Put The Chicken Wings Down And Record Grandma!

Silence can be a muzzle, but it can also be a strategy. We sit down with Majella Mark, cultural strategist, filmmaker, and author of Cats Are Trash, right after she reads a powerful passage on Women in Black and the way quiet protest can cut through a sea of violence. From there, we follow the thread that runs through everything she does: storytelling is not decoration, it is infrastructure.

We dig into what cultural preservation looks like in real life for the Black diaspora and the wider African diaspora. Majella shares why oral history matters, how “living archives” beat dusty boxes, and what happens when photos, videos, and public records suddenly disappear. We talk about intergenerational memory, family lore, and the practical work of documenting truth before it gets revised, edited, or erased.

Then the conversation turns urgent and grounded: Hurricane Beryl, Grenada, and the damage to the Carriacou Museum. Majella explains how rebuilding a museum is also rebuilding identity, how to make institutions youth-friendly, and why digital archiving has to plan for technology we cannot even predict yet. Along the way, we get into creative ways to teach history, the risks of misinformation, and the importance of giving people their flowers while they are still here.

If you care about community history, museum preservation, oral histories, and protecting culture with intention, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us what story your family cannot afford to lose.

You can view this podcast using the following link: 

You are welcome to use the following platforms  to reach Ms. Majella Mark:

Website:  http://majellamark.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majellamark/

Bluesky:  https://bsky.app/profile/majellamark.bsky.social

Thoughts on the podcast? Send us a text message.

Support the show