The Weight Of Words (2019)

Words mean things, but some words are especially meaningful — whether in a survival manual, a song lyric, or a slur. Prologue: What does God get out of us praising him? Or is it actually for us? (7 minutes) Go To The Mattresses: Shamyla always loved books. Like lots of other eleven-year-olds back in 1989, she loved The Babysitters Club. And then, something happened, changing what she read, and how. Producer Elna Baker tells the story. (25 minutes) Daddy Lessons: Parents try to shape who we are in their own image. Producer Neil Drumming spoke to Adam Mansbach, who tried to make his daughter fall in love with hip-hop. (19 minutes) Where I Came From: Producer Ben Calhoun recalls a weighty moment from childhood and thinks about how the words from that encounter have come up again. (6 minutes)