Interview
Stirring The Melting Pot: AN INTERVIEW WITH Lori L. Tharps
BY Ed Benkin, Connor Buckmaster, & Christina Cullen
October 2021
Lori L. Tharps is not a writer, or an author, or a journalist, but a self-proclaimed storyteller and diversity diva. Her voice and pen spans multiple genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and journalism, speaking with over a decade of experience in the magazine and freelancing industries and a lifetime of experience as a Black woman in America. In her day-to-day life, Tharps is a mother of three and works for Temple University as an Associate Professor for the Department of Journalism. In 2006, Tharps launched the platform My American Meltingpot as a space to share stories and ignite conversations on the “intersection of race and real life.” Since 2018, My American Meltingpot has produced weekly podcasts that explore themes of everyday life in connection to anti-racism and diversity resources. Today, Tharps is using her platform more than ever to showcase the people and stories of excellence within communities of color.
Glassworks Magazine (GM): Since November of 2018, you’ve hosted the My American Meltingpot, a podcast about the intersection of personal stories and race. This comes after major book publications in the past, like Kinky Gazpacho and Same Family, Different Colors. What was the inspiration for starting your podcast?
Lori L. Tharps (LT): I launched the My American Meltingpot blog way back in 2006 as a personal blog where I could write freely about my multicultural life as a Black woman married to a Spanish man. Over the years, the blog became less about my personal life and experiences and more of a resource for multicultural content. In 2018, when I relaunched the blog after a brief hiatus, I decided to create a podcast to accompany the blog so I could reach a larger and perhaps more diverse audience.
GM: Technology has changed rapidly within the past decade, and writers have taken these new technologies to expand their audiences and become active members in their readership communities. What is the importance of these technologies, like blogs and podcasts, for writers such as yourself, particularly when discussing ongoing issues in our culture on diversity, race, and equality?
LT: I no longer consider myself a writer anymore for just this reason. I now identify as a storyteller, not only because I write across mediums, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, but also because I could share my stories in a book, a newspaper or on a podcast or a blog. My next goal is to tackle storytelling with images. Stay tuned.
I don't believe podcasts are going to replace or supplant anything. I think podcasts are just another tool to add to our storytelling toolbox. I think they will be as powerful as the people creating them want them to be. I love podcasts and do like to turn to podcasts when I'm searching for information and inspiration that can be poured right into my brain.
GM: When you originally created your podcast, were you speaking to a specific audience? How has your audience grown or changed since you first began?
Lori L. Tharps (LT): I launched the My American Meltingpot blog way back in 2006 as a personal blog where I could write freely about my multicultural life as a Black woman married to a Spanish man. Over the years, the blog became less about my personal life and experiences and more of a resource for multicultural content. In 2018, when I relaunched the blog after a brief hiatus, I decided to create a podcast to accompany the blog so I could reach a larger and perhaps more diverse audience.
GM: Technology has changed rapidly within the past decade, and writers have taken these new technologies to expand their audiences and become active members in their readership communities. What is the importance of these technologies, like blogs and podcasts, for writers such as yourself, particularly when discussing ongoing issues in our culture on diversity, race, and equality?
LT: I no longer consider myself a writer anymore for just this reason. I now identify as a storyteller, not only because I write across mediums, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, but also because I could share my stories in a book, a newspaper or on a podcast or a blog. My next goal is to tackle storytelling with images. Stay tuned.
I don't believe podcasts are going to replace or supplant anything. I think podcasts are just another tool to add to our storytelling toolbox. I think they will be as powerful as the people creating them want them to be. I love podcasts and do like to turn to podcasts when I'm searching for information and inspiration that can be poured right into my brain.
GM: When you originally created your podcast, were you speaking to a specific audience? How has your audience grown or changed since you first began?
"A lot of people hate the word diversity because it's used as a catchall for fixing America's race problem. If diversity isn't accompanied by inclusion it is meaningless." |
LT: Originally I thought my podcast audience would simply be the same people who read my blog. But I have discovered that people who read blogs don't necessarily listen to podcasts and vice versa. I think the podcast has simply expanded my audience to include people who might have heard about me via social media or perhaps heard about me on a different podcast. I'm still trying to figure out where my audiences come from and what they're really looking for.
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GM: In October of 2019, you produced the Black in Spain audio memoir on your podcast that centered on your experience going back to Spain after a ten year “break up.” In the series, you discuss both personal experiences and gather information on the growing interest in Spain’s Black past. What compelled you to create a memoir in this genre? Were there things you found that the podcasting format afforded you that a blog or book could not?
LT: What I love about podcasting is that I can get my story "out" rather quickly and it's more multidimensional than just a story on the page. My return to Spain audio memoir was an opportunity to revisit the content from my 2009 memoir, Kinky Gazpacho. I didn't want to write another book, but an audio memoir still allowed me to tell the story I wanted to tell. And get it out into the world in a matter of weeks instead of years.
GM: In your podcast, you dedicate an entire episode to diversity as your favorite word. Since that episode, have you seen others’ perceptions of that word change? How do you think your own perspective on diversity has been shaped by your travels?
LT: What I love about podcasting is that I can get my story "out" rather quickly and it's more multidimensional than just a story on the page. My return to Spain audio memoir was an opportunity to revisit the content from my 2009 memoir, Kinky Gazpacho. I didn't want to write another book, but an audio memoir still allowed me to tell the story I wanted to tell. And get it out into the world in a matter of weeks instead of years.
GM: In your podcast, you dedicate an entire episode to diversity as your favorite word. Since that episode, have you seen others’ perceptions of that word change? How do you think your own perspective on diversity has been shaped by your travels?
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LT: A lot of people hate the word diversity because it's used as a catchall for fixing America's race problem. If diversity isn't accompanied by inclusion it is meaningless. By doing my podcast I have been forced to deepen my understanding of the word so I can defend it against the haters. I only hope that after listening to my podcast people have a greater appreciation for the word diversity and understand that it's human failure not the word itself that is problematic. And actually, my perspective on diversity hasn't really been shaped by my travels abroad, on the contrary, it really has been shaped by my experiences as a Black woman in the United States of America.
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GM: You call yourself a “diversity diva” and divas, much like yourself, are necessary for the current movement of social justice and equality amongst people of color. You’ve been an activist for quite some time. How can we use our voices, our pens, and our social media feeds to enact the changes that you’ve been promoting for years?
LT: Like any good writing instructor I'm going to answer that question with the adage: Show don't Tell. Use your voices, your pens, your social media feeds to show diversity in action, to highlight people who are successfully leading social movements, to highlight communities and organizations and schools where integration is commonplace and not forced. I'd like to see more people shouting out successful people of color instead of dedicating their social feeds to trauma porn. Don't get me wrong, evil needs to be called out, but how about teaching by example? There are so many people doing the right thing, if their light could shine brighter, it would help so many people. By encouraging people, white people in particular, to find and share examples of people of color who are excellent at what they do instead of fretting over invented pathologies, we could probably progress much faster as a society. White people need to stop being afraid of people of color and recognize that we are not a separate species. When that kind of mindset shift happens, then we will really start to see the change we need in this country.
GM: What needs to be done in the publishing and podcasting fields to support diversity and equity? What are the challenges current minorities face in the nonfiction and podcasting fields, and what should be done to uplift these leaders?
LT: As with all things in the United States, people of color always seem to be ignored or overlooked when looking for excellence. The publishing and podcasting industries, like all others, simply need to open their eyes to the stellar work being done by people of color as storytellers, either as writers or podcasters. White people in power need to remove their white tinted glasses and recognize that skin color doesn't signify anything about ability or talent. Just open the doors and let more people in.
GM: After a year of cultural change, race and equality has been brought to the forefront of our minds. Americans are looking to inform themselves about social justice and face racial prejudices they may have. In light of this, are there any projects we can look forward to from you in the future?
LT: Please just keep tuning into my podcast and reading the blog on My American Meltingpot. I just did a special instructional series called: Don't Be Racist, but in the new year I will be moving away from "teaching about racism" and instead taking my own advice from above and highlighting excellence in communities of color. I'm so ready to uplift and celebrate and hope people will want to come along for the ride.
LT: Like any good writing instructor I'm going to answer that question with the adage: Show don't Tell. Use your voices, your pens, your social media feeds to show diversity in action, to highlight people who are successfully leading social movements, to highlight communities and organizations and schools where integration is commonplace and not forced. I'd like to see more people shouting out successful people of color instead of dedicating their social feeds to trauma porn. Don't get me wrong, evil needs to be called out, but how about teaching by example? There are so many people doing the right thing, if their light could shine brighter, it would help so many people. By encouraging people, white people in particular, to find and share examples of people of color who are excellent at what they do instead of fretting over invented pathologies, we could probably progress much faster as a society. White people need to stop being afraid of people of color and recognize that we are not a separate species. When that kind of mindset shift happens, then we will really start to see the change we need in this country.
GM: What needs to be done in the publishing and podcasting fields to support diversity and equity? What are the challenges current minorities face in the nonfiction and podcasting fields, and what should be done to uplift these leaders?
LT: As with all things in the United States, people of color always seem to be ignored or overlooked when looking for excellence. The publishing and podcasting industries, like all others, simply need to open their eyes to the stellar work being done by people of color as storytellers, either as writers or podcasters. White people in power need to remove their white tinted glasses and recognize that skin color doesn't signify anything about ability or talent. Just open the doors and let more people in.
GM: After a year of cultural change, race and equality has been brought to the forefront of our minds. Americans are looking to inform themselves about social justice and face racial prejudices they may have. In light of this, are there any projects we can look forward to from you in the future?
LT: Please just keep tuning into my podcast and reading the blog on My American Meltingpot. I just did a special instructional series called: Don't Be Racist, but in the new year I will be moving away from "teaching about racism" and instead taking my own advice from above and highlighting excellence in communities of color. I'm so ready to uplift and celebrate and hope people will want to come along for the ride.
"White people need to stop being afraid of people of color and recognize that we are not a separate species. When that kind of mindset shift happens, then we will really start to see the change we need in this country."
Find some of Lori's works on Amazon.
Follow Lori L. Tharps at:
Website: loritharps.com
Podcast & Blog: myamericanmeltingpot.com
Twitter: @loritharps
Follow Lori L. Tharps at:
Website: loritharps.com
Podcast & Blog: myamericanmeltingpot.com
Twitter: @loritharps
