WEBVTT 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:27.500 Good evening and welcome to live with dr. Andre 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.379 Jerry your trusted space for real conversations, 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:33.579 practical wisdom, and purpose -driven insight. 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:36.039 I'm your host, Dr. Andre Jerry, broadcasting 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:39.380 live from San Juan, Puerto Rico. This show is 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:42.520 heard in over 128 countries and has featured 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:46.340 artists, authors, entertainers, entrepreneurs, 00:00:46.939 --> 00:00:49.719 and thought leaders from across the globe. So 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:51.679 wherever you're listening in to from tonight, 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:54.079 on behalf of myself and the Artists First Radio, 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:56.740 I want to thank you for being part of the conversation. 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.219 And I want to thank you for your continued support, 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:01.579 especially with all these shows getting canceled 00:01:01.579 --> 00:01:04.060 lately. Have you guys heard about the Sherri 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:07.159 Shepherd show and the Kelly Clarkson show being 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:09.439 canceled? I caught wind of this earlier this 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.840 week, and it caught a lot of people off guard, 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:16.359 myself included, especially with these two shows, 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:20.659 because both of the hosts are very, very likable. 00:01:21.100 --> 00:01:23.480 and they very much have their own lanes. You 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:26.739 know, Kelly has all the singing and the inspirational 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:28.900 quote energy that she brings to daytime television. 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:31.439 You know, sometimes when I watch her show and 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:34.180 I don't watch it often, I sometimes think that 00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:35.980 I'm watching American Idol. I don't know if I'm 00:01:35.980 --> 00:01:38.700 watching a karaoke show or a talk show, but she 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:40.799 has her own lane and a lot of people vibe with 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.099 that. Sherry, of course, she's a comedian. A 00:01:44.099 --> 00:01:46.799 lot of people think she's funny. I don't particularly 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.599 think that she's that funny, but I'm always glad 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:54.019 to see one of us get their own show. And if you 00:01:54.019 --> 00:01:56.700 remember back when they were transitioning Wendy 00:01:56.700 --> 00:01:59.659 Williams out, they had all these different guest 00:01:59.659 --> 00:02:02.540 hosts on rotation. Sherri Shepherd was one of 00:02:02.540 --> 00:02:05.920 the top contenders along with Bill Bellamy. They 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.860 had him as a guest host and Michael Rapaport. 00:02:09.129 --> 00:02:12.090 The white guy, I think he's a comedian or actor 00:02:12.090 --> 00:02:14.270 or something, but he actually was really good 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:16.689 in that format, the daytime talk show format. 00:02:17.689 --> 00:02:22.370 But clearly, Sheri brought in higher ratings. 00:02:22.789 --> 00:02:24.509 And I think that's because of her familiarity 00:02:24.509 --> 00:02:27.849 and her relatability from being a co -host on 00:02:27.849 --> 00:02:30.830 The View for however long she was on there, six, 00:02:30.830 --> 00:02:34.449 seven seasons, something like that. Now, speaking 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:39.319 of The View, If you're going to cancel a daytime 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:42.259 talk show, that's probably one you want to take 00:02:42.259 --> 00:02:45.620 a look at. Because I get so tired of them on 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:48.159 it. Every single day it's the same thing. Trump 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.180 did this, Trump did that, Trump, Trump, Trump, 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:54.360 Trump, Trump. Is he a horrible person? Yes. Yes, 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:58.400 he is. But at what point do you say, OK, he's 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:01.699 terrible, but can we talk about something else? 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:06.900 You know what I mean? They bring on guests on 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:10.060 the show who also hate Trump. And so it just 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:14.439 turns into this nonstop hate fest. And I'm not 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:18.319 going to participate in that. And poor Alyssa, 00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:21.759 that Republican girl that's on the panel, she's 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:23.479 pregnant. Now, I think she got pregnant on purpose 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:25.919 just so she can take a maternity leave break 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.080 from the rest of her co -hosts. I don't even 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:29.840 know if she's Republican anymore. They probably 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.840 converted her. But I just can't with the view. 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:35.759 Like I said, if you're gonna cancel a show that's 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:38.360 probably one you need to take a serious look 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:42.719 at not Sherry and not Kelly Yes, they both can 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:45.599 kind of be annoying in their own ways But really 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:47.819 if you pay attention to him, they both go out 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:51.819 of their way to stay out of politics And like 00:03:51.819 --> 00:03:55.039 I said bring their own brand of positivity to 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:59.300 daytime television So, you know, even though 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:01.580 both of these shows are technically canceled 00:04:01.949 --> 00:04:04.129 at the end of this fall, I couldn't help but 00:04:04.129 --> 00:04:07.770 notice something very interesting. And it was 00:04:07.770 --> 00:04:10.650 a difference in how Kelly's cancellation was 00:04:10.650 --> 00:04:15.650 handled versus how Sherry's was handled. And 00:04:15.650 --> 00:04:18.230 if you think I'm about to make this a racial 00:04:18.230 --> 00:04:22.529 issue, I am, but just hear me out and then you 00:04:22.529 --> 00:04:26.490 decide, okay? Okay, so both shows were canceled, 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:31.180 but. Kelly was given the opportunity to save 00:04:31.180 --> 00:04:34.579 face. She got to break the news to her audience 00:04:34.579 --> 00:04:38.079 herself. And they also allowed her to release 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:40.220 a statement saying that she was stepping down 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:43.160 at Host and she was prioritizing her kids and 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.439 she felt it was the necessary and right move 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:47.800 for the next chapter, all that stuff. You know, 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:52.639 which is fine. Sherry on the other hand. It felt 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:54.980 like Sherry found out her show was canceled the 00:04:54.980 --> 00:04:58.139 same time we did. And if that's true, that's 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:01.740 really messed up. I mean, you can just tell with 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:04.319 the media rollout of this, you could tell she 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:08.120 was completely caught off guard because the very 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.600 next day after this news broke about her show, 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:14.879 she mysteriously caught COVID and she took a 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:18.959 few days off. Now, come on now. We can pretty 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:21.279 much all read between the lines and guess what 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:24.050 probably happened. They called her into the office 00:05:24.050 --> 00:05:26.829 on a Monday, dropped this bomb in her lap that 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:29.829 her show was being canceled. I'm sure she was 00:05:29.829 --> 00:05:33.769 probably devastated and confused, probably crying 00:05:33.769 --> 00:05:36.790 and all of that, asking why. And that's a valid 00:05:36.790 --> 00:05:40.430 question because the Sherry show was very well 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:44.269 received. It had really great guests. It won 00:05:44.269 --> 00:05:47.350 an Emmy. It had decent ratings. I'm sure she 00:05:47.350 --> 00:05:49.790 reminded them of all of this in the boardroom, 00:05:50.290 --> 00:05:55.480 but None of that mattered because a lot of times 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:57.980 there's an agenda behind the scenes that drive 00:05:57.980 --> 00:06:00.699 these types of decisions and that applies to 00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:04.120 the Kelly show too, but in Sherry's case I just 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:06.920 I Would have appreciated her being given the 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:09.639 same courtesy that Kelly was given, you know 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.420 the chance to address her audience directly about 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:15.639 the cancellation instead of just releasing a 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.939 press release and having everybody found out 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:20.930 on the internet or on entertainment news about 00:06:20.930 --> 00:06:23.009 her show being canceled, because the first thing 00:06:23.009 --> 00:06:25.709 people are going to wonder, especially her supporters 00:06:25.709 --> 00:06:29.069 and her viewers, is, is Sheri OK? What happened? 00:06:29.790 --> 00:06:31.829 How has she taken this? Is she going to be all 00:06:31.829 --> 00:06:35.649 right? Was she fired? What's she's going to do 00:06:35.649 --> 00:06:38.629 now? All these questions and then the speculation 00:06:38.629 --> 00:06:42.129 that follows. And all of this could have been 00:06:42.129 --> 00:06:45.990 avoided by allowing her the dignity of breaking 00:06:45.990 --> 00:06:50.240 the news herself. So for me, it was like this 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:52.819 subtle reminder or something that black folks, 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:55.480 we know this all too well. You're still black, 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:58.899 honey. You're still black. No matter how high 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:04.040 we ascend or how many accolades we have, society 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:08.500 has its way, especially in this country, of putting 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:12.100 us in our place from their perspective of what 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:15.680 our place, our so -called place is. And so we 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:19.699 all know what it is. We see it. We might not 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:22.600 vocalize it or speak out about it, but we recognize 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:25.279 it when we see it, especially when we see it 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:29.600 happen to one of our own. We feel it. We internalize 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:33.699 it to an extent. As subtle as it may be, sometimes 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:36.040 we still clock it. Don't think because we put 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:38.519 a smile on our face and we kind of brave through 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:42.569 it that we don't feel it. So No, I don't think 00:07:42.569 --> 00:07:46.230 Sherry had COVID at all. I think she was blindsided 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:50.110 and just needed a moment to herself to kind of 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:52.009 gather her thoughts, get her bearings before 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:54.529 she has to go back and face a live audience again. 00:07:55.829 --> 00:07:58.230 And see, that's what can sort of happen when 00:07:58.230 --> 00:08:01.769 you don't have your own platform, when you don't 00:08:01.769 --> 00:08:06.470 have a production company or an ownership stake 00:08:06.470 --> 00:08:12.829 like an Oprah or a Tyler Perry. Now to be fair 00:08:12.829 --> 00:08:16.230 and and to play devil's advocate a little bit 00:08:16.230 --> 00:08:19.589 Maybe this cancellation had been brewing for 00:08:19.589 --> 00:08:22.610 a while Because if you remember her executive 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:25.610 producer John Murray The guy that used to walk 00:08:25.610 --> 00:08:27.870 her up on stage and and all that type of stuff 00:08:27.870 --> 00:08:30.829 every every morning They fired him last year 00:08:30.829 --> 00:08:33.710 right before this latest season started season 00:08:33.710 --> 00:08:37.750 four So really there's no telling what might 00:08:37.750 --> 00:08:40.389 have happened with all of that But one thing 00:08:40.389 --> 00:08:42.669 I noticed is that Sherri, you could kind of see 00:08:42.669 --> 00:08:45.950 her sort of struggle a bit to find her footing 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:49.110 ever since John Murray left. Because she made 00:08:49.110 --> 00:08:51.809 a few little minor tweaks to her format. She 00:08:51.809 --> 00:08:55.950 started opening the show with these long comedic 00:08:55.950 --> 00:08:59.330 monologues. Basically like five minutes of stand 00:08:59.330 --> 00:09:00.929 -up. She would do five minutes of stand -up before 00:09:00.929 --> 00:09:03.289 she would move to the chair and get to the hot 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:06.309 topics. And for me that just, it just didn't 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:11.110 work. Because Sherry is funny, but Sherry is 00:09:11.110 --> 00:09:13.590 standing. She's sitcom funny. She's not stand 00:09:13.590 --> 00:09:18.669 up funny. You know what I mean? So watching her 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:22.629 try to do stand up on daytime television was 00:09:22.629 --> 00:09:26.289 kind of, it was kind of painful. And so between 00:09:26.289 --> 00:09:28.990 that and you know, she's always was acting so 00:09:28.990 --> 00:09:30.970 thirsty for every halfway decent man that came 00:09:30.970 --> 00:09:34.230 on the show. I kind of stopped watching, you 00:09:34.230 --> 00:09:36.950 know, I was always quietly rooting for her in 00:09:36.950 --> 00:09:39.370 the background. And I certainly never expected 00:09:39.370 --> 00:09:43.590 her show to be canceled, but yeah, I sort of 00:09:43.590 --> 00:09:47.370 stopped watching. Now, she did okay with Hot 00:09:47.370 --> 00:09:51.210 Topics. She did. She wasn't Wendy Williams level, 00:09:51.830 --> 00:09:54.009 because nobody did Hot Topics like Wendy Williams. 00:09:54.250 --> 00:09:56.870 I kind of miss Wendy. I wish she would come back 00:09:56.870 --> 00:09:59.529 to media in some capacity, TV, radio, something. 00:10:01.149 --> 00:10:03.350 But Sherri, she put her own spin on the show. 00:10:03.389 --> 00:10:06.750 She put her own spin on Hot Topics. And it worked 00:10:06.750 --> 00:10:08.529 pretty well for her. Like I said, the ratings 00:10:08.529 --> 00:10:11.730 were good. She had great support. She won an 00:10:11.730 --> 00:10:16.110 Emmy. You know, she did her thing. So, Cherry, 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:18.830 if you're listening, if you end up, you know, 00:10:18.929 --> 00:10:21.250 getting a copy of this, you did an outstanding 00:10:21.250 --> 00:10:24.269 job. You made a lot of people laugh and smile 00:10:24.269 --> 00:10:27.509 in the mornings. That smile that you have, that 00:10:27.509 --> 00:10:29.409 beautiful smile, it's going to continue to open 00:10:29.409 --> 00:10:32.330 doors for you. So just keep your head up. All 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:37.039 right? And... You know what with all the things 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:39.879 that I'm pivoting now, but with all the stuff 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:42.580 that I had going on in the background Nothing 00:10:42.580 --> 00:10:45.600 serious just you know things that come with building 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:48.639 and growing and juggling multiple projects. I 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:52.700 Was gonna run a rerun for tonight's episode But 00:10:52.700 --> 00:10:56.659 I thought about my audience. I thought about 00:10:56.659 --> 00:11:02.100 The platform having respect for my craft is black 00:11:02.100 --> 00:11:06.179 history month People get canceled left and right. 00:11:06.179 --> 00:11:08.059 I was like, you know what? No, I'm gonna show 00:11:08.059 --> 00:11:10.379 up You know because the conversation that we 00:11:10.379 --> 00:11:12.659 have on this show they matter and if I'm gonna 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:16.240 ask you to reflect and grow and Stay engaged 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:18.379 and accountable to yourself and to your vision 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:20.620 and I've got to hold myself to the same standard 00:11:20.620 --> 00:11:25.519 So I'm on today. We're gonna get through it And 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.500 like I said, plus I'm not trying to get canceled 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:30.659 like Sherry and Kelly did At least let me make 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:33.620 it to the five year mark in broadcasting first. 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:37.740 But in all seriousness, sometimes episodes like 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:41.259 this where we're just sort of bristing and the 00:11:41.259 --> 00:11:43.820 episodes almost don't happen, those end up being 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:46.220 some of the ones that hit the hardest. So we're 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:48.580 just gonna see what it does, all right? With 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:51.960 all of that said, happy Black History Month. 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:55.019 I meant to lead with that, but I ended up going 00:11:55.019 --> 00:11:58.210 on a tangent about Sherry. But y 'all know how 00:11:58.210 --> 00:12:00.570 I am. So I'm going to be honest about something 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:06.210 that a lot of black people would not say out 00:12:06.210 --> 00:12:11.830 loud, even among ourselves. For most of my life, 00:12:11.950 --> 00:12:14.330 I've been somewhat, I guess you could say I've 00:12:14.330 --> 00:12:17.049 been somewhat indifferent about Black History 00:12:17.049 --> 00:12:20.509 Month. And it's not because I don't value our 00:12:20.509 --> 00:12:24.470 history or the accomplishments of black people. 00:12:24.690 --> 00:12:29.210 I absolutely do. But I don't know. It's like 00:12:29.210 --> 00:12:33.549 I live in my black skin every single day. And 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:38.210 society makes sure I never forget in its advertisements, 00:12:38.470 --> 00:12:42.690 in its politics, its policing, just in everyday 00:12:42.690 --> 00:12:45.289 interactions. Not so much here in Puerto Rico 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:47.909 because in Puerto Rico everybody's basically 00:12:47.909 --> 00:12:50.970 melanated. So you're not going to get that same 00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:53.450 type of racial crap that goes on in the States. 00:12:54.149 --> 00:12:57.779 But pretty much every day when I was in the States, 00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:00.519 I was constantly reminded that I'm different, 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:05.000 you know? And how, not only that I'm different, 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:07.779 how society as a collective feels about that 00:13:07.779 --> 00:13:12.220 difference. You know what I mean? So for me, 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:17.019 there's no novelty in carving out one month to 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:21.299 quote unquote celebrate black history. It always 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:23.879 leaves me kind of wondering, okay, is this month 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:27.559 meant for us to celebrate ourselves, or is this 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:31.360 for the collective us to acknowledge a history 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:33.700 that should have never been ignored in the first 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:36.320 place? And that's where it can start to feel 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:39.299 a little disingenuous. Because if we're going 00:13:39.299 --> 00:13:43.100 to be serious about honoring black history, not 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:47.789 just symbolically, but substantively, then This 00:13:47.789 --> 00:13:49.830 conversation shouldn't stop at just tributes 00:13:49.830 --> 00:13:52.610 and hashtags and, you know, all the different 00:13:52.610 --> 00:13:54.809 corporate marketing campaigns that we're seeing. 00:13:55.769 --> 00:13:59.509 Maybe it should include more honest conversations 00:13:59.509 --> 00:14:05.309 about formal monetary redress for this country's 00:14:05.309 --> 00:14:09.370 documented involvement and participation and 00:14:09.370 --> 00:14:11.769 economic benefit that it got from the transatlantic 00:14:11.769 --> 00:14:15.500 slave trade. and all of the centuries of chattel 00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:19.820 slavery and the long stretch of legally enforced 00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:22.840 segregation and Jim Crow laws and all the systemic 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:27.399 racism that followed. And yes, I'm talking about 00:14:27.399 --> 00:14:31.840 reparations, okay? Before anyone rolls their 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:33.799 eyes and starts talking about, oh, here go black 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:36.919 folks talking about begging and stuff for reparations, 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:41.179 before you even go there. I just want to remind 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:44.580 you that there are multiple and well -documented 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:48.259 examples where governments have provided financial 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:52.080 redress or reparations to groups that were wronged. 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:53.980 I'm going to give you a few examples because 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:58.440 a lot of people don't know this stuff. The Luxembourg 00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:02.399 Reparations Agreement. This was for Jewish victims 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:06.580 of Nazi persecution. It was signed into law back 00:15:06.580 --> 00:15:12.289 in September of 1952. And it was worth about 00:15:12.289 --> 00:15:16.809 three billion Dutch marks that was paid to Israel 00:15:16.809 --> 00:15:21.389 over the course of 14 years. And it included 00:15:21.389 --> 00:15:24.990 an additional 450 million Dutch marks to the 00:15:24.990 --> 00:15:27.830 claims conference. This was for individual Jewish 00:15:27.830 --> 00:15:33.049 compensation. Okay, so that's one example. Another 00:15:33.049 --> 00:15:36.429 one was Swiss banks settlement. This was a major 00:15:36.429 --> 00:15:40.309 Holocaust era financial redress case. Okay, so 00:15:40.309 --> 00:15:43.190 they've reached a settlement on this in 1998 00:15:43.190 --> 00:15:50.350 not 1888 1998 And it was formalized in 1999. 00:15:50.350 --> 00:15:53.710 It was worth about a hundred and twenty five 00:15:53.710 --> 00:15:56.970 I'm sorry one point twenty five billion. It was 00:15:56.970 --> 00:16:00.190 a class -action settlement fund and like I said 00:16:00.190 --> 00:16:05.669 they they formally Settle on this in 1999 and 00:16:05.669 --> 00:16:10.480 so again this was in response to Holocaust victims, 00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:14.320 it was assets litigation, it was the whole nine 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:17.559 yards. So those are two prominent examples that 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:22.019 were foreign, foreign -based. So if your argument 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.720 is that, hey, that was in another country, we 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:26.840 don't really do reparations in the United States, 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:29.340 I'm gonna give you a couple of more examples 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:33.039 that are surrounding the United States, okay? 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:36.679 The first one is the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.460 And this one I just learned about today during 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:44.580 some research, but this was where they redressed 00:16:44.580 --> 00:16:48.019 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:51.299 World War II. And again, that's called the Civil 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:55.019 Liberties Act of 1988. They paid approximately 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:59.059 $20 ,000 to each surviving eligible internee. 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:01.399 Internee is just another word for a political 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:07.259 or military prisoner. So this included $20 ,000. 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:11.960 per eligible person, included a formal apology, 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:15.759 and there were tens of thousands of recipients. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:21.480 Payments began in 1990, okay? One more I'll mention 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:25.339 was called the Aleutian and Privileve Islands 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:29.900 Restitution. It's also called Aleut Restitution 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:32.819 Act. This was for indigenous people who were 00:17:32.819 --> 00:17:35.480 displaced or forced to relocate during World 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:41.470 War II. This was $12 ,000 per eligible individual. 00:17:42.029 --> 00:17:44.630 And on top of that, they created a restitution 00:17:44.630 --> 00:17:48.609 fund that included various community benefits. 00:17:49.569 --> 00:17:51.730 So there are a couple of more examples I can 00:17:51.730 --> 00:17:53.730 go into, but in essence of time, I'm just going 00:17:53.730 --> 00:17:56.910 to leave it at those two. So I like to bring 00:17:56.910 --> 00:18:01.250 those up because a lot of people, they try to 00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:05.529 frame reparations as some type of radical, unprecedented 00:18:05.529 --> 00:18:09.420 demand. And it's not that. It's just history 00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:12.240 simply does not support that argument at all. 00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:15.299 Because if you think about the examples that 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:19.779 I just brought out from overseas and also here 00:18:19.779 --> 00:18:23.359 in the country, our government as well, they 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:26.539 have acknowledged wrongdoing and they provided 00:18:26.539 --> 00:18:29.099 financial compensation when harm was clearly 00:18:29.099 --> 00:18:33.400 documented. Okay. So the fair question to ask 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:39.049 is if Redress has been considered for other communities 00:18:39.049 --> 00:18:42.529 who suffered injustices. And why is it a different 00:18:42.529 --> 00:18:45.309 conversation when we start talking about Black 00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:48.690 Americans getting reparations? I thought a lot 00:18:48.690 --> 00:18:50.849 about that today when I was preparing for this 00:18:50.849 --> 00:18:56.569 show, because if you think about it, we were 00:18:56.569 --> 00:18:59.609 never really considered humans in the first place. 00:19:00.150 --> 00:19:03.789 According to the Constitution, we were chattel. 00:19:04.009 --> 00:19:09.390 We were property. So even if you think about 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:14.369 the post from our current president who recently 00:19:14.369 --> 00:19:18.250 put that thing down on the Obamas, making them 00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:21.470 look like primates and all of that, even as a 00:19:21.470 --> 00:19:23.970 former president and first lady of the United 00:19:23.970 --> 00:19:26.609 States, they're not even immune to this type 00:19:26.609 --> 00:19:29.150 of stuff. So there's always going to be people 00:19:29.150 --> 00:19:31.690 who try to seek to put black people in their 00:19:31.690 --> 00:19:37.690 so -called place. But as hurtful as that was 00:19:37.690 --> 00:19:41.009 to see, it says more about him than it does about 00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:45.029 the Obamas, who to me are the epitome of grace 00:19:45.029 --> 00:19:49.630 and class. And that's something that I don't 00:19:49.630 --> 00:19:55.509 think his family could ever aspire to. So I just 00:19:55.509 --> 00:19:57.470 kind of think that this country has a long way 00:19:57.470 --> 00:20:01.349 to go in terms of fully reconciling the sordid 00:20:01.349 --> 00:20:05.920 past that we have. with Black America. I think 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:08.299 it's always going to be a blight on this country 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:11.920 and sort of this unhealed wound unless there's 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:16.480 some type of proper redress along the lines of 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:21.279 a formal apology or financial reparations. I 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:22.900 know it's likely not going to happen under this 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:25.079 current administration. It's probably never going 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:27.319 to happen at this point. But we just have to 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:31.200 sit back and see how things evolve or devolve 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:35.809 in this country. And, you know, I'll say this 00:20:35.809 --> 00:20:40.170 too, and I was thinking a lot about this earlier 00:20:40.170 --> 00:20:44.509 today. If we actually were to receive reparations 00:20:44.509 --> 00:20:47.410 or financial redress, it's not as simple as people 00:20:47.410 --> 00:20:50.670 think it is. Because the reality is that a significant 00:20:50.670 --> 00:20:53.470 portion of that money, I think, would likely 00:20:53.470 --> 00:20:57.029 circulate right back into mainstream institutions 00:20:57.029 --> 00:21:00.589 and other businesses that aren't black owned. 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:06.980 there are relatively few Black -owned banks or 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:12.900 large -scale financial institutions. And we also 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:15.599 don't consistently support Black -owned businesses, 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:19.519 not at the rate that we need to to keep wealth 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:23.119 circulating within our own communities. I'm trying 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.599 to walk a delicate tightrope here because I don't 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.380 want to make it seem like I'm maligning my brothers 00:21:28.380 --> 00:21:32.700 and sisters. It's just that Many other cultural 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:37.480 groups have had stronger internal economic ecosystems, 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:41.440 you know, where their dollars recirculate multiple 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:44.279 times before leaving their communities. And like 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:46.140 I said, so that's not about blaming us. It's 00:21:46.140 --> 00:21:49.700 just about understanding our history. But a lot 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:52.160 of generations now, many of our ancestors were 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:58.079 just so focused on surviving. And they were intentionally 00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:02.019 denied access to things like financial education 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:05.440 and land ownership opportunities, fair lending 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:08.859 practices, the whole nine yard equitable tax 00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:13.980 systems, and wealth building tools that were 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:16.619 available to other groups, we were restricted 00:22:16.619 --> 00:22:19.900 from those through policy and intimidation and 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:23.180 a lot of times outright violence. So when we 00:22:23.180 --> 00:22:26.980 see those gaps exist today in areas like financial 00:22:26.980 --> 00:22:31.109 literacy and investments, estate planning. A 00:22:31.109 --> 00:22:34.210 lot of us are getting more knowledgeable about 00:22:34.210 --> 00:22:36.450 these things. In fact, my good friend Renata, 00:22:36.470 --> 00:22:41.089 she had two guests on her show this past Monday 00:22:41.089 --> 00:22:45.490 where they were giving everyone financial literacy 00:22:45.490 --> 00:22:48.970 information. So a lot of us are starting to get 00:22:48.970 --> 00:22:52.829 more acclimated to making sure that our wealth 00:22:52.829 --> 00:22:56.289 is being preserved. But those gaps didn't just 00:22:56.289 --> 00:22:59.730 appear out of nowhere. was a long engineered 00:22:59.730 --> 00:23:03.130 process that happened over the centuries. So 00:23:03.130 --> 00:23:06.369 I'm just acknowledging the reality of the long 00:23:06.369 --> 00:23:09.390 -term generational trauma that occurred as a 00:23:09.390 --> 00:23:12.450 result of chattel slavery and segregation and 00:23:12.450 --> 00:23:15.809 all of the systemic disparities that are in banking 00:23:15.809 --> 00:23:18.750 and education, healthcare, the whole nine yards. 00:23:19.410 --> 00:23:21.930 And so when you think about that history, it 00:23:21.930 --> 00:23:25.509 shapes how the black community sort of trust 00:23:25.509 --> 00:23:30.019 each other. That's why a lot of us don't patronize 00:23:30.019 --> 00:23:32.660 other black businesses. All of that history, 00:23:32.660 --> 00:23:35.460 it shapes how we collectively handle our money. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:38.200 It shapes how we build or struggle to build a 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:43.839 collective economic strength in numbers. So yeah, 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:47.839 sometimes I even found myself thinking that maybe 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:50.539 it's a blessing that we haven't received reparations 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:54.799 yet. Because unless there's gonna be like a widespread 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:59.140 economic re -education or infrastructure put 00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:01.740 in place that teaches us about community investment 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:05.599 strategies and all the things, financial literacy. 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:08.579 I think a large share of their wealth would just 00:24:08.579 --> 00:24:13.339 disappear and not do its intended job of creating 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.779 generational wealth and stability. So it doesn't 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:19.539 mean that reparations shouldn't happen. It means 00:24:19.539 --> 00:24:22.960 that if it does happen, it should be paired with 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:25.900 education. and policies that will help sustain 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:29.539 wealth and not just distribute the wealth. And 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:31.880 so that brings me back to Black History Month. 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:35.319 When I've said in the past that, you know, sometimes 00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:38.259 it feels sort of performative, this is part of 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:40.920 what I'm talking about. Because too often we 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:44.640 highlight the achievements, but we don't fully 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:48.160 confront the systems that block our progress 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:51.180 for so many years. We celebrate the culture, 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:54.420 but we don't really address the economic and 00:24:54.420 --> 00:24:57.000 historical realities that sort of shaped the 00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:02.220 way things are now. So I'll say this, I recently 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:05.559 found myself taking Black History Month a lot 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:08.839 more seriously than I have in the past because 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:13.960 we're living in a time where a lot of American 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:16.279 history, not just black history, a lot of American 00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:19.400 history is kind of being softened and rewritten 00:25:19.400 --> 00:25:23.490 and reconstructed or just quietly erased from 00:25:23.490 --> 00:25:25.990 classrooms, from public discourse. You can't 00:25:25.990 --> 00:25:29.009 hardly talk about anything now without someone 00:25:29.009 --> 00:25:32.829 being offended. Or, you know, if you try to tell 00:25:32.829 --> 00:25:34.910 parts of history that make people uncomfortable, 00:25:35.089 --> 00:25:38.670 it's a problem. You know, stories that challenge 00:25:38.670 --> 00:25:42.509 the national myths that a lot of people have 00:25:42.509 --> 00:25:45.950 and stories that force us to confront who benefited 00:25:45.950 --> 00:25:49.190 from things like chattel slavery and who paid 00:25:49.190 --> 00:25:52.410 the cost, that type of stuff. And that type of 00:25:52.410 --> 00:25:55.329 erasure, it isn't just about the past. It shapes 00:25:55.329 --> 00:25:58.529 how future generations understand things like 00:25:58.529 --> 00:26:05.329 justice and cultural identity and truth. So for 00:26:05.329 --> 00:26:08.829 me, Black History Month isn't so much about celebration 00:26:08.829 --> 00:26:13.289 as it is about preservation and accountability. 00:26:14.049 --> 00:26:16.769 And it's about making sure that history, the 00:26:16.769 --> 00:26:20.369 whole history, doesn't get buried because it 00:26:20.369 --> 00:26:25.410 makes some people uncomfortable. So something 00:26:25.410 --> 00:26:27.869 I've been quietly working in the background, 00:26:28.569 --> 00:26:31.589 I've been spending a lot of time sort of digging 00:26:31.589 --> 00:26:35.529 into history, not just surface level stuff, sort 00:26:35.529 --> 00:26:38.750 of the deeper layers, the stories behind the 00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:42.650 stories, so to speak. And what I kept noticing, 00:26:43.230 --> 00:26:45.190 and this was over and over again, I kept noticing 00:26:45.190 --> 00:26:48.230 how many people help shape the moments that we 00:26:48.230 --> 00:26:51.450 all celebrate, but somehow their names don't 00:26:51.450 --> 00:26:55.890 always travel with those big moments. Like, we'll 00:26:55.890 --> 00:26:58.849 hear about the march on Washington, but we don't 00:26:58.849 --> 00:27:02.349 always hear the names of the strategists who 00:27:02.349 --> 00:27:05.509 helped to organize it. Or we'll hear about the 00:27:05.509 --> 00:27:10.589 movement, but not always the minds and the people 00:27:10.589 --> 00:27:13.130 who built the infrastructure in the background 00:27:13.130 --> 00:27:16.849 that made that movement possible. And we always 00:27:16.849 --> 00:27:19.289 talk about cultural shifts and all of that, but 00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:22.490 there are myriads of people, artists and thinkers, 00:27:23.150 --> 00:27:27.690 activists, who collectively help to push those 00:27:27.690 --> 00:27:30.250 agendas forward, sometimes at great personal 00:27:30.250 --> 00:27:33.730 cost. And so the more I started paying attention 00:27:33.730 --> 00:27:36.549 to that type of thing, especially in a time when 00:27:36.549 --> 00:27:38.349 parts of history start to feel like they're being 00:27:38.349 --> 00:27:42.089 softened or repackaged and edited out, I started 00:27:42.089 --> 00:27:45.460 feeling the weight of a responsibility. not in 00:27:45.460 --> 00:27:49.700 a heavy or a preachy way, but in a more personal 00:27:49.700 --> 00:27:53.859 way to hold on to these stories just a little 00:27:53.859 --> 00:27:55.480 bit tighter. And that's something that I've been 00:27:55.480 --> 00:27:59.859 calling unforgotten. It's not a big flashy production 00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:02.339 or anything like that. It's really just me taking 00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:05.859 some intentional time to highlight some of those 00:28:05.859 --> 00:28:09.079 overlooked figures, those architects behind all 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:12.839 the applause, so to speak. And just try to put... 00:28:12.829 --> 00:28:15.589 their stories back into the broader conversation 00:28:15.589 --> 00:28:18.049 that we have about black history and cultural 00:28:18.049 --> 00:28:20.170 awareness and things like that. Because the truth 00:28:20.170 --> 00:28:24.109 is black history isn't something that begins 00:28:24.109 --> 00:28:26.990 on February 1st and then on March 1st we just 00:28:26.990 --> 00:28:30.309 kind of wrap everything up on a nice little bow 00:28:30.309 --> 00:28:34.009 and move on. It's very layered and it's very 00:28:34.009 --> 00:28:38.490 ongoing. We're still making history now. And 00:28:38.490 --> 00:28:41.509 a lot of our old history is still being uncovered, 00:28:41.750 --> 00:28:44.910 still being reexamined. We're learning some things 00:28:44.910 --> 00:28:48.569 that we did learn growing up in our history lessons. 00:28:49.410 --> 00:28:51.829 So a lot of this stuff is still being understood 00:28:51.829 --> 00:28:55.309 through a more fuller and a more honest lens. 00:28:55.849 --> 00:28:59.750 So I've been working on these stories all Black 00:28:59.750 --> 00:29:04.390 History Month. For me, it feels less like a celebration 00:29:04.390 --> 00:29:07.420 window and more like a Sort of just a reminder 00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:10.559 that preservation black history preservation 00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:14.220 is an everyday responsibility that Should not 00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:17.200 just fall on a few people's shoulders So I've 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:19.200 been sharing some of these stories online just 00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:22.200 little short storytelling pieces here and there 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:26.000 posted some of my LinkedIn I've devoted an entire 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:29.200 YouTube channel to it So if you ever feel like 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:30.859 examining some of that stuff, you can find it 00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:35.259 on YouTube. Just look for hashtag unforgotten 00:29:35.289 --> 00:29:39.910 UN, the number four, G -O -T -T -E -N, hashtag 00:29:39.910 --> 00:29:43.170 unforgotten. Okay, and you'll see the posts I've 00:29:43.170 --> 00:29:48.130 done in the short -term story pieces that I've 00:29:48.130 --> 00:29:50.970 posted so far. But, you know, honestly, the bigger 00:29:50.970 --> 00:29:53.089 purpose with this is not about promotion. Like 00:29:53.089 --> 00:29:56.450 I said, it's about preservation because once 00:29:56.450 --> 00:30:01.289 those stories disappear, the context around them 00:30:01.289 --> 00:30:04.759 disappears as well. And when the context disappears, 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:08.079 it's going to become a lot easier for the truth 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:10.220 to disappear right along with it. And you'll 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:12.859 have all this revisionist history stuff going 00:30:12.859 --> 00:30:16.480 on that is in complete contrast to what really 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:20.140 and actually happened. So among all the many 00:30:20.140 --> 00:30:23.200 hats that I wear, I guess we can now add cultural 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:27.579 archivists to the list, okay? And speaking of 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:33.289 preservation and storytelling, My other channels 00:30:33.289 --> 00:30:37.109 are Continuing to grow. I have a couple of other 00:30:37.109 --> 00:30:39.990 YouTube channels that I've been working on live 00:30:39.990 --> 00:30:42.589 with dr. Andre Jerry that's where I post, you 00:30:42.589 --> 00:30:46.509 know recaps of the show and All types of stuff 00:30:46.509 --> 00:30:49.569 dealing with with cultural media and social media 00:30:49.569 --> 00:30:52.130 and celebrities and things like that We recently 00:30:52.130 --> 00:30:55.490 crossed 2 ,500 subscribers and we have well over 00:30:55.490 --> 00:30:58.549 500 videos now So it's growing is doing this 00:30:58.549 --> 00:31:02.029 thing my other channel reality of truth That 00:31:02.029 --> 00:31:05.490 shares Bible based content is pushing toward 00:31:05.490 --> 00:31:09.230 2 ,000 subscribers. We also have 500 plus videos 00:31:09.230 --> 00:31:12.329 and that and You know, I've talked about this 00:31:12.329 --> 00:31:16.650 on the show before but if you guys haven't started 00:31:16.650 --> 00:31:20.710 building your own YouTube channel yet Or you 00:31:20.710 --> 00:31:22.869 you have started one and you haven't posted on 00:31:22.869 --> 00:31:25.869 a while consider this your sign to get back busy 00:31:25.869 --> 00:31:29.309 with that and especially if you have a product 00:31:29.309 --> 00:31:33.710 or a service a message, even just a perspective 00:31:33.710 --> 00:31:37.029 that deserves to be heard. You could be leaving 00:31:37.029 --> 00:31:40.809 a lot of exposure and opportunity on the table. 00:31:41.609 --> 00:31:43.509 Because like I mentioned in one of my previous 00:31:43.509 --> 00:31:48.690 episodes, YouTube is digital real estate. And 00:31:48.690 --> 00:31:51.069 just like physical real estate, it's going to 00:31:51.069 --> 00:31:54.970 take early investment and consistency before 00:31:54.970 --> 00:31:57.930 you start to see things pay off over time. So 00:31:57.930 --> 00:32:01.009 get out there. Carve out your own lane carve 00:32:01.009 --> 00:32:04.130 out your own niche your own corner of the market 00:32:04.130 --> 00:32:07.809 using your your ideas your voice your unique 00:32:07.809 --> 00:32:10.630 personal brand and while we're talking about 00:32:10.630 --> 00:32:15.130 building and evolving don't be afraid of AI or 00:32:15.130 --> 00:32:18.509 all of these rapid Advancements and technology 00:32:18.509 --> 00:32:20.589 and stuff that's happening around us because 00:32:20.589 --> 00:32:23.529 the world is just changing and it's changing 00:32:23.529 --> 00:32:28.710 fast and if we want to remain relevant and adaptable, 00:32:28.750 --> 00:32:31.529 we have to evolve alongside all these changes. 00:32:32.289 --> 00:32:35.809 We got to start moving deeper into this digital 00:32:35.809 --> 00:32:39.349 age and not get left behind. Can't afford to 00:32:39.349 --> 00:32:44.369 stay locked in this outdated analog way of operating. 00:32:44.490 --> 00:32:48.289 We're in a digital age right now. And if AI feels 00:32:48.289 --> 00:32:51.730 overwhelming for you at this stage where we're 00:32:51.730 --> 00:32:56.130 at, just start simple. Pick one AI tool, something 00:32:56.130 --> 00:33:00.309 easy like ChatGPT. That's the one I started with. 00:33:00.349 --> 00:33:02.230 It's very approachable. You can use it the same 00:33:02.230 --> 00:33:06.269 way that you use any type of search engine. Just 00:33:06.269 --> 00:33:10.109 query it, ask it questions. Learn this new terminology 00:33:10.109 --> 00:33:14.650 that's coming with all this AI stuff. Use ChatGPT 00:33:14.650 --> 00:33:19.009 to help you understand other AI tools and applications. 00:33:19.829 --> 00:33:22.950 Because sometimes just learning the language 00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:25.779 of this new technology and some of the jargon 00:33:25.779 --> 00:33:28.339 that's being used, that alone will help remove 00:33:28.339 --> 00:33:30.559 a lot of the fear and suspicion that can creep 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:33.160 in when things start to feel like they're moving 00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:36.440 too fast and changing too fast and all of that. 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:39.900 Okay? And once you get comfortable, just branch 00:33:39.900 --> 00:33:44.099 out and try different AI tools. You got things 00:33:44.099 --> 00:33:46.660 like Grammarly. That's been around for a while. 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:51.680 MetaAI is one of the more newer ones. Gemini. 00:33:52.039 --> 00:33:54.799 There are a couple of them, but just take advantage 00:33:54.799 --> 00:33:58.259 of as many free versions as you can and these 00:33:58.259 --> 00:34:01.700 trial periods that last 30 days, 60 days. The 00:34:01.700 --> 00:34:04.119 goal isn't to master every single tool. You just 00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:07.420 want to gain some familiarity with these AI tools 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:11.159 and learn how to use them a little bit. It's 00:34:11.159 --> 00:34:13.420 about adaptability and just keeping your mind 00:34:13.420 --> 00:34:17.860 engaged with where the world is heading. Now, 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:23.539 in terms of building a YouTube channel, or on 00:34:23.539 --> 00:34:25.719 any platform, it's gonna take some time. It's 00:34:25.719 --> 00:34:29.079 gonna take patience. It's definitely gonna take 00:34:29.079 --> 00:34:34.900 some consistency. Sometimes you post something 00:34:34.900 --> 00:34:38.800 and it'll just unexpectedly take off. And then 00:34:38.800 --> 00:34:40.800 you find yourself scrambling, trying to keep 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:43.539 up with the momentum of it all. But most of the 00:34:43.539 --> 00:34:45.639 time, your growth, especially on YouTube, is 00:34:45.639 --> 00:34:48.739 gonna be very steady. And honestly, that's where 00:34:48.739 --> 00:34:53.849 the real learning happens. And you start to understand 00:34:53.849 --> 00:34:56.769 and analyze trends, and you start noticing how 00:34:56.769 --> 00:35:00.210 people think, what they respond to, what holds 00:35:00.210 --> 00:35:04.250 their attention. And you start to learn how marketing 00:35:04.250 --> 00:35:07.150 really works. And not from a textbook standpoint, 00:35:07.510 --> 00:35:09.909 but we're talking about real world application. 00:35:10.989 --> 00:35:13.610 And over time, you can learn how to shape whatever 00:35:13.610 --> 00:35:16.809 your message is in a way that will deepen your 00:35:16.809 --> 00:35:20.460 impact and expand your reach. Because whether 00:35:20.460 --> 00:35:24.079 you realize it or not, we're living in what many 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:28.139 people now call an attention economy. So that 00:35:28.139 --> 00:35:30.960 gives a whole new meaning to the phrase pay attention. 00:35:31.139 --> 00:35:35.280 People are literally building careers and businesses 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:40.480 and entire industries based on people's ability 00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:45.000 to capture and hold attention. And honestly, 00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:46.840 part of the reason why I feel like I've been 00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:49.059 able to stay on the air for nearly five years 00:35:49.210 --> 00:35:53.849 is because I've been blessed with a gift to engage 00:35:53.849 --> 00:35:57.650 and connect with and hold space for meaningful 00:35:57.650 --> 00:35:59.869 conversation. Not because I'm special, that's 00:35:59.869 --> 00:36:03.530 just a part of the package God gave me. We all 00:36:03.530 --> 00:36:05.389 came here with something. None of us came here 00:36:05.389 --> 00:36:08.309 empty -handed. We were all given different gifts 00:36:08.309 --> 00:36:12.369 and unique talents and perspectives and abilities. 00:36:14.070 --> 00:36:18.199 And whatever God graced us with, It's designed 00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:21.219 to help us navigate this earth, navigate our 00:36:21.219 --> 00:36:23.719 journey, and hopefully help someone else navigate 00:36:23.719 --> 00:36:27.659 their journey. Some people realize their gifts 00:36:27.659 --> 00:36:32.840 very early on in life. That wasn't necessarily 00:36:32.840 --> 00:36:34.840 my walk. I always knew I was a great writer, 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:37.719 but some of the other gifts I discovered later 00:36:37.719 --> 00:36:43.000 in life. So some people never... Find out what 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:45.059 they're calling years or they go their whole 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:47.320 lives searching for what their purpose is or 00:36:47.320 --> 00:36:51.019 what their gifts are and what I believe part 00:36:51.019 --> 00:36:54.760 of my assignment is Both on this platform and 00:36:54.760 --> 00:36:58.500 outside of this platform is helping people To 00:36:58.500 --> 00:37:01.599 recognize the gifts that are inside them and 00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:04.539 helping people unlock the best version of their 00:37:04.539 --> 00:37:08.300 lives Whatever that looks like for them Okay, 00:37:08.619 --> 00:37:11.730 so it took me a while to get to that point I 00:37:11.730 --> 00:37:14.590 got caught up in career. I got caught up in, 00:37:14.590 --> 00:37:18.710 you know, salaries and all these different things. 00:37:18.869 --> 00:37:22.030 But once I started operating in my purpose, everything 00:37:22.030 --> 00:37:25.829 sort of shifted and changed for me. And so I 00:37:25.829 --> 00:37:29.210 really want to use my platform to help enlighten 00:37:29.210 --> 00:37:31.469 as many other people as possible and help them 00:37:31.469 --> 00:37:34.369 get on the road to finding their true passion, 00:37:34.530 --> 00:37:36.429 their true purpose so that they can make their 00:37:36.429 --> 00:37:40.880 own imprint on this earth. Okay, I want to pause 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.019 right here and take a quick commercial break, 00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:45.260 but don't go anywhere because when we come back 00:37:45.260 --> 00:37:47.280 I'm going to share a little bit about what's 00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:50.179 been going on on my end lately Okay, and we'll 00:37:50.179 --> 00:37:52.039 talk about some other things too. You're listening 00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:54.039 to a lot with dr. Andre Jerry stay right there 00:37:54.039 --> 00:37:57.320 We'll be back in just a moment That's right at 00:37:57.320 --> 00:37:59.920 10 p .m. Every second Wednesday on artistfirst 00:37:59.920 --> 00:38:03.519 .com. It's the worldwide internet show the GL 00:38:03.519 --> 00:38:06.820 Henderson Radio Hour Tune in to hear a special 00:38:06.820 --> 00:38:09.460 guest from professionals live topics and get 00:38:09.460 --> 00:38:12.280 a blast from the past with musical legends like 00:38:12.280 --> 00:38:29.679 Lisa Lisa The Temptations Manhattan's Shanice 00:38:29.679 --> 00:38:39.820 Shirley Murdoch Dana Dane To make it interesting 00:38:39.820 --> 00:38:48.019 it's me, Dana Dane Tina Marie Edwar Tune in to 00:38:48.019 --> 00:38:51.480 the GL Henderson radio hour the king of relationship 00:38:51.480 --> 00:38:54.679 drama fiction every second Wednesday at 10 p 00:38:54.679 --> 00:38:58.480 .m. Eastern Standard Time on artistfirst .com 00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:02.840 Looking for your next car? Amazon autos has you 00:39:02.840 --> 00:39:05.760 covered with just a few clicks You can shop a 00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:08.460 wide selection of new vehicles compare prices 00:39:08.460 --> 00:39:11.280 read reviews and even arrange pickup or delivery 00:39:11.280 --> 00:39:14.320 Just like ordering anything else on Amazon. It's 00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:17.010 the future of car buying simple, transparent, 00:39:17.349 --> 00:39:20.610 and all online. Backed by Amazon's trusted network 00:39:20.610 --> 00:39:23.050 and partnering with local dealerships, Amazon 00:39:23.050 --> 00:39:26.269 Autos is redefining how we shop for cars. Visit 00:39:26.269 --> 00:39:29.329 amazon .com forward slash autos and drive into 00:39:29.329 --> 00:39:33.809 the future today. Welcome to another broadcast 00:39:33.809 --> 00:39:35.989 of Spiritual Concerns, the Deborah Ruffini show 00:39:35.989 --> 00:39:38.730 on Artists First Radio Network. We're live from 00:39:38.730 --> 00:39:41.469 England on Saturdays and Sundays, 3pm New York, 00:39:41.630 --> 00:39:44.690 8pm London. All past shows or podcasts, find 00:39:44.690 --> 00:39:47.409 them at artistsfirst .com. I'll be your host 00:39:47.409 --> 00:39:49.269 where issues relating to the spiritual matters 00:39:49.269 --> 00:39:52.090 of concern will be largely examined and discussed. 00:39:52.469 --> 00:40:14.170 Enjoy the show. And if you're just joining us 00:40:14.170 --> 00:40:17.050 tonight, we've been having a thoughtful conversation 00:40:17.050 --> 00:40:21.230 about recognition, redress, or reparations, and 00:40:21.230 --> 00:40:23.929 how Black History Month lands a little differently 00:40:23.929 --> 00:40:27.570 for some of us, especially in a time when history 00:40:27.570 --> 00:40:31.090 itself feels like it's being softened, reframed, 00:40:31.210 --> 00:40:34.829 or selectively remembered. We also talked about 00:40:34.829 --> 00:40:37.670 preservation a little bit and about telling the 00:40:37.670 --> 00:40:41.289 stories behind the stories. and about building 00:40:41.289 --> 00:40:44.329 platforms that help keep those narratives in 00:40:44.329 --> 00:40:47.530 circulation. Now before the break, I mentioned 00:40:47.530 --> 00:40:49.449 I wanted to give you a brief update on what's 00:40:49.449 --> 00:40:52.989 been happening in my world lately. Nothing crazy, 00:40:53.309 --> 00:40:56.510 just life evolving, responsibilities shifting 00:40:56.510 --> 00:41:00.530 a little bit, and a very full calendar that's 00:41:00.530 --> 00:41:04.010 keeping me on my toes. And you know, sometimes 00:41:04.010 --> 00:41:07.110 it's in those seasons of movement and change 00:41:07.110 --> 00:41:11.519 that clarity really starts to crystallize. I 00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:13.800 mentioned on last month's show that I'm going 00:41:13.800 --> 00:41:18.199 dry this year. And honestly, it hasn't, I told 00:41:18.199 --> 00:41:20.900 you this before on another episode, but it hasn't 00:41:20.900 --> 00:41:23.599 been as difficult as I expected it was gonna 00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:27.320 be. In fact, it hasn't been difficult at all. 00:41:28.320 --> 00:41:33.000 What it has done is increase my clarity. I've 00:41:33.000 --> 00:41:34.960 dropped a little bit of weight. I don't think 00:41:34.960 --> 00:41:38.139 people realize how many calories that we drink, 00:41:38.440 --> 00:41:41.599 but I've lost a little weight. I have a lot more 00:41:41.599 --> 00:41:46.760 energy, but most notably, I have more money staying 00:41:46.760 --> 00:41:51.300 in my wallet. I had no clue how much I was just 00:41:51.300 --> 00:41:55.400 casually spending on alcohol. Even last year, 00:41:55.480 --> 00:41:59.039 after I cut back to just weekends, when you break 00:41:59.039 --> 00:42:04.159 it down, $20, $25 a week, it doesn't sound like 00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:07.130 much. But if you stretch it out over a year and 00:42:07.130 --> 00:42:10.849 you're looking at 12 months of spending on just 00:42:10.849 --> 00:42:14.230 alcohol, and you see where it's 1 ,200, 1 ,300, 00:42:14.630 --> 00:42:17.349 then that's a different type of feeling when 00:42:17.349 --> 00:42:20.570 you see those numbers. Now, imagine what I was 00:42:20.570 --> 00:42:24.610 spending before I cut back. I don't even want 00:42:24.610 --> 00:42:28.289 to think about it. But I'm going to have to think 00:42:28.289 --> 00:42:29.809 about it because I'm in the middle of doing my 00:42:29.809 --> 00:42:33.000 taxes right now. As I start combing through the 00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:36.159 bank statements and credit card statements, I'll 00:42:36.159 --> 00:42:39.280 be getting a very clear picture on where my money 00:42:39.280 --> 00:42:43.860 was going. And yeah, I can't say I'm looking 00:42:43.860 --> 00:42:46.300 forward to seeing what those numbers are, but 00:42:46.300 --> 00:42:48.179 we'll just leave it at that. But either way you 00:42:48.179 --> 00:42:50.760 slice it, that's a lot of money going out the 00:42:50.760 --> 00:42:54.639 door toward something that doesn't even improve 00:42:54.639 --> 00:42:58.340 your health. In many cases, it does exactly the 00:42:58.340 --> 00:43:02.380 opposite. You know, so that same money, and maybe 00:43:02.380 --> 00:43:04.719 once I have the tally, I'll share it on another 00:43:04.719 --> 00:43:08.039 episode, but that money could have been invested 00:43:08.039 --> 00:43:12.079 or saved or redirected towards something that 00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:14.719 actually is gonna grow and benefit my future. 00:43:15.900 --> 00:43:18.659 But the biggest takeaway, like I said, for me 00:43:18.659 --> 00:43:21.579 is that I feel good. I feel really good. I've 00:43:21.579 --> 00:43:24.719 got more clarity, more energy. And honestly, 00:43:24.820 --> 00:43:29.659 just a stronger sense of discipline. And of course, 00:43:29.699 --> 00:43:32.239 having supportive people around you, that makes 00:43:32.239 --> 00:43:34.940 all the difference. So I'm truly blessed in that 00:43:34.940 --> 00:43:38.320 regard. Now here's something I genuinely did 00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:42.599 not know. Did you know they make non -alcoholic 00:43:42.599 --> 00:43:46.420 red wine? I know you're probably thinking, uh, 00:43:46.460 --> 00:43:49.320 yeah, Andre, where have you been? I really did 00:43:49.320 --> 00:43:51.639 not know they made non -alcoholic wine. I knew 00:43:51.639 --> 00:43:54.630 about non -alcoholic beer. And I knew about sparkling 00:43:54.630 --> 00:43:57.170 wine, but I did not know that there was a red 00:43:57.170 --> 00:43:59.610 wine with the alcohol removed. That's what caught 00:43:59.610 --> 00:44:03.409 me off guard. But a friend introduced me to this 00:44:03.409 --> 00:44:07.809 brand called Ariel. They sell premium alcohol 00:44:07.809 --> 00:44:11.389 -removed wine. So far I've tried the Cabernet. 00:44:11.949 --> 00:44:17.070 It's really interesting. It tastes like wine, 00:44:17.150 --> 00:44:22.409 just softer, less sharp, has a less sharp taste 00:44:22.409 --> 00:44:27.719 to it. We use it to make sangria over here. And, 00:44:27.719 --> 00:44:30.199 you know, of course they sell sparkling and white 00:44:30.199 --> 00:44:34.460 wine versions too. This isn't a paid advertisement 00:44:34.460 --> 00:44:37.559 or anything. Not yet anyway. I'll pursue it. 00:44:37.679 --> 00:44:40.619 But I'm just sharing what I've been sort of experimenting 00:44:40.619 --> 00:44:43.960 with in this dry season that I'm in. And, you 00:44:43.960 --> 00:44:47.300 know, it actually would make a thoughtful gift 00:44:47.300 --> 00:44:49.539 if you're, say you're invited to someone's house 00:44:49.539 --> 00:44:52.099 and you're gonna bring something. that would 00:44:52.099 --> 00:44:54.780 be the perfect gift to bring. Because there's 00:44:54.780 --> 00:44:57.239 always someone at a party or a gathering who 00:44:57.239 --> 00:45:00.179 doesn't drink. And I never thought I would be 00:45:00.179 --> 00:45:02.579 that person, but yeah, I'm that person. Oh, I 00:45:02.579 --> 00:45:05.000 don't drink, so I'm the weirdo that's gonna be 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:07.760 ordering mocktails and non -alcoholic drinks 00:45:07.760 --> 00:45:10.400 and stuff like that. So yeah, it's called Ariel. 00:45:10.519 --> 00:45:13.659 If you try it, let me know what you think. I'm 00:45:13.659 --> 00:45:16.800 very curious to hear your perspective about how 00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:19.289 you think it tastes. You can always reach me 00:45:19.289 --> 00:45:22.710 at my email. It's live with Dr .AndreJerry at 00:45:22.710 --> 00:45:30.510 gmail .com. Okay? Okay, it's a little later than 00:45:30.510 --> 00:45:32.670 I thought it was. Okay, look, so before we wrap 00:45:32.670 --> 00:45:35.670 up tonight, I want to share something a little 00:45:35.670 --> 00:45:38.949 different. Now, on the surface, this is going 00:45:38.949 --> 00:45:41.590 to feel like it's a left turn from everything 00:45:41.590 --> 00:45:43.889 that we talked about tonight. We talked about 00:45:43.889 --> 00:45:47.090 history. We talked about... recognition, we talked 00:45:47.090 --> 00:45:50.429 about reparations, personal growth, discipline, 00:45:51.889 --> 00:45:54.429 the preservation of stories, that's really important 00:45:54.429 --> 00:45:56.949 to me right now. But in many ways, what I'm about 00:45:56.949 --> 00:46:00.610 to share is actually connected to all of it in 00:46:00.610 --> 00:46:04.150 a weird way. Because at the end of the day, so 00:46:04.150 --> 00:46:06.769 much of what we experience in the world is shaped 00:46:06.769 --> 00:46:12.670 by perception, okay? What we carry internally, 00:46:14.090 --> 00:46:18.690 it's how we interpret the people and situations 00:46:18.690 --> 00:46:21.809 that show up in our lives. And so I've been doing 00:46:21.809 --> 00:46:25.269 a lot of meditating and reflecting lately, not 00:46:25.269 --> 00:46:27.409 just on history, but a whole bunch of stuff, 00:46:27.849 --> 00:46:33.230 human behavior, including my own behavior. And 00:46:33.230 --> 00:46:35.869 that reflection inspired this poem that I was 00:46:35.869 --> 00:46:38.829 working on yesterday and today. I want to share 00:46:38.829 --> 00:46:41.710 this poem with you. And don't laugh at the title, 00:46:41.889 --> 00:46:45.159 just... Absorb it and send me an email about 00:46:45.159 --> 00:46:47.619 what you think the title of this poem is called 00:46:47.619 --> 00:46:55.199 the bitch the bastard and the dog Okay All right, 00:46:55.280 --> 00:46:59.639 the bitch the bastard and the dog It's about 00:46:59.639 --> 00:47:03.300 that one family that lives among us all You could 00:47:03.300 --> 00:47:07.539 say they're loud obnoxious. Maybe even rude One 00:47:07.539 --> 00:47:11.360 encounter with them is enough to shape your mood 00:47:11.690 --> 00:47:14.769 It's like they live in their own world or somewhere 00:47:14.769 --> 00:47:18.110 deep in the woods. Being thoughtful neighbors 00:47:18.110 --> 00:47:22.230 was never quite understood. Every morning, while 00:47:22.230 --> 00:47:25.230 the sun is still rising, they stage their daily 00:47:25.230 --> 00:47:29.949 parade. Bouncing balls, barking dogs, sharp commands 00:47:29.949 --> 00:47:33.690 that ricochet. The dog barks at nothing. The 00:47:33.690 --> 00:47:37.269 bastard yells at the dog. The bitch shouts at 00:47:37.269 --> 00:47:40.070 the bastard. And the noise hangs heavy in the 00:47:40.070 --> 00:47:45.159 fog. Windows rattle. Coffee spills. Patients 00:47:45.159 --> 00:47:48.000 stings and tempers flare. You whisper to yourself, 00:47:48.139 --> 00:47:50.719 how do people live like this without a single 00:47:50.719 --> 00:47:53.960 care? You rehearse speeches in your head. You 00:47:53.960 --> 00:47:57.179 draft complaints you'll never send. You judge. 00:47:57.500 --> 00:48:00.920 You sigh. You shake your head. You hope the madness 00:48:00.920 --> 00:48:05.909 ends. But then something shifts. acquired a thought 00:48:05.909 --> 00:48:09.530 begins to rise above the barking above the blame 00:48:09.530 --> 00:48:12.690 a whisper that feels almost cruel because it 00:48:12.690 --> 00:48:16.949 says their name and yours in the very same sentence 00:48:16.949 --> 00:48:21.110 what if they're not random not accidents in your 00:48:21.110 --> 00:48:24.309 space what if every irritation is a reflection 00:48:24.309 --> 00:48:27.909 wearing a different face The noise you claim 00:48:27.909 --> 00:48:31.309 you cannot stand, the chaos you despise, what 00:48:31.309 --> 00:48:35.030 if it's the echo of the unrest you've internalized? 00:48:35.610 --> 00:48:38.750 The dog that won't stop barking, is that the 00:48:38.750 --> 00:48:42.030 voice inside your mind? The bastard always shouting, 00:48:42.769 --> 00:48:47.030 is that the anger left unrefined? The bitch who 00:48:47.030 --> 00:48:50.630 stirs the conflict, is that judgment you disguise 00:48:50.630 --> 00:48:54.530 as righteous indignation behind civilized replies? 00:48:54.849 --> 00:48:58.719 And suddenly, The volume lowers. Because when 00:48:58.719 --> 00:49:01.500 you recognize that every person you encounter 00:49:01.500 --> 00:49:05.780 is a projection of your own interior skies, aspects 00:49:05.780 --> 00:49:09.400 of your thinking, fragments of your view, you 00:49:09.400 --> 00:49:12.940 lose the need to battle what is merely mirroring 00:49:12.940 --> 00:49:16.940 you. The bitch, the bastard, and the dog are 00:49:16.940 --> 00:49:20.019 not just a family across the lawn. They are the 00:49:20.019 --> 00:49:23.119 noise in your awareness, the habits you outgrew, 00:49:23.380 --> 00:49:26.579 the shadow you've been fighting. without realizing 00:49:26.579 --> 00:49:31.400 it was you. They are us, they are me, and they 00:49:31.400 --> 00:49:35.539 are you. And once you truly see it, the anger 00:49:35.539 --> 00:49:40.400 dissolves, the frustration softens, the war quietly 00:49:40.400 --> 00:49:44.760 resolves, because you cannot be at war with reflection 00:49:44.760 --> 00:49:51.440 and expect to win. Oral, thank you for spending 00:49:51.440 --> 00:49:54.380 time with me tonight. If you heard something, 00:49:54.650 --> 00:49:59.030 That made you think, reflect, question, or even 00:49:59.030 --> 00:50:01.170 see something in yourself a little differently 00:50:01.170 --> 00:50:04.250 than tonight's conversation that almost didn't 00:50:04.250 --> 00:50:07.269 happen, did exactly what it was supposed to do. 00:50:07.889 --> 00:50:12.809 Remember, growth isn't always comfortable. Awareness 00:50:12.809 --> 00:50:16.070 isn't always convenient. But both are necessary 00:50:16.070 --> 00:50:18.050 if we're going to be serious about becoming better 00:50:18.050 --> 00:50:22.619 people, individually and collectively. I'm Dr. 00:50:22.800 --> 00:50:24.599 Andre Jerry. You've been listening to Live with 00:50:24.599 --> 00:50:26.619 Dr. Andre Jerry. Thank you so much for spending 00:50:26.619 --> 00:50:28.519 time with me this evening. Good night, everybody.