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EP. 2: U.N.I.T.Y. - Hip-Hop, Reconnection, and the Latinx Community
6 Plays10 months ago
Music has the ability to bring us all together. For some, hip-hop is where it all started in the Boogie Down Bronx with the Black and Latino community. At some point a split happened and our guest on this episode wants to foster reconnection between these communities for the love of hip-hop culture. But how can that happen with the Latino community is so divided itself? In this episode, Community Director and Hip-Hop Cultural Specialist Jeffrey Roe talks about how he found belonging, barriers to reconnection between the Black and Latino community, and how hip-hop just might help bridge the gap.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
Introducing Guest Jeff Rowe
Hosts' Recent Experiences
00:00:42
Marjorie Anderson
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the second episode of the Connecting Across the Diaspora podcast. Thanks for waiting for us. Life was life in, but we are back. I am Marjorie Anderson, co-host of the show, and I'm here with my co-host, Carol Martinez, and a very special guest that I will get to in just a second. Before we do that, let's just check in and see how we're feeling. Carol, how are you doing?
00:01:09
Carol Martinez
I am good, I'm good. And I think it what you just said, life life, right? We've just been life in lots of things to consider, emotions to take in, and creating the time to pause with all of them, right?
00:01:26
Marjorie Anderson
It's been a pretty volatile week here.
00:01:29
Carol Martinez
It has been, it really has been. and And I think as we figure out, right, what
Importance of Community
00:01:38
Carol Martinez
the next months, the next days, the next years look like. It's kind of also okay to just pause and celebrate the holidays. Like I'm a Christmas fan. I love Christmas. It makes me happy. It brings me joy. I love the lights. I love how excited people get about decorating and hot cocoa.
00:01:59
Marjorie Anderson
For sure. but beverage um also socks and sweatands it Anything that resembles comfort, I am 100% here for.
00:02:10
Marjorie Anderson
So, excellent.
00:02:12
Carol Martinez
that's And also too, it's it's exciting to be back, right? This is a ah journey, not something that we are just doing one time and one time only. And thank you to all of those that have heard and listened to our podcasts and some love our way expressed just how excited they are that there is space for this as well for these types of conversations.
00:02:36
Carol Martinez
So thank you all.
00:02:36
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, for sure. We've gotten a really warm reception. And while we were a little delayed, we were not denied. So um really great to be ah back and having some conversations, especially now, around why community is important, especially in the Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. So um all that said, I am incredibly excited to have
Jeff Rowe's Career
00:03:02
Marjorie Anderson
one of um one of my colleagues that I have a deep, deep respect for, come on and talk a little bit about some of the work that his he's doing. For those in the community space, you probably know um Jeff Rowe. Jeff is a powerhouse in the community space and I have always admired the way that he has gone about getting people connected and
00:03:27
Marjorie Anderson
ensuring that they feel some sort of sense of belonging and purpose within that connection. And so um we'll be talking to Jeff today. Let me just give you a little bit of information about Jeff and then I will let him tell you about himself.
00:03:41
Marjorie Anderson
um Jeff builds community for a podcast called the rap dad's show as well as the sway in the morning show on Sirius XM. um The rap dad's show explores the journey of fatherhood through the lens of hip hop in an effort to correct the narrative of black and brown fathers and sway in the morning.
00:03:59
Marjorie Anderson
um is a morning show that is hosted by Sway Callaway on Shave45, a SiriusXM channel by executive producer and rock and roll Hall of Famer, M&M. And over the course of Jeff's 13 year journey as a community professional, he's had the privilege to work with dozens of brands and roles, leading teams of community managers that helped empower organizations to achieve measurable business growth by building meaningful relationships with their customers. These few sentences cannot do him justice, so I will
00:04:29
Marjorie Anderson
Go ahead and turn it over to Jeff Jeff. Let the people know who you are.
00:04:33
@jerseycityjeff
Oh man, episode two, you know, I shaved earlier this morning and usually there's a bit of sensitivity that comes up. I got sensitive skin, but that introduction just added a little bit of rosiness to my teeth.
00:04:51
@jerseycityjeff
So thank you, first of all, for that. And wow, episode two, man. and Let me tell you something. When I when i saw that that you guys launched this podcast, I was immediately like, subscribe. like let Let's go, because this is so very much needed. So salute to the both of you. I don't care how long this journey is. I'm here for all the peaks and valleys.
00:05:16
@jerseycityjeff
So let's go. I am so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me. And wow, what a privilege. Episode two.
00:05:23
Marjorie Anderson
Yes, yes. So I was telling Carol when we were thinking about guests to have on the show, you were one of the first people that came to my mind.
00:05:26
Carol Martinez
Yeah.
00:05:29
Marjorie Anderson
I'm like, of course, Jeffrey, of course. um So we're glad you're here.
00:05:33
Carol Martinez
Sure. ah Sure, Jeff. and And she did. The one thing, i many things I know about Marjorie, but the passion for community has expanded her network, her friends, and just the love that she has about the people that she's connecting with. So when I heard your name and she's like, you have to meet this Chico, you guys are going to connect.
00:05:58
Carol Martinez
And I was like, cool, who is he? just like So it is an honor and pleasure to be in this space with you.
00:06:03
@jerseycityjeff
yeah Yeah Likewise likewise the privilege is mine 100%
Reflections on Diversity and Community
00:06:11
Marjorie Anderson
Excellent. Well, listen, we we we could probably talk to you all day, but we know that our time is limited. So we'll go ahead and get started. um I think, you know, as we kind of think about one of the things that came up in our pilot episode was really thinking about how um how important connection and community and belonging was for us growing up and when that first showed up for us. So I'd really love to learn a little bit more about you and what stood out in your upbringing that helped you realize the importance of belonging and, you know, how far back do you remember that earliest instance of feeling like, wow, this is, I'm where I'm supposed to be. And these are the people who care enough about me to, to kind of help me move through life a little bit.
00:06:56
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah, I think that when when you reflect on your earliest memories of feeling connected, feeling like you belong to a community, um I think it's it's easier to remember the the times where you did experience those feelings of of belonging and and connectivity. And then as you age and your world begins to expand, you start to see the flip side of you know maybe not feeling as connected or even feeling excluded in certain moments. So for me, I think growing up in Jersey City, for those of you who aren't familiar, I am originally from Jersey City, born in in New York City. So I definitely identify as a New York Rican.
00:07:43
@jerseycityjeff
Um, but I was raised in Jersey city, which is right across the Hudson river. And when I say right across the Hudson river, I mean, literally on the waterfront, like when the twin towers fell during nine 11, you could feel the ground shaking in my hood. So that's, that's how close to New York city we were. So, you know, it would follow. And then it was very much that.
00:08:06
@jerseycityjeff
kind of experience for me growing up where it was, ah ah you know, Jersey City is a melting pot, a lot of Puerto Ricans, a lot of Filipinos growing up. um And now that's just increased exponentially, right? Because you got you got people coming from all all over the country to live in the tri-state area, specifically Jersey City. um So there's just the the spectrum of diversity is almost limitless.
00:08:38
@jerseycityjeff
um And I definitely felt that growing up, you know, like there was a mix of people, but there was there was ah a good solid sense of community. Like if you were from Jersey City, if you're from Jersey City back in the day, Jersey City, you you know, it's it's almost like cheers, you know, where everybody knows your name kind of thing.
00:08:55
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:08:55
Carol Martinez
Yeah.
00:08:55
@jerseycityjeff
um So definitely had a strong sense of that growing up. lots of good neighbors to rely on, you know, if you went out to play, you know, back in the days when you would go call for friends and not picking up a phone to call for your friends, you go to their house and knock on the door.
00:09:12
@jerseycityjeff
Hey, can I play with, you know, Johnny today, whatever.
00:09:15
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:09:17
@jerseycityjeff
Um, so there was that. And then I think that as, as I aged and I got into like high school years, I started to see the flip side of it, right? Where, you know, I'd be called in as a,
00:09:31
@jerseycityjeff
maybe a freshman or a sophomore in in the high school that I attended, shout out to Hudson Catholic in Jersey City. um And I would be, hey, you know, we're we're having freshmen for a day program where we're going to have an eighth grader come and shadow you for the entire day, blah, blah, blah.
00:09:48
@jerseycityjeff
and one of the brothers in the in the schools called me and specifically to pair me up with another Latino kid because we're both Latinos so all you know all of a sudden it's going to be ah a really good experience right it's like okay so I was like oh wow I'm being discriminated against but it's being framed positively I guess
00:10:09
Marjorie Anderson
ah right
00:10:09
@jerseycityjeff
You know? So I was like, oh, OK, I see what's going on here. And then you you know, you get used to that. and That just that kind of continues as you as you get on in years.
00:10:20
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, it's we were we were having a little bit of a conversation about that in that in the in the pilot episode around um just having that feeling that your whole block was family. Like, it wasn't just, um oh, you have your neighbor who has their set of kids. Like, you were also their kid. And if you got in trouble by the neighbor, then your mother was like, well, you shouldn't have been doing what you were doing. And then you she wouldn't have gotten in trouble, right? and so To your point, though, like as you get older, like those that web of connection um breaks a little bit, and you have to be really intentional about how you reform that.
00:10:57
Carol Martinez
Yeah. and And there's also like a ah bit of innocence too, Jeff. As you're telling this story as a New Yorker from the Bronx myself, like I start to think about you know where where I see those moments where I first had that awareness of, is this discrimination? hey Like you were saying, you appeared off with another Latino. like like tell it tell us more just Just the feeling that you had, I kind of want to hear from you. like where Where has that gone with you? Do you still experience that?
00:11:32
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So if I'm, you know, if memory serves the first the initial feeling, you know, being called into the office is like, oh, I'm being selected, you know, like,
00:11:45
@jerseycityjeff
they must think I'm a really good student, right? Because they want to put me with a freshman for a day, right? And then you know I get into the office, and then it's like, oh, yeah, he's Latino. You're Latino. And then it's like, oh, OK. So it's not really merit based, I guess. is this is This was an arbitrary thing. And it's like, how'd you know, man? like That's the second thing, right? Because my name is Jeffrey Rowe, one of the whitest sounding names on paper.
00:12:11
@jerseycityjeff
Right? Which, and I'm also half white, right? So it's like, oh, wow. That's the moment where I realized, OK, I'm white on paper. But then you know people take a look at me and they're like, ah, he ain't really white.
00:12:25
@jerseycityjeff
He ain't white white.
00:12:27
Marjorie Anderson
i a Wait a minute.
00:12:30
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah, exactly. so And then I guess how that has continued or maybe even grown in ways throughout my professional life Um, I guess, you know, a lot of my career has been spent in the tech space and, you know, working at, you know, for certain periods, working with, with startup companies, you know,
00:12:57
@jerseycityjeff
ah getting around the broey culture of it. you know I've definitely worked at companies that have that broey tech culture vibe and um just working in an environment where I'm reporting to, ah you know, superiors of mine who are like 10 years younger than me, right?
00:13:16
@jerseycityjeff
um I guess being in an environment where you feel that there's a mold, right? it's and It's very much like high school, right? yeah i'm not what wasn't one of the In high school, I was one of the kids that I could hang out with anyone, any group of kids. I was in all the honors classes, but I'm hanging out with you know regular class
Influence of Music on Jeff's Life
00:13:40
@jerseycityjeff
kids, or you know I'm hanging out with the jocks, or I'm hanging out with you know the kids smoking behind the bleachers at the football game, you know like whatever.
00:13:50
@jerseycityjeff
and I guess getting into the professional world, you start to see a little bit of that, what that mold is. And I can only describe it as, you know, that preppy cookie cutter, you know, like, I'm going to go get my stuff at J Crew and and, you know, grab a ah burrito at Chipotle and and call it a day, you know?
00:14:10
@jerseycityjeff
Like, um yeah, I never could find myself fitting into that.
00:14:10
Marjorie Anderson
Yep.
00:14:18
@jerseycityjeff
even when I've tried. you know um And there are definitely parts of me that that that persona, you know I can relate to it. you know um But whenever I try to be an authentic version of myself that that connected with those those persona points and related to other individuals, that was just something that never really gelled.
00:14:47
@jerseycityjeff
I don't know what it is. Can't really call it, but yeah.
00:14:53
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, I think there's something ah about, um I think there's something that calls to us who are from like different communities to, like we have a responsibility to show up as we are because the representation isn't there as it is.
00:15:05
Carol Martinez
Mm hmm.
00:15:09
Carol Martinez
Correct.
00:15:11
@jerseycityjeff
Right.
00:15:12
Marjorie Anderson
um We don't necessarily see people like ourselves. We don't hear people like ourselves. And so, you know, we're conditioned, I think, at a young age that in order to quote unquote be professional, you have to adhere to this very white centered norm of what ah acceptable is. And I think at some point you intuitively start to rebel against it because it's not who you are. It's not core to who you are. It's not part of
00:15:46
Marjorie Anderson
um how you want to show up in the world and the universe has a way of pushing us into our own authenticity and our own voice and our own sense of self when it does not align with who we actually are and so I would really like to hear a little bit more about like what are the as you were starting to realize like that's not who I am and this is who I need to be and how I need to show up in the world and
00:15:55
@jerseycityjeff
Right. Mm hmm.
00:16:01
Carol Martinez
True.
00:16:10
Carol Martinez
Mm hmm.
00:16:14
Marjorie Anderson
of what are those influences that really shaped the role that you play now and in the past as it relates to ensuring not only that community is a constant in your life, but you can show up in a way that helps people to see, this is this is real, this is authentic, this isn't something that he went and read a book about and it's like, oh yeah, community and belonging. like we all know We all know where those conversations go. So ah talk to us a little bit about how that really kind of helped shape how you choose to show up.
00:16:47
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah, I think that just the discovery process itself is a process, right? So you know kind of where I left off in my last answer is like, yeah, I can't really call what it is.
00:16:54
Carol Martinez
Yeah.
00:17:01
@jerseycityjeff
you know like Why isn't this jelling? I know there's parts of me that resonate with these human beings who I have respect for, who i some of some of the some of which I admire.
00:17:15
@jerseycityjeff
you know and um and i really like these folks you know um but you know there's a lot of things that come into play i guess when when you're in a in a work environment in terms of how much of yourself you show to your co-workers because at the end of the day these are not your friends these are your co-workers uh so there's a little bit of that that comes into play and then ah I think that you you just, it's it's one of those things where if you don't solve the problem, the problem's gonna repeat itself until you have identified, okay, what is it? you know And instead, we we have this tendency as human beings as well, right, to look for something external, to point towards, oh, that's the reason why. But as you grow, as you mature, you start to look inward more.
00:18:03
@jerseycityjeff
um And after having that that vicious cycle kind of repeat almost to an insane level where it's like, y'all I'm not fitting in. Now I'm starting to get frustrated because I feel like I'm hitting a ceiling in my career. So how am I goingnna how am i gonna react to that? you know Am I gonna be frustrated on the job and and look like a disgruntled employee or am I am i going to um just continue to to double down on my work ethic and double down on my faith you know and double down on not worrying so much about it.
00:18:44
@jerseycityjeff
You know, that I think that's a lot of it too is that some of it is not yours to figure out mind your business, you know, give some of that energy to God, let God take care of it.
00:18:44
Marjorie Anderson
yeah yeah
00:18:53
@jerseycityjeff
Right. um So to answer your question, I would say that definitely in the process of ah doing that and going through some of those growing pains.
00:19:04
@jerseycityjeff
ah I identified a number of superheroes and individuals that I look up to, but I think the common thread between all of them, and we can we can get into who who those folks are a bit later, but I think the common thread when it comes to all of them is that it's it's all it all goes back to a younger version of yourself.
00:19:06
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, yeah.
00:19:30
@jerseycityjeff
you know, and what resonated with you the most when you were your most authentic self before you started getting programmed by society and our cultural norms and things like that.
00:19:42
@jerseycityjeff
So I think a lot of it had to do with, you know, also realizing that and then also really like, hey, it's okay for this to be your North star.
00:19:53
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm. Mm hmm.
00:19:56
@jerseycityjeff
Because when you connect with things, like in my in my personal circumstance, a lot of it has to do with, you know, connected to creativity and art and music and culture and things like that. On the surface to others, that might appear immature, reckless, you know, you're not doing the practical thing.
00:20:19
@jerseycityjeff
Um, you know, it doesn't make sense to show up to a podcast where you're talking about professional and personal development, which you had on and your t-shirt and looking all, you know, not preppy and cookie color, but it's like, no, okay.
00:20:33
Marjorie Anderson
Right?
00:20:37
@jerseycityjeff
This is, this is me. This is my, this is the skin that I feel comfortable in.
00:20:42
Marjorie Anderson
who
00:20:43
@jerseycityjeff
Right. and knowing you know just staying consistent with that and knowing that your work should speak for itself you know so so yeah that that kind of you know after hitting a couple of walls you know trying to figure that out then it's just like okay so this is this is easy now okay we can do this
00:21:07
Marjorie Anderson
yeah you never realize how much uh trying to conform stifles you in so many ways
00:21:17
Carol Martinez
and And I think that's the value of community in itself. In our earlier ah podcast, one of the experiences I shared with Marjorie is that all of the moving around that I've done has also impacted me. To also kind of understand that this is the authentic me,
00:21:39
Carol Martinez
but there's also these experiences to come along with that. So as I'm listening to you, Jeff, I can't help but kind of move my head and bebop because that hip hop, it's just really coming out, right? To me, it's really coming out. And I know that ah Marjorie shared with us in your intro, just just the work that you're doing with fathers, the work that you're doing with music and again just wanting to get a sense of what what does that mean for you? What does music live in your life?
00:22:11
@jerseycityjeff
Oh my gosh. it's it's I mean, they call it the universal language for a reason, right? I mean, a lot of folks, I'll be in conversation. with friends of mine, relatives, loved ones.
00:22:26
@jerseycityjeff
And I'd be like, man, you got a song for everything, huh? Like, who's this? We can be talking about anything. I'll just be like, whoop, there you go. You know? Like, text threads are real interesting with me, because you'll write me a whole paragraph of stuff.
00:22:41
@jerseycityjeff
And I'll be like, YouTube link, here. Go ahead. Everything you just said in the song.
00:22:47
Marjorie Anderson
Like bro, that's not the response I was looking for.
00:22:47
@jerseycityjeff
But yeah, huge. Yeah, hugely, hugely influential. um Of course, a lot of my palate when it comes to music and my sensibilities as a fan of music, as a music fanatic,
00:23:05
@jerseycityjeff
I come from my parents. My mother raised me on a lot of old school R and&B, funk, soul, Blue Magic, Teddy Pendergrass. I mean, so many artists. we could We could go all day with this. But it was just the position of that with salsa music. Salsa music, merengue music, just Latin music in it overall.
00:23:31
@jerseycityjeff
But I had that from my mother, who's also you know well-versed and in every genre as well. She's got a universal palette just like me. But those were her two you know flagship genres. And then my father was all classic rock and also very diverse taste in music as well. So I got a nice eclectic mix between those two individuals. So salute to them for that.
00:23:55
Marjorie Anderson
excellent i listen i was listening to um criminal minded this morning getting ready for this um this podcast i was like we're gonna talk about hip-hop oh okay we're gonna go there excellent so asking this question it makes me feel like i'm um sydney from um ah brown sugar when i'm like tell me about
00:24:06
@jerseycityjeff
Oh, yes.
00:24:17
Marjorie Anderson
the first time you met hip-hop. Like, actually, that is the question.
00:24:19
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah.
00:24:21
Marjorie Anderson
Like, talk to me about how you shook hands with hip-hop and where your love for hip-hop ah for hip-hopp comes from.
00:24:30
@jerseycityjeff
wow You're you're a woman after my own heart So the the long the short answer My earliest memory my gosh it had to have been a R and&B rooted.
00:24:49
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm we got time
00:24:49
@jerseycityjeff
Forget it short, there's no short answer when it comes to this, all right? um So yeah, my first first, the song, the first song I ever sang as a child was Always by a Atlantic Star.
00:25:05
@jerseycityjeff
And I used to sing that song to my grandmother. And she just fell in love with the way I would sing it. She would like always bring it up as a memory, even as I as i grew in into an adult.
00:25:19
@jerseycityjeff
But again, like there's so much of hip hop that is, you know it's like jazz, like the last living American art form, right?
00:25:29
Marjorie Anderson
Mm-hmm.
00:25:30
@jerseycityjeff
It pulls from every genre. um So yeah, I guess in a sense, that might've been the beginning of it. um Early memories in childhood, I remember watching my mother cry when Tupac died.
00:25:39
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:25:43
Carol Martinez
Mmm.
00:25:43
@jerseycityjeff
ah I remember you know just, it was always there in the background.
00:25:44
Carol Martinez
Wow.
00:25:50
@jerseycityjeff
you know
00:25:53
@jerseycityjeff
my I would say that my music collection started pretty early, probably around the age of nine or 10. And then as I got into my teenage years, because my sensibilities at that time were developed to the point where it was a lot of mainstream stuff, you know?
00:26:13
@jerseycityjeff
So a lot of, you know, pup daddy in the family, you know, all about the Benjamins, the late 90s stuff, the golden era of hip hop, as some might refer to.
00:26:17
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, right.
00:26:25
@jerseycityjeff
um But I also remember feeling a little bit bored. at a certain point. And I started to feel like the music was getting a little too homogenous. ah And then DMX came.
00:26:42
Marjorie Anderson
Yes!
00:26:42
@jerseycityjeff
And it was something that was so visceral. And it was exactly what I needed at the at that time. Pre-teen, just standing on the precipice of the next, however many years, four or so years of angst.
00:27:00
Marjorie Anderson
you needed some fuel excellent that's amazing
00:27:00
@jerseycityjeff
you know Yeah, it was like, this is my guy.
00:27:03
Carol Martinez
I needed that. yeah
00:27:06
@jerseycityjeff
So yeah, that when when when X came around, it was like, oh man, here we go. So I got real excited for that. And thankfully, I got to see him live before he passed. So full circle moment.
00:27:19
Carol Martinez
That's awesome. That is amazing, right?
00:27:20
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah.
00:27:21
Carol Martinez
Because again, for me, my my love of hip hop naturally grew because I grew up in the South Bronx. Right? So every time I left my apartment building, somebody was trying to rhyme something with the collective, you know, people from the barrio. But girls were never allowed. That was the area that I grew up in. And primarily because of that Latino mix with that African-American, there were always these little boundaries that happened. So I remember bopping my head. And the first time I turned out DMX, I was like, whoa.
00:27:59
Carol Martinez
right Because it it did. It came at you with such power, with such force, and like even the body language. And it was okay to now have the body language where you weren't trying to hurt anyone, but you were just trying to express yourself.
00:28:10
@jerseycityjeff
mm hmm. Right.
00:28:15
Carol Martinez
right and And again, just what you just shared about yourself, you live in these multi-cultures. hey you You have that Latino, you have that white in you, and then this is your medium of expression. Do they ever clash? like the Talk to us about that.
00:28:36
@jerseycityjeff
when I think about this topic, and I was thinking of this song as you as you were responding to to what I just described. And I don't know if I would call it a clash, per se.
00:28:55
@jerseycityjeff
um I guess in the in the early days, right, I kind of took the position of
00:29:07
@jerseycityjeff
being sort of biased or maybe even borderline prejudice towards other genres of music because I was claiming hip-hop and R and&B.
00:29:19
@jerseycityjeff
you know So if I got a whiff of rock music, I was like, oh, that white boy shit, man, get out of It was kind of intuitive at first. you know And then there was a period when i after my father separated from my mother, he was living in in in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn for a couple of years.
00:29:42
@jerseycityjeff
And my stepbrother at the time got me put on to the band Green Day. They had just put out there the one of their smash hit albums called Dookie.
00:29:50
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:29:54
@jerseycityjeff
And I was like, yo, this is this slaps, man. This is Green Day. These guys are good, man. And and that's where it was like, OK, we got another wheel that's churning here. um but But the song that you made me think of is ah Father of Mine by, gosh, Everclear, a band called Everclear.
00:30:17
Marjorie Anderson
Mmm, I love Everclear.
00:30:19
@jerseycityjeff
And there's a line in the song, because the song is about an absentee father and a son growing up without his dad. right And there's a line in the song. was is It goes, I was 10 years old doing all that I could.
00:30:33
@jerseycityjeff
It wasn't easy for me to be a scared white boy in a black neighborhood. You know, and ah growing up, there was a lot of experience, like moments where I had that, you know, where they, you know, some of the other cats that I grew up in the hood with would would take a look at me and it would be the inverse of what I described, where it's like, oh, Jeffrey Rose, white on paper.
00:30:53
@jerseycityjeff
But then look at her, he ain't that white. Some of the cats that I grew up with would look at me and be like, he ain't that Puerto Rican. Let's choke this kid. You know what I'm saying?
00:31:01
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:31:01
@jerseycityjeff
So, yeah, there were moments where I was a scared white boy in ah in a black neighborhood, you know?
00:31:04
Carol Martinez
Mm hmm.
00:31:08
@jerseycityjeff
So, yeah, I wouldn't say clash, but there's just moments where you experience flip sides of the of the same coin.
00:31:17
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, for sure. my My first introduction to something other than hip hop and R and&B because I lived in the hood. And my first introduction to something other than hip-hop and R and&B was um the violent femmes.
00:31:32
@jerseycityjeff
a
00:31:32
Marjorie Anderson
A friend of mine from college was like, do you listen to the violent femmes? I was like, the girl, the who?
00:31:37
@jerseycityjeff
the well.
00:31:37
Marjorie Anderson
And she was like, anything that's violent and femme, like, I'm not listening to that.
00:31:40
@jerseycityjeff
Right.
00:31:42
Marjorie Anderson
But she was like, no, no, listen to this song and took off from there. But I think that there's something really and important in how music tends to bring people together.
00:31:56
Marjorie Anderson
And that's the thing that I want to dig into with you right now is that
00:31:58
@jerseycityjeff
Yes.
00:32:00
Marjorie Anderson
you know, with hip-hop, like we we understand that there is a connection with both the Latinx community and the Black community around hip-hop, right? Like that is where that heartbeat kind of started um in the Bronx, right? for For that music. And so what I would love to understand from you is what is your perspective on how um how the Latinx community and the Black community both came together and lost their connection to one another?
00:32:30
Marjorie Anderson
around hip hop.
00:32:30
@jerseycityjeff
Yes Yes, yes, so I have I have theories about this. I think they're pretty solid, but maybe anyone who's tuning into this episode can offer some some some color or perspective to this topic because it's one that I'm i'm still exploring.
00:32:51
@jerseycityjeff
um But from where I'm sitting with last year being the 50th anniversary
Latino and Black Communities in Hip-Hop
00:32:57
@jerseycityjeff
of hip-hop, you know, I noticed a lot of the OGs, the KRS ones, Busta Rhymes, you know, I just started to see certain clips and and media circulating around the interwebs where they took, they made it a point to take a moment to be like, hey, just in case y'all guys forgot, you know, this shit started in the Bronx with Blacks and Puerto Ricans coming together.
00:33:21
@jerseycityjeff
And I'm like, okay, well, that's very true. And and I love it, you know, but in my humble opinion, if we were that close 50 years ago, we're not as close in 2024. And I think that is a huge problem.
00:33:39
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:33:39
@jerseycityjeff
I'm not sure when exactly this happened or why it happened, but if we're if and from the little bit that I know, because we're talking about 50 years of of culture and music and and there's so much to explore, um but from what I know, it seems to me that at some point during the trajectory, there was a divergence.
00:34:01
@jerseycityjeff
And Latinos leaned in the direction of the elements of hip-hop that are most closely associated with dance, right?
00:34:02
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. Hmm.
00:34:08
@jerseycityjeff
We have breaking, we got dance. You start to see that in the evolution of the music, you know, from freestyle music to urban Latino, and now we got Bad Bunny, you know?
00:34:19
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:34:20
@jerseycityjeff
So, um whereas the black community leaned into the MC version, the lyricism, the boom, bap, the rap, you know? um And, you know, even for example, a group like TKA, right? Freestyle group, one of the one of the flagship freestyle groups, biggest ones to do it. um They got signed to Tommy Boy Records. I want to say this was probably like late 80s, early 90s, something like that. They already had, the the label already had what they needed in terms of hip hop and rap.
00:35:00
@jerseycityjeff
they were what they said to TK. TK came in as a hip-hop group.
00:35:05
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:35:06
@jerseycityjeff
They had to learn to sing because the record label didn't want them to do rap.
00:35:08
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:35:12
@jerseycityjeff
They said, we want to take whoever was the the first artist to take Afrika Bambaata's music.
00:35:24
@jerseycityjeff
um There's one song, the title's escaping me at the moment. but um They said, we want you to do the Puerto Rican version of that.
00:35:34
Marjorie Anderson
Oh, interesting.
00:35:35
@jerseycityjeff
Where it's like electronic, hip hop-ish music, but there's a dance element to this. And we want you to do the Puerto Rican version of that. So they had to learn how to sing and become a whole other group.
00:35:50
@jerseycityjeff
so So... Some of the divergence I would attribute to the music business in general, right? Because they're like, let's find as many ways to segment this thing that they're calling hip hop and create as many different revenue streams from it as possible, which makes business sense, I guess.
00:36:04
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:36:06
@jerseycityjeff
But the community suffers as a result of it, right? We get watered down, the culture and everything that it stands for gets picked apart. And here we are in 2024 and it's like, how do we find our way back?
00:36:20
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:36:20
@jerseycityjeff
you know, but it's also like riddle me this Batman, how can the Latino community ever expect to fully reconnect and reunite with our black brothers and sisters if we ourselves are segregated and we discriminate against each other?
00:36:36
Carol Martinez
Yes, we do.
00:36:36
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:36:37
@jerseycityjeff
I'm Puerto Rican, this one's Cuban, the other one's Dominican, shut the fuck up with all Latinos.
00:36:38
Carol Martinez
Yep.
00:36:44
Carol Martinez
oh
00:36:44
@jerseycityjeff
You know what I'm saying? What's the big difference? Oh, you use that seasoning on your chicken? You know, like, come on. we What do we like? Corn, beans, rice.
00:36:56
@jerseycityjeff
We just cook it a little different.
00:36:58
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:36:58
@jerseycityjeff
That's all.
00:36:58
Carol Martinez
and
00:36:59
@jerseycityjeff
You know, why are we using these things as reasons to pit us versus them rather than embracing those nuances and celebrating them?
00:37:10
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:37:12
Carol Martinez
Correct, correct. and And I think for me as a Afro-Latina, I see that as if I would have grown up in Honduras, well, what would I say about being Latina versus I've grown up in the Bronx and Northeast and lived in Florida. So it's just like the the separations, like you said, just just naturally, I feel like just we gravitate towards them naturally and sometimes unintentionally, right?
00:37:44
Carol Martinez
And it creates just these differences, like you said, like even with the term Latinx, I got invited to a conversation amongst my Latinos, and they're like, how do you define yourself?
00:37:57
Carol Martinez
I was like, I'm Carol, you're so yonderana, right?
00:38:01
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah.
00:38:01
Carol Martinez
But they're like, well, like are you Latinx or are you Latina? And I'm like, I mean, I just want to be myself.
00:38:06
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah. Hello. Come on, man. like A relative of mine would hear Latinx at a family gathering and be like, como que ex? What are you, an X-Men now? what the what What is this? you know like And it's just like, all right, listen, for anyone out there that's that's really strict when it comes to this stuff, Latinx, Latina,
00:38:30
@jerseycityjeff
whichever you know suffix letter you want to use but i'm i'm just i'm sorry i'm gonna i'm gonna say latinos as a collective that's that's just how i that's how i say it yeah
00:38:42
Carol Martinez
Correct. Correct. And that's how I say it too.
00:38:44
Marjorie Anderson
Don't.
00:38:45
Carol Martinez
and And that's how I show up presenting myself. And the reason why, for me, the Afro-Latina is so powerful for me because my culture, my my Garifuna, Hondurian, Black culture is traced back to the migration of slaves, right, from Africa and being dumped into, you know, within the Atlantic coast and all of the island areas.
00:39:02
@jerseycityjeff
yes
00:39:15
Carol Martinez
And then finally they found themselves within the Honduran Central American spaces. So when I think about that, this is where I say, had I grown up in Honduras, I would just be on do rea
00:39:27
@jerseycityjeff
Yes.
00:39:28
Carol Martinez
andta
00:39:29
@jerseycityjeff
That's it.
00:39:29
Carol Martinez
But because I grew up in in the United States, so more than i do anya i they don they care that that's that's what I'm getting.
00:39:40
Carol Martinez
So that division is so real. And this is where I think the work that you're doing, as I said, when Marjorie introduced you, tell us more about the work that you're doing because that separation, Jeff, it is it is still pulling us apart.
00:39:52
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah.
00:39:58
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah, it is. It's it's it's become, ah ah sadly to say this, but it's become a living, breathing organism on its own. I mean, look at this. We're what? Less than 10 days you know out of of election day election day and and look at look at the percentage of Latino men that that that showed up unfavorably for us, you know?
00:40:23
@jerseycityjeff
That's a whole other conversation, but you know this is a very, very difficult nut to crack, but it's one that I feel that I was built for. It's one that when when I see the work that I'm doing having an impact,
00:40:38
@jerseycityjeff
It provides me with with such a great sense of purpose and fulfillment that I know this is what I was put here to do. This is what my community journey looks like for me. you know After having you know spent the time doing in the work, cutting my teeth in in the corporate space,
00:40:56
@jerseycityjeff
now I've had, I'm at a sort of a renaissance period in my career where, you know, does the vision look 100% clear? Nah, a lot of what I'm doing is going off of gut, you know, and you know, you, but it's it's definitely a clearer vision than
Jeff's Consulting Work
00:41:15
@jerseycityjeff
it previously was, right? So you, you know, when you have a little bit of that clarity, you move towards it, you trust your gut, you follow your instincts and things become clearer almost day by day, you know, and you take shots based on your gut and then figure out how it fits into to the other pieces of the puzzle at a later point in time or just as you go. But to answer your question, um some of the things that I've done this year, I studied with KRS-1 and the Temple of Hip-Hop, salute to them.
00:41:54
@jerseycityjeff
Newark, New Jersey, 55 Ludlow Street, there is a temple of hip hop, which I didn't know until this year. But once I found out, I said, you know what? This is this feels like it's for me.
00:42:06
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:42:06
@jerseycityjeff
you know So ah there's my relationship with hip hop that has become more intimate and I'm seeking to bring that passion into what I do professionally as a community manager um and what what a lot of that really equates to and and you'll you'll be the first ones to really hear about this or or anyone tuning in will be the first ones to hear about me talk about this publicly. um But i'm I'm starting a consulting practice. i've i've
00:42:38
@jerseycityjeff
I've started my first LLC earlier this year and I'm getting ready to launch a consulting practice called Fiesta Legre. Fiesta Legre community consulting and this will be you know my my pivot into my entrepreneurial journey, my pivot into serving the community management industry in the best way I know how and that is really to support and amplify the work of brands and companies that are owned and operated by members of the BIPOC community and those of our allies.
00:43:17
@jerseycityjeff
I don't really get a sense that anyone's really saying that in a very direct way.
00:43:23
Marjorie Anderson
yeah Hey.
00:43:24
@jerseycityjeff
So I want to be the one to so at least get the ball rolling with that. So lots of lots of cool things to look out for. ah in the coming weeks, in the coming months. There will be a podcast of my own that that will be launching. Right now, the running title for it is Beats, Rhymes, y Comunidad.
00:43:46
@jerseycityjeff
ah So, yeah, I'm really looking to discuss what what we do professionally as as community managers in a different light. I want to talk about it a little bit more casually. I want to talk about it um you know not so much on the theory level of things, although I'll be here to to provide those tools and resources to anyone who might be in need of them.
00:44:11
@jerseycityjeff
Um, but yeah, I just want to bring a little bit of Sasone to it, man. Let's mix it up. Let's talk about community management. Let's talk about culture. Let's talk about music and art and activism, and let's just mix it up and see what happens, you know? So, so yeah, um, um the the the intention and the hope is that by bringing these elements together, I'll be able to present the great work that we do in a different light and in one that will help us push the industry forward.
00:44:41
@jerseycityjeff
and move the needle just a little bit more to us solidifying our place in the professional world and maybe even corporate America if we get lucky.
00:44:50
Marjorie Anderson
I love that for you. I love that for you. And I think that there's something that's really important in the work that you're doing that is going to help kind of strip away those um those barriers for the Latino community because I think something that you said that was really important was like that it's fragmented and it doesn't feel like there's any desire to close that gap. Not saying that there's not any desire, but by and large, it seems like the majority um aren't really looking for ways to close that gap. So I'm i'm really wondering, like the work that you are getting ready to embark, you've got a lot on your plate, and I am excited about what's about to come from you. And I'm wondering, like
00:45:42
Marjorie Anderson
Is there an opportunity for that work to start to close that gap within the Latino community? Because I think as we think about what it means to belong to one another and actually work in community and be in community with one another, especially especially now in such a turbulent, turbulent time.
00:45:59
Marjorie Anderson
like There is no room for for divisiveness. There just isn't.
00:46:03
@jerseycityjeff
No.
00:46:04
Marjorie Anderson
We cannot be pitted against one another, regardless
Inner Revolution and Community Efforts
00:46:07
Marjorie Anderson
of where you sit in any diaspora. So um talk to us a little bit about like how how that might help bridge that gap.
00:46:15
@jerseycityjeff
I think the opportunity for us to address this problem, there's there's a plethora of opportunity, right? um But it has to start at the micro level because that's how fragmented we are.
00:46:30
@jerseycityjeff
You know what I'm saying? And it's like, you got me looking up this this song that I happened to listen to the day after election day that provided me with a great sense of comfort and relief.
00:46:46
@jerseycityjeff
A few years ago Common put out a few albums called A Beautiful Revolution. I think they actually come in four different parts.
00:46:53
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm. Hmm.
00:46:55
@jerseycityjeff
No, two, I'm sorry, two different parts. But on the the first part, the last track of of the A Beautiful Revolution part one,
00:47:10
@jerseycityjeff
um It's just called the Beautiful Revolution Outro, right? Because it's the last track. But I'm not going to read the whole thing to you. You can check it out and we'll provide links and all of that good stuff. But um but it starts out with what is a beautiful revolution? you know A beautiful revolution is when old and outdated ideas are replaced by new and better ones, everybody in peace, everybody shaking hands. But the main line that really got me um
00:47:42
@jerseycityjeff
says here that the truth is a revolution can be small. It's in the stillness and it can be painful and warm because it's happening on the inside first, right?
00:47:52
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:47:53
@jerseycityjeff
So in addition to all of the shameless plugs that I just dropped in reference to what it is that I'm working on, a lot of that work is work that I'm doing on me.
00:48:02
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:48:03
@jerseycityjeff
You know what I'm saying? It's about finding out what you're your dna your DNA origins are, which I also happen to do this year. And I am 11% indigenous Puerto Rico, all right?
00:48:16
@jerseycityjeff
A lot of that's watered down, okay? So I'm just...
00:48:20
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:48:22
Carol Martinez
Yes.
00:48:22
@jerseycityjeff
But yeah, you know, um for example, last year I visited Puerto Rico and in October. I went to Aguadilla. And while I was there, since it was a part of Puerto Rico that I hadn't been to before, I was like, I got curious because I'm a big fan of John Leguizamo.
00:48:41
Carol Martinez
who
00:48:42
@jerseycityjeff
I love his one-man shows. I grew up on them. And he's been doing so much great work recently with regards to representation and telling to our story, right? That, you know, unfortunately, it's not in the school textbooks these days. But these books are out there, you know? So you can you can watch his last one-man show on Netflix, right? There's Latin history for morons, right? But in that special, when he discusses the the Tainos and and how they were colonized uh he basically described it in that show as the Tainos it was a genocide in that we were colonized and basically were extinct we got wiped off the face of the planet
00:49:32
@jerseycityjeff
until he got a letter from this beautiful, beautiful woman in Utuado, Puerto Rico. And she said, excuse me, Mr. Le Guizamo, we're still here.
00:49:48
@jerseycityjeff
So we haven't gone anywhere. I am Taína, and I am still alive. So thank you very much. And we would we would very much love to have you come and visit the Caguana ceremonial grounds.
00:49:48
Marjorie Anderson
We haven't gone anywhere
00:50:00
@jerseycityjeff
So in in the town of Utuado, Puerto Rico is the Caguana ceremonial grounds, which is technically a US national park. But it is also an archaeological site.
00:50:11
@jerseycityjeff
It is the only part of Puerto Rico that is pre-Columbian land, meaning it it has not been colonized.
00:50:15
Marjorie Anderson
Wow.
00:50:20
@jerseycityjeff
I visited there last October and took my shoes off and grounded with the ancestors. there The way that it's set up, it's a beautiful park, and there's about 13 of what they call ball courts inside the park. They all look very rectangular in shape, all stones setting apart the grass from the gravel. Almost looks like a miniature golf course.
00:50:44
@jerseycityjeff
But in the main one in the middle, there's these monoliths, these big stones that have like stick figures drawn on them. And it's just, it was beautiful.
00:50:52
Marjorie Anderson
I bet.
00:50:53
@jerseycityjeff
Really, really beautiful. Because what ended up happening after John got that letter following his one-man show, ah He visited the Caguana ceremonial grounds in the episode.
00:51:07
@jerseycityjeff
So he's got ah an MSNBC docuseries. You can catch it on Peacock. It's called, like, Guizamo Does America. He goes to different cities in the United States, putting a spotlight on Latino excellence in America.
00:51:16
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:51:19
@jerseycityjeff
And one episode, he goes to to Puerto Rico. and And yeah, he hangs out, and they did a whole ceremony you know welcoming him into the community and all of this stuff, beautiful stuff. Highly recommend that, and highly recommend his most recent PBS docu-series. It's a three-part one called Phoces, and it's the untold stories of Latin American history.
00:51:44
Marjorie Anderson
Well, I know what I'll be walking watching this weekend.
00:51:47
@jerseycityjeff
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:51:49
Marjorie Anderson
Got my entertainment card, fool.
00:51:50
Carol Martinez
but
00:51:51
@jerseycityjeff
Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
00:51:53
Carol Martinez
Diving into diving into the the the the Latino and everything that makes up who we are, it's extensive and and sometimes emotional, right? Like as I watched some of these indigenous Latinos be wiped away, it's sad, right? Because when we talk about community, that's where community to me started.
00:52:20
Carol Martinez
from these ancestral ceremonial things, these things where um certain tribes will come from far away to to one central area and do the ceremonies that will last for days and days and days. And oftentimes you've participated based on where you ranked, right? There was always this ranking. And now as, again, as as Latinos,
00:52:47
Carol Martinez
I see that disappearing, right? Because there's almost like a, like, like a sense of shame to say, nosotros venimos de una tribu, right? We come from that mindset. So Deaf as you explore, because there is a lot of multifaceteness, even the name of your company, fiesta, you know, fiesta is,
00:53:10
Carol Martinez
There's a lot of happiness in the word fiesta, right? Because Latinos, we like to party.
00:53:15
@jerseycityjeff
How are you?
00:53:15
Carol Martinez
There's a lot of happiness in that. and And as Marjorie said, we are excited to see how much of a fiesta you create within the melting pot of who you are and and who all of us are.
00:53:31
Carol Martinez
But I'm also sitting and listening with my heart and wondering what concerns you? What are some of the ah concerns that you have as you go through this journey? And what lights you up as you also go through this journey?
00:53:47
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah. Yeah. So just a quick note about the the company name itself, that says but which is also connected to my ancestry, my family. Fieta Legre, right, is a mashup of two Spanish words. So there's fiesta and there's allegre. So it's basically saying happy party.
00:54:06
@jerseycityjeff
Right? Fiesta Legre also happens to be the name of a promotions company that my uncle runs. I have an uncle in Long Beach, California, who's been doing Puerto Rican festivals for the past 30 years. And when the vision for my consulting practice became stronger,
00:54:27
@jerseycityjeff
Um, earlier this year I reached out to him and I said, deal. Um, I'm starting my first business and I just would love to have your blessing. Just, I just want to borrow the name, bro. I just, can I borrow the name?
00:54:40
@jerseycityjeff
You know, let me need to listen. I'm not getting into your space. i'm not gonna I'm not putting on festivals. I'm not doing event planning. I'm not a promoter. You know, I won't be no competition. I'm just a community management who wants to help other people to to execute on this beautiful craft that I've fallen in love with in ah in a more meaningful way, in a better way. I want to show other people how to do this.
00:55:07
@jerseycityjeff
So yeah, man, I just want to bother naming it. He was like, Papi, go right ahead, man. You're family, bro. And I'm like, but listen, this is the vehicle. you know I just want to build on top of your life's work and keep keep the legacy of our lineage, pushing for pushing it forward into the future. um What concerns me as I go about Building this business, is it's unfortunate when I encounter individuals who are a part of our community, not just Latinos, a BIPOC community at large, um and they don't see the vision. It's just disappointing because the the ultimate ultimately the vision is is that this has to be a collective effort.
00:55:52
@jerseycityjeff
you know, and beyond just me, you know, making ah making a living with a consulting practice that I start. There's vision even beyond that.
00:56:03
@jerseycityjeff
you know and And the real intention long-term is to build a safe space where we can come together, connect with our roots, and learn about each other's cultures as well, and appreciate those things.
00:56:14
Carol Martinez
Mm hmm.
00:56:17
@jerseycityjeff
But that can't be done. That's not a one-man show. I can't do it. I'm having a hard enough time learning about my roots. You know, my plate is beyond full, right?
00:56:29
Carol Martinez
Yeah.
00:56:29
Marjorie Anderson
facts.
00:56:29
@jerseycityjeff
This has to be a collective effort between all of the 36 Baskin Robin flavors that are Latinos and and ah the black community and the BIPOC community at large.
00:56:41
@jerseycityjeff
The spectrum here is so, it's a myriad of colors, you know? And the landscape of new media has to be empowered by folks who are going to be revolutionaries, simply put.
00:56:58
@jerseycityjeff
you know and And it has to be a collective effort. Otherwise, we're just going to continue to hit this wall and and and and remain siloed and fragmented and fragmented.
00:57:10
Carol Martinez
Oh, yeah.
00:57:12
@jerseycityjeff
you know But me being an optimistic individual, I like to focus on the brighter side of things. And
Closing Remarks and Future Connections
00:57:21
@jerseycityjeff
while it is unfortunate to encounter individuals who don't see the vision or feel like they don't need to be collabing with with each other and lifting each other up, if they don't understand that a rising tide lifts all ships, then they're not meant to work with you. It's all good. The people that that are meant to work with you that do see that vision, they will find you.
00:57:43
@jerseycityjeff
You know, just remain, remain steadfast in your efforts, double down on your work ethic, double down on your faith and let go of how things come to pass.
00:57:47
Carol Martinez
Correct.
00:57:53
@jerseycityjeff
You know, that's the best advice I can offer given the concerns.
00:58:00
Marjorie Anderson
for sure and listen there's never in the history of ever have i ever known someone who's like you know what as a single person I am connection and and belonging like no no you're not you can't do that by yourself so um but ah Jeff I could sit and just talk to you all day and you know we don't get enough opportunities to have conversations so
00:58:10
@jerseycityjeff
Right.
00:58:21
Marjorie Anderson
um Thank you for just taking the time to sit with us, talk a little bit about um what community means to you, what is really important that we get right as we move forward into creating um avenues for people to connect and feel a sense of belonging with one another.
00:58:40
Marjorie Anderson
There is no one's ever told you you need to know that there is just something about you that demands that that happens so I am really looking forward to what you put out into the world because um you're you're just like a you're like walking belonging energy and
00:58:48
Carol Martinez
Correct. correct
00:59:00
Marjorie Anderson
It is really just an honor to to always be able to have the opportunity to sit and talk with you. So thank you for sitting with us in conversation today.
00:59:05
Carol Martinez
Yes.
00:59:09
Marjorie Anderson
I want to make sure that people know how to get in contact with you. So can you tell people where they can best connect with you?
00:59:15
@jerseycityjeff
Absolutely. um The best place to find me these days is on Instagram. I put my my handle up here on the screen. It's Jersey City Jeff. One word, very easy. um But I also am very um pretty active on LinkedIn. So if if you want to find me on there, it's just Jeffrey Rowe. Look for the guy with the backwards hat.
00:59:36
@jerseycityjeff
You know, got plenty plenty of those, plenty of those. I actually have another one over here that I was waiting for a moment to see if it might slip in, but I got this hat right here. We want to talk about learning about our history.
00:59:48
Marjorie Anderson
Wow.
00:59:49
@jerseycityjeff
The Young Lords.
00:59:50
Marjorie Anderson
Where did you get that?
00:59:51
@jerseycityjeff
Oh my gosh. And so there's ah there's a brand called Classic Material.
00:59:56
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:59:56
@jerseycityjeff
Shout out to Classic Material. You can find them on Instagram as well, Classic Material New York. um And yeah, they sell this hat by the Young Lords. So maybe that's a conversation that we can save for part two.
01:00:07
@jerseycityjeff
Because I have a sense that this is going to turn into a little ping pong game. You know, you come on my show. I come on your show.
01:00:14
Marjorie Anderson
Oh, for sure.
01:00:14
@jerseycityjeff
I'm going to have one with Marjorie, one with Carol, one with the both of you.
01:00:17
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
01:00:18
@jerseycityjeff
This is going to.
01:00:19
Marjorie Anderson
But this is not the end.
01:00:19
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah.
01:00:21
Marjorie Anderson
This is not the end for sure.
01:00:21
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah, this is Humphrey Bogart.
01:00:21
Carol Martinez
distance
01:00:22
@jerseycityjeff
This is the start of a beautiful friendship. yeah
01:00:25
Marjorie Anderson
For sure.
01:00:27
@jerseycityjeff
Yes.
01:00:27
Marjorie Anderson
For sure.
01:00:27
Carol Martinez
For sure, for sure.
01:00:28
@jerseycityjeff
Yes.
01:00:29
Marjorie Anderson
Excellent.
01:00:29
Carol Martinez
and And it does go back to the fact that we're community. We're passionate about community, we're community leaders, and our identity plays a role in that.
Contact Information
01:00:41
Carol Martinez
So how exciting has it been to listen to you, Jeff, to to go back in memory lane for me was growing up in the Bronx and stepping out of my, my abatamento, right?
01:00:53
Carol Martinez
And just listening to that, that vibe, that freestyle and that genuineness of what hip hop is. And also at the same time, listening to all that on your commas down, right?
01:01:04
Carol Martinez
Like I feel like I heard all of that from you. So thank you for bringing your authentic, genuine self to us.
01:01:07
@jerseycityjeff
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. This has been exciting and it's been such a pleasure. I could do this all day with y'all.
01:01:17
Marjorie Anderson
Listen, don't don't threaten me with a good time. um
01:01:22
Marjorie Anderson
um Folks, if you didn't catch all those links and those tags that Jeff dropped, we'll make sure that they're in the show notes.
01:01:23
Carol Martinez
that
01:01:28
Marjorie Anderson
As always, friend, a pleasure sitting in conversation with you today. You are appreciated more than you know. Thank you all for joining us for Connecting Across the Diaspora. The show hosts are Marjorie Anderson and Carol Martinez. Listen to future episodes of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at catvpodcast.com. If you have questions about the show, you can email us at catvpodcast at tmail.com, and we will see you next time.