This year, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Atlanta to attend BLK Pod Festival – and the energy was palpable. It felt great to meet so many talented up-and-coming Black podcasters, and connect with Black professionals in the industry. And yet, as productive and wide-reaching as the festival was, perhaps the most memorable moment came during Nidia Serrano’s presentation on SXM Media’s Black Podcast Listener report, the “first-ever comprehensive research on Black podcast listeners in the United States.” I’ve never seen such an extensive report on the Black podcast audience: a group often overlooked – but incredibly influential on trends and advertising...

So we’ve established why a brand would want to make a custom podcast, and you’ve decided to take the plunge with your brand. But how to approach it conceptually? As podcasting continues to evolve, plenty of new formats have emerged – and there is no “magic bullet” that makes the most sense for every show. But by examining multiple variables – including, but not limited to, talent schedules, budget, and the overall goal of the campaign – will help determine which format is right for your custom podcast!

The ideal podcast host needs to be able to connect with your desired demographic and speak to them in a relatable way. For example, there’s no sense in casting a Baby Boomer when your target audience is Gen Z. Selecting the wrong host will also make the podcast harder to market and less appealing to your desired audience. And with hundreds of thousands of podcasts available, consumers can easily choose another podcast that speaks more directly to them...

As a lighter skinned Black person, I didn't understand the impact of colorism until I left my small town and graduated college. I am the lightest person in my family and had always appreciated my family of a darker tone. I had grown up around confident Black people and never thought of them any less because they were darker skinned. If anything, I was the outsider and would look forward to summer so my color could be closer to my family's, which I loved.

Growing up in a predominately white school I remember kids telling me that I “sounded white” and that I didn’t talk “Black” so that made me less Black. I’m not sure if they thought “sounding white” was a compliment. But at a young age, what do you say when you hear this? It oftentimes just left me confused.

The word “privilege” comes from the Latin privilegium, meaning a law for just one person, a benefit enjoyed by an individual or group beyond what is available to others. Social justice activists and writers have built on Peggy McIntosh’s original essay on privilege in 1988, adding to and modifying the original list to highlight how privilege is not solely about race or gender. We can have privilege through the following...

The stereotype for a Black woman is that she is loud and ghetto. We imagine them to be the funny, extroverted, loud person in the office using the latest slang. We assume that all Black people should be extroverted, talk to us and make us laugh. And when they don’t we take offense or take it personal and punish them for not holding up to the stereotype.

I can’t count the amount of times that I have seen white people cry “reverse racism.” If you say anything negative about them they are quick to say “you’re racist!” I remember being at a party when my friend’s boyfriend had jokingly called me racist after something I said. Annoyed, I just rolled my eyes and said, “minorities can’t be racist.” I didn’t feel like debating or giving a history lesson at the party so I just left it at that. The answer is no. Minorities cannot be racist.

It’s been a year guys. Let’s try to get something out of it. Like anyone else who has been fortunate enough to live through 2020, I am still in shock of what the last year has brought. Hearing March gives me a bit of PTSD and I can’t help but wonder what my life would be like if a global pandemic didn’t take place. As much as it was a tough year, there are many things we can take away from our experience to have an easier time going forward.

In times like these, the least advantaged is the most harmed, which universally almost always means black people. According to APM Research Lab, Black Americans across the entire country are dying of COVID-19 at a rate of more than twice their population share. “Collectively, they represent 13% of the population in states releasing data, but have suffered 28% of deaths.

Its an odd time for all of us so here are some tips to help you make the best of your “new normal.” If you are a goal planner like me, you usually start the year off listing what you want to accomplish and experience some level of excitement of what the new year has to bring. But as we were making New Year’s Resolutions and celebrating the end of 2019, little did we know that the new age Roaring Twenties was currently brewing a deadly virus that would transform our everyday lives overnight.

While majority of black Americans tend to disagree with Trump, I wanted to understand the part of the community that still supports the President. *This article was meant to be published February 2018 when the pitch was picked up by VICE. Since VICE decided to ultimately not publish I decided to publish it here.*

Maybe this is a unique story or maybe it’s just another path of a girl learning things in her 20s. This time last year I felt like I was on top of the world. I was traveling with my best friend in China, just got a raise and a good review at work, and the relationship between the guy I was seeing was growing stronger. But 365 days later, none of those things would be relevant or prepare me for what was to come.

The 25-year-old 'Atlanta' writer/producer Stefani Robinson gives her advice on how to break into the business. - By Stefani Robinson As Told To Nakia Swinton

Today marks one of the biggest days for sports fans and maybe even one of the biggest days in American culture. Growing up, I always enjoyed watching football with my dad and had even more excitement when Super Sunday finally arrived. I truly enjoyed everything about the big game whether it be scarfing down nachos with my family, shushing others to hear the commercials or rooting for the Steelers to get their fifth ring.

Spotlighting the Senate’s rising stars Kamala Harris and Cory Booker who also happen to be showing their #blackgirlmagic and #blackboyjoy During Black History Month its seems that we tend to recognize the same individuals from the past (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass and you know the rest). Not throwing any shade at these groundbreaking leaders, but lets change it up a bit for the first Black history month during the Trump era.

Like many other Americans I find myself wanting to be more active in our government after this very long election that was filled with more hate and divide than usual. I have always been interested in the government and as much as people like to claim they “do not like politics,” the government obviously has an impact on our day-to-day decisions. Whether its the meat we choose for our bodega sandwich or how much money we pay for our contraceptives, the government can easily influence everything we do and choose.