The Stoop

Whether it's the music we hear, the clothes we wear, or the way we talk- a lot of us at some point have felt 'not Black enough.' In this episode, we go deep with comedian W. Kamau Bell who's felt awkward in Black circles and before Black audiences.

What’s a sound that embodies blackness? In this episode we ask around and then get deeper into conversation with Glory Edim, the founder of Well Read Black Girl, a Brooklyn based book club and online community. What’s it mean to be well read? This special Stoop episode was recorded live at WNYC's The GreenSpace, and goes deeper into conversations about what it means to return to Africa, how to create inclusive community, and really, how black are we?

Killer Mike is a rapper, activist and father who once tried to live 3 days buying only from black businesses -- and wasn’t happy with what he found. We sit down and stoop out what it means to buy Black; how to do love, not just say it; and why Mike doesn’t like to say “n-word” when he could straight-up say “n***er.”

We're trying new things! Check out this interview style Stoop Talk!

Being Muslim, black and a woman; that’s something that deserves some stoopin’ out. Anti-blackness in Muslim America is real, and in this episode we look at how it often seems to fall on BMW’s (Black Muslim Women). What happens when the shade or discrimination comes from your own people?

Sometimes conversations stop when you walk into a barbershop, but sometimes they keep going no matter how uncomfortable you may feel. In this episode we unpack what it means to be a hotep; from personal experiences, to the root of the word, to online tensions. We stoop it out with producer Josh Gwynn who shares his story of maneuvering through some hotep spaces, while on a simple mission, to look fly.

What can love look like when your partner might not ‘get it’? In this episode we talk to interracial couples having difficult conversations around race, love and identity at a time when racial tensions are high. We also hear from Professor Shantel Buggs author of the study ‘Dating in the Time of #BlackLivesMatter’, who interviewed dozens of women to see whether awareness of racial issues mattered when they were choosing a partner, asking how socially aware do  you expect your non-Black partner to be?

Thin nose, high cheekbones, kinky hair, what you got in your blood? Your blood won’t lie, but does it determine your identity? We meet two women- Uzaz Shami, a Nubian woman who didn’t expect her results, and Shonda Buchanan who has always identified as Native American but isn’t always accepted as that.  What percent of an ethnicity makes you part of that group, and does it even matter?

It's that silent acknowledgement. That "I see you," moment. But not everyone is a nodder. We send producers on the streets to see if the nod is still going strong, and hear from one hesitant nodder who breaks down why it's not always been her thing.

The Stoop goes to the low country of South Carolina to uncover some of the hidden history of the Gullah Geechee. The mix of African cultures in the deep south eventually transformed into a unique language and culture that is Gullah. Lean in for this one. We outchea!

We end this season by going deep into how we express ourselves at the intersection where spirituality meets artistic expression - and how that intersection can be complicated. 

We meet Alia Sharrief- a Black Muslim woman hip hop artist who raps about her faith, Black girl magic, and social justice - despite the haters.

And Leila takes us to an Afro-Cuban dance class to get in touch with the Orisha, and has some questions about others, that lead to questioning herself.