"Sometimes the Answer Is a Podcast": Fugitive Homeplaces for and With Black Girls

• In Event: A Homeplace in Podcasting: Holding Space for Critical Conversations in Education

Abstract

Ruth Nicole Brown, Black girlhood foundational scholar, described Black girlhood and her work with Saving Our Lives, Hear Our Truths (SOLHOT) stating,
"Sometimes the answer is a poem, sometimes it’s a dance, sometimes it’s an art installation in a local gallery, sometimes it’s a song, sometimes it’s a rhyme, sometimes it’s a book, sometimes it’s a lesson on theory and praxis, sometimes it’s an article, sometimes it’s an editorial, sometimes it’s a performance, and sometimes it’s a one-word answer…SOLHOT is a space to envision Black girlhood critically among and with Black girls...” (Kwakye, Hill and Callier, 2017).
In this case, the answer is a podcast. We, three Black women scholars, were invited to participate on an episode of the [redacted] podcast. The episode provided space for all of us to “envision Black girlhood critically among and with Black girls” (Kwakye, Hill and Callier, 2017). And, as we discussed our commitments to Black girls, we created a fugitive homeplace all our own.
The podcast created a homeplace for us to process our own experiences, a space for us to “attend to the inner-child work, desire-checking, and a commitment to creating fugitive spaces for Black girls” (Young, 2021, p. 15). It reflected the necessity and ways that fugitive spaces emerge amongst Black girls and women when in a safe community with one another to share their truths. In the same ways we aim to hold space for and with Black girls in our work, the episode we were invited to be a part of facilitated space for us - three Black women scholars - “to nurture our spirits” (hooks, 1990, p. 384).
In the podcast space, we drew from our Black girl/ woman sensibilities to create a safe fugitive space before and during the recording. This began with relationship building. There was no assumption made that we all knew each other, but more importantly it was both refreshing to learn who we are as scholars and people. This included starting with a roll call, which is a common practice curated by Black girls as a creative way to introduce ourselves. As the conversation continued, it allowed for moments of vulnerability that then invited others to share, including reflecting on how we are learning and unlearning respectability politics that show up in how we support and co-create with Black girls.
Podcasting, particularly for Black girls, as a fugitive artistic homeplace is a practical tool for the expansion of homeplaces. Podcasting allowed us to “name ourselves for ourselves” and express our “inner lives” alongside critical examinations of our work (Lorde, 1982; Hine, 1989; Simmons, 2015). Like so many arts practices, podcasting is a practice where Black girls can (re)member Black girl epistemologies, ways of knowing and being, and their ancestors’ resistance (Dillard, 2012). Particularly, podcasting can be used as a subversive tool to talk back to the violence that occurs within educational spaces and forge a joyful and authentic future. Through podcasting, Black girls construct the educational spaces they deserve.

Authors

• Autumn A. Griffin, Georgia State University
  Presenting Author

• Cierra Kaler-Jones, Rethinking Schools
  Presenting Author

• Aja Reynolds, Wayne State University
  Presenting Author