KQED Launches Truth Be Told Podcast

San Francisco CA, USA—An advice column is one of the most American of things, but whose America? If Miss Manners and Dear Abby tell you how to blend in and behave, KQED’s new podcast Truth Be Told explores how you can be you in a world that doesn’t always want you to be.

Hosted by Tonya Mosley, the six-part series made by and for people of color speaks to the unique yet universal challenges people of color face in the United States. It’s like the friend you call after a long, exhausting day – the one who will laugh, cry, scream and moan with you. The one who gets it.

Through unfiltered advice, Mosley takes on audience questions, digging into what it means to not only survive, but to thrive, as a person of color in America. Is it okay to take seek out pleasure when the world around us seems to be burning? Am I having a child just to make mi mamá happy? Is it worth it to keep ties with estranged relatives? Am I Latina, Black or Asian enough? How have white supremacy and legacies of colonization shaped who we find attractive?

In search of answers to these questions and more, Mosley travels from San Francisco to Detroit to New York to meet with “Wise Ones,” unconventional experts whose wisdom stems from their lived experiences, studies and artistry. People like adrienne maree brown, author of Octavia’s Brood & Pleasure Activism; Casey Gerald, author of There Will Be No Miracles Here; Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop; and even Tonya’s 92-year-old grandmother Ernestine Mosley.

Profoundly personal and resonantly universal, Truth Be Told transforms into more than an advice show — it’s a liberation journey paved with laughter and love, centering the voices, stories, joy and wisdom of people of color.

Listen to the Trailer and Preview the Series

Truth Be Told launches on Thursday, May 16. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Or visit kqed.org/podcasts/truthbetold.

About the Host
Tonya Mosley has always been fascinated by stories that illustrate the complexities of the human condition. As a journalist, she has used her curiosity and tenacity to find and expose truths for the greater good of society. Tonya currently serves as the Silicon Valley bureau chief for KQED, leading a team of journalists covering the impacts of technology companies on society.

Prior to KQED, Tonya served as a television correspondent for Al Jazeera America and reporter and anchor in several cities throughout the country. In 2015, she was awarded a John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University where she co-created a workshop for journalists on the impacts of implicit bias, and co-wrote a Belgian/American experimental study on the effects of protest coverage.

Tonya has won several national awards for her work, including an Emmy Award in 2016 for her televised piece “Beyond Ferguson,” and a national Edward R. Murrow award for her public radio series “Black in Seattle.”

About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. kqed.org