The Nod
The Nod tells the stories of Black life that don’t get told anywhere else, from an explanation of how purple drink became associated with Black culture to the story of how an interracial drag troupe traveled the nation in the 1940s. We celebrate the genius, the innovation, and the resilience that is so particular to being Black -- in America, and around the world.
Episodes
July 14, 2020 • 9 min
More people are beginning to declare “abolish the police”. It’s not a new position, but it’s still largely misunderstood. We’re joined by Bilphena Yahwon, a dedicated abolitionist, who explains why she thinks we shouldn’t dismiss the concept.
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July 9, 2020 • 7 min
Eric and journalist Errin Haines discuss how the current state of upheaval in our country might affect Senator Kamala Harris' chances of becoming Biden's VP running mate. Will voters, now focused on police brutality, support a former prosecutor?
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July 7, 2020 • 7 min
Black journalists are speaking out against the racist culture of their employers, leading to the departure of some of media's highest-ranked executives. Journalist Wesley Lowery joins us to discuss this trend and how he hopes the industry can change.
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July 2, 2020 • 18 min
On the heels of the bombshell documentary “On the Record,” which details the reported sexual abuse of Black women at the hands of Russell Simmons, two of his accusers, Sherri Sher and Drew Dixon, join The Nod to share their personal stories. The conversation continues around the documentary as activist and accuser, Sil Lai Abrams, and author and journalist Dr. Joan Morgan discuss the allegations against Russell Simmons and the prac...
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June 30, 2020 • 8 min
Kendrick Sampson dishes on the explosive season finale of Insecure, his new film Miss Juneteenth, and reminds us that we all have a role in the fight for Black liberation.
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June 1, 2020 • 8 min
Amid a still raging global pandemic, the nation has been reeling over the most recent spate of killings of Black people at the hands of police. Brittany and Eric sit down to process their feelings and memorialize the lives we lost. #BlackLivesMatter
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January 27, 2020 • 55 min
On this final episode of The Nod podcast, Brittany and Eric take some AMA questions from listeners and each other. As they prepare to embark on their newest journey (a daily video show on Quibi), the friends reflect on what it has been like to work together over the last few years, and make some recommendations for podcasts to listen to once you've exhausted the entire archive of The Nod.
And this isn't goodbye! Sign up for...
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January 20, 2020 • 83 min
The Nod podcast is coming to an end, and this week we are looking back at some of the highlights from the last 2.5 years of the show! It’s just like the moment right before Will turns out the lights in the empty living room at the Banks house. In this jam-packed clip show, Brittany and Eric take a trip down memory lane, and talk about how some of your favorite episodes of The Nod came together.
Be sure to come back next week for th...
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January 6, 2020 • 41 min
Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr. was born in Sierra Leone, and when he was eight years old, his mom brought him to live with her in the States. Then, when he was a teenager, his mom got sick and passed away. In the years since, Saidu has struggled with how distant he felt from his mom, often using poetry to work through his feelings. On this week's show, a beautiful story about the infinite gratitude--and resentment--we can feel for the ...
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December 30, 2019 • 30 min
In this week's BONUS, Brittany and Eric discuss their intentions for the coming year.
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December 16, 2019 • 41 min
We reunite members of Crime Mob to get the inside story of Knuck If You Buck, the club anthem that defined the crunk era and took them from high school kids to rap legends. All tea, no shade—straight from the people who lived it: Diamond, Princess and Lil Jay.
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December 10, 2019 • 38 min
This week, Brittany gets personal as she sits down with author and poet Bassey Ikpi to talk about her new book, I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying. In the book Bassey re-examines her life through the lens of her mental health and diagnosis of bipolar II.*
This episode of The Nod contains mentions of suicide and serious mental health issues, and may not be suitable for all of our listeners.
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November 25, 2019 • 52 min
Watchmen, the new superhero drama from HBO, contains some of the sharpest and most deliberate commentary on race currently on television. This week, Eric sits down with Watchmen writer Cord Jefferson (The Good Place, Succession) to talk about how Jefferson approached crafting Watchmen's explosive sixth episode, and what makes the show so singular in its unflinching look at race in America.
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November 11, 2019 • 31 min
The movie "White Chicks" may have made critics— and honestly, the world —cringe, but Brittany delivers her treatise on why the film deserves a second look.
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November 4, 2019 • 42 min
Friday, the 1995 comedy starring Ice Cube and the late, great, John Witherspoon, is one of Eric’s all-time favorite movies. But during a recent re-watch, he noticed some deeply unsettling themes that lay in stark contrast to the film’s cheery, comical tone. Can Eric convince Brittany that the cruelty he sees in Friday is real?
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October 21, 2019 • 43 min
The Gimlet podcast, Mogul, is back with a new host and a new season about Miami hip hop and the infamous 2 Live Crew. Brittany and Eric invite the new host of the show, Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins, into the studio to learn more about what led this season of Mogul to the 305. And Brittany and Brandon go head to head in a special Miami themed round of Six Degrees of Black Separation.
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October 14, 2019 • 28 min
Weddings, school dances, birthday parties for your great auntie—if you’re having a big function, the Cha Cha Slide is going to be on the playlist. But how did the Cha Cha slide become so ubiquitous? Brittany teams up with the Gimlet fam over at Every Little thing to find out. Get ready to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Cha Cha Slide.
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October 7, 2019 • 31 min
What if we told you that every fad diet, fashion editorial, and #fitspo post on social media could all be traced back to racist pseudoscience? In this episode, Brittany is joined by Sabrina Strings, sociologist and author of Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, whose groundbreaking research parses the intersection of thinness, whiteness, and beauty ideals.
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September 23, 2019 • 36 min
On August 5th, 2019, the world lost one of the best of us in Toni Morrison. For Brittany, just being able to grow up in a world where Toni Morrison existed felt like a gift. This week, a special episode from our friends at The Cut On Tuesdays featuring Brittany and other Black women sharing their experiences of growing up with the beloved writer.
Featuring: Zoe Haylock, Aminatou Sow, Glory Edim, Kaitlyn Greenidge, Angela TK, and As...
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September 16, 2019 • 40 min
Brittany and Eric face off against listeners in their favorite game: Six Degrees of Black Separation. Thug tears are shed, hair is snatched and Black history is made.
RELATED LINKS:
-Twitter thread: Celebrities describing how good Rihanna smells
-Additional music in the show is by Takstar
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