This US Black History Month, enlighten and educate yourself on African American culture with some great podcasts and radio shows. We’ve got the list here!

Recognised officially by US government, Black History Month originated in the US and is more recently also observed in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. It is an opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom, and educate yourself on African-American traditions, culture, heroes and struggles. Back in 1976, President Gerald Ford recognised the celebration by urging the public to “seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history.”

Black History Month on NPR

US radio station and media company, NPR is scheduling a collection of podcasts and episodes throughout February. These will be celebrating, uplifting and highlighting Black voices. NPR states, “achieving diversity and inclusion requires us to acknowledge and understand history and discuss the weight of racial injustices around the country”.

  • Throughline – Beginning on the 11th of February and running each week until the 25th, Throughline is looking at the lives and legacies of three Black visionaries: Marcus Garvey, Octavia Butler and Bayard Rustin.
  • Pop Culture Happy Hour – Find out more about Black creators, entertainers and artists with episodes from Pop Culture Happy Hour: Digging Into Slate’s Black Film Canon.
  • Louder Than A Riot Roundtable Discussion – On the 19th February Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael will lead a virtual roundtable discussion on NPR Music’s YouTube. Panellists will dive deeper into subjects like race, mass incarceration, and the music industry, which were covered in the first series of the podcast.
  • Code Switch – Hosted by journalists, this podcast examines the intersections of race, ethnicity and culture, and how these impact our lives. Episodes prompt listeners to think deeply and critically, with the aid of empirical data and scholarly research.

At Sychedin we’re endeavouring to create comprehensive lists of what’s happening for US Black History Month 2021. Why not also check out these fantastic films and shows?