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Speaker 1: Strawberry supporting this one right here. Subject our coworker has

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Speaker 1: a problem with body odor. Dear Stephen Shirley. For quite

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Speaker 1: some time now, I and some of my female black

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Speaker 1: coworkers have been discussing a very delicate problem. We're all

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Speaker 1: women in our fifties who thought we could deal with

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Speaker 1: just about anything. However, a little over a year ago,

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Speaker 1: we got a new coworker, also a black female, who

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Speaker 1: has a severe problem with personal hygiene. She wears unkept

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Speaker 1: clothes that cling to her in the most unflattering way,

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Speaker 1: dirty sneakers and stretched out, slouched socks. Her hair needs

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Speaker 1: to be at the very least washed and combed. We've

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Speaker 1: given up on her using a straightening comb or getting

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Speaker 1: a perm or well maintained natural hairstyle in parentheses, last,

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Speaker 1: but not least, and to add insult to injury, she

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Speaker 1: has unpleasant body odors. Some days it smells like urine,

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Speaker 1: and some days it smells like an unbathed woman uh

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Speaker 1: at certain times of the month. We have discussed over

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Speaker 1: and over various possible ways to talk to her about this.

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Speaker 1: We feel embarrassed for her and want to approach her

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Speaker 1: before one of our white coworkers decides to do so.

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Speaker 1: We feel strongly that this should come from one of us.

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Speaker 1: This woman is in her forties, is quite intelligent, as

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Speaker 1: a wonderfully pleasant personality, speaks articulately, and she possesses an

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Speaker 1: obvious natural beauty under all of that negative stuff. Please

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Speaker 1: help with Stephen Shirley. We don't know how to proceed

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Speaker 1: in a kind and gentle way. I would even be

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Speaker 1: willing to take her shopping for several decent outfits suitable

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Speaker 1: for working in our professional, high profile office. Sincerely, concerned coworkers. Uh, well,

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Speaker 1: dear concerned coworkers. UM, you're right, this is a tough call,

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Speaker 1: you know, especially if you want to be nil and

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Speaker 1: delicate about it. Um. You know, I feel bad that

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Speaker 1: you have to both smell her and tell her, but

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Speaker 1: you gotta do it. I mean, you absolutely have to

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Speaker 1: do it. Why should you have to come to work

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Speaker 1: and be subjected to this? Uh? Sometimes, you know, if

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Speaker 1: people don't know, they just don't know. I mean, everybody

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Speaker 1: just wasn't taught these things, Okay, they just were not. Um,

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Speaker 1: I suggest you and your group of ladies at work

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Speaker 1: maybe take her to lunch and then just talk to her.

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Speaker 1: Just get it. Out. I mean, tell her you don't

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Speaker 1: want to hurt her feelings, but it's it's a problem.

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Speaker 1: It's a problem all through the office. And actually tell

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Speaker 1: her that she needs uh to wash and you know

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Speaker 1: suggested you take her shopping, that you would, but you know,

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Speaker 1: just tell her you're not trying to hurt her feelings.

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Speaker 1: It is it is hard, but you gotta do it.

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Speaker 1: Twelve minutes after, we'll be I don't. We'll go on

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Speaker 1: a whole right, should ask no, I'll just responding, alright, Steve,

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Speaker 1: come on, let's go Part two of your response to

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Speaker 1: today's Strawberry letter. Dear Steven Sherley, For quite some time now,

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Speaker 1: and some of my female black coworkers have been discussing

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Speaker 1: a very delicate problem. We are all women in our

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Speaker 1: fifties who thought we could deal with just about anything. However,

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Speaker 1: a little over a year ago we got a new coworker,

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Speaker 1: also a black female, who has a severe problem with

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Speaker 1: personal hygiene. She wears unkept clothes that cling to her

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Speaker 1: in the most unflattering way, dirty sneakers, stretched out, slouch socks,

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Speaker 1: a hair needs to be at the very least, Washington, come.

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Speaker 1: We've given up on her using a straightening home and

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Speaker 1: getting a perm or will maintain natural hairstyle. Last, but

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Speaker 1: not least, and to add insult to injury, she has

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Speaker 1: unpleasant body. Only some days it smells like urine, and

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Speaker 1: some days it smells like unbathed women do at a

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Speaker 1: certain time of the month. We have discussed over and

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Speaker 1: over various possible ways to talk to her about this.

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Speaker 1: We feel embarrassed for her and want to approach her

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Speaker 1: before one of our white coworkers decides to do so.

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Speaker 1: We feel strongly that this should come from one of us.

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Speaker 1: This woman is in her forties, is quite intelligent, has

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Speaker 1: a wonderfully pleasant personality, speech articulately, and she possesses an

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Speaker 1: obvious natural beauty under all that negative stuff. Please help

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Speaker 1: with Steve and Shirley. We don't know how to proceed

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Speaker 1: in a kind and gentle way. I would be willing

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Speaker 1: to take her shopping for several decent outfits suitable for

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Speaker 1: working in our professional, high profile office. Sincerely, concerned coworker,

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Speaker 1: go for it. Well, concerned coworkers, I appreciate your concern.

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Speaker 1: And you women up there in your fifties obviously dignified

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Speaker 1: ladies and very proud of yourself, and but you are

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Speaker 1: dealing with an issue here that has fallen several people.

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Speaker 1: I'll tell you what the main issue is. You, as

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Speaker 1: African American women, feel responsible for other African American moment

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Speaker 1: and that's a good thing. But you're concerned about her

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Speaker 1: because you also knows, as we all do, that for

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Speaker 1: some reason, there's a rule where this woman cast a

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Speaker 1: bad light on the rest of you. You don't want

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Speaker 1: this woman to cast a bad light on the rest

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Speaker 1: of you because you consider her one of us. That's

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Speaker 1: a noble way to look at it, and that's beautiful

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Speaker 1: in everything. But you have a problem though, because home

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Speaker 1: girl coming in here looking straight crazy, how all over

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Speaker 1: her head, ain't got a perm won't get a beautiful

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Speaker 1: natural style, won't lock it, do nothing, she won't nothing

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Speaker 1: corn row it's something, Just get it in some order.

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Speaker 1: Pick that dirt out your hair. Something Now she got

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Speaker 1: close clinging to her in an unseimilar way. That means

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Speaker 1: her clothes is laying in places it ain't got no

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Speaker 1: business places, and you can see it prints that you

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Speaker 1: uncomfortable see it. Don't nobody want to see your drawls

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Speaker 1: under your treest Don't nobody want to see this big

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Speaker 1: imprint in the front and front of you, and now

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Speaker 1: we can see the design, size, shape and all this is.

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Speaker 1: Don't nobody want to see that? Now to top it off,

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Speaker 1: she got an unpleasant body over breast showing hal bumps

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Speaker 1: around the breast, rains on you don't you ain't need it,

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Speaker 1: but now she gotta some days it smells like urin.

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Speaker 1: Well pen on what kind of yarin it is? And

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Speaker 1: if his baby earing is own cave from a three

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Speaker 1: month old, but if it's grown man urin a duct yearing.

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Speaker 1: Now we got a problem. Well, I'm gonna just playing something.

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Speaker 1: Let me help you out, stee Eve Harvest. I hope

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Speaker 1: you listen to Sherley answer, because I ain't got none

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Speaker 1: of that for you. Here's the letter that I found.

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Speaker 1: We feel embarrassed for her and want to approach her

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Speaker 1: before one of our white co workers decided to do so. Mhm,

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Speaker 1: I say, let the white people handle it. See now

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Speaker 1: here we go, see because you gotta let white people

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Speaker 1: do some things for you, because I like the approach.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes I actually like to see them go off because

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Speaker 1: they voice elevates and they have phrases that make you

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Speaker 1: think something's really wrong here because you let them keep

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Speaker 1: passing by Big girl over there smelling all that guerrilla urine,

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Speaker 1: and and and and and that that and that rhinod

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Speaker 1: that smells like you're down at the zoo. One of

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Speaker 1: them white folk smell. And this is what Father God,

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Speaker 1: have phrases that they used. And let you know, something

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Speaker 1: really wrong. Quiet out loud, peach sake, Holy fuch. You

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Speaker 1: know why, like an eagle she wars. What is going on? Lady,

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Speaker 1: I gotta tell you my blue eyes are crying. Somebody,

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Speaker 1: Jimmy Crickets. I'm telling you. I love to hear they phrases. Men. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'm having a Elvis Presley moment. You ain't done but

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Speaker 1: a hound dog the white folks something. Oh God, I've

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Speaker 1: seen fire and I've seen rain. All right, guys, we

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Speaker 1: gotta go get out of here. If you can email

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Speaker 1: us your Instagram that's your thoughts on today's Strawberry Letter

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Speaker 1: at my Girls, Shirley, I don't forget to join me

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Speaker 1: this Thursday at one thirty pm for my after show

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Speaker 1: Strawberry Letter Live on Facebook