5 Important Podcasts To Download By Canadian BIPOC Creators

During the pandemic, more people have turned to podcasts in order to stay informed and connected. We’ve also seen an important shift in attention to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. 2020 has been a year of change, and as we continue to #StayHome (when possible), what better way to educate yourself than by listening to Canadian BIPOC creators in the media space? 

Here are five podcasts to help you increase your awareness amidst another social distancing crack down. 

1. The Secret Life of Canada

Canadian pod recommendations welcome. https://t.co/CSNXLeVTF9

— The Secret Life of Canada (@secretlifeofCAD) August 28, 2020

The Secret Life of Canada is a podcast that talks about people, places and events that your high school history class might’ve skipped over. Co-hosted by Leah Simone-Bowen and Falen Johnson, a first generation Black Canadian and Mohawk and Tuscarora from Six Nations, The Secret Life of Canada sheds light on the untold truths of our country’s complicated history – like the checkered past of the Hudson’s Bay blanket. 

The CBC podcast is now in its third season and new episodes come out every two weeks. 

2. Black Tea 

Sit Down With Us And Grab a Cup of Black Tea – KiSS 92.5 https://t.co/KTS0EefKGa

— Dalton Higgins (@daltonhiggins5) August 31, 2020

Do you know what it’s like to be Black in Canada? Torontonians Dalton Higgins (publicist, author, award-winning journalist, and festival producer) and Melayna Williams (anti-racism advocate, writer, and cultural critic) spill the tea on important issues relevant to the Black community in our country and around the world. Prepare yourself to learn, laugh and get uncomfortable as Higgins and Williams guide you through necessary conversations surrounding race.  

Black Tea is presented by Fido in the Frequency Podcast Network. Currently in its second season, episodes drop weekly.

3. Colour Code

THIS SEPTEMBER: Colour Code, a podcast about race in Canada, hosted by me and @HannahSung. Subscribe noooooow⤵https://t.co/M3ZTelSHUc

— Denise Balkissoon (@balkissoon) August 24, 2016

Co-hosted by media veterans Denise Balkissoon and Hannah Sung, Colour Code was a project by the Globe and Mail. In an episode called The Most Visible Minority, the duo interview Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey about being visible minorities in high-profile positions. Colour Code shot to number seven on iTunes’ Canadian podcast charts when it first launched in September 2016 and claimed the number one spot shortly after.

4. Born and Raised

That @HuffPostCanada podcast I produce? We're BACK! This season of Born And Raised, @alishakapishaa & I share love stories, as told by Canadians from immigrant families.

❤️ Listen to the first two eps❤️
🎧 HuffPost: https://t.co/WnsfhWWPj5
🎧 Apple: https://t.co/yNVE0f5xL6 pic.twitter.com/7aqVGSSBVc

— Al Donato – offline, read header (@gollydrat) September 30, 2019

Where are you really from? is a loaded question that many BIPOC are familiar with. Born And Raised, presented by HuffPost Canada editors Alisha Sawhney and Al Donato, takes a look at the experiences of second-generation Canadians. Part storytelling and part self-reflection, it focuses on the connections between identity, family, and culture. Sawhney and Donato break down parenthood, coming out, romance, sex, and more.

5. Sleepover with Sook-Yin Lee 

Canada Day @CBCradio Special: Sleepover Native Child &the Full Moon July 1st 4-6PM @SookYinLee searches for an institution to sleep over at, meets 3 resilient Indigenous youth who interact w/ @NCFST. Hear about their lives, experiences, challenges https://t.co/HNkxI2zukP🔥🌟❤️ pic.twitter.com/7bpzUlLAtv

— SleepoverCBC (@SleepoverCBC) June 30, 2018

Sleepover with Sook-Yin Lee does not promote itself as a podcast on racism. Self-labeled as an “unusual social experiment”, Lee, a well-rounded storyteller and former MuchMusic VJ, brings three complete strangers together for 24 hours. In each episode, a guest opens up about a personal issue which prompts the others to offer advice. The latest episode features three Indigenous youths who are connected by similar yet unique struggles.