Creating Our Own Lane: How a Lack of Relatable Content Led Us to Start a Podcast
by Sade Walker, J.D. (Jr. Advocate) & Shaneequa B. Parker, J.D. (Jr. Advocate)
We are all well aware of the lack of racial diversity in the legal field, with only 5% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Asian and less than 1% Native American lawyers, according to the American Bar Association’s 2020 Profile of the Legal Profession. Information on the experiences of nontraditional law students of color is just as rare (trust we searched). Due to this lack of information that, in part, inspired us to start a podcast from the perspective of students just like us. When we decided to embark upon this endeavor, we were categorized as “nontraditional” law students of color. We were women trying to navigate school, work, and life.
Why Did We Start Our Podcast?
As we all know, the first year of law school is difficult. The learning curve is even harder. Combined, life seems insurmountable when you don't have a safe place to unpack your experiences and emotions. In law school, there is no place for creativity or self-expression. You are there to learn the law. Then you’re thrust into classes like constitutional law that highlights our nation’s tainted and, for people of color, very traumatic past. It was hard to discuss cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, and Dred Scott v. Sandford and give a voice to their ever-present impact on people like us.
We wanted a place to let loose at the end of the day. We wanted our voices to be heard. We wanted to dissect the cases we were reading and the information that felt relevant to us. We needed a place for the law and its real-life impact to have a space, a sounding board. BAR STUDY PODCAST was born out of our many random conversations after class at the local bar and grew into something more. On it, we are able to talk about the experience of being millennial women of color in law school, black culture, law, and politics from our own unique perspectives.
How did we get started?
Once we determined our niche and theme, we thought of a name and identified a few topics for episodes. After we complete the episode with all of our finesse and flair, it’s time to get the episodes ready to share. Sade handles the daunting tasks of editing and software. As she so eloquently puts it,
“The podcast is edited using GarageBand. It is a labor of love and very time-consuming. Initially, my fiancé would edit the episodes, but he taught me how to edit them myself. I now have full creative control over what I release into the world.”
Once editing is complete, the audio file is then uploaded to SoundCloud. SoundCloud then publishes episodes directly to Spotify and iTunes. Soundcloud provides amazing analytics on how many plays we receive per episode and where our listeners are from. We were even surprised to learn that we have listeners all the way in Belgium. Talk about motivation to keep on recording!
What Have We Learned?
While we’ve learned many lessons, here are our top two -
Consistency is key. We’re not suggesting you record every day but sticking to a manageable schedule matters. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, committing to a regular schedule helps build your reputation and credibility and keeps you accountable.
Be authentic and embrace your stories and the stories of others. One of Shaneequa’s favorite episodes is the episode on the Diaspora. The different perspectives added to the authenticity and encouraged deeper exploration of the topic. For Shaneequa, for example,
“When discussing opportunities for Black people in America, having the perspective of four women of the Black Diaspora with different cultural backgrounds, really provided depth to the conversation. For me it really highlighted that as much as we are the same, we are different.”
What’s Next For Us?
We are focusing on creating regularly scheduled podcast episodes and expanding our podcast into a vlog. We are also actively looking to rebrand and honor the namesake of the podcast.
As we embark on our third attempt to pass the bar, we actually want this show to be a tool for bar passage. We want it to be a safe haven where we can talk about our experiences, share our emotions, and provide support for those who have similar bar experiences. We understand all too well the feelings of disappointment and frustration when you don’t successfully pass the bar. We want to create a place to celebrate not only our victories but also those of our listeners.
How Can You Get Started?
Thinking of starting a podcast? Whether you’re filling a need for information or looking for a way to express yourself, podcasts are a great way to share your story, create a space for connecting with others, and make a difference. And starting a podcast is easy.
Here are eight steps to help you get started -
Choose your podcast topic & name
Brainstorm and write your podcast’s description
Determine what format you want your podcast to follow
Research, purchase, and familiarize yourself with podcast equipment & software
Choose Your Podcast Hosting Service
Record your first 2-3 podcast episodes
Consider getting artwork and/or music created
Promote your podcast
Share your story. Use your voice. Start your podcast today!
Be sure to check out our podcast, Bar Study Podcast at https://soundcloud.com/barstudypodcast.
Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/barstudypodcast/.
