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Friends Like Us


A Podcast featuring women of color with different views on hot topics. 

Mar 8, 2023

Janus Adams and Africa Miranda visit Friends and discuss how segregation in education still remain, the lack of school funding in New York City, Brown Vs. Board Of Education and more with host Marina Franklin.  

Africa Miranda - In the span of her 15-year career, Africa Miranda has been an actress, a model, a host, an author, a beautypreneur and a digital personality. Most importantly, she’s been a student of life. As the face and spokesperson for brands like Refinery 29, Macy’s, TJ Maxx and Kia Motors Africa had the opportunity to travel and see the world. Traveling taught her who she is and fueled the creative passions that allowed her to connect with and empower women everywhere. Boston-born and Alabama-raised, Africa grew up wondering what the world outside her backyard looked like. As a graduate of Alabama State University, she learned to bring the world to her using education and creative expression. This wonderment flourished into a deeply-rooted desire to travel the world. From Seoul to the South of France, Africa’s life didn’t truly begin until she left the comfort of the things she knew. Travel taught her the magic of losing yourself right before you find yourself. In 2016, Africa launched her skincare line, Beauty by Africa Miranda to commemorate the incredible experiences she has on her travels and share them with you. From her ultra-hydrating Luminous Body Mist,  inspired by the French Riviera to her aloe vera-rich Hydra Essence Complexion Mist which is a love letter to her time in Curaçao – the highly-praised product line takes your skin on an incredible journey around the globe.

Africa’s skincare line and media brand has garnered acclaim from publications like EBONY.com, Essence.com, BET.com, Yahoo Lifestyle, Rolling Out, Vanity Fair and Womensweardaily.com. Her growing following on Instagram and Twitter allows Africa to connect with thousands of women all over the world. With such a successful and active career, over the years Africa received a swell of questions about navigating life as a public figure and personal brand. Her inbox full of career questions lead to the release of her 2018 book, Step Up, Step Out and Shine. Through its pages, Africa teaches readers  how to leverage social media to create their own global brands. Africa’s most recent adventure, in partnership with Facebook Watch, was the opportunity to host and executive produce her very own show – The Africa Miranda Show. Here, she invites her viewers to join in as she chats with a few favorite friends and some incredible creators. They touch on topics about everything from beauty and travel to paving a career path that suits your passion. Dedicated to empowering other women to step intentionally into the media space – Africa is helping a new generation of creators reach their highest potential through her media workshop, Media Mastery Workshop and training course Shine Media Training.

Dr. Janus Adams - Emmy Award-winning journalist, historian, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of eleven books, Dr. Janus Adams is the host of public radio’s “The Janus Adams Show” and podcast.  A frequent on-air guest, she has appeared on ABC, BET, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC’s The Today Show, and NPR’s All Things Considered. With more than 500 articles, essays and columns to her credit, her work has been featured in Essence and Ms. Magazines, The New York Times, Newsday, USA Today, and The Washington Post.  Her syndicated column ran in the Hearst Newspapers for sixteen years.  Her commentary has been broadcast on CBS and NPR, and published in the Huffington Post.  Her book, Glory Days: 365 Inspired Moments in African American History, was licensed by McDonald’s and reached more than 3 million readers.

A pioneer of issue-oriented African-American and women’s programming she has hosted her own radio and television talk shows for more than ten years.  Her series, “Milestones in African-American Business History,” ran on public radio’s Marketplace. Her 19-hour International Women’s Day marathon broadcasts brought her to NPR as the network’s first National Arts Correspondent and opened the New York News Bureau. An entrepreneur, as founder of BackPax (a children’s publishing company) and Harambee (the first national book club for African American literature), she changed the publishing landscape for authors and audiences. A dynamic speaker and passionate storyteller, she is known for her unique perspectives on current events through the lens of history. Indeed, Dr. Adams has been engaged by history and culture since childhood. A northern school desegregation pioneer at 8, she was one of the four children selected to break New York’s de facto segregation in the public schools in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education.  A classically-trained pianist, she is a graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts.  Her master’s is the nation’s first graduate degree in Black Studies.  Her doctoral chair was author and composer Shirley Graham Du Bois (widow of Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, the “Father of Pan-Africanism” and co-founder of the NAACP). Her honors include Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Shaw University and the State University of New York.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.