The Stoop

It's been 33 years since the original film Coming to America, a film that gave many of us some laughs at a time when tensions were high. Now with the new film are we still laughing? We get into the African perspective and talk about what made us laugh and what made our Jheri curls feel dry.    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

What is a sound that embodies Blackness?  Today we invite you to unwind, lean back, disconnect and drift while we ask some phenomenal personalities, like LeVar Burton, Stacey Abrams, David Oyelewo, Shangela and more what is a sound that is undeniably Black?   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sellassie doesn't plan to take the Covid vaccine. He doesn't trust it. But it feels like the whole world is trying to convince him to. We unpack 'Black hesitancy' and talk to some of the people tasked with convincing their communities to vaccinate.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Lately,  some of us have been watching our back. It's not something we always want to admit, but the current vibe is triggering. We're back, a new season, and today we get a bit personal. We meet two people with different takes on maneuvering their neighborhoods where there aren't too many Black kith and kin in sight. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

African responses to the Black Lives Matter protests have been complicated and varied- some marched, others didn't. We explore some different African points of view. Let's Stoop this out.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Black is King, the visually stunning film by Beyoncé has brought up a lot of conversation. We talk to “the blue man” dancer Papi Oji about his role in the film and dig deeper into some of the praise and criticisms from Africans and African Americans. We hear from writers across the diaspora who help us take a deeper look at the art that has some of us in awe, and others conflicted. Guests: Dancer...

We're at that moment — again. Another black person gone, and another, and another. It hurts. Everyone seems to be watching, and everyone seems to have questions.    But this isn't new, and we're not here for everyone. We're here for 14-year-old Ima.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For many of us, success and 'making it' also means you're expected to help out and support your family. Whether you're Black American, or a child of Black immigrants- that 'Black Tax' is often something you're going to be thinking about. Today we get personal with a story from Mwende Hinojosa who explains how What's App brings her Kenyan family together but it can also be very...taxing.   Learn ab...

We're getting into the myths surrounding the coronavirus and discussing how Covid-19 could have a different impact on black people. We also hear from workers in the service industry who share their stories about how they are pushing through. Let’s stoop it out together. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The pen, the mic, the camera - all powerful tools that people in media have used to get our attention, but for Black women journalists, getting a hold of that power and keeping it, has been a tough path to navigate. From how we sound, to what we look like, to how we say thangs. We explore the profession with journalist Jemele Hill, and hear about the past from veteran journalist Belva Davis, while...

In this episode we meet Deborah from Brooklyn, who’s about to pack her bags and move to  Paris. It's a place she’s always adored, along with the likes of other famous African Americans; Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Josephine Baker to name of few. Many black Americans have moved there for a particular reason, many were exhausted by the racial dynamics and conversations in the U.S. , just like...

Why might things be different for a Black introvert? When writer Sequoia Holmes broke it down in her essay "Black Women aren't allowed to be Introverted"  we wanted to stoop this out some more. So we sent our introverted producer Jessica Jupiter out to find answers. In this episode we're digging  into how it can be different to be an introvert while Black. We also hear from nonprofit organizer and...

Should we support Black no matter what? We discuss the pressure to conform with liking all things Black, even when you don’t. Whether it’s Black art, the Black politician, or a hashtag. The feeling that we have to always align is tied to a psychological concept called 'social desirability bias.' We’ll break down why we do it with a Black psychologist from Stanford, hear from a culture critic who s...

Season 4 is here! In this episode we're talking about Black folk and water. Yes, swimming.  We hear from a man who nearly lost his life while on vacation, and take a deeper look into our relationship to swimming. There are a lot  of jokes and myths within our community about why we don’t swim more, but what isn't funny is that nearly 70% of African American kids don't know how to swim. Today, we b...

It's our season finale and we're getting into issues of the fam; the things that our families say and do that have helped us or hurt us. We get into what it's like to gain a family unexpectedly and hear from a family whose cultural differences and jealousy nearly divided them. In this special episode we also stoop it with author, therapist, Netflix’ Fab 5 member, and unexpected father Karamo Brown...

Whether it's the music we hear, the clothes we wear, or the way we talk- a lot of us at some point have felt 'not Black enough.' In this episode, we go deep with comedian W. Kamau Bell who's felt awkward in Black circles and before Black audiences. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

What’s a sound that embodies blackness? In this episode we ask around and then get deeper into conversation with Glory Edim, the founder of Well Read Black Girl, a Brooklyn based book club and online community. What’s it mean to be well read? This special Stoop episode was recorded live at WNYC's The GreenSpace, and goes deeper into conversations about what it means to return to Africa, how to cre...

Killer Mike is a rapper, activist and father who once tried to live 3 days buying only from black businesses -- and wasn’t happy with what he found. We sit down and stoop out what it means to buy Black; how to do love, not just say it; and why Mike doesn’t like to say “n-word” when he could straight-up say “n***er.”   We're trying new things! Check out this interview style Stoop Talk! Learn about...

Being Muslim, black and a woman; that’s something that deserves some stoopin’ out. Anti-blackness in Muslim America is real, and in this episode we look at how it often seems to fall on BMW’s (Black Muslim Women). What happens when the shade or discrimination comes from your own people?   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sometimes conversations stop when you walk into a barbershop, but sometimes they keep going no matter how uncomfortable you may feel. In this episode we unpack what it means to be a hotep; from personal experiences, to the root of the word, to online tensions. We stoop it out with producer Josh Gwynn who shares his story of maneuvering through some hotep spaces, while on a simple mission, to look...

What can love look like when your partner might not ‘get it’? In this episode we talk to interracial couples having difficult conversations around race, love and identity at a time when racial tensions are high. We also hear from Professor Shantel Buggs author of the study ‘Dating in the Time of #BlackLivesMatter’, who interviewed dozens of women to see whether awareness of racial issues mattered...

Thin nose, high cheekbones, kinky hair, what you got in your blood? Your blood won’t lie, but does it determine your identity? We meet two women- Uzaz Shami, a Nubian woman who didn’t expect her results, and Shonda Buchanan who has always identified as Native American but isn’t always accepted as that.  What percent of an ethnicity makes you part of that group, and does it even matter? Learn about...

It's that silent acknowledgement. That "I see you," moment. But not everyone is a nodder. We send producers on the streets to see if the nod is still going strong, and hear from one hesitant nodder who breaks down why it's not always been her thing. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Stoop goes to the low country of South Carolina to uncover some of the hidden history of the Gullah Geechee. The mix of African cultures in the deep south eventually transformed into a unique language and culture that is Gullah. Lean in for this one. We outchea!   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We end this season by going deep into how we express ourselves at the intersection where spirituality meets artistic expression - and how that intersection can be complicated.  We meet  Alia Sharrief - a Black Muslim woman hip hop artist who raps about her faith, Black girl magic, and social justice - despite the haters. And Leila takes us to an Afro-Cuban dance class to get in touch with the Oris...