In Episode 2 of the Legacy Cultivators Podcast, I sit down with storyteller, community builder, and entrepreneur Martina Abrahams Ilunga for a conversation about the stories we inherit, the ones we preserve, and the responsibility we have to carry them forward.

From listening to stories in the kitchens of the women who raised her to creating spaces dedicated to Black storytelling, Martina shares how oral tradition became more than a creative practice. It became a way of understanding memory, connection, culture, and how we honor the generations before and after us.

Together, we explore what it means to recognize our stories as collective wealth, why everyday people deserve to be remembered, and how we can reclaim greater ownership over the stories and creative work our communities produce. The conversation eventually moves beyond preservation into a bigger question: What might storytelling and media look like if the people whose stories create the value also had the power to own and benefit from them?

✨ Connect with Martina and explore her work ✨

Martina Abrahams Ilunga is a storyteller, community builder, and entrepreneur reimagining oral tradition for our time. She’s created trusted platforms for expansive Black narratives through programs like the story hour series You Had Me at Black, podcast NATAL, and Black Storytelling Week.

Now, Martina is building You Had Me at Black into a home for Black stories, storytelling, and selves that’s stewarded by the community. Across all of her work, she is guided by how our stories become pathways to connection, healing, and liberation.

In a past life, Martina spent nearly a decade in marketing and product roles at Google and Square. She graduated from Georgetown University and lives in Brooklyn with her love.

You Had Me at Black: https://www.youhadmeatblack.com/

Black Storytelling Week: https://www.blackstorytellingweek.com/

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