LibGuides: Race and Inequality : Podcasts, Ted Talks, Interviews, and Films

Podcast microphone Different Forms of Media

There are many podcasts, Ted Talks, and other forms of media that provides information and tell experiences about the issues covered in this guide. All of the resources listed under "Podcasts" and "Ted Talks" are free and immediately available. The films are available to rent on various platforms, with some immediately available if you subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

Image of podcast microphone (from Canva)

Podcasts are a great way to learn more about race and inequality. Below are some suggestions to get you started. Want to listen to more? Here are some podcast recommendations by author Reni Eddo-Lodge.

2nd Story
Click on this link to listen to "several stories from the 2nd Story canon that speak to police brutality, systemic racism, and continued injustice."
1619
In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story. “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Another Round
Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton cover everything from race, gender and pop culture to squirrels, mangoes, and bad jokes, all in one boozy podcast.
Facing Ourselves
A podcast about racial justice, anti-racism, and racial reconciliation. This podcast provides opportunities for white people to develop greater understanding and responsibility regarding race and racism. Hosted by psychologists Drs. Brandy Liebscher and Danielle Beck.
Good Ancestor
An interview series with change-makers & culture-shapers exploring what it means to be a good ancestor. Hosted by Layla F Saad, author of " Me and White Supremacy."
Holden Village Podcast: Sharon Varallo Speaks to Mass Incarceration
Hear Dr. Varallo speak as a guest on the Holden Village Podcast about mass incarceration.
Intersectionality Matters!
Intersectionality Matters! is a podcast hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.
Mama Bear Dares
In addition to listening to this podcast, check out the anti-racist resources on their site.
NPR's Throughline: American Police
The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.

This link directs you to the "American Police" episode.
NPR Code Switch: A Decade of Watching Black People Die
Episode from Code Switch, a podcast "hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on."
NPR True Crime: White Lies
In 1965, Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.
Reawakening the Black Radical Imagination
A panel discussion with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (author of From #Blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation and How We Get Free), Kali Akuno (Cooperation Jackson), and Mary Hooks (Southerners on New Ground), moderated by Toussaint Losier (UMass). Presented by the 2018 Feinberg Series.
Scene On Radio, Season 2: Seeing White
Events of the past few years have turned a challenging spotlight on White people, and Whiteness, in the United States. This series explores what it means to be White.
The Sisters Space Podcast
Welcome to The Sister Space Podcast brought to you by Grace Victory and Simone Powderly. The Sister Space Podcast is a remembrance of our power and a safe space to be. A space to dissect important, relevant and sometimes difficult topics. From periods, to pop culture. From spiritual development to personal battles. Healing is our focus and open conversation is the bridge to help us get there. A place where nothing is too taboo and everything is free from judgement.
Still Processing
Step inside the confession booth of Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham, two culture writers for The New York Times. They devour TV, movies, art, music and the internet to find the things that move them — to tears, awe and anger. Still Processing is where they try to understand the pleasures and pathologies of America in 2020.
Uncivil
A history podcast from Gimlet Media, where we go back to the time our divisions turned into a war, and bring you stories left out of the official history.
Yo, Is This Racist?
Yo, Is This Racist?, hosted by Andrew Ti, creator of the popular blog of the same name, is now a weekly podcast! Every Wednesday, Ti, co-host Tawny Newsome, and their guests answer questions from fan-submitted voicemails and emails about whether or not something is, in fact, racist.

Ted Talk: Confessions of a Bad Feminist
When writer Roxane Gay dubbed herself a "bad feminist," she was making a joke, acknowledging that she couldn't possibly live up to the demands for perfection of the feminist movement. But she's realized that the joke rang hollow. In a thoughtful and provocative talk, she asks us to embrace all flavors of feminism -- and make the small choices that, en masse, might lead to actual change.
Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Ted Talk: The Danger of Silence
"We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.
Ted Talk: How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time
Baratunde Thurston explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of ... eating, walking or generally "living while black." In this profound, thought-provoking and often hilarious talk, he reveals the power of language to change stories of trauma into stories of healing -- while challenging us all to level up.
Ted Talk: An Interview with the Founders of Black Lives Matter
Born out of a social media post, the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked discussion about race and inequality across the world. In this spirited conversation with Mia Birdsong, the movement's three founders share what they've learned about leadership and what provides them with hope and inspiration in the face of painful realities. Their advice on how to participate in ensuring freedom for everybody: join something, start something and "sharpen each other, so that we all can rise."
Ted Talk: We Need to Talk About an Injustice
In an engaging and personal talk -- with cameo appearances from his grandmother and Rosa Parks -- human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America's justice system, starting with a massive imbalance along racial lines: a third of the country's black male population has been incarcerated at some point in their lives. These issues, which are wrapped up in America's unexamined history, are rarely talked about with this level of candor, insight and persuasiveness.

Films are powerful, and films addressing race can re-traumatize viewers. This resource can help you address the issues of re-traumatization and discusses steps viewers can do to address those issues.

To view the trailers or links to these films and documentaries, click on the title.

Asian Americans, 2020, PBS documentary: "Told through individual lives and personal histories, Asian Americans explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future."

Asian Americans in the Time of COVID-19, 2020, digital town hall that was created in response to the PBS documentary, Asian Americans.

Fruitvale Station, 2013, directed by Ryan Coogler (free on Tubi, available to rent for $3.99 on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play)

Just Mercy, 2019, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (free to stream during month of June on YouTube)

Hidden Figures, 2016, directed by Theofore Melfi (available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube; stream on Hulu)

El Norte, 1983, directed by Gergory Nava (available to rent from $2.99-$3.99 on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play)

Do the Right Thing, 1989, directed by Spike Lee, (available to rent on various services for $3.99)

When They See Us (Story of the Central Park Five), 2019, created by Ava DuVerney (available to stream on Netflix and on YouTube for a limited time)

Get Out, 2017, directed by Jordan Peele (available to rent for $3.99 on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Google Play)

13th, 2016, directed by Ava DuVerney (available to stream on Netflix)

Selma, 2014, directed by Ava DuVerney (currently available for free to stream)

Who is Dayani Cristal, 2013, directed by Marc Silver (available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube)

The Hate U Give, 2018, directed by George Tillman Jr. (available for free for a limited time on Google Play and Amazon Prime)

I am Not Your Negro, 2016, directed by Raoul Peck (available via Kanopy; Log in with your Augustana username and password)

Where is Hope, 2015, directed by Emmitt H. Thrower (available via Kanopy; Log in with your Augustana username and password)

Important Note:

Movies such as The Help are often popular on platforms such as Netflix, but this can be problematic. Here is an open statement from the Association of Black Women Historians, as well as a response from The Help actress, Bryce Dallas Howard, about the issues behind movies like The Help.