Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

When it comes to weaving a spell, Lauren B. Parker@laurenparker is a master of her craft. As a co-creator of #BlackGirlMagic Podcast in Portland, Oregon, this “podcast for Ladies when the world is doing too much” has generated the kind of buzz and excitement that indicates that it’s a welcome breath of fresh air on the digital audio circuit.

The brightly effervescent Ms. Parker, and her cohorts, Ciji Dodds and Danielle Fuentes Morgan, were inspired to launch their BGM podcast after the social media phenomenon and it’s hashtag, #BlackGirlMagic@blackgirlmagic went viral. Originally created by CaShawn Thompson@cashawnthompson to “celebrate the beauty, power and resilience of black women”, Parker and her team of podcasters “raise praise hand emojis to everything in pop culture to politics” with “Real talk about our lives and our culture”.

“The core of our message is about empowering women's voices, embracing magical moments as women in higher education and middle management, and by integrating our unique viewpoints into the overall cultural narratives of our time,” Parker said with a beaming smile.

Born in Durham, North Carolina, to a College Librarian father and Mother, a 3rd grade teacher in the local grade school, Parker recounts a childhood she refers to as ‘idyllic’. “My parents were very instrumental in shaping my voice, instilling a sense of civic responsibility through volunteerism at church and through organizations,” she recalled. “Giving back was not an option. My Dad's favorite bible verse is “To whom much has been given, much is expected”  That’s my driving force. When figuring out what to do next, I remember that I am oh so blessed and privileged. I acknowledge my privilege and look for how I can make more strides, how can I make things better for the next person beside me, those coming up behind me and how can I make even the smallest impact, through the blessings I have received.”

The #BlackGirlMagic podcast has certainly made an impact on their followers and hasn’t shied away from addressing the impact of burning social inequities that have given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. Focusing on self-care has been paramount in the discussions surrounding Sandra Bland@sandrabland, Say her Name and other high profile shootings that have rocked the nation.“Of course we had to talk about it. It was right there, in broad daylight, on Facebook, LIVE,” she said with a heavy sigh. “The shootings of Alton and Philandro@altonphilandro hit me, hit everyone in the nation in such a way that we could not hide our heads in the sand. We have to acknowledge that seeing the traumatic images and hearing the stories fundamentally changes us on a rudimentary level. Once seen, these images cannot be unseen and shouldn’t be unseen. These incidents should rock us to our core so that we galvanize and do something about it,” she stated with urgency in her voice.

Parker and her intrepid team plan to remain on the scene, changing the world one podcast at a time. “We are on the frontlines of change, growing in visibility through #BlackGirlMagic. We are all about pulling the power from within,” she concluded. To follow these amazing women and get in on their conversations, tune into the #BlackGirl Magic Podcast on Twitter, Facebook, Itunes, Acast, Soundcloud or through their website at blackgirlmagicpodcast.tumblr.com.