Wisconsin’s Favorite Podcast

Gee: “I want people to think about the world differently by hearing a voice that’s trustworthy.” Shalicia Johnson, Arrowstar Photography

On the podcast Black Like Me with Dr. Alex Gee, Alex Gee Jr. ’85 shares his perspective and interviews an array of guests such as Judge Everett Mitchell JD’10, Senator Tammy Baldwin JD’89, former NFL player Terrell Fletcher ’98, and UW–Madison scholars. In an introduction to the podcast, which debuted in 2018, Gee said, “My fear is that in our society today, we live in an echo-chamber … I want people to think about the world differently by hearing a voice that’s trustworthy, and hopefully that will make it relatable.”

Black Like Me was recently named the Favorite Podcast for 2020 by the Wisconsin Podcast Association. In his acceptance speech, Gee stated, “We have about 100 episodes up right now because about two years ago, I said, ‘I want someplace to take my voice as a Black man, a Black Wisconsinite — lifelong Madisonian, basically — navigating my world of predominant whiteness.’ I don’t know where I would’ve taken my voice, my concerns, my thoughts, during this pandemic if I didn’t have the platform of Black Like Me.” The podcast has gained listeners across the nation and the world.

Gee is the lead pastor of Madison’s Fountain of Life Covenant Church. He has spearheaded a nonprofit, the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, and launched a movement, Justified Anger, that addresses racial disparities in Madison and stems from a 2013 Cap Times article he wrote under the same name. He has also earned the city’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award and the Madison Community Foundation’s “Outstanding Contributions to the Community” honor.

Black Like Me is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and alexgee.com.

Published in the Spring 2021 issue