The Stoop

Our babies and their hair. We hear how two parents discuss hair with their kids. Author Robert Trujillo wrote a book about his son, Furqan's, first flat top. Then we meet  Fatima Jones and he daughter Aponi, and listen in on an intimate conversation about hair, pride and love. 

To find the book Furqan's First Flat Top, by Robert Liu-Trujillo.

Illustration by Robert Liu-Trujillo

It's summertime and we're sharing some stories, portraits essays and things that you've been telling us you want to hear more of. In this episode we hear from Shelton Johnson, a park ranger at Yosemite National Park who reenacts the story of a Buffalo Soldier who used to patrol the park as a ranger. A complicated history that comes with both pride and shame.

Black veganism and Joloff rice

Black homophobia is real- and we meet two influential people who are fighting it - each in their own inspiring way. Bishop Yvette Flunder, and author and activist Darnell Moore are Black, queer and free. This episode is delves into the language we use, the things that need to be said, and the celebration of black boy joy and intimacy. 

He is from Rwanda, grew up in New Zealand and lives in Australia.  Architect, Jean Yves Dushime has a unique diaspora story, not just because of where he lives but because of how he has chosen to handle situations that would make many of us very uncomfortable. In this episode we talk about the decisions of one Black Aussie to deal with tough situations in order to move forward...in his own way. 

Music by JBlanked

Who gets to choose which African stories get told? We meet three writers, each of them pushing against a mostly white US and UK-based publishing industry in their own way.

Guests:Siyanda Mohutsiwa, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, & Namwali Serpell   

He was the perfect little brown baby. His name was Solomon. Thick curly hair, chubby legs and eyes closed with dark black lashes. Solomon's story is one that affects thousands of families whose babies are twice as likely to die before reaching the age of one, and Black mothers are up to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes. This story is personal as we go deep into a personal story behind the statistic.Two sisters remember a child lost, search for answers, and discover the answer to a lingering question.

When Oprah's longtime hairstylist Andre Walker created the hair typing system, he didn't expect it to become what it is today.  The chart has helped a lot of Black naturals understand their textures but it's also created some tensions when it comes to the lack of  representation of 4C women. From our hair history, to  hair salons, and a chat with Mr. Walker himself--we get to the bottom of why some people feel tangled up in this hair chart. 

Special thanks to Author: Ayana Byrd: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America 

When a ballet teacher told co-host Leila Day that her back should be straight on the ground, no light shining through, and Leila couldn't make it happen, her dreams to be a ballet dancer disappeared. The world of classical ballet is extremely difficult to break into, and for those who do, there's a lot that comes with it, especially when you're "the only". This episode looks at breaking the line.

We talk about ballet, bodies, and skin tone with former ballerina Aesha Ashe, and dance educator and writer Theresa Ruth Howard.

Season 2 is here! We explore the history of colorism, from Compton to the markets in Sudan. Dissecting a Hollywood casting call, and asking why are Black people bleaching their skin? It gets personal.