Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Smith.
Kayla, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been intrigued by the intersections of storytelling, social justice, and blackness. As an Honors student, International Studies major with a concentration in diplomacy, I intentionally found and joined programs that could develop me further as a scholar-activist. These interests led me to find community in the Social Justice Program. Spelman’s Social Justice Program, initiated in the fall of 2011, is a living and learning programmatic initiative that creates opportunities for a select group of Spelman women to “make a choice to change the world through social justice advocacy.” I joined as an associate of the program in Fall 2018.
When I became a fellow of the program in Fall 2019, I wanted to create an initiative rooted at the intersection of storytelling and the archives, specifically the Spelman archives. I wanted to add to the Spelman archives by capturing and preserving current students’ voices because our voices contribute to the revolutionary legacy and agency of Spelmanites. Additionally, I wanted to expose my peers to the archives and find a way to put current students in conversation with past Spelmanites. The idea of creating a podcast came to me because I knew it would be the perfect vessel to preserve student voices in this digital age. Plus, I was intentional about finding a medium that would allow people to focus solely on our voices, on our stories.
So, I got to work and began a deep dive into the ins and outs of podcasting. By the end of September 2019, I approached the Spelman Social Justice Program Director with my pitch, and she fell in love with my idea. For the rest of the fall semester, I focused on researching the podcast’s needs and writing the critical documents for it. After laying out all the podcast aspects, I realized I was missing two things: a name for the podcast and a team. One day in the dorm, I was brainstorming titles for the podcast with one of my friends. We were throwing around names until she suggested the “Blue Record.” I decided to go with The Blue Record (TBR) because it pays homage to Ida B Wells’ groundbreaking Red Record and carries on her torch of social justice integrity and inquiry. With a title secured, I began to reach out to some of my peers and pitch to them the idea of the podcast and see if they would join me on this venture. By the end of February 2020, my team and I were assembled and ready to begin thinking about when to launch the podcast.
When Spelman had to send students home due to the pandemic, I became uncertain whether a podcast launch was still possible. However, if there is one thing about a Spelmanite, we know how to pivot. With our advisors’ blessings in Spelman’s Social Justice program and the scrappiness of my team, we found the platforms, software, and tools needed to get our podcast off the ground remotely. Our biggest win was launching our first episode on our institution’s Founder’s Day. We released that episode for sentimental reasons and reminded our collegiate community of the strength, love, and legacy of the Spelman sister-siblinghood.
Most importantly, we were able to underscore our commitment to initiating conversation with our past by engaging with the Spelman archives to discuss the trajectory of our beloved institution’s future. To accomplish this feat during the pandemic and be recognized by our institution’s administration was indeed an honor. I am proud of the feats we’ve accomplished thus far and our role in sustaining community ties in virtual space.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My initial plans for the podcast had to adjust due to the pandemic. Even with this obstacle, my team and I knew how vital this podcast would be for our community in these strange times. We knew that this podcast could be transformative, and a space to center Black women and femmes’ voices as the subject; to highlight how our voices are essential to every conversation. Our hope with this podcast is to showcase Black collegiate womxn and contribute to the ever-growing physical and digital archive of Spelman voices. This podcast is an extension of my team’s love for the Spelman community and my commitment to social justice work. And that is what the Blue Record Podcast is a product of, loving Blackness and Black womxnhood.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
The Blue Record (TBR) is the official podcast for Spelman College, run by the Social Justice Fellowship Program. It is a collegiate podcast hosted by the womxn of Spelman College. The mission of the podcast is to critique counterproductive ideologies and discourses that interrupt the mobility of Black womxn in society. Paying homage to Ida B Wells’ groundbreaking “Red Record,” the “Blue Record” will continue to carry the torch of social justice integrity and inquiry through the authentic voices of collegiate Black womxn. As the first podcast with a focus on Black and womxn’s collegiate life, the goal of the Blue Record is to initiate and continue dialogue on intersectional topics through a Black feminist lens whilst engaging our past through archival findings and research.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have initiated to podcast earlier so that I could have more time to see it grow. However, I am a big believer that timing is everything, and I know that when I graduate, the podcast will continue to thrive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebluerecordpodcast.com/
- Email: bluerecord@spelman.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebluerecord/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Blue-Record-Podcast-103709704632423/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebluerecord/
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blue-record/id1505149014
Image Credit:
Headshot & Profile Shot: Gabrielle Morse
The Blue Record Images: The Blue Record Podcast Team
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