On Theme

In the U.S., funerals are typically sad occasions, and mourning must be private and appropriate. But as much as Americans like to be uptight about death, post-mortem photography is an art that's been around for a long time, and it's still alive today. Katie and Yves delve into the funerary photography of James Van Der Zee, the controversy of posting images of the dead on social media, and the spec...

Most of us have known of Rosa Parks since we were knee-high to a grasshopper, but how much do you actually know about Rosa Parks the person? Katie and Yves discuss fictional depictions of the civil rights activist and speak with her niece, Sheila McCauley Keys to gain a new perspective on Ms. Rosa Parks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new documentary — As We Speak — explores the weaponization of rap lyrics in the legal system, shedding light on using artistic expression as evidence in criminal trials. Directed by J.M. Harper and featuring hip-hop artist Kemba as a guide and character, the film delves into how rap lyrics have been used in court, examining the impact of this practice on the music industry and its artists. Yves...

Blackface was born of white folks’ racism and tired imaginations. It was about how white people co-opted Black stories and impersonated Black folks. But it was also about how Black people subverted those narratives and constructed their own. In this episode, Katie and Yves talk about how the practice of blackface has been a pervasive ill in the history of U.S. culture and entertainment — and an op...

It seems like everyone invokes the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., from leftist organizers to conservative pundits. “If Martin Luther King was alive, today he’d….” or “Dr. King didn’t die for you to be…” or “What would King do?” And while Dr. King is no longer alive to weigh in, he did let Ebony Magazine readers know what he’d do in certain situations through his advice column, Advice For Livin...

Throughout history and across the world, Black people have used protest songs to boost morale and inspire action. In this episode, Katie and Yves explore the history of protest songs created to uplift major social movements, including the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Get show notes at ontheme.show Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow Email us at hello@...

Katie and Yves delve into the often overlooked yet impactful role of Black artists in times of war. Join us as we unravel the stories behind the artwork, songs, and poetry that have played a crucial role in shaping perceptions, challenging systemic injustices, and advocating for change on the frontlines and beyond. We also talk with surrealist blues poet, aja monet, about how she uses art to suppo...

What stories are you looking forward to this year? What stories will you create? Katie and Yves chat about all the stories to come in 2024.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re diving into a realm filled with characters who make us grit our teeth, furrow our brows, and sometimes—let's admit it—make us itch to reach into the story and deliver a perfectly executed whack!  Listen to see if you’d slap the same characters we would. Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow Email us at hello@ontheme.show For show notes, visit our website ontheme.show See omnystudio.com/listene...

Haters get a bad wrap and for good reason. They demean, ridicule, and well...hate, but they are often the catalyst in many of the Black stories we know and love. We hear about haters in songs, memoirs, acceptance speeches. It’s possible that without haters, we would only have a fraction of the Black stories we have today. In this episode, Katie and Yves discuss haters’ place in the Black storytell...

Katie and Yves head to the movies to watch American Fiction. Afterward, they discuss the anatomy of the Black Struggle Industrial Complex™ using examples from the movie and Erasure by Percival Everett. Buy Erasure by Percival Everett Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow Email us at hello@ontheme.show Visit our website ontheme.show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie and Yves talk with Ambar Johnson, an oral historian who created a guide specifically to help collect family stories. We discuss the dos and don’ts of gathering family histories, and Yves uses the guide to interview a family member. Download Ambar Johnson’s guide on collecting family stories at  dandelyonsstudios.myflodesk.com Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow Email us at hello@ontheme.show...

Some rappers put the brakes on their music careers and flipped the script — literally. In this episode, Katie and Yves discuss three different hip-hop artists who made their way down the rap-to-act pipeline and consider how we can reflect on their reinventions. Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow Email us at hello@ontheme.show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With hip-hop in its 50th year, the music genre and cultural phenomenon has gone from the block to the world’s stage. In this episode, Katie and Yves are taking it back to the block (and the cubicle and the classroom and the grocery store checkout line) and delving into the role of amateur rappers play in storytelling. Discover how these part-time rappers become modern-day griots, chronicling the h...

Here at On Theme, the season to give thanks for Black stories is year-round, ya dig? As a small token of gratitude, Katie and Yves dedicate an episode to their appreciation for Carrie Mae Weems’s “Kitchen Table Series” and Fannie Lou Hamer’s 1964 speech at the Democratic National Convention. Check out Carrie Mae Weems’s Kitchen Table Series Read “ Carrie Mae Weems by Dawoud Bey ” in Bomb Magazine...

Who do you go to for advice? In this episode, Katie and Yves revisit Princess Mysteria’s 1920s advice column and speak with author and podcast host Damon Young about advice, storytelling, and faulty iPhone chargers. Follow us on Instagram  @onthemeshow Email us at hello@ontheme.show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oh, shoot! Your best friend’s wedding is tomorrow and you didn’t prepare a toast. No worries. In this episode, Katie and Yves break down the key ingredients of the perfect toast using examples from their favorite movies and TV shows. Follow us on Instagram  @onthemeshow Email us at hello@ontheme.show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re an artist, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’re going to create art that you’re not happy with at some point. But when Black artists have to look back at past works that didn’t age well on the race front, the regret can run deep. In this episode, Katie and Yves dive into Octavia E. Butler’s, Viola Davis's, and Ernest Hogan’s stories of remorse and reckoning. Follow Coley Gilchrist @ c...

In today’s episode, Yves has beef with jokes about Black people running away from danger in horror movies. But the best stories have dramatic reversals, and even the most stubborn minds can be changed. Katie and Yves get into the complexity of the well-intentioned jokes and speak with Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, a horror expert who isn’t afraid to look in the mirror and say “Candyman” five times....

There are Black folks who are real-life colleagues with the supernatural. Then there are Black folks who are sacrificial fictional characters in problematic storylines. Then there’s the other other “magical Negro”: the one who performs the art of magic. Katie and Yves delve into the history of Black magicians and the significance of the stories they told. Then they return to the present for a conv...

Katie and Yves are joined by journalist and author of “When Crack Was King,” Donovan X. Ramsey. They discuss his new book, the media’s role in exacerbating the devastating effects of crack, how hip-hop artists memorialized the early days of crack in their rhymes, and the unhinged PSAs put out during the crack era. (Ahem, looking at the Partnership for a Drug Free America PSA : “Make no mistake — d...

Art inspires. But what happens when the lives we see on the screen leave us feeling disappointed with our own lives? In this episode, Katie and Yves talk with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford of Therapy for Black Girls about what to do when our expectations don’t match our reality. Follow Dr. Joy on social media  @hellodrjoy Buy Dr. Joy's book  "Sisterhood Heals" Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshowEmail us...

Dear Audience, In today’s episode, we pour back into Black stories a modicum of the love that they’ve given us. In admiration & gratitude, Katie + Yves See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who doesn't love a great beginning? Katie and Yves introduce themselves and discuss the art and science of capturing audiences’ imagination by examining the first episodes of “Abbott Elementary” and “I May Destroy You.” Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshowEmail us at hello@ontheme.show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black stories are more than a fad. We know them. We love them. They change our lives. And on this podcast, Black stories are the default.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.