Anthem’s BLACK is a series of 31 original speeches, stories, poems and manifestos presented by extraordinary Black voices in the UK. Each episode begins with a “word of the day” which is then expanded upon by individuals through their original contribution, offering the listeners a word to take forward into their day.
Founder of Broccoli Production Ranay Richardson says:
“As a Black person running a company in an extremely White industry, it has always been a priority to help platform the voices of minorities. Black people, speaking their truths, authentically, is one of the main reasons we are so proud and honoured to be making ANTHEMS Black. Black Lives Matter, that’s a fact, we are not a monolith, we are not one thing and we deserve to be heard.”
The podcast features voices such as comedian, Munya Chawawa, journalist, broadcaster & lawyer, Afua Hirsch, poet & educator, Raymond Antrobus and poet & writer, Jade Anouka.
One episode that stood out to us was the episode released on 1 June 2022 featuring the word WATER. Responded to by artist and writer Samra Mayanja, who also participated in UP Projects’ Assembly pilot last year. Her episode is a beautiful spoken word response on the importance of water.
Another episode that stood out to us is the one featuring climate justice activist and mental health advocate, Tori Tsui. Tori is also a cofounder of the Bad Activist Collective which discussed the pressures of navigating “perfect activism in an imperfect world.”