This week’s who I’m driving to goes to Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton, host(esses?) of the BuzzFeed podcast, Another Round.
Because I spend a great deal of time in the car, it gets lonely and I can’t always listen to music. But being in the car with Heben (pronounced like Heaven) and Tracy is like working and riding along with two of my best girl friends.
Each Tuesday, from the very top of their show, Heben and Tracy are funny, candid and just plain ole charming. With interviews including heavy hitters like Queen Latifah, Melissa Harris Perry and Hillary Rodham Clinton to lesser known yet still poignant characters like activists, Maryam Al-Khawaja, and computer coder whiz kid, Kaya Thomas, Heben and Tracy manage to strike the perfect blend between featuring the people you know and the people you didn’t know you wanted to know. With segments like Tracy’s Animal Corner and rapid fire segment, Pewm Pewm Pewn *insert finger guns here*, I find myself constantly laughing and clapping along.
What’s more, the world of podcasting is dominated by white men and women and it’s refreshing to see (hear?) myself as a black woman be represented. Tracy and Heben are kind to each other, silly with their jokes and the way they present information is just down right smart. The positive way they interact with each other and the world at large is not often represented in the media and it’s a valuable point of view. So if you are a black girl and are looking to see more of yourself or if you just feel like you want to engage with two intelligent young women, run, leap, jump to ITunes or wherever you get your podcast and give them a try.
Consider this me buying a round for Heben and Tracy
Starter list:
Episode 45: Practical Tactical Brilliance (with Lin-Manuel Miranda)