Episode 202: The Real HBCU Advantage: More Than Homecoming
Brown Mama Bear
What if the greatest advantage of attending an HBCU has nothing to do with Homecoming? Every October, HBCU culture takes center stage. The bands, the step shows, the reunions, and the unmistakable energy of Homecoming remind us why Historically Black Colleges and Universities hold such a special place in Black culture. And with renewed attention on A Different World, there's even more excitement surrounding the Black college experience. But what happens inside the classrooms—and within the campus community—are even more important than what happens on the Yard. In this solo episode of Brown...
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Episode 201: Finding Scholarships & Helping Black Students Thrive with Steph Jones
Brown Mama Bear
What if helping our children succeed in school starts with making sure they believe they belong there? In this episode of Brown Mama Bear, host Shanera Williamson sits down with Steph Jones, better known as The Scholarship Bestie, to talk about what Black children need to thrive in school—and how families can find the financial resources to help them pursue their college dreams. With more than 20 years of experience as an educator, Steph brings a unique perspective to the conversation. She's not just helping students find scholarships. She's thinking deeply about how schools shape children's...
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Episode 200: What Does “The Best” Education Mean for Black Children? With Kayla Williamson
Brown Mama Bear
Episode 200! Two hundred episodes of The Brown Mama Bear Podcast. Y'all, this one feels BIG. In this milestone episode, I'm celebrating a little—and then I'm getting into a conversation I couldn't keep to myself. When Nikole Hannah-Jones published her widely discussed essay, “In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own,” it sparked a larger conversation about school choice, educational opportunity, and what it means for Black parents to give our children the “best” education possible. My first thought was: I need to talk to Kayla. My oldest daughter, Kayla Williamson, is a...
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Episode 199: Can We Talk: A Conversation About Connecting Across Generations with Claudia Walker
Brown Mama Bear
What happens when we intentionally give our children a connection to Black history, culture, music, and community? Host Shanera Williamson sits down with educator, author, and founder Claudia Walker for a conversation about the many ways we can help Black children know who they are and understand the richness of where they come from. Claudia first joined the Brown Mama Bear Podcast to talk about her book The ABCs of HBCUs. Now, she's back—and a lot has changed. She's the mother of an HBCU student, the author of The ABCs of R&B, and the founder of the rapidly growing Black Parent Group...
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Episode 198: You're Not Crazy - When Anti-Blackness Shows Up in Plain Sight
Brown Mama Bear
Have you ever looked at something and thought, “Am I the only one seeing this?” If you’re a Black parent, you may have had that reaction to some of the viral advertising and products we’ve seen recently—from Converse and Target to American Eagle. What happens when our children encounter images and messages rooted in a history they may not yet understand. Host Shanera Williamson talks about why Black parents need to teach our children history, how we can help them recognize anti-Blackness without internalizing it, and why an apology from a company is only the beginning of...
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Episode 197: Mental Health Matters
Brown Mama Bear
This week on The Brown Mama Bear Podcast, Host Shanera Williamson talks with Dr. Vincent Windrow about his powerful and deeply personal book, Some Days Aren’t So Sunny: Jot-Downs From My Mental Health Journey. Dr. Windrow is a leader, pastor, educator, husband, father, and someone who has spent decades pouring into other people. But behind all of those roles was a man navigating grief, mental health struggles, and a moment when he had to make the courageous decision to ask for help. He helps us all consider what happens when the responsible one (like moms) need someone to count on too....
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Episode 196: The Extra Load Black Kids Carry to School
Brown Mama Bear
Host Shanera Williamson helps parents start a new school year with some wisdom from her own life. Years ago, when her 20-something daughter was in middle school, a classroom discussion went from the subject of math to the teacher’s thoughts on a current event. It was the first time her daughter remembers navigating a teacher’s bias. Hear the story and the 3 lessons learned about the “extra load” many black children face in predominately white schools.
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Episode 195: Advocacy - Love in Action
Brown Mama Bear
Advocacy isn’t about being loud, aggressive, or having all the right words. Advocacy is often an act of love — showing up, speaking up, and standing firm for our children even when it feels uncomfortable or exhausting. In today’s episode, Shanera reframes advocacy as a daily practice rooted in care, preparation, and connection. She explores how advocacy shows up in schools, healthcare spaces, and everyday moments — and how Black mothers can advocate without burning themselves out or abandoning themselves in the process. This episode is an invitation to see advocacy not as something...
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Episode 194: The Good In Us with Jerome Moore
Brown Mama Bear
Host Shanera Williamson sits down for a conversation with TV host and producer Jerome Moore about the art of storytelling and the responsibility he feels to tell narratives that help others go beyond the stereotypes that are so pervasive in our world. Jerome Moore is an author, speaker and the creator of the award-winning podcast Deep Dish Conversations. He draws on his years on volunteerism with the Peace Corp and his work as a community organizer to determine what good news stories need to be told. Listen in to hear why he believes it’s possible to infuse our world with...
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Episode 193: Emotionally Responsive Parenting with Kayla Bond (LCSW-C)
Brown Mama Bear
On this episode, host Shanera Williamson sits down for an interesting conversation with Kayla Bond, a Licensed Certified Social Worker and Clinical (LCSW-C) Maryland State Board Approved Supervisor with 7+ years of experience and founder of Hope & Harmony services. Kayla coaches rising social workers and professional counselors. Recently, she’s also helped parents learn from her years of clinical work with teens as she tells us some of the things teens wish their parents knew. She is driven by the opportunity to help people achieve sustained holistic wellness and she...
info_outlineHost Shanera Williamson helps parents start a new school year with some wisdom from her own life. Years ago, when her 20-something daughter was in middle school, a classroom discussion went from the subject of math to the teacher’s thoughts on a current event. It was the first time her daughter remembers navigating a teacher’s bias. Hear the story and the 3 lessons learned about the “extra load” many black children face in predominately white schools.