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Happy Juneteenth!
90 Plays11 months ago
Hey SNMA family! It's a jammed packed episode! Join us as we unpack the month of June. In this episode, Dr. Aldwin Soumare, Student Doctor Isabella Ntigbu, and aspiring Student Doctor Jared Jeffrey discuss Men's Mental Health Awareness, Fenty Hair, Kendrick Lamar's Pop Up Juneteenth Concert, the history of Juneteenth, the Femicide Crisis, the revocation of Diddy's Honorary degree, South African artist Tyla, and more! Lastly, the hosts and Executive Producer, Ondine Eken, share a warm, heartfelt message.
Join us SNMA on Discord today by visiting this link: https://discord.gg/8wrtG6KB
To share your thoughts on our discussions or if you have any questions to ask our hosts, email podcast@snma.org for a chance to be featured on the show!
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed on our podcast do not reflect the official stance of the Student National Medical Association.
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Transcript
Invitation to Pre-Med Community
00:00:00
Speaker
Calling all aspiring physicians and healthcare care leaders, discover a vibrant community of the like-minded pre-medical students and professionals. Share your journey, gain valuable insights, and connect with future colleagues. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to network and grow together. Join us on Discord today by visiting the link in the description below. Now let's start the show.
Juneteenth Celebrations and Significance
00:00:39
Speaker
Hello, everybody. My name is Jared Jeffrey. Welcome to SNMA Presents the Lounge. And today, in this very, very special June episode, I gotta open with a good question for y'all. How did you celebrate Juneteenth? Aldon, let's start with you. What's poppin' everybody? It's Dr. Alderman in the building. So how I celebrated, I went to this spot in Nashville, actually. I just moved to Nashville last week, so I've been out and about livin', you know what I'm sayin'? Forte, Lee Park, where they had a live bands. It wasn't my forte, because a lot of it was like country music and a lot of artists that I wasn't too familiar with, but there was power in numbers. And you see all these beautiful kids, beautiful Black people celebrating something that has been historically
00:01:22
Speaker
Part of our tradition in America. I also want to give a shout out to miss Opal Lee who allowed this to be Celebrated as a federal holiday five years ago ah Juneteenth was oftentimes forsaken by most states ah for the last hundred and fifty years and now We're ushering a new moment in our society in time to be able to say black people rock and we've done tremendous things and I'm saying so Yeah, something fire fire Isabella. What'd you do for Juneteenth? Hello, everyone. I am a student doctor, Isabella. And um so honestly, Juneteenth was actually kind of uneventful for me. Unfortunately, usually I would do I would do a lot, but I was actually on my way from Jersey heading back to Philly. So I remember I think my dad, he was home for the holiday. So we kind of were kicking it a little bit. My little brother was around um and then I just like went back.
00:02:14
Speaker
to Philly, but, you know, um i I thought about Juneteenth. I definitely, you know, I definitely, I guess, like reflected on the fact that this is a year that I feel like has been much better than prior years when it comes to things happening to black people. um I remember Juneteenth being filled with a lot of just instances where that year was filled with so many black deaths and just black situations where we were not being treated kindly and kind of just being neglected as we usually are. And so I feel like, surprisingly, this year, I haven't heard too much news outside of what's happening in the celebrity space. And so that was just nice to know that at least we can say that we haven't been as negatively affected this year, the prior years for this team
Men's Mental Health Awareness
00:03:06
Speaker
celebration. So that was that was a nice a nice thing to think about. What about you, Jared? What's up with Juneteenth? What you was on?
00:03:14
Speaker
ah Um, okay. Okay. So Juneteenth was, um, Oh, it was on a Wednesday. Normally I would just like, you know, have gone to work and went home and stuff like that. My job did not acknowledge Juneteenth as a federal holiday. So, you know, we were gonna get brought into work and all of that stuff. I gave myself the day off. Um, Yeah, yeah fuck yeah yeah i so I work overnight, right so usually I would like work one day into the next I came in early the day before and I was like, yeah, I'm believing before midnight strikes I went out turned up the city New York was active on The next day I woke up my friend had a ah calm Juneteenth barbecue I hit there and then I had another spot and I did not go to work again Well, no, that was the day off so that I didn't go to work on actual Juneteenth I see them again till Thursday
00:04:02
Speaker
Um, we love that. So yeah, I was outside in the streets, you know, making moves. It was cool, man. It was cool. It was. I think a lot of people did get off from work because the spots were absolutely full of people. Right. There's a lot of energy. There's a lot of movement for it to be like the middle of the week. Um. And it was just nice to see the acknowledgment and the exercising of this holiday. It was fire. It was fire. Yeah. Yeah. We love that for you, bro. Thank you, Kim. Thank you, Kim. DJ, absolute. You know I got to give a shout out to the King, man. Real quick. But y'all know what we really love, too? You know what time it is? Honey, man, it's time for a running list.
00:04:48
Speaker
For our preclinical students, running a patient list on the wards allows a team to address pressing matters other day. In this segment of the show, we'll be discussing some recent events in medicine affecting our communities and the population we serve. And as this is June, June is men's mental health awareness month. It's also men's health awareness month. too What month? June? No, what's the month? What's the awareness? Men's mental health awareness month. i Couldn't hear you say one more time. oh i'm sorry
00:05:18
Speaker
got you got me shit well i was like mens met so ah witness Oh, I'm sorry When it's women's mental head you guys are gonna see me shouting for you guys, what do you mean? and i'm please Please carry on good brother Thank you. Thank you, bro. I appreciate it. So as I know, it's Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. And this June, it's very important for us to shed light on many of the challenges that men face in our society, in our culture, specifically black men who have, you know, one of the lowest life expectancies in America.
00:06:01
Speaker
as pertains to mental health, ah navigating the landscape of masculinity, the net landscape of isolation. Isolation is a new pandemic that we're seeing with a lot of men. ah Some of the major problems that we face in particular are depression, where over six million men are affected and suffer from depression. But honestly, I feel like that number is a low ball. There's a lot of men who oftentimes don't seek treatment. Women are more likely to seek treatment for a depression other them forms of mental illness than men, often times. Anxiety, approximately 19 million americanss Americans suffer from anxiety. So one in five people in America suffer with anxiety. But again, I think that's a low ball as well. That's psychosis, schizophrenia, about 3.5 million people eating disorders. People oftentimes seeing eating disorders, you're right? When you think about eating disorders, most people think about the skinny white woman, but eating disorders affect every demographic. And eating disorders affect athletes. It affects black men. And oftentimes we are underdiagnosed and undertreated as a result because of the scheme of what an eating disorder stereotype person looks like, right? Right. bipolar disorder is also another issue that we are plagued by.
00:07:05
Speaker
And according to the National Institute of Mental Health, um mental health conditions are more common, again, amongst ah women than men. And while 51% of women with a mental health condition in 2021 receive support from mental health services, only 40% of men have received it. So we got to do a better job, essentially, of putting ourselves out there. Man, it's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to cry. It's okay to share yourself in the correct space. It's not saying you got to pull up to work and just start crying out there. but finding therapy, connecting to your bros. like One of the things that I oftentimes do, I check in with all five of my best friends every week. you know And sometimes we even do um virtual FaceTime together. So it's it's very important for you to like tap in with the people that special. And the other day you always thinking like, yo, when's the last time you've seen five plus black brothers at brunch sitting together laughing? You know what I'm saying? right Like we need to go back to those days where we doing things together in collaboration. And I feel like we got to be in an isolationist space.
00:08:01
Speaker
with that being said, look, how y'all feel about mental health, and wondering how Jad feels, but you know, how you feeling, Isabella? What you gotta say about that? I'm a huge supporter of men's mental health. Can you? Okay. So you're going to sit here on this the way me and ja on this podcast. yeah no It's all for kicks and giggles. You know, you know, it's never too hard. Um, so yeah, I'm a huge proponent of this because I, as you've alluded to, I think that men aren't
00:08:33
Speaker
taught to be in tune with their mental health as and their emotions and everything that's linked to that. And our mental health is connected to so many things. It's literally like who we are. And to me, I see it to the same level as if you have, if you have like an inflamed gallbladder, if you have like kidney issues or something of that nature. Like to me, your mental health not being in its prime, in its optimal state is something that is just as concerning. So I'm a huge proponent of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, especially because we have too many men out here running amok messing up other people's mental health. So you know what? Their mental health needs to be intact in order to make sure that our mental health stays intact. So I'm always going to be a proponent off that note alone. So yeah, that's my take on it.
00:09:19
Speaker
that was that was That was a super interesting way to to present that. yeah um But accountability nonetheless, we she's asking she' is asking our brothers to stay accountable and I i will respect that. i respect um One more statistic that I'll throw in there, although according to the CDC, suicide rates among men in 2001 was around four times higher than the suicide rate of women. um The CDC also says that men make up about 80% of all suicides. correct And men may be more likely to engage in substance misuse in place of mental health care. So um it's one of those things where ah I'll say
00:10:03
Speaker
mental health issues may manifest differently across the genders. You know, there may be different signs and symptoms to look for, but it's one of those things where like, it's important to have your community. It's important to have those people that you care about in order for them to be a, and for them to, you know, like Isabella just tried to do hold us accountable to, Hey bro, you're not looking like yourself. Hey, you know, I'm noticing you You you drink it a little bit more when we go out, you know It doesn't always have to be like to the extremes to wear something diagnosable It can also be something like yo like I know this like You know like it could be a lady saying like yo like I know that you've been like raising your voice at me more Is this sign that you know you want to like can we can we get at that? You know and
00:10:46
Speaker
I think it's what it's, you know, you said all doing that it's important to have the right spaces to do those things. And it's one of those things where, you know, it's not something that's presented to us, taught as much as it may be for women. So navigating that space is definitely difficult, right? Especially being like a health care provider. It's one of those things where it's like, well, you're supposed to have it all together. You're trying to treat, you're trying to treat other people. Why don't you have it all together? Like that doesn't make any sense, right? Right. Well, yeah, you know, it it doesn't really go that way. And it's one of those things where it's like, yeah, I may be a healthcare provider, but like my health needs tending to as well. You know what I'm saying? So, uh,
00:11:26
Speaker
just being able to recognize those things in the people closest to you. Cause it's not your responsibility to care for everybody's mental health, right? But like, you know, do what you can to recognize changes in those that are closest to you and be open to receiving. I'll call it criticism, criticism, critiques, maybe critiques from the ones that
Will Smith's Comeback
00:11:46
Speaker
that you, that you love or care about. You know what I'm saying? 100%. Well, with that being said, I think it's also important that you both shed light on you know what mental illness and the perspective you have on it means to you. um But it's important to talk about the resources too, because we could talk about it all day, but there's actual people out here that need help. And in order to find that help, but one of the good resources that you could use is www.mhascreening.org. It'll be linked in the bio ah down below ah to take a free, quick, and confidential screen for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD.
00:12:21
Speaker
and our substance use problem. ah With that being said, I think it's also important to highlight some people in the media who have gone through their mental health challenges, i.e. Will Smith, as we know, several years ago um because he ah was ah his wife was berated, Jada Pinkett Smith, by Chris Rock several times in the past. ah He went up at an award ceremony and basically slapped ah Chris Rock I've watched that during like 15 times, man. ah got live while Live television. Live television, yes, in front of the world to see. And everyone came out of the woodworks antagonizing, criticizing Will Smith, which granted, you know, rightfully so.
00:13:02
Speaker
He did in a distasteful fashion and immediately embarrassed Chris Rock. um alright But there was tremendous harm and detriment in that action and the consequence of that of him being removed from the Academy of ah so academy of Motion Pictures and some pictures and Sciences um and also of losing you know several endorsement deals and also being outcasted from ah acting industry for So i was for a bit for it. Yeah, no one was China. They was keeping up with him But I think you know, he did what he needed to do and you know, he came out with bad boys What we are bad boys for life, baby
00:13:42
Speaker
And they did incredible the first weekend they topped the charts. I think they made $100 million dollars globally, which is they spent $105 million dollars to make the movie. So they have already, you know, amassed beyond their projections in terms of getting their money back and whatnot. But Will Smith and I seen he did an interview on one of my fav pods 7pm in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and Martin Lawrence was on there. And they were talking about you know their their humble beginnings and how they really tapped into each other. And they spoke on it that mental health piece. like Wilson was like, man, I was down really bad. You know what I'm saying? But you know I utilized my resources and my family, went through therapy. And I think allegedly he did apologize to Chris Rock um informally, publicly, but who knows behind the scenes you know if he actually did that. um But it's beautiful to see redemption come
00:14:33
Speaker
in this in this space you know um even though despite that people like Michael Blackson Stephen A Smith still are like you know we don't want to watch any movies with Will Smith because it's left a bad taste in our mouth from what he did but I think people should be forgiven given grace and as long as they're taking the action to move forward I think that's very important but what do you guys think about what's transpired with Will Smith and his legacy now I think it's really nice to see Will Smith coming back on top and receiving the accolades and the notoriety that he usually has received in the past, but because of recent events that has been thwarted. but
00:15:10
Speaker
um ah definitely I definitely think that it just goes to show that people's opinions and people's perceptions of you is like very dynamic. It can always change. And yeah, you could be down tomorrow or the next day because people aren't really rocking with you because of a situation that happened, but we are human. Things happen. And I feel like as long as he's continued to exhibit growth, he's been able to like bounce back from a difficult situation. And it's just nice to see a Black person like
00:15:44
Speaker
they you know, keeping keeping their throne intact, just like Rihanna is doing, you know, with the Fenty Beauty line.
Rihanna vs. Beyonce: Haircare Lines
00:15:53
Speaker
She is continuing to also stay on top, and she's coming out with actually new new ventures, so we know she had Fenty Beauty being the makeup line, she had Fenty Skin being her skincare line, and now she has Fenty hair. And that is something that I feel like a lot of people who have been supporting her businesses and just following her trajectory has been looking forward to. But the trick here, or at least the catch here is that... We are never getting that album. We are never getting that album. We're never getting that album. Stop asking about it too. She be popping all them people don't ask for it. Yeah, I just don't think that it's coming. So I think she's happy being an entrepreneur and I love that for her.
00:16:36
Speaker
She also has two kids now. And so um I think that she's OK with this transition in her life. Now, the catch here, though, which I don't think has happened in recent times, is that when she has come out with this hair care line, Beyonce, who is also, to me, is like another counterpart. I wouldn't necessarily say a counterpart, but I think her and Ri are very much like respected in their in there particular genres of music. um they Yes, Beyonce. Another power player. Yeah, another power player. I don't know if we could really define their genres as necessarily the same, even though they have very similar audiences. So um Beyonce did come out with her own hair care line called Sacred Hair. And that actually came up before Fenty Hair Care. So Sacred by Beyonce was actually launched on February 20th, 2024.
00:17:30
Speaker
and Basically it is supposed to kind of be like this labor of love of the way that she learned from her mother who was a salon owner um How to kind of nurture and take care of her hair and it actually says on the website Bay shares her experience with the hair stating quote How many of y'all knew my first job was sweeping hair? My mom is salon destiny's child got our start by performing for clients while they were getting their hair done So this is kind of like a very nostalgic Part of her life and so she you know We haven't really heard or seen Beyonce do anything outside of her music except maybe the perfume she came out with But like that's not really her thing Versus Rihanna has been doing things outside of music for some time now that we haven't heard anything since she's kind of started that path And so she came out with sacred there was you know people were kind of a little bit scared at the price tag But you know we had really good reviews people saying that their hair seemed to be more revitalized look more look better Whatever look healthier
00:18:22
Speaker
healthier The prices are, I would say, I can't really give specifics, but I know that it's definitely on the higher end of like maybe hair care that people would typically buy like at a Target or a beauty supply store, if that makes any sense. like it's more It's almost leaning towards luxury hair, but it's not, I wouldn't say the prices are up and ah unattainable to the typical person if they really want to invest in their hair. um versus Fenty, I think prices are a little bit closer to what we would comfortably purchase, but still knowing that it's going to cost a little bit of a penny. And so Fenty's hair care line came out June 13, so a couple months afterwards. And hers um is actually, she says that has been personal for her. She actually says that her inspiration
00:19:03
Speaker
um She says actually the hair has been pivotal in her life making iconic errors as an artist and as a person like all her brands that this one is a personal brand for her. And so the particular thing about Fenty's hair that I at least want to um Note is that there's actually an ingredient that is a proprietary complex made by the Fenty hair care line called Replenecor 5. So that I think is specific to Fenty hair. I don't think any other hair brand has this particular ingredient. And it's actually been tested to repair, strengthen, hydrate, smooth, and protect at every step. It says that Replenecor 5 is made up of five key components, all packed with nutrients known to fortify and promote healthy hair.
00:19:43
Speaker
so um They like pretty much she's kind of also going as far as even trying to engineer her own ingredient That's being used for these hair care products. I think that is interesting not like why Yeah, so it's really nice to see two big powerhouse players in music black women doing this haircare thing but of course you know anytime you have two people who are really good in their craft and who's really doing amazing things we got to pit them against each other right even if what they're doing has its own place and so I wonder with you guys like how do you think that
00:20:21
Speaker
their – what they're doing respectively in their fields at least in terms of the hair care market. Like how do you think that's going to either be a benefit for people who are going to consume the product or or I guess let me consume a consumer of the product or people – or is it going to kind of pose some kind of negative benefit or negative outcome? I think I see what you're getting at. Yeah. Personally. And this is like, you know, my complete like, I love stuff like this. Like, you know, like at at at its core, the United States is a capitalist nation. You know what I'm saying? And yeah capitalism thrives off of competition. Like, like, but I'm not even going to call this like a competition just like between the two of them. Right. Because right we've been using haircare brands from people that don't look like us for years. Right. So like just just the fact that two that happened to look like it's gone to the face around the same time there is Space bro. Like you I like like to me you already like carved it out perfectly. Oh They're they're for two different target audiences
00:21:24
Speaker
If you go in premium with your hair care, it sounds like Beyonce's brand is yours. And if you're trying to be a little bit more fiscally responsible, you're going to go the Fenty way. You know what I'm saying? Right. We all have our domains to coexist. Everybody gets to eat. And I feel like most importantly, I highly, and you know, I'm not no endorser to them or nothing, I highly doubt anybody's gonna be seeing cancer from these in 20 years. That's what's important, you know what I mean? So as far as everybody, as far as both of them launching, as far as them getting into this space, yo, I love it, I think it's powerful, I think it's wavy. um It's funny to call like people on this level entrepreneurs, but like this is still like a new entrepreneurial endeavor for them. Something like you know like a new branch, a new stream or whatever.
Artists Expanding into Entrepreneurship
00:22:11
Speaker
yeah more power to them congratulations hope it goes hope it goes fabulously i will be purchasing watch a pull up next up podcast episode you go't have which one you gonna have both of them you're gonna put one on and you'renna switch up tell But like I love extending their legacy. like This is beautiful. Less than 3% of businesses in America are black owned, and they're showcasing the importance of creating a lane that's special to you that you're passionate about. And they've already created a lane of music, so why not you know create something else somewhere else that could then give opportunities for, I'm sure, people in the community. to work for these you know illustrious brands. And i I anticipate that they're going to be very successful. um I love that now, like people are marketing in different ways. Because back then, like 20, 30 years ago, it was not really heard of that an artist would open their own like business or their own store. like For instance, Styles P got his own Jushin spot and Yonkers in the Bronx. you know you have you know um
00:23:11
Speaker
we We have Nipsey Hussle that was going to open his own you know community center and all these kinds of things. So everyone has their niche, right? And i feel I believe in the fact that when you have the opportunity and the opportunity costs are low, why not engage in that and inspire others to do the same. so Right, right. I love that. And of course, I just want to quickly note that there was a bit of a marketing incident on behalf of Rihanna, so they did both do video promos for their products. Beyonce had her actual, people didn't know her interest was going that far back, but she was getting her hair washed in the salon and they're like, okay! And she was getting all the sacred stuff put in her hair, so we got to see in real time.
00:23:47
Speaker
how her hair looked after use. Now, at first with the marketing videos, Rihanna looks like she was, it seemed like she was wearing a wig, but I don't know, she then also came out and popped out with her natural curls. So we're kind of, and then she was also getting her like hair done and hair washed. And it was of the same, to me it was almost of the same length of the wig. So I'm wondering, was it a wig? Was it her natural hair? TBD? um Okay. Okay. Okay. I see why you asked that question before now. yeah Okay. Using similar marketing strategies god does make you seem a little bit more, you know,
00:24:22
Speaker
Competitorish right like if y'all go out like the same campaign if y'all try to do it the same way like Pepsi like you know Pepsi versus coke kind of vibes Like it gives sound like that. I still think it's healthy. I think it's valid for the space. Nothing too crazy. Um, it's much more like, you know Fun and light-hearted than like something like the Kendrick versus Drake beef, right?
Kendrick Lamar's Unity Concert
00:24:44
Speaker
Because I'm not sure if y'all pee but Kendrick put together a concert the other day and uh Yeah, he was actually able to unify the whole of LA Well the whole west side I'll say rather Based off of their collective dislike over what Drake was pulling Via the arm via the rap beef. So like, you know what I'm saying much much more of a different tone there Did y'all happened to catch it?
00:25:12
Speaker
I did, d I did. Okay, so for those of us that may not have captured, that may not have caught it rather, Kendrick put together a show in Inglewood, California, and essentially was a concert. He let it start out by um having all kinds of West Coast, like bread artists, like West Coast like originators and all kinds of stuff like that pop out. Let me see if I can name out a couple. Um, I feel like it was like YG Todd dollar sign. Uh, yeah, like NBA players out there. I think Russell Westbrook was there. the mabron was the LeBron was definitely there. LeBron was, he was, he was, he was singing the loudest at that concert from what I saw. savannah james is yeah You sound excited. LeBron was there. LeBron. No, I'm saying it because numbersism joke
00:26:05
Speaker
I'm saying because this is the same man where Drake literally made a whole song and put this man's life in the music video and he came out and he was singing louder than everybody at the concert. potato No in the game, no friends in the industry, just like Drake said. and My boy Braun play for the Lakers man, it's only business. All right, that's fair. I think DJ Mustard was out there. you know produce He produced Not Like Us, you feel me? um But i say I say all this to say, it was a an extreme outpouring. I think it was a one-time concert. like This is not like a tour or nothing like that. It was If you knew, you knew. You know what I'm saying?
00:26:48
Speaker
Yeah, kendrick had amazon prime in the house to stream it and it was fuego the streets was ablaze How you gonna do one song five times in a row and it's a slap every single time crazy as crazy and everybody was still bainging with it the whole time bro telling you did and not like us Not like us is already seven minutes, let's let's just get that out It's a seven minute song that so bad and The culture is so let me not say the culture that the West Coast culture is so behind it My boy performed there five times in a row and they screamed every single time I saw like some clips and so I didn't see I didn't see the actual stream I saw some clips and I saw some you know recreate a video Yeah, where it was like I the first time, you know, he caught the he caught the effect with it, you know, Dre Dre did the intro i see dead people and then drop there what i cool He finished it said run it again
00:27:42
Speaker
ah ah the third time okay they're wild and the fourth time ni house now the crowd start know what the crowd is saying but but i will let yeah it's like like following Like that song I don't know what it is about that song but it's like I don't know kendrick did his big one with it is broad It's raw authentic Old-school new school meets whatever school hip-hop like yeah, this is a real hip-hop and right for the fifth one This might have been the beastiest part of the whole show Kendrick Got Crips and bloods on stage together Yes, look Compton Crips and Compton Bloods now SMA presents the lounge does not promote gang activity in any way should form however good job however yeah for him to get these people who are quote-unquote rivals to Admit a night And unite on stage. I'm gonna get y'all that actually I'm gonna get y'all the actual episode the excerpt of what he said to end the show
00:28:51
Speaker
We done lost a lot of homies to this music stuff. A lot of homies to this, to some of the street stuff. And for all of us to be on this stage together, unity from each side of this, ah LA, this right here is special. That's a fact. And I feel like no true words have ever been said in 2024 to catch a ceasefire like that. And for it to happen, you know, just over music. I think it's, I think for, for to a degree, it speaks to the real, uh, power that we kind of might forget sometimes that artists have to be able to be real community organizers to be able to truly impact people on like a a neighborhood like size level type vibes. You know what I'm saying? ah I always, you know, have debates with my friends about whether or not
00:29:42
Speaker
artists should flirt with the political realm to try to like, not even tell people who to vote for, but just to encourage people to vote more. You know what I'm saying? I think that this is extremely indicative of how their influence should be used on a more regular basis. You know what I'm saying? I'm gonna leave it there, which I think, which I think I've been talking to. Not not listen to like kill this Even yesterday, bro. I was walking the streets and everything. I listen to that during like three four those guys Alduin is a huge country fan, by the way, although I was like, yeah he right here just Everything that's gonna come out from Alduin's mouth last tap with
00:30:26
Speaker
The grain of salt because don't worry i'm not that Don't worry after you say what you got to say I'm a coming I got a whole drink down a little bit I'm holding down much yeah can hold drake Down in any type of shape or form he drowned already man. His body
00:30:43
Speaker
ah but say lot um I'm just proud of Kendrick because like you were saying, Jared, the the the most special part of it was that he was able to create community collaboration and community advocacy. And now what we're seeing is, well, all potentially what we can see is in these communities now, Buzz and Cripps are going to start seeing each other from a different perspective. Like, yo, Kendrick, he put us on. We got to stop this gang stuff, this incarcerated stuff, this criminal activity stuff, and work together to build back our community. He even went- Realize who the real enemy is. Exactly. right right Yes, exactly. He um he he was even in Compton yesterday, you know what I mean? Like doing the actual music video, you feel me? And everybody was out there. And I love that. i love I love celebrities and artists that are still connected to their neighborhood. Because you're speaking from my perspective from the Bronx, I don't be seeing Fat Joe outside. JLo outside, Kerry Washington outside. I don't see none of these people. So it's it's rare phenomenon, number one, to like experience that. Number two, it's a beautiful thing because we got kids coming up in a game and they idolizing gang members. They idolizing being in the streets. But now things are looking like, yo, I'm on idolize being with my brother and sister and us doing positive things. You feel me? And the fact of the matter is, you did it on Juneteenth. What other special day can you do that on?
00:31:54
Speaker
You know what I'm saying? It was like just the perfect mesh of music, culture, empowerment. And I'm so proud of Kendrick because now I feel like this is going to be leading toward a future tour. He got to drop that album. I think it's a perfect marketing and move for him. Because now he's hot, hot, hot. And it's a summer. We're going to be playing this joint all summer long and potentially all fall long and potentially all 2024 long. You feel me? You're hyping it just a little bit. No, no, no, no. Because we know the summers belong to the boy. But anyway, i will lie I'm not gonna lie. I think it's I think it's tough to he ain't drop a summer single yet because like and For the past couple years man, the summer has belonged to him And then you started some beef and got it took him. That's as we as We already know Drake said it's a 20 v1 He said that summer vibes up next so we can you know, everybody got to hold their horses just a little bit Drake is still but Potentially gonna come in with that
00:32:50
Speaker
So this is my take, right? And I've been hearing this a lot on social media. Everyone said that at this point, Drake needs to just zip your lips, be quiet, put out the music, all those features, forget about it, solo album, no features, because you clearly have no friends in this industry. If you want people to actually respect you and like re-acclimate to you being on top, you need to do something to show that like you don't need anybody. You don't need anybody to be relevant. You don't need anybody to you know make your music hot, that you are able to produce good music like solo. He needs to just stop talking. like Get off the socials because it's like it's making it seem as if you're getting affected by
00:33:28
Speaker
Kendrick doing what he's doing and actually it seems like my take is that I feel like Drake isn't as pressed about The situation as Kendrick is that I feel like Drake even when all these things were happening It didn't really seem like he was really getting his feelings hurt by it. So I'm kind of like how much does he really care about? this animosity that's coming from Kendrick's side. So, I'll leave it there. I think that, you know, let's just give it some time. Let's let Drake reacclimate back into the scene, but he needs to forget about all these features he loves to do. Also, this whole, ah yeah, pedo stuff or things that Drake was being accused of. Why was the head pedo at this Juneteenth concert, Dr. Dre? Why was he there?
00:34:10
Speaker
so i just want us to be clear that i don't think this is necessarily a thing about drake being anything i think this is just about we people don't like drake and i just think that this is just that manifesting through this beef i don't think that drake really has done as much as i think has been Accused of by Kendrick, but I think that Kendrick just doesn't mess with Drake for whatever personal reasons and that's fine That's fine. You want the beef? That's fine But like let's not then start thinking like you actually are being the moral the moral advocate of people actually Doing heinous things because you had those people present at your concert. So that's all I also want to drop down but
00:34:48
Speaker
Either way, Kendrick making this concert during Juneteenth, I think is a historic thing and similar to what you said, um Aldi, I think that the fact that he was able to create this space of community collaboration is a really wonderful thing to do on Juneteenth.
History and Importance of Juneteenth
00:35:04
Speaker
And we have to know that Juneteenth literally just passed is something that is really It's really beautiful to see that we've come so far that it's actually a and recognized federal holiday. People can actually get off on this day. And we've come a long way um in our country to be able to have this kind of celebration, have this kind of um commemoration day of commemoration. so And I think it's funny that stuff like him him doing a concert on that day would also like you know help further the the the idea of Juneteenth. you know If i idea somebody that may not have known it, somebody may acknowledge it or whatever the case may be. you know
00:35:37
Speaker
Exactly, exactly. So of course we we have to get get into what Juneteenth is about. um I'm sure most of our listeners are familiar with Juneteenth, but in the case that you're not, some here's some background on it. So Juneteenth, which is short for, of course, the day, June 19th, actually marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were to be freed. However, even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it actually couldn't be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, places that were westernmost
00:36:11
Speaker
such as Texas, being a Confederate state, um they would not get enslaved until much later, being 1865. And so freedom for them finally came on that fateful day, June 19th, 1865, when some 2,000 U.S. ah Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and the Army announced that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. And so this is what we now know to be as Juneteenth. And so, Like I said, it has been a national legal public holiday since June 17, 2021 when our Uncle Joe signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. And so, you know, we'll give we'll give Joe that. Now, he there's a lot of things this man has not done, but we will give him the credit of Juneteenth being a
00:36:55
Speaker
federal holiday that is recognized in the United States. So I mean, what do you what do you guys think? I mean, it's like about just Juneteenth and what it represents for us, especially as Black people um and Black people who who are serving in a medical capacity. Yeah, I would say Juneteenth is a special moment for us. It's the new, it's my Independence Day. I'll celebrate July 4th. Clearly when we look at the history of America and oppression, racism, discrimination, red line, you can go through all of these things and people have unfortunately been taken advantage of in America. in my opinion, was built off the backs of Black people and should be celebrated as such. um And this is a story that's not like when I was young, when I was in, you know, third, fourth grade, we didn't learn. I didn't know what Juneteenth was. I knew what July 4th was. I knew what 1492 Christopher Columbus was, right? But I never knew what Juneteenth was. And I love that now, you know, there's a clear display of unity amongst every city you go to now. There's a celebration 20 years ago.
00:37:59
Speaker
We isn't celebrating that in New York. we't like You go anywhere across the country. You might see it like in the South and stuff like that, in Texas and specific, where the first Juneteenth celebration happened in 1866. But you you wouldn't see that otherwise anywhere. So I think that is great that on the federal level that this is being recognized. But still, there's some cities and some states that don't ah um recognize it. Although it's on the federal level, on the state level, they are allowed to say, hey, this is not this is maybe a day of observance, but you're not getting extra time off or you're not getting a paid time off or things of that nature. ah So we're still working toward that, right? You got states like Wisconsin, you know, the typical Montana, you know, the states where we're not active and out there and they probably not going to vote for it, but it be that way. um me um I love Juneteenth and forevermore, you know, we' continue to celebrate that and um but remember the slaves, remember the people that allowed me to be here in this position and allowed us to be here.
00:38:53
Speaker
to be doctors, future doctors, dentists, etc to be successful and make change in our community. ah think't go ah think that's five and I think, I think Juneteenth represents, uh, a shroud of, you know, they say like history is written by the victors and how like, you know, our textbooks have like missing details and stuff like that. I think this is an important over previously overlooked detail to simply just acknowledge, right? In 1863, Abe Lincoln freed the slaves as a war tactic.
00:39:28
Speaker
And, you know, you would think slavery ended that day. I certainly did when I was in the fifth grade and I heard about that. Oh, yeah cool. Same. It's like, yeah you know what I'm saying? But, you know, kind of makes sense. Like, oh, there was a whole nother like, like faction of the country that didn't acknowledge the stuff that you were doing. So like, you know, you had to first win the war and then you had to go tell them they were free. Right. Because, you know, we have phones or telegrams or whatever the case may be. You know what I'm saying? So it was just one of those things where it's just like,
00:39:58
Speaker
We're bringing things to the light. We're acknowledging the muddy history of our nation. And we're giving ourselves like the the the space to acknowledge what actually happened, acknowledge what truly happened, right? And be able to, you know, make our own thoughts, opinions, and choose how we like proceed. And I think that that's fire. I think that's why. I think that's great. And I think that, you know, Juneteenth is a holiday that is speaking to literally the forced labor of black people in this country and how that has led to detrimental effects over time, but also then highlights like this liberation um that they were able to have. And now we know that the liberation didn't come fully, right? There were still so many things ahead that they had to have to face.
00:40:53
Speaker
Jim Crow redlining and you know, so on and and just racism which we're still facing to this day and we're but we're also still facing other ramifications such as Themicide that's a heavily affecting a lot of black women um Currently in our country. So as I alluded to earlier Yes, there have I feel like as a nation we have done a little bit better when it comes to respecting black bodies and black life, but I There are some nuances and there are some subpopulations that are still being negatively affected and unfortunately this is occurring in our actual specialty medicine, which you would think like what like we're here trying to heal people and you know read like be there for people in a way that is
00:41:38
Speaker
very profound and very intimate. And you would expect that to hold a certain level of respect for people who are doing that. But then no, it actually doesn't mean anything because they're still killing women. So femicide, I'm sure by the way that the word looks, you can kind of deduce its meaning. So homicide, but amongst women. And I can even go as far as saying black femicide, because I want to make sure that we're talking about black women, because a lot of the times people just like to say, oh, feminism, this, this, i remember, like, The views here does not represent the views of the SNMA. This is Isabella's views, but a lot of the time we love to like throw all women in the same bucket and say that we're all facing the same things, but black women are facing a very specific thing in the overall category of women in general. And so with that being said, I want us to like actually look at this as black femicide and this being a crisis. So
00:42:32
Speaker
Recently, we've seen um things happen with people who are actually who were actually working with within the space of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Femicide and Violence Against Women in Medicine
00:42:40
Speaker
so Starting off, Dr. Diamond Clark, 28, she actually just recently graduated from morehouse um Morehouse's medical school. and According to police records, um her body was discovered with a gunshot wound to her head. Investigators later later recovered her phone in the driveway of her home and her abandoned car not too far away from where she was discovered, and her family believes that foul play was actually going on. So of course, from any from any outside perspective, like it could look like, oh, did she commit suicide? I mean, there's an abandoned car. She was found in the driver of her home. Everything kind of looks, it's giving the picture, but it's like, this is somebody who just graduated medical school, though, was about to start their life. like So when you think about it from that perspective, it's like, what what is there more to the story?
00:43:20
Speaker
um And so the Dean of Morehouse's School of Medicine, Dean Adrian Tyndall, actually expressed just grief on behalf of the school and honored her dedication to healthcare and community service. And so um he basically just says, Dr. Clark's commitment to underserved communities, her volunteer work at our HEAL clinic, and her efforts in establishing the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group have exemplified her dedication to holistic healthcare care and helping others. She was honored with the 2023 Excellence in Public Health Award and the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians TA Sappington MD Award. Dr. Clark's compassion and vision for family medicine will continue to inspire us. Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time. Before I move on to other women who have been affected, I just want you guys to kind of give me your initial thoughts on this. I mean, what's what's going through your head?
00:44:10
Speaker
Well, um, you know, first and foremost, uh, condolences to Dr. Clark's family. Now I'm part of more on school events and family. I did my master's there and, uh, what, you know, it's a special place, you know, usually with, um, tragedies like this, you know, the community is galvanized, but there's sense, a sense of emotion and desperation and sadness that permeates through the air. Um, actually, um, there's a, uh, one of the my co interns here, he just graduated from law school of medicine and lamented the fact that you know, many of his classmates were really close with her. And this is just a shocking, you know, um they would have never anticipated that this would have happened. um But
00:44:51
Speaker
45,000 women in 2021 were killed by an intimate partner. you know And in the United States, over 92% of women that are killed um in these former situations are killed by an intimate partner. um And we're still waiting for the results of the autopsy, which will indicate to us what exactly went down. But it's just is a tragedy. you know um This is someone who excelled in in medical school from you know speaking to other individuals who was very pleasant, ah very passionate toward her community. I had so much to give, so much life, so much things to contribute to medicine. And I think ah there's something to say about us as Black men standing up for Black women. ah Even when I did a real one that someone was like, thank you for protecting Black women.
00:45:38
Speaker
And I think that really galvanizes me to continue to talk about issues like this because we can't stay because oftentimes victim blaming and victim shaming is a real thing, you know, especially for men, but black men like, oh, she did that. She must have cheated or like she started it off. You know, she did something. But no, regardless, no one deserves to be murdered. No one deserves to be killed. people deserve their life and the opportunity to to continue in such a way. ah So yeah, it's it's just devastating. you know It just leaves me very speechless. I think speechless is a good word.
00:46:12
Speaker
um I think of the age of the victim, Dr. Clark, 28 years old. She was robbed of life. She she was robbed of so many other experiences, opportunities. yeah um The family that she got left behind, that she left behind was robbed. And I think this this this does... Like a fire in me similar to what you were saying old man in the realm of We need to ensure that and you know, it's the same as we were saying before with mental health You don't need to save everybody just save those closest to you. You know what I'm saying? If all of us have like five or six people That we you know, they calling us we did for them. You know I'm saying I think starting there could go a long way.
00:47:02
Speaker
long, long way. Yeah, that's those are really pointing points. So I definitely want to continue because unfortunately, there is a list and I wish it there wasn't a list, but there's a list. um So next being Dr. Samantha Woolery, 42 years old. She was actually killed in her apartment in Marietta, Georgia. She was a mother of two and a first year surgical resident at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Her body was found by her colleagues after she just didn't show up for work. And so um on June 17th, the police actually announced that Woolery's 49-year-old ex-husband, Mickey Anthony Woolery, having taken into custody by the police in Indiana, which is actually where Mickey's primary residence is, he's being charged with felony murder, felon felony aggravated assault, felony aggravated battery, felony possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, and felony malice murder. Samantha Woolery was just about to start a residency um this upcoming July 1st at Morehouse.
00:47:52
Speaker
The Dean and Executive Vice President of Health Affairs at Morehouse also released a following statement for her saying that they were deeply excited to announce the stunning passing of Dr. Samantha Woolery, an incoming surgical resident and our 2023 Surgery Intern of the Year. She was known for her kind spirit and exceptional ability to connect with others, was set to begin her categorical residency, her losses profoundly felt within our Morehouse School of Medicine community. Our thoughts and condolences are with Dr. Woolery's family and friends during this time. You know, this husband piece, ex-husband piece is making me, it's it's it's creating some kind of, I don't even know how to describe this energy I'm feeling. fury It's like,
00:48:36
Speaker
like how could you do that to somebody that you had shared your life with at one point? And have kids with. And have kids with. like
00:48:49
Speaker
We're who like if you if black men are not who is protecting us Especially our ex has your if you can't even trust the person you were married to who can you trust? Hmm, who can you try like literally who could now y'all see why beads the energy I be having sometimes with you men is not everybody but when I see things like this it makes me really feel like What what can we do at this point? We can't even trust our kind of part men So who are we gonna trust? It's just sad um
00:49:20
Speaker
Unfortunately, this is all happening at Morehouse, which I don't know why. I'm not sure why Morehouse is this ah is the setting in which these issues are occurring. I hope that they do some investigations also on their end because, I mean, this is going to look upon negatively, I think, in some way, should perform for the school. um So, yeah, hopefully they they do some kind of proceedings to mitigate these recent deaths. Now, um the last person I'd like to highlight is um Mexican councilwoman Esmeralda Garzon, she actually was killed on June 7th in a small town in the Pacific coastal state of guer Guerrero um by Ahmed who who were showed up actually to her front door. And the authorities and media actually said that was happening literally right after the most violent elections in modern Mexican history. So
00:50:11
Speaker
Um, yeah guys, it's not women, black, let me say, so she's actually not a black woman, but you know what, we'll say women of color right now, it hasn't been easy. And we've seen a lot of heinous murders going on amongst women of color. And so, um, I would really like us to, I would really like us to move forward in a way that's positive, but I just wonder like where to go from here. I don't, I don't, honestly, I'm actually confused as what to say because Like, what is there to say? but Like, what is there to like, I don't I don't have any solutions about this, except for what we do. We do. We just stop stop trusting humanity. Like, I don't know what to say. The term you used for ah this string of events was femicide, right? oh I think this ah contributes to
00:51:11
Speaker
a history that we've seen where there has been a war on women, um where women have been you know kind of second thoughts, a little bit of a less than position, ah kind of more so regarded as, yeah. bring life and keep quiet kind of thing. And, yeah you know, I think it's important to have conversations like this because conversations like this thrust us forward in the sense of making us just a little bit more cognizant of our own, you know, implicit biases. Some of the things that we may have seen via the media that may need to be unlearned and kind of ah reinforces us not to be bystanders in situations like this and kind of reinforces the thought that
00:51:58
Speaker
being an active participant in some kind of misdeed that you see occurring could make all the difference for someone. you know ah hundred percent and i think that You actually just touched on a really good point, which is being an
Cassie and Domestic Violence Evidence
00:52:14
Speaker
active participant. And, you know, there was thankfully some active participation in Cassie's redemption of the abuse that she was facing from her former boyfriend, Mr. Sean Combs, also known as Diddy. Diddy has had a lot of negative press because it's been warranted, because he has not been shown to be a
00:52:38
Speaker
reputable citizen of society and um we We so we all know the store we talked about this on the podcast multiple times about the Diddy Cassie situation The only thing that has happened since the last time we spoke about it was that there actually was video proof leaked from a hotel Showing Cassie being brutally beat by Diddy in a hotel lobby. This man was in his towel Cassie was running for her life and Diddy went and beat her in his towel and So some people were saying, oh, yeah, um we can't believe this is what really happened. that this This is so hard to muster. The girl already told you what happened to her. It took a video for you to understand that she wasn't telling lies. So um i just I kind of want to start off with just asking you guys a question.
00:53:28
Speaker
um Now that this video has surfaced, how do you feel like this is going to change the or change the perception of Black men in our society, especially because we already know that Black men get a certain rep and a certain like a certain um persona that's portrayed? And we try to, I think we try our best to say, hey, like this is not representative of Black men as a whole, but now that we have this, mock quote unquote, module known as Diddy, being shown to do this act on video. What do what do you think that this is going to do in terms of affecting you guys? is I'm going to say you guys' this community because you guys are black men.
00:54:06
Speaker
All it takes is one. All it takes is one individual to engage in the Highness Act, and um most people will attempt to misrepresent us. But I think that, as Jared alluded to earlier, is that speaking on these things and showcasing our support and advocacy is very important. And showing Black love in positive ways, right? Black women and Black men. loving on each other, kissing each other, walking in parts together, right doing the things that help show appreciation for a black woman who oftentimes have been maligned, disregarded. we you know We don't do that enough. you know And this is exacerbating that point. right um The things that are unfortunately celebrated are the negative things because that's what
00:54:53
Speaker
attracts our dopamine centers, our reward, pleasure you know system in a weird way, right? Because that's the thing that alert us. But with that being said, I think that you know we have to continue to be present and be mindful that our actions causes devastating consequences on our community. you know um I believe in black love and I believe in us being actively part active participants and being the stronghold for and foundation for relationships with with our women. We have to love them. We have to cherish them. You know, you see, oftentimes even I've had homies in the past, you know, um use a B word in referencing a woman, you know, and I'm like, oh, bro, she's not a B, like that's somebody's mom, that's somebody's daughter, right? So it's approach to linguistics and it starts even from the media that we consume. Because you see these music videos, you see, you know what I'm saying, like things in the media that, you know, attracts us, but it's also teaching us bad things.
00:55:50
Speaker
about what's what should be normalized. And there's a trauma of that, of sorts. So um I think, you know, we gotta do a better job of, you know, advocating. To answer your question, Isabella, I think that there is a negative taste that gets left in people's mouths. However, I do believe with the advent of social media that something like this no longer has the ability to define us. I think that social media between personal content creators, the different media outlets and the things that they choose to you know spread and may go viral and things of that nature, the hand has d the power has kind of come out of the hands of the few to perpetuate a particular agenda and rather more reality
00:56:44
Speaker
And I'll use reality loosely, um but more of reality is able to ah to be truthfully represented in the media. I think that this is simply one bad egg that will not spoil the bunch um because they saw that the community immediately stopped supporting him. yeah They saw the way that we were able we were able to all say, okay, this is not something that we align with, this is not something that we support, pulled. You know what I'm saying? very Simple. um With regard to your the second part of your question about how do you feel like this ah this is going to affect us moving forward, I think that rather than it affecting us, itll well, it'll affect us in the sense of our mental health, right? I think that this contributes to
00:57:31
Speaker
the societal stigma that we may have where our counterparts, other people, police officers may see something like this and think, yep, there you go. Gotta be wary around them. And a misinformed officer may make a rash decision when faced with a young man. You know what I'm saying? um I think that's more so where v the potential for
00:57:59
Speaker
fear or something continual arises. But I think that chance is small. I think that chance is slim. And I think that there is a way to ah learn from this. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, 100%. And um I think you actually you guys both up brought up very good points, one being um the fact that he was this person was dropped like a hot potato after the situation happened, right? And just like in true fashion, like my alma mater would, whoo, Howard University dropped that man, like a hot potato.
00:58:37
Speaker
You don't ever miss a chance to bring up Howard. You don't. You never miss a chance. Oh my God. I really love that for us. So that way we can continue to reign as the number one HBCUs. Now Sveldman, we know that the the reports say different, but for now we're going to give Howard this crown. um You know, I just want to say that Howard actually went so far as to actually revoke Diddy's honorary degree and they're not going to accept his donation that he pledged. I believe he have pledged $1 million dollars um commitment back in October 23. They are sending that back. um
00:59:18
Speaker
And um the Board of Trustees actually said that not only is his name going to be removed from all documents listing the honorary degree recipients, but that his behavior as captured recently is fundamentally incompatible with Howard University's core values and beliefs and that he's deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution's highest honor. I'm glad that... So I'm glad, one, that the video proof, like I said, has resulted in all of these things. I think that it shouldn't have taken a video to have this action done. I will say that. um And yeah, I will say that we need to believe victims the first time that they talk. However, I will say that I support Howard's movement in canceling Diddy from the book of art Book of Life at Howard University.
01:00:05
Speaker
so there was of course some pushback as there always is when a big decision is made by very significant institutions such as howard and i'm glad you caught on i'm glad you caught on it i was like are they gonna see i'm doing a lot right now i'm purposely doing a lot but um you know, there's going to be some controversy and people are saying, well, this was supposed to be people's scholarships. I mean, some people are financially not able to really actually fulfill the requirements, ah financial requirements that it takes to stay at Howard University and and get their degree. And so this scholarship could have potentially helped out so many people. I mean, I too was a scholarship recipient at Howard. And so
01:00:55
Speaker
I kind of understand that um and that thought process. Yeah, that angle. But it now comes down to, okay, what are we going to choose? Are we going to choose making sure that we're upholding a certain standard when it comes to who we support? Or are we going to choose financial financial ramifications that could possibly happen to students who could have benefited from the money? What do you think was the right choice? Should they have um
01:01:25
Speaker
Pulled this scholarship amount So I think it's real simple Your legacy is tied to that money. Yeah, you do not want your legacy tied to this declining name Simple so where that money may help students for you know, let's say four years. 10 years down the line, that can be dug up. Oh, did he went down? Howard might go down with them. And I think it's very important to try to preserve the integrity of an old institution like that. One other piece, I just want to reply to something you said earlier. I do agree that we should believe victims the first time. I also believe that we should not make large sweeping decisions without some kind of
01:02:16
Speaker
Further thing it may not need to be a video. Maybe it's a decision in a court of law but I i do think that the accusation alone should not be enough to ah Invoke Howard to do something like what they did. You know what I'm saying? go Um Interesting. Hold on. Hold on. What do you think? I think as far as I'm concerned, I think they should return the money because behind that money, there's an essence of negativity, violence, a perpetuator of evil and malicious things. And despite that possibly helping the students, I do believe that energy is transferred. That money that they may receive,
01:02:57
Speaker
that could that That engine could be transferred and affect those students too. like Honestly, I really feel behind that money. so um I think they're doing a good job of making that decision in how it is illustrious institution. you know and By no means necessary should they allow someone else to come in and detract and take away from what they've established with their historical record of ah creating black, successful people. Someone who ah has gone to Howard and he's done you know tremendous things, but also has done amazingly terrible things. um It's unfortunate. so Yeah, that's awful. 100%. Yeah, I think those beautifully said.
01:03:39
Speaker
um Yeah, it was a lot. It's been a lot um on just women period and like our like our lives and this the space that we hold in society and the respect um for our roles. um But, you know, on a bit, I don't really want to say this is a bit of a lighter note, but I will say that um we have been seeing new kinds of women out on the scene. um Definitely. but it Particularly in
Tyla's Racial Identity Discussion
01:04:09
Speaker
music. um We see Afro beats, a genre that a lot of us consume, especially in the black community. um The sound has always mostly been largely West Africa and now it's become, we're incorporating some South African sounds, some ampiano.
01:04:24
Speaker
Tyler, who actually just recently won a Grammy, not to but at the last Grammy Awards, um has been a name that is becoming more and more common, that people are becoming familiar with her music. And she has held a a large market in ah across the globe, particularly in the States. And she is, like I said, she's from South Africa. And so, in true fashion, the Black community, we love to critique, we love to ask questions, we love to figure out who we're listening to. And so, she was actually interviewed recently on The Breakfast Club, um and she was asked, you know, like, what what how like what what do you categorize yourself as? Like, how would you define yourself racially? And she was told to not answer the question by her manager.
01:05:10
Speaker
So um basically that raised eyebrows like, hmm, like why was this question not answered? And like black, black, black black Twitter went to black Twittering. Okay. There was like, hold on. We thought she was black like us. ah Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold They did. And so, of course, I'm sure Tyla saw this uproar happening on social media for her choice to decline or, I would say, omit answering the question.
01:05:49
Speaker
And she pretty much made a statement on her Instagram saying that she recognizes that outside of South Africa, she is considered a black woman. However, in South Africa, she's actually considered a colored woman, which means that she's black mixed with a lot of other things. um And so for her, It's kind of operating in so many different spaces with her music. it's hard It's kind of a struggle for her to really say what she is, but she knows that like when she's in a place like America, she would be considered a black woman. um So a lot of people are saying, like well, this colored stuff, like what does that really mean? Are you really black? Or are you is this like more of you want to benefit from the black audience?
01:06:31
Speaker
or Are you actually really for us? Do you really claim to be black? Like, are you really a part of our community? And I think it was more so them trying to figure out like, what turf is she repping? And so... I feel like that's so selfish. I feel like that is that is so selfish of you to demand my ethnicity and were you enjoyed the music without knowing. okay You already enjoyed it. right Now because Charlamagne put this idea in your head, you want to demand answers.
01:07:02
Speaker
sirs That she's not from here, right? It don't necessarily mean she not like us you see right here Really all it really is is I'm not familiar it's It's like you it's like me or you going to the UK And somebody trying to ask like oh like something that that she understands the cut the quest the context of the question colloquially means something very significant in the United States and says I declined to answer. Why? Because my answer is going to be very nuanced based off where I'm from, which you're going to hear based on my answer. And I just think this this this radio, this podcast mike might not be the place to discuss this. Right. How entitled we are as a generation. This is crazy. This is crazy.
01:07:51
Speaker
Nah, I agree. I mean, it's, it's, it just amazes me like that. Like Jared said, a demand, like she, we she's not, we, we can't expect her to answer every single question. She has every full right to decline to answer a question. I think like like any artist or entertainer. Yeah. yeah Like, yo, get off her. Do you know what I'm saying? Like if she doesn't want to answer, she don't want to answer. And I think, um, we have to understand the historical context, right? When we talk about South Africa, the apartheid, the Dutch, by the colorids, the native indigenous people that live there, right? And that plays a role in how she portrays herself. The cultural context is completely different in South Africa than it is here in America. And so we have to understand that nuance because yeah it's easy for the answer in us, you know, be very judgmental.
01:08:36
Speaker
put without really understanding like yo where I'm from we actually have delineated sections like they used to have delineated sections of this is where black people this is where the color is is and this is where the white Dutch people are you know I mean and that still is pervasive thing about it it was only until 1999 1992 was when apartheid was done When racial, you know, segregation did not, you know, became ah became a thing. It stopped being a thing. So that history is still there. while Meanwhile, over here, we've had, you know, almost 200 years, you know, I'm saying, of being, you know, having, you know, from the man's face proclamation and all of those things. We're still dealing with the ramifications of that. But this is a recent history that they're still trying to understand and navigate. And I think for her,
01:09:22
Speaker
It was great. It was a great play on her part. You know, I think that she doesn't want to alienate her audience too, as well. Yeah. There's people. It's all about the bag, baby. If you gotta say what you gotta say, you gotta say what you gotta say. And sometimes it could just be a sensitive subject. like that it' just It could just be something sensitive. like right like like I didn't even like fully think about the way you just described it with regard to apartheid. Oh my gosh, it could just be a sensitive subject. No, it's sensitive. Oh my gosh. America's not the only place that went through years of entrenched racism and oppression. like We're not the only like people need to stop living in silos and understand that there's a whole other world outside of America that deals with their own iterations and versions of racism and Like they call it apartheid. We called it segregation. I mean same side of the different like of a different coin. So
01:10:16
Speaker
Um, I I want to say if we're accepting people like lotto and not asking them questions if we're some people like cardi B Not asking them questions, please it's not everybody that doesn't look Black like lupita that we have to then ask what do you categorize yourself as you know, so um Yeah, I think that it was tyler's right to omit and she she she explained it the way that she felt comfortable explaining it And y'all can choose to to press play on her music or not. It's very it's a very simple task and so um You know, I just want to say, unfortunately, I'm sorry. Y'all keep talking, but you know what? It is women's time right now. I gave all the men's mental health, but you know what is the women's time? I'm not, I'm not going to lie. i think yeah I think in this month of June and men mental health, you we we've had more women centric topics than okay. It's not interesting, but nobody's keeping count. Nobody's keeping count.
01:11:05
Speaker
um for me. There we go. Point one for women. So now I would love to close this by saying that, you know, whatever, there was some controversy around Tyler and the way she chooses to find herself. But you know what, there are some women in this music industry that are defining themselves in the best way, which is success and staying on top and not letting the haters dull their shine.
Megan Thee Stallion's Record-Breaking Tour
01:11:28
Speaker
Meg The Stallion has been on tour after being told by our brethren, Charlamagne the God, who always got something slick to say that, oh, Meg is not an arena artist. So, you know, I don't really see this for her whole time. Babe is selling out shows and, you know, hitting records and but even beating records that Nikki has never reached. Right. And I'm i'm not saying this to pit Nikki against Meg, but I'm just saying that Meg
01:11:50
Speaker
in a shorter amount of time actually existing this industry compared to Nicki has broken already so many records and I think that's such an amazing achievement and so I just really want to say like you know Meg has been doing a really big thing right now with her kind um her current tour that she's on she's been bringing out other artists she's brought out um Glorilla so Glorilla's been getting more shine cuz of Meg you know she's collabed with Lotto and Flo Milly um And recently, um she was even bringing out some some of the characters from baddies. You if you guys know that reality show baddies on Zeus, she had them like out here on the stage, like getting lit. They're really just trying to unite all like black women everywhere who just like want to have a good time and just be happy being black women. Meg has really created a space for people to do that. And so she's really doing her thing right now. She actually has her album coming out soon that she announced um on her tour and also through social media called ah titled Megan.
01:12:41
Speaker
So that is also coming out um very soon. I think it's on the 28th of this month. And more importantly, she actually made a tribute to one of the women that we just mentioned earlier in the Femicide topic, Dr. Diamond Clark. And so ah Meg also supports and honors those women who have put themselves out in society to be a healer but unfortunately has not received any kind of um honoring or recognition or reverence in return and so I just want to say Meg thank you for closing out man's mental health month on a bang you know she's not a man but she's did she still did her big one for everybody you know who knows
01:13:22
Speaker
who knows and respects the month of June this is our month women's month in men's mental health why is it so silent on the other side of this fuck we letting you rock continue we letting you rock don't worry I'm staying silent on mental health
01:13:43
Speaker
You guys see, you guys see what I'm doing to them. But no, for real though, um this is actually a great, this is a great episode. um I really think we talked about a lot of important things. We've talked about some really heavy, serious things, but at the same time, um there's still so much beautiful things happening in our community. And so, yeah, I'm just grateful. So this was an amazing run the list. Well, you know the vibes, the show is over. We appreciate you tuning in and tapping in with this episode of The Lounge. Let us know your thoughts about the discussions we had today or ask us a question for a chance to be featured on the show at podcast at SNMA.org. Be sure to follow the SNMA on all of our social media platforms to stay up to date on upcoming events. Thank you guys. And that's our show. We'll see you in the next one. Bye.
01:14:38
Speaker
wait Stop everything. We almost forgot. What? what's What's going on? A treasured, treasured member of our team is transitioning out. know So as we close out this, this SNMA year, we would like to give our most heartfelt and warm thank you.
01:15:04
Speaker
to our executive producer on Dean. She's been with us for two years. She's been executive producing us for two years. She's been with us for four. Yeah. We look forward to seeing what you go on to. It's been a pleasure. Pardon with you.
01:15:23
Speaker
And that's in a may. Yeah, this is um, it's crazy because Andine has literally been there since DeAndre, our very first executive producer, and she started off as a ah content producer creating our script. She low-key was still doing that, even when she transitioned into the executive producer role. But um, this is, this is really a, this is a sad transition um, because uh, Andine has been such a pivotal part and people don't really understand on the podcast like, yeah, you guys here is talking but there's so many people behind the scenes that are
01:15:54
Speaker
making this happen that are actually creating this podcast.
Farewell to Executive Producer Andine
01:15:57
Speaker
And Andin has been at the forefront now, um has been there for four years, but has been at the very forefront for two years leading and guiding us and directing us from our episodes recorded at home to our conferences and our live shows. She has been a pivotal member of this team. And so this transition is going to be a hard one. um But honestly, Andin, we really recognize your efforts and we appreciate everything you've done. um The podcast would not have been at to the same level that we've reached without you. So truly grateful.
01:16:29
Speaker
Yeah, that's a fact. I really appreciate your tremendous um energy and your belief in the podcast and your consistency and commitment. um As Isabella said, for four years in, you know, you started, you know, from the bottom and then you brought us to the top, you know, and, you know, we have evolved as you have evolved and foresee you doing incredible things in your future. You've been a valuable, valuable member to this team. And we wouldn't have been here without you and your investment in us. And we're thankful for you. We're thankful for everything that you've done and thankful for the things that you will continue to do. And we look forward to seeing what's coming on on the on the other side. you mean So we love you. We appreciate you. We admire you. And ah God bless you. God speed. you know still we'll be sure We'll be sure to keep up this standard of excellence that you set.
01:17:25
Speaker
period, period. We'll be sure to to make sure that the team you are leaving behind is going to be up to snuff. Yep. And we hope that you will enjoy as you listen to future episodes of SNMA Presents the Lounge. Every single one. Be better. Bye, Andi. We gotta let Andi. Y'all not gonna let Andi talk. Let her talk. Talk about bye. I want to be very brief. I don't want to get teary. and i here But um I honestly want to say thank each and every one of you guys for just being excellent hosts um and good friends and just good supporters overall in my life.
01:18:17
Speaker
um We will still keep in touch as usual. I wish you guys the best in everything you do within SNMA and outside of SNMA. And I will text you guys if I hear some crazy stuff on the episode. Okay, we need that. We need that. We love it. But it's it's been a great year and I truly appreciate it. being able to lead you guys and just seeing the growth and how you guys explored.