State Senator and congressional candidate Joyce Elliott about her plan that could help with police brutality and how we can move forward as communities and as a nation.

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As the U.S. begins to slowly reopen the economy and gain some sense of normalcy during a pandemic, we find ourselves in familiar territory – a police officer has killed a Black man, leading to protests in the streets. We are hurting, and we are tired.

On this special bonus episode of Blackbelt Voices, we take a look back at America’s long history of racial violence. Professor Brian Mitchell from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock returns to weigh in with a historical perspective on what we’re seeing now and how it compares to history. And what he thinks needs to happen next as a step forward.

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the early morning hours of May 6, 1960, Marvin Leonard Williams died in police custody at the former Faulkner County jail in Conway, Arkansas. He was arrested the night before — the same night his parents and siblings lost everything they owned in a tornado. Twenty-five years later, two officers were charged with murder after Marvin’s parents received new information regarding their son’s death. His younger brother, Ronnie Williams, went on a fact-finding mission to seek justice for his brother and get to the bottom of a 25-year cover-up.

CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES

Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.

CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.

Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.

The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.