NextGen Partners With Howard University Professor Nikole Hannah-Jones on Student Podcasting Course

At Spotify, we want to equip student creators with the tools and resources needed to harness their creativity and shape the future of audio. Our NextGenprogram, which is sponsored by the Creator Equity Fund (CEF), is designed to infuse, activate, and grow podcast culture on college campuses across the country.

Spotify NextGen recently partnered with Howard University and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones, Knight Chair in Race and Journalism, to create a special podcasting course. The result is 1619: The College Edition, a dynamic, three-episode series produced entirely by the class. In the podcast, the students apply their unique lens to what they learned from studying Professor Hannah-Jones' book, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, and make compelling connections to the ways that slavery still impacts lives today.

Kristin Jarrett, Lead, Equity Diversity & Impact at Spotify, said, "The NextGen program brings podcast culture directly to college campuses and encourages educators to take an audio-first approach to their curriculum. In partnering with HBCUs around the country, Spotify is addressing the access gap to the audio industry by providing the next generation of audio storytellers with resources and skills needed to kickstart a career in audio. We're proud of the partnership with Howard University, and of the student-produced podcast that was made during the semester-it exemplifies the power of podcasts as a meaningful way to share stories and experiences that may otherwise go unheard."

To celebrate the launch of the podcast, Spotify NextGen held a listening party on April16 on Howard University's campus. Howard's 2024 NextGen Scholar, Karys Hylton-a sophomore journalism major-was also notified of her $10,000 Spotify NextGen scholarship live at the event.