Well over a year ago, Angela Russell had the idea to create a space where Wisconsin’s Black folks could find “a few moments to breathe.”
In July, she launched the podcast Black Oxygen with Madison365 to provide an hour every week for Black Wisconsinites to get to know one of their own, to dig into authentic issues, and learn how to breathe, survive and thrive.
As of last week, more than 10,000 people have taken the opportunity to breathe in some of that Black Oxygen.
“It certainly does feel like it has momentum on its own,” said Russell, who is also vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at CUNA Mutual Group.
Each edition features an intimate, authentic interview with a Black Wisconsin resident. Some guests were born and raised here, some came later in life. Many are leaders in a variety of fields.
With 24 interviews under her belt, Russell said it’s been hard but necessary work.
“The thing that has surprised me more than the actual amount of work, is actually how much I needed it. I did not know how much this was something that I personally needed and how much it would become a part of my life,” she said.
Russell said preparing for, conducting and editing the interviews has become a kind of ritual for her — and listening has become a ritual for hundreds of people.
“I think it’s become a ritual for a whole variety of folks that tune in weekly, honestly. And it’s been interesting,” she said. “My mom moved to Madison five years ago, and she’s like, ‘I wish I had this when I moved here. This is so helpful.’ I know that a friend of mine in Seattle tunes in every week, and then she shares it on her Instagram. So it’s the consistency with how people are tuning in is really cool. I’m amazed that we got to 10,000. I would love to get a hundred thousand, of course, and I want to help spread the message that this is a really quality podcast where we feature and highlight the black voices throughout Wisconsin that are quite special.”
Russell said the show serves a “dual purpose,” creating a space where Black folks can relate and non-Black folks can learn.
“When I created it, it was literally for Black folks to get some oxygen, to hear from each other,” she said. “And I’m not naive. I know we’re in Wisconsin. And I know that a lot of folks who are not black would find this podcast interesting and helpful and intriguing. My hope is that more and more people get to know about it. And I have also been surprised that that even though the focus is Wisconsin, the things that I’ve heard from other folks across the country, whether it’s Seattle or North Carolina or Alabama or Texas, is that the message still resonates with other folks, even outside of Wisconsin.”
Some guests said the experience was a breath of fresh air for them, too.
“I was honored and I think it’s an amazing show that definitely is going to continue to grow and also create that space where we can have a platform as black and brown folks to actually in a lot of ways get vulnerable so that we can actually heal,” said medical massage therapist and personal trainer LaCouir Yancey, who was a guest in early November.
“Being a guest on Black Oxygen was therapeutic,” said Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, who was a guest on a special episode in August. “The conversation was vulnerable, raw, and critically important especially in 2020. Angela hands down has a gift for facilitating powerful and necessary conversations that humanize us as leaders, and showing that Black folks are full people with a wide array of emotions.”
Black Oxygen is available free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are available, including the Madison365 Podcasts page. New episodes are available every Monday.
