Radio
Shani Jamila is a founding member of the Decipher collective, a strip of radio programming that highlights progressive hip hop and politics. Her talk show airs in the nation's capitol every Tuesday at 10pm on Pacifica Radio's WPFW 89.3FM, and streams live worldwide at www.wpfw.org. For the past five years the program has been here to catalogue the major cultural moments and figures in Black history and culture - both domestically and internationally. The sample shows you'll find here highlight some of this work.Shorts
Shani Jamila AircheckShani’s aircheck is a collection of highlights from her work in the media over the years.
This compilation, which was assembled to commemorate the occasion of our 100th show, features the entire original crew: co-hosts Shani Jamila, Dr. Jared Ball, Dr. Mark Bolden and DJ 2 Tone Jones.
Every week the Blackademics show provides a platform for grown folks hip hop – local and independent artists, the B-sides, experimental music and of course a touch of old school. This piece, mixed by Jared Ball, captures the music and the message of our show.
Poets & Writers
Kwame DawesListen in to a lively program as Shani and the prolific Ghanaian/Jamaican writer Kwame Dawes discuss everything from Bob Marley and Black internationalism to the Calabash Literary Festival and Dawes’ debut novel She’s Gone. (May 2007)
How is literary activism defined? What is the role of poets in a time of war? What were some of the major moments in the chronology of Black writing over the 20th and 21st centuries? Miller joined Shani to address these questions, as well as to talk about his own writings and career. (December 2006)
During this show Shani asks the award winning wordsmith Patricia Smith to trace the story of her childhood and explain how those experiences have informed her practices as a writer, teacher and performer. This sparked a conversation about the slam poetry scene, Smith’s recommended reads and a recitation of one of Shani’s favorite poems. (September 2007)
African American Culture and Politics
Susan L. Taylor and AB SpellmanShani’s guests on this program were Susan L. Taylor, Editor Emeritus of ESSENCE magazine and Chair of the National Cares Mentoring Movement, and renowned poet and arts administrator AB Spellman. These deeply inspirational interviews highlight the evolution of Susan’s career and the release of AB’s poetry book Things I Must Have Known. (April 2008)
In this wide-ranging interview with Columbia University’s Dr. Marc Lamont Hill a range of questions are addressed. What was really going on with the town hall meetings on health care? How can we use hip hop as a pedagogical tool? What’s up with the “stop snitching” and “no homo” movements? Tune in to learn about all this and more. (August 2009)
This was the first Blackademics show to hit the airwaves after Katrina. It is a passionate explication of the historical context of the massive government failures in the wake of the storm. We also get into a discussion of Kanye West’s statements and the passing of Supreme Court Justice Rehnquist. Shani co-hosted this show with Dr. Jared Ball, and our guests were Dr. William Jelani Cobb of Spelman College and Dr. James Turner of Cornell University. (September 2005)
African Diaspora
Dr. Sheila WalkerJoin a conversation in progress with Dr. Walker, renowned anthropologist and author of African Roots, American Cultures. This fascinating interview between two world traveling women features an in depth discussion about retentions, languages and cultures in the African diaspora. (December 2006)
Shani was pleased to welcome Dr. Edwards, Columbia University professor and author of The Practice of Diaspora, as her guest for this show. Press play to hear a conversation about jazz studies, women in the African diasporic arts scene, and the Pan African Congresses. (February 2008)
Me as Interviewee
Night Talk with Dr. Ron DanielsNight Talk, a program that aired on WBAI in New York, was hosted by Dr. Ron Daniels. Shani was invited to discuss her perspective on the inauguration of President Barack Obama, as highlighted in her article “Dispatches from DC.” (January 2009)
This poetry show, which airs weekly on Howard University’s WHUR 96.3FM, has profiled an array of acclaimed artists. This interview is excerpted from Shani’s second time being featured on the program. It includes a discussion of her personal journey and readings of a couple of her poems. (February 2009)