A Google-funded podcast collaboration between Reach plc and JPIMedia has marked Black History Month with a special series to hold conversations about black life in the UK.
Laudable’s Black Lives: Past, Present and Future series has so far heard from voices working in a variety of sectors including an episode with BirminghamLive’s multimedia reporter Oprah Flash.
The series, produced and edited by Matt Millard, aims to examine topics from the importance of remembering Black History, the challenges and successes facing the community today as well as looking to hopes for the future.
Oprah Flash used the podcast platform to explore what Black History Month meant to her, covering topics such as how the school curriculum could be diversified and her role models when growing as a young black journalist.
She said, “I believe that our stories should not be designed to just one month. I’m black every day, not just in October.”
“For me I was lucky, when I was younger wanting to be a young journalist I could look up to figures such as Moira Stuart or Trevor McDonald and I say they can do it, they made it, so I can do it too.
“I feel we need to have that across all industries.”
She also discussed the story of newsreader Barbara Blake-Hannah who sixty years ago had to commute from London to Birmingham to do her job because she was unable to rent a room due to racism in the city.
Oprah is among five voices – from a former Voice UK contestant to a mechanical engineer – who have submitted short audio clips telling the listeners a bit about themselves and answering a series of questions relating to Black History Month. The series is still accepting submissions here.
A full list of available episodes is below.
Episode one: Ayanam Udoma, singer/songwriter and former Voice UK contestant
Episode two: Oprah Flash, multimedia journalist for BirminghamLive
Episode three: Darius Hamilton, military mechanical engineer
Episode four: Ally Tyger, community diversity advocate and account director at Creative Agency
Episode five: Kane Haynes, Regulatory Compliance Manager from Birmingham
Get in touch with us:
Throughout October, the Society of Editors will be spotlighting how news organisations are marking Black History Month and will be including the initiatives in our regular email bulletin. Please email mariella.brown@societyofeditors.org to be featured.
