Homegoings

Dr. V is a felon and a former stripper. In April of 2002 she was charged with theft and spent some time in prison. That journey led her to a life of hardship and consequences that still follow her today. But she owns her past. She embraces it. She's even figured out how to use it – not only as a springboard toward a better life, but as a business model to land her where she is today: Helping other people do the same.Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here.This episode was hosted and reported by Myra Flynn. Our producer/director is Mike Dunn and Aaron Edwards is our story editor. Myra composed the theme music with other music by Blue Dot Sessions. Elodie Reed, Kyle Ambusk and Kaylee Mumford are the graphic artists. Check out Elodie's work in this episode's Homegoings artist portrait.Thank you for listening. You can see a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Subscribe to our YouTube channel Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

Aman Itomi makes big, bold and noticeable jewelry worn by celebrities and gracing the covers of magazines. His nickname in his community of makers is “The Basquiat of metal.”  But now Aman is bracing for uncertainty and scarcity as Trump's tariffs on metals go into effect — again. In this episode, Aman shares how he's preparing.Subscribe for more Homegoings videos: https://www.youtube.com/@Homegoings?sub_confirmation=1Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearehomegoingsSign up for the Homegoings newsletter: https://www.homegoings.coWrite to us at: hey@homegoings.coMake a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling: https://vermontpublic.org/donateTell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show!Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public: https://www.vermontpublic.org/

Marjani Forté-Saunders is a mother, choreographer, performer, community organizer and three-time Bessie Award winner. In this episode, Marjani speaks about the score a dancer's body keeps, both on and off the stage. It's a journey of acceptance, fearless expression and hard personal truths.Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here.This episode was hosted and reported by Myra Flynn and edited by Aaron Edwards, with production support from Peter Engisch, Mike Dunn and our associate producer James Stewart. Myra composed the theme music with other music by Everett Asis and Blue Dot Sessions. Kaylee Mumford is the graphic artist behind this episode's Homegoings artist portrait.Thank you for listening. You can see a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Subscribe to our YouTube channel Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

Kiran ‘Madame' Gandhi gained notoriety as a drummer who toured the world drumming with superstar M.I.A., and as an activist — who ran the London City Marathon free bleeding while menstruating. In this episode, Kiran talks about leaning into the multidimensionality of our humanity and viewing our traumas as superpowers. In the end … we have no other option.Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here.This episode was hosted and reported by Myra Flynn and edited by Aaron Edwards, with production support from Peter Engisch, Mike Dunn and our associate producer. Myra composed the theme music with other music by Kiran ‘Madame' Gandhi, Blue Dot Sessions, and UPM. Kaylee Mumford is the graphic artist behind this episode's Homegoings artist portrait.Thank you for listening. You can see a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Subscribe to our YouTube channel Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

Toussaint St. Negritude is a poet, teacher and musician who has chosen his own path and his own name. In this episode, Toussaint speaks about fierceness as a survival tool for Black queer men, like him, who were out and gay in the 1970s.Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here.This episode was hosted and reported by Myra Flynn and edited by Aaron Edwards, with production support from Mike Dunn and James Stewart, our associate producer. Myra composed the theme music with other music by Toussaint St. Negritude and Blue Dot Sessions. Elodie Reed is the graphic artist behind this episode's Homegoings artist portrait.Thank you for listening. You can see a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Subscribe to our YouTube channel Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

What is jazz? And who gets to call themselves a jazz musician? In this episode, host Myra Flynn sits down with renowned musicians Nicole "Lady" Wray, Adi Oasis and Melanie Charles to unpack how they are redefining the landscape of jazz on their own terms.Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here.This episode was hosted and reported by Myra Flynn, with production support and direction from Mike Dunn. James Stewart is our associate producer and Peter Engisch was our sound designer. Myra composed the theme music with other music by Melanie Charles, Adi Oasis, Nicole “Lady” Wray and Blue Dot Sessions. Laura Nakasaka and Elodie Reed are the graphic artists behind this episode's Homegoings artist portrait.Thank you for listening. You can see a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Subscribe to our YouTube channel Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

We released this episode, “Black birth, laboring for justice,” back in October 2023. At the time, we felt this episode was crucial to make because Black women had the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. The CDC actually called it a crisis. We checked back in with this crisis to see what's changed in two years, and learned that maternal deaths have dropped — just not for Black women. So, we figured it's time to press play on this. Again. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the show here.This episode was mixed, scored and reported by Myra Flynn with support from our associate producer James Stewart and editing by Brittany Patterson. Myra Flynn composed the Homegoings theme music. “Mama Song” was also written by Myra Flynn with production from Tim Sonnefeld. Zoe McDonald and Elodie Reed are the graphic artists behind this Homegoings artist portrait. The CDC is working to help stop this crisis and save Black mothers. If you are in need of more information or help, give them a call at 1-800-232-4636. You do not have to navigate this alone.As always, you are welcome here. To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell you friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

Our sister podcast Stitch Please is a sewing podcast that centers around Black women, girls and femmes, weaving threads of creativity, technique and passion with every episode. And in this episode we're dropping into our feed, “Patchwork to Power,” renowned quilter Chawne Kimber sits down with host Lisa Wolfot to talk about how she strives to maintain a balance between aesthetic beauty and activist messaging in her quilts. Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public. Follow the series here.This episode was created by Lisa Woolfork and Black Women Stitch with additional editing by Myra Flynn. Myra composed our theme music and all other music is from Blue Dot Sessions.We have more shorties and conversation coming in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned!To continue to be part of the Homegoings family: Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show! And of course, subscribe!

Los Angeles native Shelley Bruce joins Myra Flynn as they discuss the devastating impact of the recent fires in L.A., particularly the Eaton fire that has destroyed so many homes and businesses, including many in the historically Black suburb of Los Angeles, Altadena. Together they discuss the systemic issues that have led to the fire's disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.

***A heads up: This episode contains unbleeped swearing and covers sensitive material, including sexual abuse. Please listen with care.*** In this episode, Vermont Public reporter Elodie Reed joins Huntington, Vermont resident and Lakota elder Beverly Little Thunder and her daughter, Lushanya Echeverria, at the movies. Together they watch the documentary Sugarcane, about the horrific history and intergenerational trauma of residential or boarding schools.

For this intimate Homegoings Shorty, Vermonter Raph Draws asks host Myra Flynn a question that doesn't have one right or wrong answer: “What does motherhood mean to you?” Myra sits down with her mother Martha Mathis and her daughter Avalon as three generations share the holidays and their thoughts about mothers and daughters.

Vermonter Kiah Morris wants to know why Black folks have a history of carrying hot sauce in their bag. In this spicy Homegoings Shorty we dive right into it with Torrance, California, hot sauce maker Brittney McCray, and unpack how the Great Migration impacted the portability of this spicy condiment.

Don't call it a rerun, call it a remix! In this remixed episode of ‘How do you cook YOUR greens?' host Myra Flynn catches up with chef Harmony Edosomwan to see what's new in her world of business — and her collard greens, since it came out last year. Along with a world-renowned chef and Myra's mother, they explore how the history of a once undesirable food mimics the resilience, innovation and perseverance of a once considered undesirable people.

Here on the show, we ask a lot of our guests. We ask for their time, and a good amount of it, as most of these 40-minute Homegoings episodes are actually shaped after two-hour interviews! We unapologetically ask for their hearts. The things that make them beat, and the things that make them break. On a recent episode of the podcast Immigrantly (a show we consider a soul-sister in the world of race and identity), host Saadia Khan puts our own Myra Flynn in the hot-seat as an interviewee. This episode is personal, raw and If you've ever felt unseen or misjudged, this story will remind you that you're not alone—and that it's okay to embrace the contradictions that make you, you.

In our first Homegoings Shorty we get to go "Goth" as we answer a question from DonnCherie McKenzie about where the community of Black goths might be hiding in Vermont.

Juan Coleman, a Black man who lives in Vermont, voted for Donald Trump in the past and is planning to vote for him again in this election cycle. And he's not alone. Though we won't know the actual numbers until the election, there is an uptick of Black voters aligning with the GOP, Black men in particular. Why? In this season finale, we speak with Juan about his concerns for the Democratic party, and hear from CNN national politics correspondent Eva McKend about the history of the Black vote, and how no demographic is a monolith.

How do you talk about Black death, in the media, in a way that is consistent, and intentional? How do you memorialize and humanize Black grief without perpetuating trauma? Here on Homegoings, we believe the answer is, and always has been, art. In this episode, we revisit some of the very first episodes of Homegoings, and embark on a quest with Vermont-based musicians to find out: Does grief have a sound?

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language, unbleeped swearing and explicit adult content*** In our fourth and final episode of the special series “Stereo-anti-types,” we tackle one of the most “biggest” stereotypes out there about the Black body today: the myth of the big Black penis. Host Myra Flynn speaks with Black men, including a porn star, about how this myth affects their lives and their profession, and a female sexologist who knows a lot about the origin of this stereotype that plagues Black men. A heads up that this episode is explicit, and maybe even hard to listen to. But here on Homegoings we believe most of the important stuff usually is.

Dianne Bondy is a yoga teacher and social justice activist who works to make wellness accessible for everyone – no matter their shape, size, level of ability or ethnicity. In this episode Laura Cathcart Robbins, host of the podcast The Only One in the Room, speaks with Dianne to unpack the world of wellness, and the many barriers to it.

“Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In part three of the series, “The myth of the stupid Black person” host Myra Flynn speaks with Tinotenda Charles Rutanhira, who came to the United States as a refugee from Zimbabwe. When he arrived, he already had a bachelor's of commerce in business and information systems from Rhodes University in South Africa, and went on to more schooling in the U.S. to obtain a computer science degree. And still — no one would hire him.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** “Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In part two of the series, “The myth of the scary Black man” host Myra Flynn speaks with Kris Brown, a 6-foot-2, former drug dealer who was nearly fated to become a life-long statistic in the prison system, until his life took a turn that surprised even him.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** “Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In this first episode, host Myra Flynn and colleague Bryant Denton get up close and personal with podcaster Pendarvis Harshaw and comedian Marlon Fisher to tackle the myth of the deadbeat dad. Both of these men have bucked societal bias and are anything but deadbeat – but as you'll hear, it wasn't always easy.

Back in January, host Myra Flynn sat down with Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr. in front of a live audience at Vermont Public studios to practice what we do best here on Homegoings: They had a very candid conversation. Together they broke down the realities of what it's like to be a Black podcaster in a “Post-Floyd era,” the differences in African and American Blackness, and their push-pull relationship with the ever mercurial New York City. They asked each other, well — just about anything and everything. That fruitful night became a two-part video series and now, this revealing podcast episode.

There's some irony in freedom because freedom is inherently unfree. It's something to be defended, fought for, stood up for. It's been hard-won in a lot of our history. It's also elusive. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't. Sometimes, it isn't even an option. So, what is freedom? How do you know when you have it? What does it sound like? How do you get more of it? This episode works to create some cognitive dissonance, on purpose, between the sounds of freedom and the reality of it. With the live sounds of Independence Day, and a candid conversation with Speech, lead MC and singer of the band Arrested Development. He is fighting for freedom in his own way.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing as well as discussions of sexual abuse*** In part two of “Stories from the spotlight,” we continue our deep dive into the problematic nature of the music industry, the roots of misogyny in hip-hop, and unpack what it takes to stay safe, healthy and true to yourself as a female musician of color.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing as well as discussions of sexual abuse*** Fame, or the idea of it, is deeply woven into our society. It's currency — people knowing you, knowing your name, knowing your art — can be priceless for an artist. Something to spend your whole life seeking. But fame also comes at a cost, and for young women of color in the music industry, and those costs have names. They are: financial devastation, mental health challenges, violence and sexual assault. In this two-part episode of Homegoings, we'll pull back the curtain and hear from three female musicians and an expert about what it means to be ambitious, broke and brown and Black in the music industry.

Earlier this year, we hosted a special night at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont. Five of the artists featured in our podcast took to the stage for a magical evening of poetry, music, dance and comedy. On this episode of Homegoings, we'll hear highlights from that one night in February.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Tracy “The D.O.C.” Curry is the OG of hip-hop, one of the originators of the genre itself. In 1989, a horrible car accident damaged his vocal cords at the height of his career. On this episode of Homegoings, Tracy shares how he found his voice and his purpose again on the other side of tragedy.

“How do people who identify as Black but have a white parent identify with that part of them? What are the complicated issues, if any? How do you manage day to day?” These are the questions posed by listener Janice Solek-Tefft that we'll seek to answer in this episode of Homegoings. Myra Flynn shares her own experiences and speaks with three other biracial individuals as they discuss what it's like to hold two of the world's most opposing races in one body.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Forget about aging in place, how about aging in paradise? For the launch of season two, Homegoings goes out of the country, to Mexico, for a conversation with Angel Clouthier and her grandmother Jean, a duo who are defining elder care in their own creative and colorful way.

Homegoings is a show that invites listeners to be a fly on the wall, privy to candid and genuine conversations about race. Host and musician Myra Flynn explores themes that fearlessly straddle that line between necessary and uncomfortable, as she speaks with artists, experts and regular folks all over the country about their literal skin in the game — of everyday life. Homegoings is storytelling — with a heartbeat. No topic is off the table, and there's no such thing as going “too deep.” These are the conversations that are our birthright to have, and the stories we are lucky to hear.

Rachel Anne Dolezal became infamous when, in 2015, while deep in her work as an activist for Black and civil rights, a local TV news crew interviewed her and asked: “Are you African American?” Rachel froze. Turned from the camera and walked away. At the same time, Rachel's parents, Larry and Ruth Dolezal, outed Rachel as being born biologically white. While Rachel acknowledged this was true, she doubled down on her chosen identity, which she describes “racially as human and culturally as Black.” In this two-part final episode of season one of Homegoings, we catch up with Rachel to hear what's changed in her world since then, and what hasn't. And challenge the idea of race as a social construct — can it be deconstructed?

Rachel Anne Dolezal became infamous when, in 2015, while deep in her work as an activist for Black and civil rights, a local TV news crew interviewed her and asked: “Are you African American?” Rachel froze. Turned from the camera and walked away. At the same time, Rachel's parents, Larry and Ruth Dolezal, outed Rachel as being born biologically white. While Rachel acknowledged this was true, she doubled down on her chosen identity, which she describes “racially as human and culturally as Black.” In this two-part final episode of season one of Homegoings, we catch up with Rachel to hear what's changed in her world since then, and what hasn't. And challenge the idea of race as a social construct — can it be deconstructed?

Sweeney Grabin wants to know how to maintain her family's Indian and Jewish cultures for her 2-year-old daughter, Maya, while living in Vermont, a predominantly white state. This episode originally appeared on Vermont Public's show Brave Little State – and now we're sharing it here with you.

***A heads up: This episode contains real conversations about suicide..*** Grief. It's a word with certain acceptable adjectives attached. Words like: layered and complicated, hard and complex. Sad. But there are other words some might feel too scared to admit belong in the conversation describing grief. Words like: liberation, ease and even relief. In this episode, we speak with three Latina women in southern California who have lost someone recently. In a lot of ways, these stories are about the people they lost. But in many ways, they're also about the them they have found after.

Powdered wigs, white men, aristocracy — these are just a handful of images and stereotypes historically associated with the world of classical music. But what if we're wrong? In this episode, guest hosts James Stewart and Adiah Gholston talk with teenagers, composers and professors to unpack some of our assumptions around classical music. Where do its roots really lie? Who's it made for, and where is it headed?

***A heads up: This episode is gonna get real. There will be some unbleeped swearing, and conversations about mental health issues and suicide..*** Ash Diggs is funny. So funny in fact that one of his jobs is to make people laugh. He's a stand-up comedian who grew up in the South, moved to Queens, New York in 2021 but hails from Vermont. We speak with Ash about the relationship between comedy, addiction and depression, and how art can be both an enabler and a healer.

Audra McDonald, singer, broadway and television star — is a household name. As well as being the winner of six Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy, The 53-year-old is also a bit of a truth-teller, to say the least. Earlier this summer, we sat down with Audra for a conversation on life, activism and navigating an artistic career in traditionally white spaces.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** In America, birth is a business; a cultural, political and for-profit system. And currently that system, for Black women, is in crisis. In this episode, host Myra Flynn speaks with a midwife, a doula, and swaps birth stories with two Black women. Together they discuss the joy, the trauma and the needed reckoning to address the racism baked into the pregnancy-industrial complex.

Host Myra Flynn sits down with artist Stephanie Wilson in her first interview since her double mastectomy and breast cancer diagnosis. Together they talk about her ongoing journey toward healing, and her work to break the generational cycle of secrets she believes made her sick in the first place.

Host Myra Flynn talks with three couples about their love journeys and how through hopes and dreams, the winds of change, and a heartbreaking history … nevertheless, Black love persists.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Host Myra Flynn unpacks one soul food recipe: collard greens, with local and world-renowned chefs, and even her own mother. Together they explore how the history of a once undesirable food mimics the resilience, innovation and perseverance of a once considered undesirable people.

***A heads up: This episode is gonna get real. There will be some unbleeped swearing, and conversations about mental health issues and suicide. If your heart is feeling heavy today, you may want to sit this one out. And if you are in need of support, you can call, text, or chat: 988. They're available 24/7.*** In this episode, host Myra Flynn combs the streets of southern California and even her own home, in search of a heartfelt answer to what she thought was a very simple question: Black men: How are you doing? Turns out, the answers aren't so simple. And for good reason.

In this second episode, host Myra Flynn speaks with three women of color about their journey toward finding themselves beautiful in a world dominated by a Eurocentric beauty standard.

In this first episode, host Myra Flynn speaks with Reverend Arnold Isadore Thomas, the Pastor of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jericho, Vermont about what's makes a home, a home? It may be a place, or a feeling, or maybe it's a person you've been homesick for. Or a people.

Our first podcast episode just dropped right here in this feed. And haven't you heard that sharing is caring?! That's right … spread the word about Homegoings: a righteous space for art and race. This is Homegoings. Welcome home.