Our Shared Podcast

Podcast Playlist, 2020

Premise - In the wake of the era of George Floyd and the largest civil rights movement in my lifetime, actress and activist Emma Watson's contribution was to advertise on her social media a playlist of antiracist podcast episodes she had curated. While some are presented in a series, others are single, cherry-picked episodes, so listeners may go and listen to what else the whole podcast may have to offer.

Review - So this is one of the many, many reasons I love Emma Watson. She uses her platform to elevate other voices I would not have otherwise heard, and I'm sure the same can be said for many of her followers. It's the reason I love Our Shared Shelf, and the reason I love many of her films - they offer me exposure to issues and stories, important ones, that I would have overlooked. This is no different, and perhaps is the greatest collection of resources she has ever provided. I only wish that more of her 50 million followers would do the work and actually listen to all the podcasts that she shared, instead of just clicking that like button.

Because I did listen to the entire playlist. Every single thing on there. It took me almost two months to get through. Each podcast episode can range from 15 - 75 minutes. The resource list feels nearly endless. And it doesn't stop there, as now having listened to these podcasts, I can go back and listen to other episodes by the same creators, or read the books written by authors who were guest stars on the podcasts. I've added many books to my reading wish list based on conversations I have listened to from authors.

And what exactly is it that I've learned? Because the playlist was so broad, so varied, it's hard to sum it up in anything other than "antiracism" and "racial justice." Some were historical, some were about current events, some were anecdotal, some were educational. There was an episode about the systems that protect police, and breaks down the way police precincts are organizationally structured. There was an episode about the way school district borders are constructed. I've learned so much.

The first two episodes I had already heard. The first is an audio recording of Emma Watson's interview with Reni Eddo-Lodge, and the second is Emma Watson's narration of the first chapter of Reni Eddo-Lodge's book, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race. It was cool to hear her voice.

The best way I can describe this playlist is life-changing. Because you can't listen to all of this, I mean really listen, and then do nothing. It alters the framework with which you approach life in all regards. (96/100)

Quote - I wish I could transcribe the entire Ezra Klein episode. Maybe I'll do that and post it on social media. Some important stuff in there about nonviolence.

What to listen for - My favorites were 1619 (which is presented in full, which I did a separate review for), and Seeing White, which only had the first few episodes, and I'll go back and listen to the rest. And as mentioned above, I also really REALLY liked the Ezra Klein show episode where he interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates and they talk about the paradox that is non-violence.

If you liked this playlist, I'd recommend finishing the Seeing White series, which I will be doing shortly!

Curated by Emma Watson

Curated on Spotify