How addiction and recovery looks different for Black Women and Girls

On this month’s Black Talk, KGNU’s Michele Simpson talks with Khadi Oluwatoyin, the founder of the Sober Black Girls Club (SBGC). Oluwatoyin started SBGC as a blog in 2018 when Oluwatoyin began examining her relationship with alcohol and depression. When she went online for guidance, she noticed that many pro-sober platforms did not cater to girls and women who looked like her or shared similar cultural and societal experiences.

In an attempt to share her journey and connect with other Black folks practicing sobriety or curious about it, Oluwatoyin created the Sober Black Girls Club. Within s few years, SBGC took off. SBGC currently has four weekly support meetings a week, members from across the country and is continuing to grow.

Two books that Oluwatoyin recommends and that SBGC has read together in group are “Homecoming” by Dr. Thema Bryant and “Sister of the Yam, Black Women and Self-Recovery” by Bell Hooks.

audio2099367911 and Black Talk_ The Sober Black Girls Club-enhanced-90p Alexis Kenyon

Alexis Kenyon

Alexis Kenyon is an experienced radio reporter with more than 15 years of experience creating compelling, sound-rich radio stories for news outlets across the country. Kenyon has master's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism in radio broadcast and photojournalism. She has worked in KGNU's news department since 2021 as a reporter, editor, and daily news producer. In all her work, she strives to produce thought-provoking, trustworthy journalism that makes other people's stories feel personal. In addition to audio production, Kenyon runs KGNU's news internship program and oversees the department's digital engagement.