02/21/2026
Tara Roberts () is an award-winning storyteller, explorer, and the host and producer of the podcast . Roberts started her career as an editor for well known publications like CosmoGirl, Essence, Ebony and Heart & Soul magazines, edited several books for girls, and even started her own magazine. But in her recent work, Roberts spends time researching a painful past and diving with a group of Black scuba divers as they search for slave shipwrecks around the world from the transatlantic slave trade.
Roberts documented her journey, which turned into a six-part, National Geographic podcast and resulted her in being named 2022’s Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year. She became the first Black woman explorer to ever be featured on the cover of National Geographic.
In ’s podcast , Roberts talks about the shock of her discoveries during her journey, including the 1.8 million enslaved Africans who perished at sea before ever reaching land.
In an interview with ABC13, Roberts said “What I’m trying to do - these divers, these historians, these archaeologists - we’re trying to expand the historical record.” She continues on to say “We are trying to fill in the gaps and tell a more complete story of this important moment that happened in our history. The transatlantic slave trade is one of the most monumental events in human history. It really shaped the world that we have today.”
“Into The Depths” traces the lasting legacy of the global slave trade, connecting Africa, Europe, North America, and South America in a shared history of trauma, resistance, and rediscovery. The podcast can be found on major platforms.
Source: National Geographic, ABC13, The Optimist Project Podcast