When many people think about blacks in the South, they think about the past – the Civil War and the fight for civil rights. A podcast, debuting today, seeks to move that conversation forward to current issues faced by black Southerners, and specifically black Southern women.
"When I was growing up, I was told, 'You know, there's no such thing as a black cowboy or a black cowgirl," says DaLyah Jones, a KUT reporter and co-host of "Two and Fro." "And I kind of want to change that perception. ... We do have this type of Southern culture that nobody really talks about."
Jones and her co-host, Texas State University communication student Jacquelyn Carter, say the podcast is a combination of interviews, music, poetry and personal musings focusing on underrepresented communities and issues related to black Southern women.
Jones and Carter say they plan to discuss topics such as the black Southern dialect, missing black women in Southern hip-hop and black women activists of the rural South.
Each episode will end with a personal "Two and Fro" moment from each of the hosts. In one of the early episodes, Carter encourages black women to prioritize their own well-being:
“As black women ... we don’t even speak for ourselves. We often advocate for others. And that kind of translates into our mental health. We always put others before ourselves, before we take care of ourselves. And we always want to make it easier for everyone else and end up taking that burden. My 'Two and Fro' moment is ... that it’s OK to take care of your mental health. It’s OK to take a step back and not feel weak in doing so.”
KUT's Jennifer Stayton talked about the new podcast with Jones, who promises it won't sound like many other podcasts out there:
