Who is... LeVar Burton

Roots, Reading Rainbow, Star Trek TNG, LeVar Burton Reads, and, of course Jeopardy

2 years ago

In this episode we fangirl out over LeVar Burton.

Today we are doing something a bit unusual on the show but we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to show our admiration and appreciation to a champion in literacy. So, today we are talking all things LeVar Burton. From Trekkies to bookworms it’s hard to find a circle that Burton has not made an impact on (especial on us late Millennials). Burton is an author, a director, a podcaster, AND perhaps the new host Jeopardy??  Thanks to social media and a petition signed by thousands, LeVar Burton was able to live out his life-long dream of being the host of the famous game show perviously hosted by the late Alex Trebek. Even though the permanent hosting duties was originally “awarded” to Mike Richards (if interested in the details of that situation there’s a brief article on what happened linked down below) but has since been relieved as host and as an executive producer on the show. This leaves the podium up for “grabs” and these Unicorns are showing all the love and support for Burton. In this episode you’ll hear:

  • Our first remembrance of LeVar Burton
  • Reading Rainbow - The impact of the nurturing male figure 
  • Star Trek - The importance of POC in sci-fi 
  • Roots- It’s cultural significance and a brief dive into black exploitation in films 
  • Jeopardy - Why is it so important to fans and POC to have LeVar Burton assuming the role of host
  • Mike Richards 
  • We mentioned in the show that Burton wrote two books - Aftermath and The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm 

If you’re an adult and miss having LeVar Burton read to you, go check out his podcast entitled - LeVar Burton Reads.

We land this episode in our happy place hint* - bacteria and Honey Bears make an enjoyable pair. 

The Mike Richards story:

https://www.vox.com/22634196/jeopardy-who-is-the-new-host-mayim-bialik-mike-richards-scandal-levar-burton

Thanks to Josef Scott of Citizens of Tape City for our theme music and Dollipop Art for our podcast artwork - you can find her on instagram @dollipop.art.

We want to hear from you! If you have a question you'd like us to answer or a topic you'd like us to cover on the show, drop us a line at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at (505) 585-1808.

Like us on facebook or follow us on instagram to join in on the discussion - we're @biracialunicorns. We're now on twitter as @biracialmagic so catch us there too.

If you'd like to support the show with some cash money visit us at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/biracialunicorn

Please review us wherever you get your podcasts or even better tell your friends to listen. :D

Find out more at https://biracialunicorns.pinecast.co

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Copyright 2018-22