If you’ve followed Tracy Clayton online throughout the years, you’ve probably noticed her endearing and comforting humor.
She most certainly transitioned that online charm over into the podcast world, hosting Another Round (which debuted in 2015) and most recently, Netflix’s Strong Black Legends. Hell, Beyoncé enjoys her, too.
Next up for Clayton? Well, she’s the new host of Mailchimp Presents’ podcast Going Through It. The second season “will feature 14 prominent Black women discussing a pivotal moment in their lives when they decided it was time to make a change.”
Along with confirming the premiere date (July 14!), The Root has obtained the exclusive guest lineup for the second season of the podcast:
Guests (in order of episode appearance):
● Josie Duffy Rice
● Ilhan Omar
● Danielle Brooks
● Cori Murrray
● Naj Austin
● Jenna Wortham
● Meagan Good
● Ashley C. Ford
● Lena Waithe
● Raquel Willis
● Mara Brock Akil
● Angela Davis (The Kitchenista)
● Tika Sumpter
● Tamron Hall
“I was so thrilled to hear that this season would feature black women’s voices and stories,” Clayton told The Root in a statement. “When most of the media companies we look to for news and entertainment are run by white folks, Black women’s stories often get kept away from the microphone because they won’t bring in enough clicks or there just simply isn’t internal interest in them. When a website’s audience is historically white, it makes sense they would stick to mostly white stories to continue catering to that audience. It makes sense, but it also leaves so many people, Black women especially, without images of themselves and their experiences. And also without the healing that comes with sharing our stories.”
Speaking of sharing stories, Clayton, a former staff writer for The Root, has been transparent with her own story, inspiring others to become open with their mental health journey in the aforementioned show Another Round, which she co-hosted with Heben Nigatu. To the surprise of many of its fans and listeners (including me), Buzzfeed ceased production of the popular show in 2017. In June, both Nigatu and Clayton took to Twitter to continue their ongoing fight to retain the rights to the show.
Watching this go down in real-time, I had this previous exchange in the back of my head when I asked Clayton about the importance of Black female creators retaining their autonomy, in general. Especially given the topic of this new podcast she’s hosting, I thought the question was pretty damn timely. It is “evergreen content,” if you will.
“This is why ownership, autonomy, and agency at the companies that produce the stories we consume are so important,” Clayton added in her statement. “No one knows a Black woman’s needs or struggles like a Black woman, and we should be allowed and encouraged to make decisions about which stories get told, how they’re structured, and who presents them. Black women must be trusted as the authorities on our own experiences because it works to strengthen the whole community. In a world not built for you, seeing someone like you makes you feel less alien, less paranoid about who you are; this is why a Black woman telling her story is always an act of revolution. It’s an honor to be able to use Going Through It’s platform to help do that.”
Season 2 of Going Through It debuts on July 14 at 10 a.m. ET and will air weekly. You can listen to Going Through It at mailchimp.com or where ever else you typically listen to podcasts.