Stay ConnectedBlackbelt Voices is rooted in Black Southern traditions of storytelling, solidarity, and resistance. Through conversations with waymakers, culture keepers, truth tellers, and bridge builders, we surface stories that challenge dominant narratives about the South. These stories shape our understanding of ourselves, each other, and the places we call home.
Blackbelt Voices is a production of Blackbelt Media and has been recognized by Apple Podcasts, Oprah Daily, and Vanity Fair.
Copyright: © Blackbelt Media LLC
La'Twana Scott, the owner of Sweet Mama T's in El Dorado, Arkansas, developed a reputation as a great cook at an early age. The El Dorado native enjoys cooking for people and got her start from helping her mom as a child.
Eventually, with the help of Southern Bancorp, Scott found the perfect location for her restaurant. Find out more about Sweet Mama T's by visiting her Facebook page.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
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On episode 37 of Blackbelt Voices, we continue our conversation about Black food, this time focusing on barbecue. Guest Michael “Mike D” De Los Santos of North Carolina walks us through his journey of becoming an expert on the topic, which eventually led to him creating his own sauces and rubs and selling through his company, Mike D’s.
Mike’s journey to becoming a small business owner has uplifting and heartbreaking turns, including the loss of his infant son Aaron, which he wrote about in a book he authored called “My Heart Warrior: Living With HLHS Through A Father’s Eyes.”
Mike and his business was also featured on Discovery Channel’s “I Quit.”
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.
Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.
Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative
The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of
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In episode 36 of Blackbelt Voices, Adena and Kara continue the conversation about Black food culture – this time from an agricultural angle. Our guest, Gerald Harris, along with his partners Derek Beasley and Gabrielle E.W. Carter (who was featured in the Netflix series High on the Hog as well as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal)started Tall Grass Food Box, a community-supported agricultural model (CSA).
Gerald told us about a Tuskegee professor named Booker T. Whatley who many call the godfather of CSA. He is best known for his regenerative farming system, in combination with the direct-marketing concept of a customer harvesting operation known as pick-your-own. Dr. Whatley has been said to be 30 years ahead of his time. Lots of experts in the field still refer to his 10 commandments for small farmers.
Gerald also pointed to the 1920 Census, which shows the number of Black farmers in America Peaked at 949,889. In 2019 there were just over 45,000 Black farmers according to figures from the US Department of Agriculture.
Tall Grass was born out of the pandemic. So Gerald says they’ve learned a lot about the CSA business space, who they could trust, and how to help. They have been expanding. Some other positive outcomes include they now have a refrigerated vehicle. Those funds were raised by their community and people who wanted to see them succeed.
Thanks to Gerald for being a guest on our podcast. Check out Tall Grass on Facebook or Instagram or send them a note via email: hello@tallgrassnc.com.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.
Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.
Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative
The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We’re starting a new series of episodes about Black Food Culture, which is a very broad topic to tackle. It can be fun, but it is also deep. Ashante Reese, Ph.D. is a writer, teacher, and anthropologist who works at the intersection of critical food studies and Black geographies. Her latest book, “Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice, enters two conversations at once: one that concerns the persistent threats to Black life and another that concerns problems produced by the increasingly global and corporatized food system.”
Dr. Reese recommends some texts for our listeners who are interested in learning more about BlackFood studies. They include Building Houses out of Chicken Legs by Psyche A. Williams-Forson; and Dethroning the Deceitful Porkchop, a collection of essays that basically interrogate the concept of soul food.
And for an even deeper dive, here are some of Reese's food-related recommended readings.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.
Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.
Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative
The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jennifer Williams of Cleveland, Mississippi, always knew she wanted to be a teacher. When she was a girl, her favorite game was playing school.
Williams is teaching future teachers at the Cleveland Career Development and Technology Center. Once a week, her students get to serve as teacher's assistants, giving them a realistic feel of what it could be like to run a classroom. The center offers a practical learning environment designed to prepare students for employment or future study in various skill areas ranging from auto mechanics and welding to health and public safety.
As an adult, Williams continues to learn and pass along those lessons to her students. Several years ago, she went through some financial hardship and needed extra funds to get her through to the next month. A friend suggested she try a payday lender. Nine loans later and drowning in debt, Williams found help with Southern Bancorp.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
On episode 33 of the Blackbelt Voices podcast, we are continuing our discussion on the Cost of Racism. This week we’re focused on building community wealth with Tim Lampkin, the CEO and founder of Higher Purpose Co., a 501(c)(3) economic justice nonprofit that supports and encourages ownership of financial, cultural, and political power in Black communities.
Tim Lampkin, for about as long as he could remember, always had a passion for helping others and being a part of something bigger than himself. His life journey and mentor helped shaped him into the entrepreneur he is today.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.
Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.
Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative
The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Cheryl Hampton grew up on a farm in Marianna on the same property where her great-great-grandfather lived. He grew lots of vegetables in his garden including sweet potatoes, greens, and okra. Cheryl still lives and gardens on the property today. When her nieces and nephews come to visit she shows them everything she knows, and they’re always excited to learn. https://blackbeltvoices.com/2021/12/28/turn-to-your-neighbor-cheryl-hampton
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Episode 31 of the Blackbelt Voices podcast begins a new series of episodes called the Cost of Racism. During the next month, we’ll dive into the ideas of economic equity and building wealth for Black communities. Today’s guest is Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp.
Williams, who studied law and practiced as a lawyer for many years, wanted to help people understand money, climb out of poverty and bridge the racial wealth gap.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.
Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.
Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative
The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This Turn to Your Neighbor segment features Amanda Hunter, a registered nurse who lives in Central Arkansas. Amanda is very interested in exploring her family tree. She wanted to see how far she could go back into her family’s history and found through her journey a valuable perspective she applies directly to her own life.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Happy Thanksgiving, Blackbelt Voices fam. In this week’s episode we’re talking about genealogy. It is part of the “Preserving our History” series. For Nicka Sewell-Smith, learning about her family history is much more than a hobby. Nicka has more than 20 years of experience as a genealogist and has learned so much about not only her own family, but also American History. We think you’ll enjoy listening to our conversation with Nicka, and when you’re done check out her web series, BlackProGen LIVE.
Season 3 of Blackbelt Voices is brought to you by Southern Bancorp.
Southern Bancorp is one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions, founded to provide underserved communities with access to capital and the wealth-building tools needed to grow. On the web at BankSouthern.com and SouthernPartners.org.
CONNECT WITH BLACKBELT VOICES
Follow @BlackbeltVoices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share your thoughts about this episode and all things Black + Southern on social media using the hashtag #BlackbeltVoices.
CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Edited and produced by: Katrina Dupins and Prentice Dupins Jr.
Music: Prentice Dupins Jr.
Logo Design: Kara Darling Creative
The Blackbelt Voices podcast is a production of Blackbelt Media LLC.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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