Tag: BIPOC creators

Five Spelman College NextGen Scholarship Recipients Are Rising to the Top

August 8, 2023

At Spotify, we are empowering and amplifying the voices of underrepresented creators. To do that, we must carve out spaces for new stories and perspectives to be shared and heard. So we created NextGen, our ongoing program designed to infuse, activate, and grow podcast culture on college campuses. Funded by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, this initiative exists to provide students across the U.S. with the skills needed to pursue their dreams.

After initially partnering with the University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University, we’ve expanded our outreach to historically Black college and university (HBCU) campuses. Spelman College in Atlanta is the first HBCU to offer NextGen programming, and as part of that effort, we have provided support for student-led original audio content, hosted special events and training programs, and will soon introduce an on campus podcast recording space.

Earlier this year, we hosted our first NextGen Creator Day at Spelman, where we announced a new audio-first NextGen curriculum, a weeklong Spotify Labs Creator Program, and the Spotify NextGen Scholarship.

The NextGen Scholarship provides multiyear scholarships to five first-year Spelman students interested in pursuing a career in audio media, including podcasting, storytelling, writing, sound engineering, and music. Students must be enrolled full-time and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. To get to know the applicants better, they also had to answer the question, “What story would you love to tell through media?”

After a competitive submission process, we are excited to announce the recipients of the scholarship program: Rokiyah Darbo, Taylor Mills, Ashley Rawls, Bailey Johnson, and Tellisa Massey. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 scholarship during their sophomore, junior, and senior years, and they will also have the option to be Spotify ambassadors. Get to know these talented students and their dreams.

Rokiyah Darbo (she/her)
Major: Biology

How can scholarships and learning opportunities like NextGen help HBCU students?

Black students are already at a disadvantage in this society simply for being Black. Scholarships like NextGen allow Black students to be involved in conversations that can help them build a future and provide financial support to their families.

Who are some creators of color who inspire you and whom you’d want to collaborate with? 

My top three creators are Elsa Majimbo, Anayka She, and Monet McMichael. It would truly be an honor if I ever got the chance to even be in the same room as these beautiful, hilarious, and successful women of color. I began watching all three of them during quarantine, and the reason why I love their content so much is because they are constantly keeping it real with us. They are hilarious, but at the end of the day, they also give really great big sister advice.

What’s one thing you hope to achieve personally or professionally as a creator?

Confidence.

Taylor Mills (she/her)
Major: Theatre and Performance

How can scholarships and learning opportunities like NextGen help HBCU students?

Scholarships and learning opportunities from NextGen have endless possibilities. As a Spelman student, I am very grateful to NextGen because they have helped me financially and shown that they believe in my craft, creating spaces for HBCU students like me to thrive and learn about the business behind our future career goals.

Who are some creators of color who inspire you and whom you’d want to collaborate with? 

Some creators of color that inspire me are @ik.truth, Fydéle, and Janay Trench-Lesley because of their raw talent and content consistency! If I could collaborate with a content creator, it would be Vena E. because she’s unapologetically herself and inspires others to do the same!  

What’s one thing you hope to achieve personally or professionally as a creator?

As a content creator, I’ll continue to motivate people with my comedic twist! I plan to use Spotify NextGen’s resources, improve my craft, and continue to succeed as an HBCU student! 

Ashley Rawls (she/they)
Major: Music

How can scholarships and learning opportunities like NextGen help HBCU students?

Scholarships like NextGen can help HBCU students by providing financial support for those who may be institutionally disadvantaged. It is no secret that HBCUs are often underfunded, which in turn limits scholarship opportunities for students. Scholarships like NextGen help alleviate these challenges. It also allows more Black creatives to be involved in industries that lack diversity and Black representation. By giving HBCU students incredible opportunities like this, it fosters a space where Black people can be appreciated and continues to challenge the norms while maintaining culture. 

Who are some creators of color who inspire you and whom you’d want to collaborate with? 

Definitely Ravyn Lenae. I have been in love with her neo-soul beats and classically trained voice. Her debut album, HYPNOS, was absolutely enchanting, and having the opportunity to see her in concert was one of the highlights of this year for me. Her EP Crush was created in collaboration with one of my other favorite artists, Steve Lacy, and it was the album that made me fall in love with her music. I absolutely adore Steve Lacy and all of the projects that he has produced, so having the two of them on one album was heaven to my ears. I would absolutely love to collaborate with Ravyn and Steve because I feel like they have been the main inspiration for my own music and are really paving the way for modern-day neo-soul. 

What’s one thing you hope to achieve personally or professionally as a creator?

As a musician, I would love to be able to create my own personal sound and share my music with the world. I have always been infatuated with music and believe that my voice, and those of other phenomenal artists, deserves to be heard and recognized. We are the future of music and it is constantly evolving.  

Bailey Johnson (she/her)
Major: Double major in Theater & Performance, and English

How can scholarships and learning opportunities like NextGen help HBCU students?

For HBCU students, scholarships and learning opportunities such as NextGen help remove the boundaries and confinements of a student’s future. For example: Debt or fear of failure or lack of access to education can hold a person back from their future. Behind the locked door is a future that is limitless and inspired. Unfortunately, many people cannot or will not open their doors out of fear and having less fortune. However, I think of these scholarships and learning opportunities as a key that unlocks the door. I am very grateful to Spotify NextGen because they are helping me to pursue a future without limits.

Who are some creators of color who inspire you and whom you’d want to collaborate with? 

I have always been enamored by Meghan Markle and everything that she represents. I love that she started off as an actress who had no desire for the spotlight or the nobility, but she loved becoming a character and telling a story. I admire how she has elegantly accepted that the limelight is now a part of her own story, and instead of trying to hide from the spotlight, she is writing her own narrative. With Archetypes, Meghan tells her story her way and shines the spotlight on the female narrative. Through her podcast, she reminds me that all female stories matter! Meghan is a massive inspiration to me. I applaud her because even when the media tries to tear her down, she always finds a way to build women’s stories up. 

What’s one thing you hope to achieve personally or professionally as a creator?

Professionally, I dream of one day going to my favorite place (the movie theater) and sitting in the middle row, middle seat, with popcorn and an ICEE in hand, and looking up and seeing my face on the screen. I hope to one day see every pore and every blemish I have ever had on a giant theater screen. Personally, I hope that in that theater, I will have a feeling of satisfaction that tells my brain, “Wow. You did it, and I am so proud of you!” And then, after that, I hope to win an Oscar for Best Actress. 

Tellisa Massey (they/them)
Major: Documentary Filmmaking

How can scholarships and learning opportunities like NextGen help HBCU students?

I believe that scholarships provide students with a sense of security so that they don’t have to worry about the financial aspect of going to school. The learning opportunities give students a chance to have a deeper look into certain things they want to pursue and much more. 

Who are some creators of color who inspire you and whom you’d want to collaborate with? 

I have been inspired by many creatives, like Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, and Issa Rae. If I could collaborate with one of them, I would choose Ava DuVernay because she has been able to create meaningful bodies of work while also opening the doors for other creatives. 

What’s one thing you hope to achieve personally or professionally as a creator?

I want to become my best self. People have always said, “You never stop growing.” Although I agree, I also believe that there’s something special when someone is more confident than they were yesterday, feel a little bit happier, or become braver. It’s not a complete 180-degree turn, but it is the process of taking those needed baby steps. So I want to experience that for myself; I want that change, and I want to use my creativity to guide that change.

‘Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s Wins duPont-Columbia Award for Journalism

February 10, 2023

Gimlet_Podcast_Stolen_S2_ShowArt

Journalist Connie Walker often tackles projects that hit close to home, but none compares to the second season of her Gimlet and Spotify Original podcast, Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s. Throughout the eight-episode journey, the Okanese First Nation (Cree) investigative reporter takes a look into her father’s harrowing experiences at a Canadian residential school in the 1960s. She uncovers deep abuses at the hands of school administrators that led to childhood death and adulthood trauma—outcomes that were not unique to St. Michael’s.   

Connie’s deeply personal telling of this harrowing story has made a profound impact on investigative journalism. On February 6, Connie and the Stolen team won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for the series. This prestigious award honors the best in broadcast, documentary, and on-line reporting as selected by peers and fellow journalists. Stolen is the first Spotify or Gimlet podcast to receive a duPont.

For the Record caught up with Connie a few days after the award ceremony to hear more. 

What was your reaction to finding out you won a duPont?

I was thrilled. And also kind of in disbelief. It’s such an incredible award, and just to have that type of recognition for our podcast, it was just so unbelievable and thrilling. I’m still pinching myself. 

Looking back on the season, were there any elements of investigating, recording, or editing that stood out as notable to you?

This is a very different story for me, perhaps because it’s such a personal story. As journalists, we’re often advised not to make yourself part of the story—it’s kind of a taboo thing. And so that was really a big challenge for me personally, to include so much of my personal story and my father’s family story in the podcast. But it also felt like the perfect format for doing that, you know? A serialized investigative podcast allowed us to really explore all the nuance and context that’s so important in understanding not just residential schools but stories about Indigenous people in general. 

Surviving St. Michael’s started out as this really personal story about my father and his experience at a residential school—I never imagined it would end up as one of the most comprehensive investigations into a single residential school. And what we were able to uncover in our investigation was staggering. One thought I had as it was happening was, “This should have happened earlier.” The window for accountability is shrinking, and the window for survivors is shrinking as well. Coming out of this, I feel the urgency to keep on telling these stories. 

The jury commended the series for “its consistent focus in pursuing the truth.” What are your hopes for mainstream media and its future focus on the realities Indigenous people faced and still face? 

I started my career over 20 years ago when there was really very little interest in our communities and very little understanding of the importance of our stories. And to be at this point where now I’m supported to share these stories on Gimlet and Spotify—with the big audiences and the ability to take some of these big risks with our storytelling—it kind of feels to me like a dream come true and something that I just want to continue for as long as I can. There’s been a huge shift in the last 5 to 10 years, not just in terms of an understanding of how important our stories are, but also that Indigenous people should be the ones to tell them. And obviously we all want to keep going. We know there are so many more stories. 

Podcasting is becoming an increasingly accessible medium to historically marginalized creators. What would you like to see more of coming out of Indigenous communities? 

I think it’s fantastic that podcasting is now a platform for us to share these really important journalistic and investigative stories. What I personally would love to see more of is a better representation of the diversity of our experiences. Obviously, as an investigative journalist, I’m going to take on a certain kind of story in a podcast like Stolen, but Indigenous people have so much beauty and humor, and an incredible culture, and so many things to share. I feel like it’s never been easier to share some of those parts of our culture and that diversity that exists in our experiences. But I’d love to see more of that—more laughter, more celebration, more sharing of the beauty and strength of our culture.  

What are you up to next?

We’re already hard at work on Season 3 of Stolen! We’ve already done a few recording trips. Our team is really excited to keep going. Like I said, there are so many stories from our community that need to be told, and I’m excited to shed a spotlight on more of them. 

Catch the first episode of the duPont-winning series below.