Homegoings

What is jazz? And who gets to call themselves a jazz musician? In this episode, host Myra Flynn sits down with renowned musicians Nicole "Lady" Wray, Adi Oasis and Melanie Charles to unpack how they are redefining the landscape of jazz on their own terms. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here . This episode was hosted and reported by Myra Flynn, with production support...

We released this episode, “Black birth, laboring for justice,” back in October 2023. At the time, we felt this episode was crucial to make because Black women had the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. The CDC actually called it a crisis.  We checked back in with this crisis to see what’s changed in two years, and learned that maternal deaths have dropped — just not for Black wo...

Our sister podcast Stitch Please is a sewing podcast that centers around Black women, girls and femmes, weaving threads of creativity, technique and passion with every episode. And in this episode we’re dropping into our feed, “Patchwork to Power,” renowned quilter Chawne Kimber sits down with host Lisa Wolfot to talk about how she strives to maintain a balance between aesthetic beauty and activis...

Los Angeles native Shelley Bruce joins Myra Flynn as they discuss the devastating impact of the recent fires in L.A., particularly the Eaton fire that has destroyed so many homes and businesses, including many in the historically Black suburb of Los Angeles, Altadena. Together they discuss the systemic issues that have led to the fire’s disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.

***A heads up: This episode contains unbleeped swearing and covers sensitive material, including sexual abuse. Please listen with care.*** In this episode, Vermont Public reporter Elodie Reed joins Huntington, Vermont resident and Lakota elder Beverly Little Thunder and her daughter, Lushanya Echeverria, at the movies. Together they watch the documentary Sugarcane, about the horrific history and i...

For this intimate Homegoings Shorty, Vermonter Raph Draws asks host Myra Flynn a question that doesn’t have one right or wrong answer: “What does motherhood mean to you?” Myra sits down with her mother Martha Mathis and her daughter Avalon as three generations share the holidays and their thoughts about mothers and daughters. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the series here . T...

Vermonter Kiah Morris wants to know why Black folks have a history of carrying hot sauce in their bag. In this spicy Homegoings Shorty we dive right into it with Torrance, California, hot sauce maker Brittney McCray, and unpack how the Great Migration impacted the portability of this spicy condiment. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the series here . This shorty was reported an...

Don’t call it a rerun, call it a remix! In this remixed episode of ‘How do you cook YOUR greens?’ host Myra Flynn catches up with chef Harmony Edosomwan to see what’s new in her world of business — and her collard greens, since it came out last year. Along with a world-renowned chef and Myra’s mother, they explore how the history of a once undesirable food mimics the resilience, innovation and per...

Here on the show, we ask a lot of our guests. We ask for their time, and a good amount of it, as most of these 40-minute Homegoings episodes are actually shaped after two-hour interviews! We unapologetically ask for their hearts. The things that make them beat, and the things that make them break. On a recent episode of the podcast Immigrantly (a show we consider a soul-sister in the world of race...

In our first Homegoings Shorty we get to go "Goth" as we answer a question from DonnCherie McKenzie about where the community of Black goths might be hiding in Vermont. This shorty was reported and edited by Myra Flynn and mixed by associate producer James Stewart. Myra Flynn composed the theme music and all other music is from Miles Hooper and Blue Dot Sessions. Elodie Reed is the graphic artist...

Juan Coleman, a Black man who lives in Vermont, voted for Donald Trump in the past and is planning to vote for him again in this election cycle. And he’s not alone. Though we won’t know the actual numbers until the election, there is an uptick of Black voters aligning with the GOP, Black men in particular. Why? In this season finale, we speak with Juan about his concerns for the Democratic party,...

How do you talk about Black death, in the media, in a way that is consistent, and intentional? How do you memorialize and humanize Black grief without perpetuating trauma? Here on Homegoings , we believe the answer is, and always has been, art. In this episode, we revisit some of the very first episodes of Homegoings , and embark on a quest with Vermont-based musicians to find out: Does grief have...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language, unbleeped swearing and explicit adult content*** In our fourth and final episode of the special series “Stereo-anti-types,” we tackle one of the most “biggest” stereotypes out there about the Black body today: the myth of the big Black penis. Host Myra Flynn speaks with Black men, including a porn star, about how this myth affects their lives a...

Dianne Bondy is a yoga teacher and social justice activist who works to make wellness accessible for everyone – no matter their shape, size, level of ability or ethnicity. In this episode Laura Cathcart Robbins, host of the podcast The Only One in the Room , speaks with Dianne to unpack the world of wellness, and the many barriers to it. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow season...

“Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In part three of the series, “The myth of the stupid Black person” host Myra Flynn speaks with Tinotenda Charles Rutanhira, who came to the United States as a refugee from Zimbabwe. When he arrived, he already had a bachelor’s of commer...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** “Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In part two of the series, “The myth of the scary Black man” host Myra Flynn speaks with Kris Brown, a 6-foot-2, former drug dealer who was nearly fated to b...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** “Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In this first episode, host Myra Flynn and colleague Bryant Denton get up close and personal with podcaster Pendarvis Harshaw and comedian Marlon Fisher to t...

Back in January, host Myra Flynn sat down with Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr. in front of a live audience at Vermont Public studios to practice what we do best here on Homegoings: They had a very candid conversation. Together they broke down the realities of what it’s like to be a Black podcaster in a “Post-Floyd era,” the differences in African and American Blackness, and their push-pull relationship wit...

There’s some irony in freedom because freedom is inherently unfree. It’s something to be defended, fought for, stood up for. It’s been hard-won in a lot of our history. It’s also elusive. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes, it isn’t even an option. So, what is freedom? How do you know when you have it? What does it sound like? How do you get more of it? This episode works to cre...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing as well as discussions of sexual abuse*** In part two of “Stories from the spotlight,” we continue our deep dive into the problematic nature of the music industry, the roots of misogyny in hip-hop, and unpack what it takes to stay safe, healthy and true to yourself as a female musician of color. Homegoings is a production...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing as well as discussions of sexual abuse*** Fame, or the idea of it, is deeply woven into our society. It’s currency — people knowing you, knowing your name, knowing your art — can be priceless for an artist. Something to spend your whole life seeking. But fame also comes at a cost, and for young women of color in the music...

Earlier this year, we hosted a special night at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont. Five of the artists featured in our podcast took to the stage for a magical evening of poetry, music, dance and comedy. On this episode of Homegoings, we’ll hear highlights from that one night in February. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow season 2 here . This episode was mixed...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Tracy “The D.O.C.” Curry is the OG of hip-hop, one of the originators of the genre itself. In 1989, a horrible car accident damaged his vocal cords at the height of his career. On this episode of Homegoings, Tracy shares how he found his voice and his purpose again on the other side of tragedy. Homegoings is a productio...

“How do people who identify as Black but have a white parent identify with that part of them? What are the complicated issues, if any? How do you manage day to day?” These are the questions posed by listener Janice Solek-Tefft that we’ll seek to answer in this episode of Homegoings. Myra Flynn shares her own experiences and speaks with three other biracial individuals as they discuss what it’s lik...

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Forget about aging in place, how about aging in paradise? For the launch of season two, Homegoings goes out of the country, to Mexico, for a conversation with Angel Clouthier and her grandmother Jean, a duo who are defining elder care in their own creative and colorful way. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public....