Tracee Ellis Ross, executive-producer, creator, and co-written author of I Am America.
For as long as America has existed conversations have taken place globally exploring the country’s unique identity. Within these conversations, America is often noted for serving as a melting pot of rich cultures adhering to the ideals of equality, freedom, individualism, and hard work. However, while promoting these values, America’s identity has also been called to question during times when these ideals have been a mere hope for select populations.
The need to fight for civil rights, gender and marriage equality, and equal opportunities for those differently abled are prime examples of departures, for some, from these rich ideals. But at America’s core, is the power of everyday people putting humanity first to steer the country closer to the best it has to offer.
In her latest executive-produced, created, and co-written project I Am America, Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated actor, producer, and entrepreneur, Tracee Ellis Ross, aims to capture those stories through a podcast shining a light on everyday people affecting their communities with kindness and humanity.
Why The Podcast?
I Am America is a podcast intended to be counteractive to stereotypes that have traditionally disrupted life for some of America’s communities. “We pull back the curtain on often unexplored stories of everyday people who affect their communities with their kindness and humanity. These hidden angels inspire possibility through their actions. And their stories are worthy reflections that demonstrate the best of this country,” says Ross.
She has found these stories to also showcase those “redefining identity and the idea of community.” In doing so, her hope is that this podcast may at times feel beautiful, uncomfortable, or light, allowing listeners to reckon with the triumphant realities some everyday heroes have navigated to reimagine and reframe what listeners know about America’s identity.
Tracee Ellis Ross' behind the scenes recording of I Am America.
The podcast’s name, which is symbolically inspired by the vision Ross and team set forth to help reimagine America, was curated after the late great Langston Hughes’ poem "I, Too." In the poem, Hughes unpacks the story of race relations during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and the idea that one day persons of color too will be equally celebrated as a beautiful part of America. Hence, the stories featured in Ross’ podcast I Am America shine a light on the historic journeys of everyday Americans that Ross and her team find are too celebratory.
“I love that at its roots, I Am America is about identity and belonging. This was intentional. We live in a society that loves to put people in boxes and I think it's important to discuss our humanity and connectivity outside of boxes. I want to live in a world where we all feel connected to each other and seen by each other,” shares Ross.
How I Am America Is Shifting Narratives
“These stories show that America is not a monolith but a complex and beautiful promise,” says Ross. For the first season of her ten-episode podcast, each week a person of color shares how they are impacting their community and the journeys they’ve navigated that have often been lesser told.
For example, one episode of the series unpacks the story of Deanna Van Buren who is defying the odds as one of the few black women licensed architects in America building the world we live in today. Van Buren highlights her journey through cities and schools where she describes being sometimes segmented as other. This led to her path of healing from externally inflicted, yet internalized hatred from others, to go on to create some of the country's most dynamic restorative justice centers. Her centers today divert from systems focused on mass incarceration to treat crime as relationship breaches that merely require stakeholders to hold space together to repair the breaches.
The podcast takes on a first-person narrative led by heroes like Van Buren and draws in the listener to visualize the environments the heroes describe. Complementary to these narratives is the crash and wave of sounds illuminating the times, supported by information interspersed by the show’s runner, writer, and executive producer Nichole Hill to broaden the pictures described by featured guests.
Tracee Ellis Ross' behind the scenes recording of I Am America.
Why Narratives Matter & Behind The Collaboration
As Ross recounts why podcasts like I Am America matters she is most moved by how “stories of belonging create space in history books to reframe an American identity that is full of color, culture, and community.”
With this being the first podcast Ross has worked on, illuminating America’s identity in this way was important. Looking back on the process Ross shares she has found: "There was a lot of learning and that’s the exciting part. There were also some things that felt familiar. The teamwork and collaboration is similar to television and film; I love the team part of everything. Audio, however, can be more intimate in a way because without visuals there is more weight on the words and tone. As the presenter of these stories, I have the responsibility of framing the stories with thoughtful context. The process of writing the intros and outros was not easy; like writing a TED talk for each episode. But, a formidable task is an opportunity and a gift when you have a great team.”
Artwork for the I Am America podcast.
This project is one that Ross, has taken on through a partnership with Dear Media and her company Joy Mill Entertainment. Dear Media is notorious for having hosted over 80 podcasts led by today’s top leaders. Their team is integral to supporting concept creation, editorial, marketing, distribution, and more through collaboration with global brands.
Similarly, Joy Mill Entertainment is a development and production company that amplifies multilayered stories with the goal of reframing assumptions about how people see themselves and each other. “Joy Mill expands the way those who color outside the lines are known, inviting creators to explore the complexities of the human experience mirroring back the truth of who we are. Our content celebrates the reality of our worthiness,” says the Joy Mill team.
The expansive podcast, I Am America, can be accessed on all major platforms.
