The Stoop

Our babies and their hair. We hear how two parents discuss hair with their kids. Author Robert Trujillo wrote a book about his son, Furqan's, first flat top. Then we meet  Fatima Jones and he daughter Aponi, and listen in on an intimate conversation about hair, pride and love.  To find the book Furqan's First Flat Top, by Robert Liu-Trujillo. Illustration by Robert Liu-Trujillo Learn about your ad...

It's summertime and we're sharing some stories, portraits essays and things that you've been telling us you want to hear more of. In this episode we hear from Shelton Johnson, a park ranger at Yosemite National Park who reenacts the story of a Buffalo Soldier who used to patrol the park as a ranger. A complicated history that comes with both pride and shame. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.p...

Black veganism and Joloff rice Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Black homophobia is real- and we meet two influential people who are fighting it - each in their own inspiring way. Bishop Yvette Flunder, and author and activist Darnell Moore are Black, queer and free. This episode is delves into the language we use, the things that need to be said, and the celebration of black boy joy and intimacy.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

He is from Rwanda, grew up in New Zealand and lives in Australia.  Architect, Jean Yves Dushime has a unique diaspora story, not just because of where he lives but because of how he has chosen to handle situations that would make many of us very uncomfortable. In this episode we talk about the decisions of one Black Aussie to deal with tough situations in order to move forward...in his own way.   ...

Who gets to choose which African stories get told? We meet three writers, each of them pushing against a mostly white US and UK-based publishing industry in their own way. Guests:Siyanda Mohutsiwa, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, & Namwali Serpell      Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

He was the perfect little brown baby. His name was Solomon. Thick curly hair, chubby legs and eyes closed with dark black lashes. Solomon's story is one that affects thousands of families whose babies are twice as likely to die before reaching the age of one, and Black mothers are up to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes. This story is personal as we go deep into a persona...

When Oprah's longtime hairstylist Andre Walker created the hair typing system, he didn't expect it to become what it is today.  The chart has helped a lot of Black naturals understand their textures but it's also created some tensions when it comes to the lack of  representation of 4C women. From our hair history, to  hair salons, and a chat with Mr. Walker himself--we get to the bottom of why som...

When a ballet teacher told co-host Leila Day that her back should be straight on the ground, no light shining through, and Leila couldn't make it happen, her dreams to be a ballet dancer disappeared. The world of classical ballet is extremely difficult to break into, and for those who do, there's a lot that comes with it, especially when you're "the only". This episode looks at breaking the line....

Season 2 is here! We explore the history of colorism, from Compton to the markets in Sudan. Dissecting a Hollywood casting call, and asking why are Black people bleaching their skin? It gets personal.   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Stoop is back. Warm those feeds and get ready for a full season of going deep into stories from the Black diaspora. We can't wait to show you what we've been up to!  Hosts Leila Day (the 'fro)  and Hana Baba (the scarf)  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Writer, mother and part-time hippie Stacia Brown is making our hearts sing and fingers snap with all she has to bring in this essay about the strength of Black women and the myth of the angry Black woman.   Listen in and relax.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's been a season! Now we wrap things up with a visit to a therapist. Talking some things out and shaking it out with some line dancing senior citizens.    Keep following us on  twitter:  @thestooppodcast  or on Facebook @thestoop   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We explore the phenomenon of African immigrants returning to the continent from the US through the stories of three 'returnees'. Guests include actress  Maame Adjei, award-winning author Yaa Gyasi, and radio entrepreneur DJ Taha Roubi. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Tone it down, Angry black woman. A conversation with two black women in the corporate world who sometimes tone it down in order to avoid stereotypes. What's behind the Angry black woman stereotype, and what's it doing to people psychologically? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Many immigrants imagine the US to be heaven. A moneymaking, perfect paradise but when they get here, it's a different story. We meet African immigrants who tell their stories of Coming to America, and what the wish they knew before they came. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When you're from an immigrant community, becoming a successful musician isn't an easy journey. We meet 3 dope diaspora musicians: Meklit Hadero, Oddisee, and AlSarah - each with their own struggle that comes with belonging to two identities- African, and American. For more about the featured artists check them out!   Alsarah and the Nubatones Odissee Meklit Hadero Episode art by: @neemascribbles L...

"You're black, but you ain't BLACK black." Like many African kids in the US, Stoop host Hana Baba was ridiculed for being from Africa. She was called names like "African booty scratcher." And the name calling came only from the black kids. What's behind this black disconnect and where did it come from? The Stoop explores this with a young Sudanese American and her African American friends. Learn a...

What's it mean when someone says you "sound white"? In this episode we explore voice, and unpack what it means linguistically, socially, and professionally when you're black but supposedly "sound white." As always, we love you for loving The Stoop. Drop some stars on our podcast and put down a review - we appreciate every new set of ears! Contributors: @1A @jejihnson322 Chinaka Hodge (@chinakahodg...

Let's hit pause and take a breath. Hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba break from the chatter of stoop talk to send out a special double episode that allows for a moment of grace, a place where one can catch a breath and regroup in order to move forward. What revives and sustains your soul? For Leila, it's dance. For Hana, it's music. Like what you hear? Drop some stars on The Stoop and put down a revie...

"It's not hard for a black man of my caliber to say I love you." But is it?  Many black people say they never heard I love you much growing up, including both Leila and Hana, hosts of The Stoop. In Episodes 2, we examine the reasons why we don't hear I love you, and what that means. We talk to inmates at San Quentin state prison, a professor who studies black male emotional expression, and Stoopta...

Episode 1: An exploration into the controversy over appropriation of African cultures by African Americans. Are African Americans appropriating when they wear a dashiki, tribal markings, or a head wrap? Hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba stoop this out in the debut episode of The Stoop podcast, their first stop, Afropunk. For more info, videos, photos, illustrations and audio shorts, go to our website...

Preview Season 1 of The Stoop to hear the funk and flavor of the stories to come in Season 1, starting Summer 2017.  Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss an episode. We'll be dialoging about the diaspora all season long. The Stoop podcast digs into stories that are not always shared out in the open. Hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba start conversations and provide sound-rich stories about what it...