The Stoop

The Stoop explores stories from across the Black diaspora. A combination of journalism, and storytelling that focuses on the things that aren't talked about enough.

EP 47: Craving a different world 04/16/2021

EP 47: Craving a different world Some of us who chose not to go to HBCU's have some major envy, and regret. In this episode we hear from people about their experiences at Black colleges. Stories about when they fit in and when they didn't. Featuring Special guest: Stacey Abrams /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/18745355

EP 46: That Blaxpat Life 04/01/2021

EP 46: That Blaxpat Life We've heard people threaten to pack it up and move abroad, and today we to talk to two of them who followed through. Natalie Gill now lives in Ethiopia and Noleca Radway relocated to Amsterdam. Two stories about making the move, and getting the hell out in order to redefine home. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/18562031

Ep 45: Zamunda on The Stoop 03/16/2021

Ep 45: Zamunda on 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 Coming 2 America 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/18343454

Ep 44: The Sounds of Blackness 02/19/2021

Ep 44: The Sounds of Blackness 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? /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/18007628

Ep 43: Sellassie's Choice 02/05/2021

Ep 43: Sellassie's Choice 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/17829683

Ep 42: Head on a Swivel 01/22/2021

Ep 42: Head on a Swivel Lately, some of 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/17645186

Ep 41: Connecting Black 09/07/2020

Ep 41: Connecting Black 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/15916820

Ep 40: From the Queen: Black is King 08/09/2020

Ep 40: From the Queen: Black is King Black is King, the visually stunning film by Beyoncé has brought up a lot of conversation. In this episode 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/15537188

Ep 39: For Ima 06/11/2020

Ep 39: For Ima 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--we realize we're not here for everyone. We're here for 14-year-old Ima. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/14781467

Ep 38: That Black Tax 05/21/2020

Ep 38: That Black Tax 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/14517005

Ep 37: Together and apart 04/01/2020

Ep 37: Together and apart 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/13795547

Ep 36: Black on air 02/28/2020

Ep 36: Black on air 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 Hana and Leila get into some of their own experiences in the field. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/13343276

Ep 35: Je suis noir 02/07/2020

Ep 35: Je suis noir Bonjour! Meet Deborah from Brooklyn, who’s about to pack her bags and move to Paris. It's a city she adores but it's also a refuge from a lot of racial conversations that she feels are going in circles in the U.S. Deborah choses not to “lead with her blackness," but how will that work for her in France? How are black French identifying? We go to Paris and dig deeper into some of the tensions behind a word like “noir” that can be seen as an insult for some and pure pride for others. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/13065428

Ep. 34: The Black Introverts 01/09/2020

Ep. 34: The Black Introverts 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 educator Kelly Wickham Hurst who has focused on correcting the ways we treat introverted Black students. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/12671294

Ep 33: All Black Everything? 12/19/2019

Ep 33: All Black Everything? 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 says we shouldn’t succumb to it, and hosts Hana and Leila question their own motives. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/12462632

EP. 32: In Deep Waters 12/04/2019

EP. 32: In Deep Waters 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 break down stereotypes that we've even heard our own family members reinforce. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/12283136

Ep. 31 The Unexpected Family 06/27/2019

Ep. 31 The Unexpected Family 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. Keep it in the fam! We'll be back with more episodes soon /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/10316315

Ep. 30: Black Enough 06/05/2019

Ep. 30: Black Enough 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, and we'll meet Black Benatar- a drag queen who has struggled and come to terms with performing Blackness. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/10063013

Ep 29: Sounds from a Well Read Black Girl 05/09/2019

Ep 29: Sounds from a Well Read Black Girl 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. 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 create inclusive community, and really, how black are we? /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/9722300

Episode 28: Killer Mike calls it like it is 04/24/2019

Episode 28: Killer Mike calls it like it is 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.” /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/9511400

Episode 27: Assalam Alaykum, BMW 04/11/2019

Episode 27: Assalam Alaykum, BMW 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? /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/9358064

Episode 26: Mad Hotep 03/27/2019

Episode 26: Mad Hotep Sometimes conversations stop when you walk into a barbershop, but sometimes they keep going no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. 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 fly. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/9158609

Episode 25: You may not get it, but I love you 03/07/2019

Episode 25: You may not get it, but I love you 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 when they were choosing a partner, asking how socially aware do you expect your non-Black partner to /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/8909801

Episode 24: What's in your blood? 02/20/2019

Episode 24: What's in your blood? Thin nose, high cheekbones, kinky hair, what's 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? Co-hosts Leila and Hana also take the test, and things take an unexpected turn. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/8721959

Episode 23: The Nod 02/07/2019

Episode 23: The Nod 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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/8554958

Episode 22: Gullah Geechee 01/24/2019

Episode 22: Gullah Geechee 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, culture that is Gullah. Lean in for this one. We outchea. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/8377760

Episode 21: Rhythm & Spirit 09/06/2018

Episode 21: Rhythm & Spirit We wanted to end this season by going deep into how we express ourselves at the intersection where spirituality meets artistic expression - and how that space can be complicated. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/7014159

Episode 20: My child's hair 08/14/2018

Episode 20: My child's hair Our babies and their hair. We hear how two parents discuss hair with their kids. Author Robert Liu-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. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/6925898

Episode 19: Summer Series- Buffalo Soldier 08/01/2018

Episode 19: Summer Series- Buffalo Soldier 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 also used to patrol the park as a ranger. A complicated history that comes with both pride and shame. /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/6876903

Episode 18: Afro-vegan stirrin' the pot 07/12/2018

Episode 18: Afro-vegan stirrin' the pot We dig in to our food, our tradition. Does eating plant-based make you bougie? We talk to Afro- Vegan chef Bryant Terry who shows us what it means to be a dope Blegan (Black vegan). Then we get into the Jollof rice wars- who makes it better? Ghana, Nigeria? It's the world cup of Jollof! /episode/index/show/thestoop/id/6800837

The Stoop

TOPICS