Welcome to the next in the Podcast Showcase series, where we share podcasts with you in the words of the podcasters themselves. This time, we talk to Dope Black Dads
Sum up your podcast in three sentences
Our podcast is a digital safe space for Black fathers who wish to discuss their experiences, parenthood and masculinity in the modern world. We discuss everything from co-parenting, masculinity, the black experience, all the way to our favourite Netflix shows.
Who is your ideal listener? Who loves your show?
The DBD podcast is enjoyed and listened to by all parents or adults preparing for parenthood. With that said, our podcasts also features special guests from the world of healing, media, parenting, TV/film, music and beyond.
If you’re into culture, storytelling and interested in learning something new this is for you.
What made you start this podcast?
We wanted to create a digital safe space for fathers that celebrates, heals, inspires and educates Black Fathers for better outcomes for families.
What have you learned about your subject thanks to this podcast?
I had a guest who spoke at length about the concept of Black Fatherhood and it being unique. It is not simply white fatherhood, with more melanin being the only distinction. Rather, as a Black person, you possess a unique social experience that is grounded in culture, and has a strong correlation to your colour.
Your Fatherhood – as a Black man – is a unique thing, and offers a fresh take on the conversation that cannot be replicated by those with different experiences.
Though this is something I’ve known, the point has been driven home as more discussions are held. Black British Fatherhood has gone through interesting changes from generation to generation. Each new generation’s identity has become markedly more British. One of my guests from an older generation of fathers described how seeing a young Black Olympian celebrate with the Union Jack made him (and his contemporaries) slightly uncomfortable, as they associated that symbol with colonial atrocities their families had endured. The newer generation has no such association with the same symbol, seeing it rather as a symbol of their home, Britain. Earlier generations of Black Britons saw themselves more as outsiders, slightly apart from greater British society.
This extreme shift that becomes more obvious with the passage of time has interested me greatly and taught me much about how people see themselves and how that self image dictates huge swathes of cultural development.
What has your experience of podcasting been? What do you love / hate about the process?
It’s been a great experience telling true stories about real people and this has created conditions for more people to be more honest about what being a Dad is. Overall it’s been an honour and a privilege to host this conversation. It’s a beautiful thing that needs to be explored further, there’s nothing to hate and so much to love.
If someone wants to start listening to your podcast, which episode would you recommend they start with? Why?
We did an episode on ‘Overcoming Baby Loss’ which is extremely powerful. Losing a baby is something that affects so many in the Black Community but is so rarely spoken about. In order to understand the power of being a Dad you need to consider what it is to lose a baby.
Which other podcasts do you love listening to?
I listen to Joe Rogan, Ballers Talk, True Geordie and of course Dope Black Mums, Dope Black Women and Dope Black Disabled… they are all telling incredible stories!
If people want to find you online, where can they do so?
You can find us on:
- Instagram: @dopeblackdads
- Twitter: @dopeblackdads
- Facebook: @dopeblackdads
- Listen to our podcast, Dope Black Dads, on both Apple and Spotify!
Read the rest of our Podcast Showcases here and find your new listening addiction from among our features!
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