Angela Neal-Barnett, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences was recently honored with both the 2024 (or Webby Awards) and a regional for her exceptional contributions on the Evergreen Podcasts and NPR Ideastream podcast “,” an impactful exploration of the health and well-being of Black women in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Living For We” is a compelling 11-episode podcast series that features thoughtful interviews and insightful commentary about the health and well-being of Black women in Cleveland. In 2020, that ranked Cleveland dead last in terms of livability for Black women.
“On ‘Living For We,’ we talk to Cleveland's Black women about their experiences at work, at school, in the doctor's office and in the community,” Neal-Barnett said. “We want to know if Cleveland is really as bad as they say it is for Black women.”
The podcast approaches a topic that could be very negative and deflating, but instead focuses on the empowerment of Black women who are not waiting for others to improve their situation. Black women lifting up each other is the meaning behind the title, “Living For We.”
“These awards highlight Dr. Neal-Barnett’s dedication to advancing the understanding of psychological and social issues affecting marginalized communities and her commitment to fostering positive change through media,” Karin G. Coifman, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences at Kent State, said.
Neal-Barnett served as the psychological expert for the podcast. She provided elevating advice and commentary as well as practical tools and tips to help Black women survive and thrive in Cleveland.
In addition to Neal-Barnett, award-winning team members included:
- Marlene Harris-Taylor: Host and Executive Producer, Director of Engaged Journalism at Ideastream Public Media.
- HeyFranHey: Creative Director and Contributing Producer, renowned for her engaging content creation and community engagement.
- Chinenye Nkemere: Researcher and Contributor, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at Enlightened Solutions, instrumental in the development of Project Noir.
- Bethany Studenic: Researcher and Contributor, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Enlightened Solutions, deeply involved in the research and advocacy of Project Noir.
- Hannah Rae Leach: Senior Producer, enhancing the podcast with her extensive background in production, hosting, writing, and music.
- Afi Scruggs: Composer, a Cleveland-based talent adding musical depth alongside her journalistic and literary skills.
- Sean Rule Hoffman: Mix Engineer
“I decided a long time ago, that I would use my talents and gifts to uplift Black women and girls. Being a part of Living For We was an opportunity to do so.”
Neal-Barnett is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a recipient of both the 鶹ý Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award and the ADAA Jerilyn Ross Clinician Advocate Award. She is the founding director of the PRADAA (Program for Research on Anxiety Disorders among African Americans) and author of “Soothe Your Nerves: The Black Woman’s Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Fear” (Simon & Schuster).
Her background as a clinical-community psychological scientist deeply informed her contributions to the podcast series. Her research focuses on Black women and girls. Much of what the women shared in the podcast series is supported by the research. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she was also able to provide therapeutic tips and tools.
The podcast explores various psychological principles including collectivism, grief, traumatic stress, office pet-to-threat phenomenon, perceptions of Black women, interpersonal violence and Black perinatal mental health. Neal-Barnett says that resilience does play a role in the empowerment of individuals featured in the podcast to an extent.
“But, at the root of what is happening to Black women and girls in Cleveland is directly tied to racism and combatting racism takes more than resilience,” Neal-Barnett said. “It takes work, it takes collaboration, it takes calling it by its name, and yes sometimes it takes therapy.”
One particularly memorable moment on the podcast for Neal-Barnett was the episode on “Black Love,” which she uses in her teaching to challenge stereotypes about Black male-female relationships.
“Parts of it were so joyful, as the husbands and fiancés of women involved in the podcast as interviewees or as team members shared what they loved about Black women,” Neal-Barnett said.
Reflecting on challenges faced during the project, Neal-Barnett mentioned the need for a great deal of code-switching to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.
“I could not talk and explain concepts and ideas as if I was talking to a group of academics or to students in my course,” Neal-Barnett said. “So occasionally, I would find myself carefully considering how to explain a concept in a way that made sense both to Black women and an audience that wanted to learn about Black women.”
The awards, she said, represent both personal and professional milestones.
“Personally, it means that I was part of something bigger than myself,” Neal-Barnett said. “That a group of mostly Black women from all walks of life, came together, to create this podcast that has touched the lives of Black women not only in Cleveland but around the country. Plus, walking the red carpet in New York City with Keke Palmer, Shannon Sharpe and the Weasley Twins for the Webbys was next level amazing. Professionally, the Webby and the Murrow are the embodiment of extraordinary achievement in the fields of digital media, social media and journalism. I am so humbled that our work was seen as the best of the best. Receiving these awards, demonstrates how important it is that psychological research does not stay within the halls of academia and is disseminated to the public in meaningful ways. At my core, I am and will always be a clinical-community psychologist. ‘Living For We’ is clinical-community psychology in action.”
Neal-Barnett shared a story which exemplifies how “Living For We” contributes to the empowerment of Black women in Cleveland:
“Last summer, did a live ‘Living For We’ event. As I was leaving, a young woman came up to me and said, ‘I feel like this a movement.’ Since that time, both Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland have formed commissions on the lives of Black women and girls. Enlightened Solutions has completed a follow-up study looking at the state of Black women and girls four years after the CityLab results. Most importantly, Black women throughout the city and region know they are not alone. These are examples of women being empowered.”
Looking forward, Neal-Barnett said there will be a a second season of “Living For We,” which will focus on gun violence. She hopes other researchers and media professionals will build on the work done in “Living For We” to further support marginalized communities, encouraging deeper dives into the issues addressed in the podcast.
See more information about Neal-Barnett and her award-winning work.
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Media Contacts:
Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett, aneal@kent.edu, 330-672-2266
Jim Maxwell, JMAXWEL2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028