EPISODE · Jul 7, 2026 · 43 MIN
They Didn’t Just Escape. They Planned It. | The Underground Railroad & Black Resistance
from Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda
How do we move beyond stories of victimhood to stories of Black ingenuity and resistance?In this special summer Feedwarmer, Aiwan and Tamanda explore the power of audio storytelling to reshape how we understand Black history and agency.Aiwan pulls back the curtain on her experience producing "Escape the Underground Railroad" - the official companion podcast to Barry Jenkins’ acclaimed Amazon Prime series. And dives deep into another experience of producing the Small Axe companion podcast, to reflect on what happens when podcasting, film and historical research come together to centre Black agency rather than passive victimhood.From a surreal first meeting with Sir Steve McQueen to being "whipped into shape" by legendary executive producer Isis Thompson, Aiwan shares the steep learning curve of bringing cinematic sound design to the podcasting world.This is a conversation about who gets to write the story, the "silly games" systems play, the responsibility of telling history well, and why we must give people their flowers while they can still smell them.🎙️In this episode:The Cincinnati 28: How a group of enslaved people used the ultimate "hidden in plain sight" tactic to secure their freedom.The Power of Companion Podcasts: Why audio allows for a "deeper dive" into history than film or TV can often provide.Working with Luminaries: Insights from collaborating with Barry Jenkins and Steve McQueen.The "Rigour" of Academics: The challenge (and joy) of translating dense historical research into captivating, human-centric stories.Sonic World-Building: How artists like Lex Amor are redefining the "cinematic" sound of modern podcasting.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more critical deep-dives into history, storytelling and public scholarship.☕ Want to support the show? Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mFX1ccU9ErA 🔁 Share with someone thinking about systems, power and change Please rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes.Connect with us on:TikTokInstagramLinkedInAiAi StudiosRoots & RigourThis is an AiAi Studios Production©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
How do we move beyond stories of victimhood to stories of Black ingenuity and resistance?In this special summer Feedwarmer, Aiwan and Tamanda explore the power of audio storytelling to reshape how we understand Black history and agency.Aiwan pulls back the curtain on her experience producing "Escape the Underground Railroad" - the official companion podcast to Barry Jenkins’ acclaimed Amazon Prime series. And dives deep into another experience of producing the Small Axe companion podcast, to reflect on what happens when podcasting, film and historical research come together to centre Black agency rather than passive victimhood.From a surreal first meeting with Sir Steve McQueen to being "whipped into shape" by legendary executive producer Isis Thompson, Aiwan shares the steep learning curve of bringing cinematic sound design to the podcasting world.This is a conversation about who gets to write the story, the "silly games" systems play, the responsibility of telling history well, and why we must give people their flowers while they can still smell them.🎙️In this episode:The Cincinnati 28: How a group of enslaved people used the ultimate "hidden in plain sight" tactic to secure their freedom.The Power of Companion Podcasts: Why audio allows for a "deeper dive" into history than film or TV can often provide.Working with Luminaries: Insights from collaborating with Barry Jenkins and Steve McQueen.The "Rigour" of Academics: The challenge (and joy) of translating dense historical research into captivating, human-centric stories.Sonic World-Building: How artists like Lex Amor are redefining the "cinematic" sound of modern podcasting.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more critical deep-dives into history, storytelling and public scholarship.☕ Want to support the show? Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mFX1ccU9ErA 🔁 Share with someone thinking about systems, power and change Please rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes.Connect with us on:TikTokInstagramLinkedInAiAi StudiosRoots & RigourThis is an AiAi Studios Production©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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They Didn’t Just Escape. They Planned It. | The Underground Railroad & Black Resistance
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