The Reckoning

Counter Narrative Project

The Reckoning Podcast is a podcast from CNP that features conversations old and new from the #CNPTribe about Blackness and liberation from all walks of life.

Episodes

  1. Archbishop Carl Bean on Faith, Music, and HIV Activism

    08/25/2025

    Archbishop Carl Bean on Faith, Music, and HIV Activism

    Archbishop Carl Bean (1944-2021), spiritual leader, HIV activism pioneer, and the voice behind the 1977 version of “I Was Born This Way,” joins host Johnnie Ray Kornegay III for a rare, deeply personal conversation recorded in January 2021. This show features excerpts from the discussion between the two. This conversation is being shared in honor of National Faith HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NFHAAD). From a Baltimore childhood steeped in “high-church” music and NAACP youth organizing to the artistic whirlwind of 1960s New York, Bean traces the path that shaped his voice and his calling. He shares how gospel great Alex Bradford opened doors, how the creative circle around Vinnette Carroll widened his world, and how hearing Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” pushed him to move to Los Angeles and step beyond Gospel and speak more boldly to the times through music. Bean reflects on forming the band Universal Love, landing his record deal with ABC Records, and ultimately recording “I Was Born This Way” at Motown, bringing in The Sweet Inspirations and insisting the song premiere at Jewel’s Catch One. He then opens up about the birth of Unity Fellowship and the pastoral work that called him to hospitals and families during the height of the AIDS crisis, and the personal toll it took. If you care about Black music, queer history, public health, or the power of one voice to move a people, this conversation will stay with you. Note: This episode includes discussion of AIDS-related loss and grief. Chapter Markers 00:00 Intro Theme 00:50 Disclaimer About Project and Request from Archbishop Carl Bean 03:28 Archbishop Carl Bean's Early Life and Career Beginnings 07:55 Joining the Bradford Singers and Professional Growth 15:20 Cultural and Creative Influences in New York 19:16 Transition to Solo Career and Personal Reflections 25:04 MidRoll 25:54 Formation of the band Universal Love 30:09 Getting His Record Deal with ABC Records and "All We Need Is Love" 33:58 The Motown Connection 35:04 Recording 'I Was Born This Way' 37:15 "I Was Born This Way" First Performed Live At Jewel's Catch One 38:56 Foundations of Unity Fellowship 42:11 On the AIDS Crisis and Personal Loss 46:28 Spiritual Reflections 50:23 Final Thoughts and Legacy 51:30 Outro Theme ✔ Join Our Mailing List ► https://bit.ly/joincnptribe Support CNP  ✔ Donation ► https://www.thecounternarrative.org/donation Join us on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok ✔ TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@cnptribe ✔ BlueSky ► https://bsky.app/profile/cnptribe.org ✔ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/cnptribe ✔ Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/cnptribe ©2025 The Counter Narrative Project, All Rights Reserved

    52 min

About

The Reckoning Podcast is a podcast from CNP that features conversations old and new from the #CNPTribe about Blackness and liberation from all walks of life.