There’s some irony in freedom because freedom is inherently unfree. It’s something to be defended, fought for, stood up for. It’s been hard-won in a lot of our history. It’s also elusive. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes, it isn’t even an option. So, what is freedom? How do you know when you have it? What does it sound like? How do you get more of it? This episode works to create some cognitive dissonance, on purpose, between the sounds of freedom and the reality of it. With the live sounds of Independence Day, and a candid conversation with Speech, lead MC and singer of the band Arrested Development. He is fighting for freedom in his own way.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing as well as discussions of sexual abuse*** In part two of “Stories from the spotlight,” we continue our deep dive into the problematic nature of the music industry, the roots of misogyny in hip-hop, and unpack what it takes to stay safe, healthy and true to yourself as a female musician of color.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing as well as discussions of sexual abuse*** Fame, or the idea of it, is deeply woven into our society. It’s currency — people knowing you, knowing your name, knowing your art — can be priceless for an artist. Something to spend your whole life seeking. But fame also comes at a cost, and for young women of color in the music industry, and those costs have names. They are: financial devastation, mental health challenges, violence and sexual assault. In this two-part episode of Homegoings, we’ll pull back the curtain and hear from three female musicians and an expert about what it means to be ambitious, broke and brown and Black in the music industry.

Earlier this year, we hosted a special night at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont. Five of the artists featured in our podcast took to the stage for a magical evening of poetry, music, dance and comedy. On this episode of Homegoings, we’ll hear highlights from that one night in February.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Tracy “The D.O.C.” Curry is the OG of hip-hop, one of the originators of the genre itself. In 1989, a horrible car accident damaged his vocal cords at the height of his career. On this episode of Homegoings, Tracy shares how he found his voice and his purpose again on the other side of tragedy.

“How do people who identify as Black but have a white parent identify with that part of them? What are the complicated issues, if any? How do you manage day to day?” These are the questions posed by listener Janice Solek-Tefft that we’ll seek to answer in this episode of Homegoings. Myra Flynn shares her own experiences and speaks with three other biracial individuals as they discuss what it’s like to hold two of the world’s most opposing races in one body.

***A heads up: This episode contains strong language and unbleeped swearing*** Forget about aging in place, how about aging in paradise? For the launch of season two, Homegoings goes out of the country, to Mexico, for a conversation with Angel Clouthier and her grandmother Jean, a duo who are defining elder care in their own creative and colorful way.

Homegoings is a show that invites listeners to be a fly on the wall, privy to candid and genuine conversations about race. Host and musician Myra Flynn explores themes that fearlessly straddle that line between necessary and uncomfortable, as she speaks with artists, experts and regular folks all over the country about their literal skin in the game — of everyday life. Homegoings is storytelling — with a heartbeat. No topic is off the table, and there’s no such thing as going “too deep.” These are the conversations that are our birthright to have, and the stories we are lucky to hear.

Rachel Anne Dolezal became infamous when, in 2015, while deep in her work as an activist for Black and civil rights, a local TV news crew interviewed her and asked: “Are you African American?” Rachel froze. Turned from the camera and walked away. At the same time, Rachel's parents, Larry and Ruth Dolezal, outed Rachel as being born biologically white. While Rachel acknowledged this was true, she doubled down on her chosen identity, which she describes “racially as human and culturally as Black.” In this two-part final episode of season one of Homegoings, we catch up with Rachel to hear what’s changed in her world since then, and what hasn’t. And challenge the idea of race as a social construct — can it be deconstructed?

Rachel Anne Dolezal became infamous when, in 2015, while deep in her work as an activist for Black and civil rights, a local TV news crew interviewed her and asked: “Are you African American?” Rachel froze. Turned from the camera and walked away. At the same time, Rachel's parents, Larry and Ruth Dolezal, outed Rachel as being born biologically white. While Rachel acknowledged this was true, she doubled down on her chosen identity, which she describes “racially as human and culturally as Black.” In this two-part final episode of season one of Homegoings, we catch up with Rachel to hear what’s changed in her world since then, and what hasn’t. And challenge the idea of race as a social construct — can it be deconstructed?

Sweeney Grabin wants to know how to maintain her family’s Indian and Jewish cultures for her 2-year-old daughter, Maya, while living in Vermont, a predominantly white state. This episode originally appeared on Vermont Public’s show Brave Little State – and now we’re sharing it here with you.

***A heads up: This episode contains real conversations about suicide..*** Grief. It’s a word with certain acceptable adjectives attached. Words like: layered and complicated, hard and complex. Sad. But there are other words some might feel too scared to admit belong in the conversation describing grief. Words like: liberation, ease and even relief. In this episode, we speak with three Latina women in southern California who have lost someone recently. In a lot of ways, these stories are about the people they lost. But in many ways, they’re also about the them they have found after.