Kansas City PBS has announced a new season of The Filter, a women-led podcast amplifying unheard voices around topics affecting Kansas City. Presented by Flatland, KCPBS’ digital news source, new episodes premiere Wednesday, September 29, and are available online or wherever audiences listen to podcasts. Additional episodes will be available on the last Wednesday of each month.
Hosted by journalists Ieshia Downton and Vicky Diaz-Camacho, each half-hour episode of The Filter taps into topics affecting different communities in Kansas City which often go unexplored, including colorism, faith, feeling othered and much more. Nominated for a Public Media Award in 2020, this Flatland original podcast offers a unique window into areas sometimes hidden from the light.
“With The Filter, Flatland is leaning into telling important stories about underrepresented communities that are often overlooked by traditional media,” said Chris Lester, managing editor of Kansas City PBS and Flatland. “Vicky and Ieshia are both passionate, and compassionate, storytellers who are a great fit for the podcasting format.”
This season, Ieshia and Vicky tackle the things we’ve learned as individuals and communities in the past year. Hear from experts on a range of topics, including mental health, grief, parenting in a pandemic, belief systems and conspiracy theories, and how we all did our best to stay connected, even from home.
“The throughline of The Filter is belonging – being seen and being heard,” said Diaz-Camacho. “We started this podcast because we knew some stories and voices go unheard, but are no less valuable. So why not take time to sit down with interesting people to hear their perspectives? My hope is that these stories resonate with others in our community and help folks feel not as alone.”
“The Filter is our love letter to those underreported communities,” said Downton. “We see you. A lot has happened in the last year, and there's so much to unpack. This show helps to conceptualize the last year to empower the most affected people.”
Guests featured in the new season include Dr. Beth Vonnahme, UMKC Professor of Political Science; Breora Page and Rebeca Chow, licensed therapists; Cecil Wattree, social worker and founder of Black Mental Health Initiative; and the high school-aged founders of Eye of an Immigrant.
Ieshia Downton (she/her/hers) is the co-host and creator of The Filter podcast and social media coordinator at Kansas City PBS. She is a Kansas City native with Caribbean roots and an interest in cultural storytelling and reporting. Before joining Kansas City PBS, Ieshia contributed to KC Studio magazine and un’ruly magazine as a feature writer. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, with an emphasis in magazine writing.
Vicky Diaz-Camacho (she/her/hers) is the co-host and creator of The Filter podcast and the community reporter for Flatland at Kansas City PBS. Raised in El Paso, Texas, a border city in the Southwest, Vicky’s roots as half-Mexican and Puerto Rican inform much of her reporting, which tends to focus on culture, race and health. Before joining Kansas City PBS, she interned at NPR and worked as a Kansas City Business Journal data journalist. She graduated from the University of Kansas School of Journalism focused on news and editing and is a proud University Daily Kansan alumna.
For more information about The Filter, visit Flatlandkc.org/thefilter.
