Unerased | Black Women Speak

Summertime and the reading is easy. As work slows and we flock to the beach, lakes, and pools, a great beach read should be right beside sunscreen and a cool drink. Our season finale episode brings together editors, authors, and bookstore lovers to talk about Summer escape, reading lists and the delicious ease of getting lost in characters and stories across all genres. 

The Blues have been memorialized in books, films, and music. But feeling the blues, or depression, has been a taboo topic for centuries. Even as the stigma is lifted in some corners, millions of people worldwide fail to identify the symptoms, suffer in silence, or are unable to find a good, sustainable solution to the problem. In this episode, we explore the blues and introduce three powerful and accomplished women who have battled depression. 

Valerie Boyd entered life’s stage as an old soul with Zen-like calm and pointed yet quiet grace. Her commitment to raise the voices of Black women pierced through the silence of history, demanding that the world listen closer to us all. She was a researcher, writer, documentarian and the definitive biographical voice on Zora Neale Hurston. In this week’s episode, we pay tribute to her life, her legacy, and her love.

Many issues that may shape the political and cultural future of the country are on ballots in the 2022 midterm elections in November. This episode of Unerased is dedicated to exploring the issues that will affect Black women. We will also examine the historical significance of the Black female vote and why it is imperative in 2022. Our guests represent thought-leading political education organizations who will offer perspectives on matters that must be kept front-and-center in this year’s election. 

On the heels of Black History Month, this episode recounts both the heroic and tragic circumstances of enslavement: not merely regarding self-determined liberation prior to 1865, but also incidents of debt enslavement that persisted in America’s Deep South well into the 1970s. If none of us are free until all of us are free, the invisible chains of our bondage linger still.

In this new segment premiere, we provide an inside look at all aspects of the reading and writing communities: established authors, would-be authors, editor/publishers, and book club organizers. If diving into a good book is your personal passion, listen to these women tell you how that bright idea turns into a tangible product, and the hurdles that must be overcome to get it into your hands.