What I'm Listening To

People often ask what podcasts I listen to. Here are the ones I'm most excited about right now.

I’m listening to a fourteen part series of podcasts on the history of racism. It is called, Seeing White, and it is produced by Scene On Radio, which in turn is a podcast put out by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

First of all, Seeing White. I’m six episodes in and I think I need to begin again. This is about the history of racism in the world, and particularly in our country. There is so much that I didn’t know, that I wish I had known, that I should have known. The problem is bigger than I can understand, but that is not an excuse to stop trying. I need to begin again because I need to learn it better.

Second, Scene on Radio. There are other podcasts not part of this series that are also worthy documentaries for your ears. One I listened to was titled, Losing Ground. That one is worth a listen for anyone who farms or is interested in farming. What is it like to be an African American farmer in the United States? There is so much that makes it harder. This one especially resonated because this farmer is raising antibiotic and hormone free hogs like we are. Only now he's not, but for that story, you'll need the podcast.

The family in Losing Ground is also one of the featured families in a four part series called Five Farms: Stories From American Farm Families. I’ve listened to the first, and part of the second episode of this and loved it. Farming is different everywhere, and people deal differently with the issues confronted in farming. This is an honest look from very different farmers, including the black couple featured in Losing Ground, but also a Hopi family farm using ancient farming methods passed down for generations, a California organic farm, a Massachusetts dairy, beef, and maple syrup farm, and an Iowa diversified farm. Each episode visits all five farms during one season of the year, so by the end, your have a year of farming on five farms. Wow.

Scene on Radio also has a lot of other tempting series. Exploring their site may lead to other great discoveries.

Other podcasts I recommend include Code Switch, which is put out by NPR. This one also focuses on race and is worth the listen.

For lighter heartwarming relational fare, Story Corps is a podcast of interviews collected in story-telling booths across the United States. These interviews are initiated by the participants, so you hear people who know each other, and who want to know each other better. Frequently I find myself moved by the stories they share.

Being from the Mennonite denomination, I’ve been enjoying the Peace lab podcast. There are a lot of good episodes to choose from. I haven’t yet listened to the latest one on Mennonite Disaster Service response to the hurricane damage in Houston. I did hear the previous episode which is an interview with Sarah Thompson from Christian Peacmaker Teams, about Charlottesville, CPT, and confrontational non-violence. This one is definitely worth hearing. But don’t stop there. A lot of interesting interviews are in the list of past podcasts.

And finally, the Shalom Sistas Podcast, put out by Osheta Moore and some of her friends. Together they explore what it means to live out everyday life in light of the shalom that God desires. This one took me a bit to get into, but Osheta and her co-hosts are authentic and unvarnished as they spur each other on to explore what it means to live out their faith. I’m hooked now.

Of course, being a bit of a podcast addict, I listen to other podcasts as well. But these are the ones that get priority. Hope you enjoy them.