Listen To The Latest Episode of The Window about Black Fatherhood

In late April, Spotify debuted a podcast that listed timely and invaluable as two of its many assets. The Window podcast dropped its first episode on April 29 about life under quarantine. Every week since then, The Window has released episodes (about 18 minutes in length) about the challenges during lockdown.

In compelling episodes, voices include a Georgia hairstylist trying to reopen and keep her clients safe, an Amazon warehouse fired from his job for speaking out about working conditions, a mother of two battling and then recovering from COVID-19 and a century-old Chinatown restaurant that has been anchor of the New York City neighborhood.

Photo by Retha Ferguson from Pexels

In the latest episode, entitled “The Joys & Challenges of Black Fatherhood,” The Window hears from Glen Henry, well known for his YouTube channel, “Beleaf In Fatherhood,” which candidly dissects the meaning of life as a Black father with his wife, Yvette and their four kids. As our nation continues to grapple with the ongoing battles against racial injustice, this latest episode (#10) offers a look into Black life through a different lens: celebrating of Black family, Black love, and Black joy - all ahead of Father’s Day.

Glen recounts his reactions to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the many lives tragically lost to police brutality and shares how Tamir Rice has influenced the way he parents his 7-year-old son, Theo. The father and son duo then sit down to confront the subject of racism but also share what they love about being unapologetically Black.

During the episode, Henry discusses on the most persistent Black father stereotype.
“The biggest misconception about black fathers. Black fatherhood. Is that we are not around. That's like the biggest thing. Black dads are not around, right? It's not true. All the men I know love their kids. And a lot of the men that they know will hold them accountable to their love for their kids. We don't,​ we don't allow children to be without their fathers. And if that happens, unfortunately, in some way, shape or form, we fill in the gaps. That's what the community does.”

The Window episode on "Black Fatherhood." Listen here.

In this episode, Henry recounts his feelings about the trauma experienced in response to the killings of Ahmaud Arberry, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.

“After I watched Philando Castille die, I told myself I wasn't going to watch any more black men get murdered or black women get murdered. Because it's traumatizing. It's enough to make you want to quit. It is numbing for me. So when I heard about the killing of Ahmaud and George Floyd and I received the link to watch it.... I didn't watch it. I understand that I have to be a part of the solution. And sometimes that means I can't consume as much.”

Addressing what’s next for the fight against racial injustice, Henry observes, "I just hope they keep their same energy because we gonna need it. Because once this thing is over and people are kind of onto the next thing. We still gonna be fighting for our children. We still gonna be fighting for our brothers and sisters. We still gonna be fighting for ourselves. And we still have to do this regardless if they're down or not.”

The Window is a Gimlet production and the podcast demonstrates Spotify's financial, creative and organizational commitment to podcasting. In 2019, Spotify purchased Gimlet Media and has expanded its lineup of quality podcasts and made it easier for its listeners to find and organize their podcasts on its platform.

Check out The Window podcast on Spotify and view this new landscape we live in through the eyes of people like you and I who try to turn tragedy into triumph.