Though it’s bittersweet to be closing out our inaugural collection, we couldn’t be more excited about the note we get to close out on; we are so humbled and honored to share with you the wisdom, insight, and brilliance Mable Haddock has gained across the course of her 30+ year career in public broadcasting. Born and raised in the segregated South and later making her home in Harlem, New York City, Mable has utilized her unique perspectives and voice to highlight and draw attention to the artistic voices and contributions of Black Americans from the Civil Rights era into the present.

She spent the majority of her career doing this in her role as Founding Director of the National Black Programming Consortium. Major titles that Mable has helped to make happen include: Daughters of the Dust, Tongues Untied, The Fannie Lou Hamer Story, Mandela, The State of Black America, 1984 and 1985; and Black America: Facing the Millennium. Her dedicated career brings to mind the perspective of James Baldwin in self-identifying as a witness to the movement. We are grateful to Mable for fighting for the possibilities she sees and for sharing her story with us and with all of you. Enjoy!

AUTHOR'S STATEMENT

Who are you and where do you live?
I am Mable Staten Haddock, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, cultural worker specializing in Black social justice media. I live in Harlem, NYC.

What’s your career focus?
To preserve and document the stories funded and developed by Black Public Media from 1980 to present.

What’s something positive that came out of telling your story?
Helped to put both success and failures in perspective; gained a new appreciation for the pioneering public television and independent Black producers, and resolve to continue the work.

Three words of advice for your 18-year-old self?
Love, Be, Believe (in Self).

• Release more stories;

• Produce the podcast series;

• Elevate our sisters' stories to the national stage; and

• Continue hosting events to bring Black women together through intergenerational sharing and community-building.