In the Telling

About In the Telling

If we are fortunate, we learn our past from those who lived it. Oftentimes, it is by our own efforts and labor to uncover pieces of truth about our family history. This is what we will explore in this bi-monthly podcast, people sharing stories about their families and how they came to learn to them.

Publisher

Nomadic Archivists Project

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jan 2020

Latest episode

7 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

43 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Sept 2026

   Lessons Learned: From Lynchburg to DC

   In this episode of In the Telling (Season 5, Episode 43): A Global Black Family Podcast, Miranda Mims and Steven G. Fullwood sit down with William “Bill” A. Johnson Jr., the former mayor of Rochester, New York, educator, writer, and longtime public servant. Born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia, during the Jim Crow era, Johnson reflects on the people and experiences that shaped his life and career. At the heart of the conversation are two influential men: his paternal grandfather, Holmes Johnson Sr., who became a father figure and instilled in him the importance of education, independence, civic engagement, and finding his voice; and his father, William A. Johnson Sr., whose life and choices offered a different set of lessons about family, responsibility, and legacy. Johnson shares stories of growing up in the segregated South, discovering family secrets among his mother's papers decades later, traveling between Lynchburg and Washington, D.C., and finding his path from a young writer to a political science professor, National Urban League leader, and historic three-term mayor of Rochester. Throughout the conversation, he considers how the lessons we inherit—both intentional and unintended—shape who we become. Ultimately, this is a conversation about the power of looking back. “I want to leave a memory," he told us. Johnson encourages us to tell our stories, preserve our memories, and leave something behind for the generations who come after us. 📺 Watch the Full Conversation on YouTube! We’ve launched our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nomadic Archivists Project YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtrOBVTgpY8_NxygpxmwPuw)—watch this episode in living color! For more podcasts, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nomadic Archivists Project⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.nomadicarchivistsproject.com/): https://www.nomadicarchivistsproject.com/in-the-telling-podcast Original music by Sean Bempong Designs by Christopher Stalling Episode produced by Tanya M. Beltran

2. 

   18 Aug 2026

   Inheriting Your Grandmother's Truth

   In this episode of In the Telling (Season 5, Episode 42), we sit down with Negarra Kudumu, a healer, priestess, and cultural worker, to explore the power of family stories, memory, and firsthand knowledge. Kudumu reflects on her grandmother, Ella Christine, whose childhood was shaped by family separation during the Great Migration from Georgia to Chicago. As a child, Kudumu was captivated by her grandmother’s unwavering insistence on telling what she knew to be true, a lesson that shaped her understanding of memory, storytelling, and who has the authority to tell a family’s history. Kudumu offers an intimate portrait of a woman whose experiences—and ways of navigating the world—continue to shape her life. The conversation considers how the stories we inherit carry both the pain and resilience of previous generations, and how those stories become a source of knowledge and guidance. 📺 Watch the Full Conversation on YouTube! We’ve launched our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nomadic Archivists Project YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtrOBVTgpY8_NxygpxmwPuw)—watch this episode in living color! For more podcasts, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nomadic Archivists Project⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.nomadicarchivistsproject.com/): https://www.nomadicarchivistsproject.com/in-the-telling-podcast Original music by Sean Bempong Designs by Christopher Stalling Episode produced by Tanya M. Beltran

3. 

   9 Jun 2026

   Holding onto Memory: a life shaped by intuition, reinvention, caregiving, and forgetting

   In this moving episode of In the Telling (Season 5, Episode 41), Constance “Connie” Gross—born in Harlem in 1937 and now approaching 89—reflects on a life shaped by intuition, reinvention, caregiving, and community. With warmth, candor, and humor, she recalls growing up in Harlem during the 1940s, where Black families built rich and meaningful lives despite the realities of segregation. Her memories of strong parenting, neighborhood care, and community accountability reveal the foundations of her independent spirit. Connie also shares the deeply personal story of her move to Rochester, New York, in 1982. Following what she describes as an undeniable inner knowing that her life was about to change, she left New York City and began a new chapter as an entrepreneur, creating businesses that served local residents and small businesses during Rochester’s industrial era. At the heart of the conversation is Connie’s experience caring for her mother through Alzheimer’s disease and, years later, confronting memory changes of her own. She reflects on the challenges of caregiving, the grief of losing her mother long before her death, and the realities of adapting to changes in her own memory. With remarkable honesty and grace, Connie speaks about acceptance, resilience, and the everyday practices that help her continue living fully and with purpose. 📺 Watch the Full Conversation on YouTube! We’ve launched our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nomadic Archivists Project YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtrOBVTgpY8_NxygpxmwPuw)—watch this episode in living color! For more podcasts, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nomadic Archivists Project⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.nomadicarchivistsproject.com/): https://www.nomadicarchivistsproject.com/in-the-telling-podcast Original music by Sean Bempong Designs by Christopher Stalling Episode produced by Tanya M. Beltran

Who has been a guest on In the Telling

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Robert Garcia
• Jeremy Francisco Cruz
• Tyler Andrew “Six” Nelson
• Dr Van Bailey
• Ayan Felix

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

4,181

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

28

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

51

Contact In the Telling

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about In the Telling