Bursting with Black Excellence

With Black History Month well underway, Podium is honoring the nation’s most distinguished Black writers. Whether you’re a bookworm, a podcast junkie or a history buff, here’s a few resources featuring prominent Black authors and musicians who left their mark on history.

 

NPR

Short on time? This NPR series highlights six of America’s most influential Black authors, each in under five minutes. From abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ slave narrative to Toni Morrison’s portrayal of Black life in the United States, Columbia University professor Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin’s informative series is short, sweet and bursting with Black Excellence.

NPR: America's Six Most Influential Black Authors

 

PBS

If you’re itching for something new to read, PBS' listicle, “10 Black Authors Everyone Should Read,” gives a brief biography of various Black poets, novelists and playwrights whose work changed the literary world forever. Among the 10, PBS recognizes Maya Angelou for her depiction of Black beauty and Langston Hughes for his portrayal of Black life in America. 

PBS: 10 Black Authors Everyone Should Read

 

iHeartRadio

Looking to listen to something new? Check out iHeartRadio's extensive list of influential Black musicians. From today’s icons like Kanye West, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar to famous musicians of the past such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, this eclectic list is bound to strike a chord with everyone’s music taste.

iHeartRadio: Influential Black Musicians

Andrea's Blog: Reasons Why Phone Calls Can Be Fun

Hello everyone! My name is Andrea Davis, and Podium is my senior internship through the VCU School of Social Work. I am currently placed at Armstrong High School, and have recently been making phone calls to our youth’s guardians. This is one of my favorite parts of the internship, and here’s why:

  1. Acquiring a real sense of what the guardians feel like is happening in their youth’s “at school” lives, and how they are doing in their “home lives”. I often hear stories from guardians that they are aware of how much their youth love to write, and they believe that Podium has increased their voices and expressions in writing.
  2. Numerous guardians often state how they see a direct correlation between their youth attending Podium and their academic success.

One of the youth’s guardians recently stated, “I appreciate you calling and letting me know, my son doesn’t like to tell me much about school, so I appreciate this.”

Statements like this truly show me that Podium is not only in place as a writing tool, but also a caring and safe place for our youth and guardians to interact in.

These are only a few reasons why I personally love calling my youths’ guardians.