There are many things that people count on Color of Change to do and one of them is to tell black stories. The organization is known for amplifying powerful narratives to inspire action and change. Now the president, Rashad Robinson, is doing that with the newly launched podcast #TellBlackStories.
The podcast features artists, storytellers, and changemakers driving a movement for accurate representations of black people. Season one was captured at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and features director Ava DuVernay and Firelight Media’s Stanley Nelson.
In this season of the podcast, Robinson will dive into topics like the intersection of blackness and democracy, how black women shaping politics, criminal justice, and more.
We spoke with Robinson about how #TellBlackStories plans to shift the culture through storytelling.
“Our goal with this podcast is to bring more people into the conversation on the power of storytelling to shape the rules and the norms in society and to change what people think. The reason that we’re doing this is because we wanted to reach sort of a broader audience who are thinking about not only their work if they are storytellers or work in the entertainment industry but also to elevate some people and provide more opportunities for conversations with people who are doing the type of cutting-edge thinking and work to help move this country in the right direction,” says Robinson.
As Color of Change works to tackle the intersection between justice and entertainment Robinson says, “We want to make sure that we are pushing this idea that we are telling inclusive, full, whole stories about the community not just painting a character black without a backstory.”
That is why he has heavy hitters in the industry like DuVernay as guests. During the first episode of the podcast, Reimagine Storytelling in a Time for Revolution, DuVernay spoke about the importance of fair portrayals of black people in society and Hollywood.
“They are going into our bloodstream, these stories. They go into our DNA. They become a part of us… So we really have to be more rigorous in our examination of what we accept. If you look at this past year…you’ve got an array of voices of color in film, it’s getting there, we just have to keep pushing.”
#TellBlackStories is off to a successful start and Robinson hopes that it will inspire listeners to lean into the work and take action.
“I want people to feel like they can join us at Color of Change in our efforts to tell black stories. And if they are creators; that they can think about how they use their energy, resources, and talent to tell more of these stories.”
To tune in to the latest episode, check out #TellBlackStories on ApplePodcasts or Spotify.
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