1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,360 Speaker 1: Before we begin this week's episode, we have a few announcements. 2 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: First things first, Merch is live. Yes, Merch is finally 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: here and it's so fucking cute. So please make sure 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: that you support the kid by clicking the lake and 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: the show notes below. Don't forget to send me pictures. Also, 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: I did my first collapse with an Afro Latina brand, 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: full Oft Soap based out of NYC Baby. This brand 8 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: is beyond beautiful and we created a pink Rose with 9 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: body butter and soap collection exclusively available on PhD site. 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: We've been working on this collapse for months and I'm 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:40,879 Speaker 1: telling y'all you don't want to miss out on it 12 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: so beautiful. For more information, please visit the link below. Next, 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: y'all know I love to read and a lot of 14 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: y'all have to reach out to me about books from 15 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: certain episodes. What's my favorite book or why I'm currently reading? 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: I finally created a book list with Amazon link that 17 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: you can use to purchase. Please use this link chat 18 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: out as I would receive a small commission from Amazon, 19 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: which would help me to grow a PhD even more. 20 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: This link is available and the show knows as well, 21 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: so hold me down. Don't hold me up. This week's 22 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: episode is very dear to me, as this woman has 23 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: been in my life since I was eighteen. Y'all know 24 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: I love keiking with my friends mom, but this woman 25 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: literally watched me grow up into the woman I am today. 26 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: She has lived such a full life and it's only 27 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: right to share her journey with you all how she 28 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: became the highest rank officer as a firefire in the 29 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: city of Chicago. Baby, I hope this episode, or any 30 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: episodes that I've done in the past, reminds you that 31 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: you belong anywhere that your heart desires. Thank you so 32 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: much for supporting the kid. We are almost at one 33 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: hundred episodes and I am so excited. So thank y'all, 34 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: Thank y'all, Thank y'all, and until next time later. Welcome. 35 00:01:54,440 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: You are now listening to me professional girl, professional Hey, 36 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: professional home girls, and it's your girl Evane from the 37 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: PSD podcast, the only place where you would hear interviews 38 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: from women anoviously on stories that were enlightened and expand 39 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: on taboo topics. Now, if you hear someone that sounds familiar, 40 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: mind a bit to pays you child. If you like 41 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: the PSD podcast, please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts. 42 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: Please five star reviews only. Hold me down, don't hold 43 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: me up. You can connect with me on Instagram at 44 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: the Professional home Girl, at the PFG podcast and asked 45 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,919 Speaker 1: not least at and a beauty. If you are all 46 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: caught up with episodes, listen to bonus episodes by supporting 47 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: the PSC podcast Patreon account. To support, please visit www 48 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: dot patreon dot com. Forward slash the PSC podcast now. 49 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: Please keep in mind that all of my guests aren't honest. 50 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: So let's begin this week's episode. So I am super 51 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: excited about this week's guest. She has been in my 52 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 1: life since I was eighteen years old. She is a 53 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: definition definition of a bass. I always say she's like 54 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: one of my heroes, one of the best to ever 55 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: do it. Mam. How are you feeling? I am well, 56 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: thank you. I feel like everyone's gonna get excited by 57 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: seeing you opposed to my best friend. Oh my gosh, 58 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: it's like this is my hayout buddy when I come 59 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: to Chicago, like we always have a really good time. 60 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: So how are you feeling? I feel wonderful. How has 61 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: the pandemic been treating you? Pandemic is not bothering me 62 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: at all. I have no problem with being away from folks. 63 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: I know. Did you think he would be where you 64 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: are now in your life? Never imagined it, Never ever 65 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: imagined it. Does they ever like choke you up at times? 66 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 1: Not at all? I am, I'm humble. Before we get 67 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: into your story, being that you are a strong Olpha woman, 68 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: do you think people give you space to be vulnerable? Um? 69 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: I don't think they give me space to be vulnerable. 70 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: They expect you to be strong all the time and 71 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: they don't see you as a person who can have, um, 72 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: a sad moment, a down moment, need anything, or need somebody, 73 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: so they expect you to always have it together. So 74 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: how was your upbringing? I have a wonderful bringing. I 75 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: had a very very careen mother. I knew my dad well, 76 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: even though about time I got a little older, my 77 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: mom and my dad had separated and my stepfather was 78 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 1: in the picture and for me and my mom and 79 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: my brothers and sisters, which I had seven brothers and sisters. Um, 80 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: you know what the baby are? You? I am? Oh? 81 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: I am? Which is not what most people expect. A 82 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: different personality from a bag. That's probably why because you 83 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: are the baby. Well, no, babies are usually very a 84 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: dependent and they need others because everybody's always done something 85 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: for them, right, and everybody's trying to see um. For 86 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: the most part, babies somebody take care of. But my 87 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: brothers would not allow that. They made me sit outside 88 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: and watch them change my brakes and taught me how 89 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: to put a master cylinder on my chef. There's nothing 90 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: she can't do, y'all. I'm telling you, this woman can 91 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: do everything. They were just like, no, I'm gonna picture 92 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: your card. You're gonna stand right here. So they made 93 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: me strong. Yeah, what's something that your mother taught you 94 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: that you passed on to your daughter? Cooking? Yeah she 95 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: can cook to y'all, Oh yeah, cooking. Her daughter can cook. 96 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: I was making peach tea before peach tea even came out, 97 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: trying to get her. She goes to my mom would 98 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: go to the store and come home with all the 99 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: fruits and vegetables and dinner and everything. I grabbed all 100 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: the fruit, started chopping up fruit. She's like, what are 101 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: you doing? It might have been diabetics t but I 102 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: made it. I'm gonna put tea bags in the pot 103 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: like four or five tea bags and chop up peaches 104 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: and berries and apples and boil it down. Oh man, 105 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,280 Speaker 1: that would be the best team. Pound of sugar in 106 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: it cool. It was the best tea ever. But I 107 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: didn't have acne as a kid because I drank tea time. 108 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: Are you the only one that successful all of your siblings? 109 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: I don't know. Everybody is successful in their own way. 110 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: Why do you say it like that. I mean, my 111 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: brother was in the military. He did what he wanted 112 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: to do. He did a career, My oldest brother a 113 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: career in the military, my brother, other brothers and stuff. 114 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: They just did their own thing. Everybody was successful in 115 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,119 Speaker 1: their own way. Now, me and you always think about 116 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: your upbringing, the things that you overcame, and your experiences industry. 117 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: So were you or anybody in your siblings where anyone 118 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: of you'all own drugs before? And how did that make 119 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: you feel? I'm sure. Yeah, everybody has been through their 120 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: time of experience experimenting of drugs, But for the most part, 121 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: I don't think too many people got left behind. Yeah yeah, yeah, 122 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: you experiment and you move on. Right. Another funny story 123 00:07:58,520 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: that you always tell them about how you used to 124 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: be a pimp. Oh, I didn't know that was gonna 125 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: come out come. Yeh. I was not a pimp. I 126 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: was helper. The two of you do help. All I 127 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: did was to collect the month, collect the month. It 128 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: was just I was a strong arm. I was a 129 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: strong arm. Never had to be out there myself. But 130 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: I thought it was fun. And he said, go get 131 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: that money. I said, all right, how are you were 132 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: doing it for out a year? Year two? Then I 133 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: got pumped out because, um, I was driving my brother's car. 134 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: He had that elected two twenty two snow white with 135 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: red and white stripes, and driving my brother's car, had 136 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,960 Speaker 1: my friend in the car with me. It was third 137 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: of July and I was on the west side. Somebody 138 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: start to shoot him and this car is so long, 139 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: so I'm trying to get out of the parking space 140 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: so i can get out of the partice space. The 141 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: police pull up. And when the police pull up, underknownst 142 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 1: to me there was drugs in the car. And I'm thinking, 143 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 1: I'm not scared of the police. I'm not scared of 144 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: the west Side. I'm thinking, Lucy, I'm gonna keep my 145 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: my mama, come kill my brother is over in Saudi 146 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: Arabia fighting the war. I'm driving his car and so 147 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: that makes it's his car, so everything will come back 148 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: to him. And they had drugs in the car. Next 149 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: thing I know, I'm being hand car. It's like, oh 150 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: my lord. So along story short after getting kicked out, 151 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: getting me kicked out of that, they got me out 152 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: of it, and they let me go. I was an 153 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: innocent one, but I wish I could see her face. Um, 154 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: I wasn't the innocent one, but I wasn't. And my 155 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: mother had been through so much heartache with my brothers. 156 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: I just couldn't put no more on her, especially me 157 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: going to jail or something. So that was the end 158 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: of my days of hanging out with folks like that. Right. 159 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: So one of them girls too, speaking of drugs. Uh, 160 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: one of them girls, they got tired of me. They 161 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: got mad at me because I wasn't in the same 162 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 1: situation they were here. Do you mean by that? It 163 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: was horse That didn't ever cross my mind. I could 164 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: never do that, but I like collecting their money. So 165 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: after about about a year or so and the thing 166 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: with the drugs in the car, one of them girls, Uh, 167 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: something on me, WHI she's looking at you. I have 168 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:07,439 Speaker 1: no idea. Probably some kind of heroin or something, and 169 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: I didn't do drugs. I woke up in the middle 170 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 1: express with eighteen Williams coming at me. What would you 171 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: pass up? I had left the West Side, I had 172 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: made it all the way to almost the Assip and 173 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:29,319 Speaker 1: had no memory of it. Oh wow, Yeah, so that 174 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: was another sign. One thing I have to say is 175 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: even though I might have been out in the life 176 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: and living in that while like my mother, has always 177 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: still God in my life. So I always had a 178 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: relationship with God, and he always spoke to my soul. 179 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: So when it was time to move, it was always 180 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,320 Speaker 1: time to move. I knew, and you prayed off yeah, 181 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,319 Speaker 1: and he speaking to my soul. So it woke me 182 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,599 Speaker 1: up that I had a house shoes trying to go 183 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: to work in the middle of outset. I didn't remember 184 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: how I got there. And the thing that had happened 185 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 1: about two weeks before was the got pulled over in 186 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 1: the car. And before that, my friends Sam's best friend. 187 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: Anybody that know me and know this would know who 188 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: this is. But my friend Sam's best friend Greg got 189 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: killed in the stairwell. H and I kept trying to 190 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: get away from him. But he was one of those 191 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: guys that he kept to nine me. I wanted to 192 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: be with him so bad, and I wanted to win. 193 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 1: And I'm so glad that I didn't win, because that's 194 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: how you make holes, you know. He was he said 195 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 1: I was too good and he wouldn't allow me to win. 196 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: He wouldn't allow me to have that intimate contact. And 197 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 1: we had everything else, his mother loved me, everything else, 198 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: but he would never touch me intimately. And I was 199 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: why I was driving you crazy. Yeah. I was like, 200 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: I'm I'm gonna win this because he trusted me wholeheartedly. 201 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: But um, it was that time my mother told me, 202 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: she said that Black Nick is gonna be the death 203 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: of you. And I had to leave him alone. I 204 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: had to walk away from h m hmmm, because if 205 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 1: I had one, i'd beat somebody else right now, would 206 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: you say you would have? Then I would have been said, 207 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: that's what happened to the people to win it. Yeah, 208 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 1: that's a fact. Mm hmmm. So what made you like 209 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: was that the reason why you just got the streets 210 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: and you wanted to change your life for definitely? Definitely 211 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: it was a total walk away. It's like guy erased 212 00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: the whole thing from my soul. We didn't even remember 213 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: half of the thing after the people. A matter of fact, 214 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: I worked the West Side. To this day, I couldn't 215 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: tell you I know he lived off a lake, as 216 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: much as I would say, I don't remember anything else 217 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: about I know he lived right off the lake, and 218 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:17,439 Speaker 1: I don't know if he went to jail, if he died. 219 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: When I walked, I walked away. I don't want a 220 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: way no, and I don't reach out on Facebook. I 221 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: have no desire to be around any negativity. I don't 222 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: work too hard. That's a fact well being. At the listeners, 223 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: I predominantly won women, and that's something that mean you 224 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: always talk about relationships. What are the lessons you learned 225 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 1: your day life. In my dating life, I learned the 226 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: same lesson everybody. Hard. It hurts, It hurts, and it's 227 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: if you're not getting getting what you need out of it. 228 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: If I could tell my youngest self, if you're not 229 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: being respected, if you're not getting what you need out 230 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: of it, if you see yourself and envision yourself being 231 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: married and having children and having a different type of life, 232 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: and this person is not on the same pass as 233 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: you get off that path. Because you can't change people's hearts. Yeah, 234 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: because that's not what they want. You can beat them today, 235 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: beat them in the face. You're not gonna change who 236 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: they are, and they're just gonna waste your time. Basically 237 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: what it is, waste your time and your youth giving 238 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: that good couches to somebody. Wait, is anything you would 239 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: have done differently as your younger self, not just relationships, 240 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: but just in general because you live a full life. 241 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 1: You know what happened is my younger self made me 242 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: who I am today because without all those trials and tribulations, 243 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have known to go the next step. So 244 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: if I had just had it's so good and everything 245 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: going good, stay with at it. Oh my, this is 246 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: the life, I wouldn't be here like, I wouldn't be 247 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: why I have now, I wouldn't be here at all. 248 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: Why did you say so resilient. I didn't think it 249 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 1: was resilient, so I would know it was just being 250 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: a child, right, Yeah, when it failed, you move, right? 251 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: You know, when when someone was failing and when work 252 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: can you move? It's not always that easy, right. How 253 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: long have you been a firefighter? I have been a 254 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: firefighter for thirty one years. Wow, that's crazy. It's the 255 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 1: longest time I know. When I look in the mirror, 256 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: I just feel like I'm thirty one years old. Yeah, 257 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: I mean, she's gonna look good, y'all. I'm looking at mirror. 258 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: Was like, I've been on this job for every one 259 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: years if that was just thirty one, right, And you're 260 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: a chief. I am a chief. That's the highest rank 261 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: that is. Okay, boss, So being at you our chief, 262 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 1: what are your responsibilities? Well, I'm My responsibility as a 263 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 1: battalion chief is as I managed all firefighters operating under 264 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: my command and my battalion just like this is Battalion five, 265 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: and I have these four or fire firehouses right here. 266 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: I take care of all those firemen to make sure 267 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: when we go to a fire or any incident that 268 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: they're going to operate under my command, they're gonna I'm 269 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: gonna tell them how I want the holes laid out, 270 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 1: where I want the ladders to go. We gotta do 271 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:41,920 Speaker 1: search and rescue, and primarily my job is safety. I 272 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,360 Speaker 1: want to make sure these troops are safe. So I'm 273 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,199 Speaker 1: looking at the big picture. Firemen are like cattle. They 274 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,120 Speaker 1: just zoom straight in. They're gonna straight, They're gonna see fire, 275 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: they're going straight. Well, you gotta as a chief, you 276 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 1: gotta look at the big picture. You gotta do a 277 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: three sixty around or whatever incident you're going until. You 278 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: want to make sure the build was not falling down. 279 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: You're not want to make sure the build is not 280 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: gonna explode. We're going in to save someone you're not 281 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: gonna put You don't want to be the one dying. 282 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: You want to be part of the problem. You don't 283 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,640 Speaker 1: want to become part of the problem. So that's why 284 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: when you get your chief hat on, uh, you want 285 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: to get a good three sixty risk versus reward and 286 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,240 Speaker 1: so I speak you. You want to be able to 287 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: ss how much risk is there for me to go 288 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: in here and check this building and make sure it's empty. 289 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 1: It appears empty, But in the city of Chicago, there's 290 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: no such thing as a vacant building because somebody's sleeping 291 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: in it. Somebody pulled the flywood off and set a fire. 292 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: Fire got out of control. So you want to go 293 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: in and risk your life to save risk life and 294 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 1: lamb to go in there and say a building or 295 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: is it somebody still, so basically your management. You know, 296 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: I did a firefight and I ran at the burning builders. 297 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: I crawled through ship and don't know how under slid 298 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: through ship and it's all down my clothes. But I've 299 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:09,680 Speaker 1: got to a point now I get to use my 300 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:14,880 Speaker 1: brain and my finger. It works real good. What does 301 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: it take to become one becoming Italianity firefighter? Well too, 302 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 1: well a firefighter. You test to come on a job 303 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: and you have to test. It's a civil service test 304 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: and you take that exam. You're got on a job 305 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: and you're gonna teach your When I came on the job, 306 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 1: you just had to be a first responder. Now you 307 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: have to have to come on as an e MT. 308 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: And some of the guys come on as paramedics if 309 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: they've already been a paramedic and coming on as a paramedic. 310 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: Then they teach you the firefighting skills. And if you 311 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: come on as a firefighter, they teach you the firefighting 312 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: skills and the e m T skill and you have 313 00:19:54,720 --> 00:20:01,720 Speaker 1: to maintain your UH studies is trying. You can't lose 314 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 1: your e m T skills and still be a firefighter. 315 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: You have to keep those skills because there's five a 316 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: year on apparatus and it's gonna always be like a paramedic. 317 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:15,520 Speaker 1: If it's a LS Advanced Life instead of Advanced Life apparatus, 318 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: it's gonna be a LS. So it's gonna have a 319 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:22,159 Speaker 1: paramedic and uh E m T at least one E 320 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:26,960 Speaker 1: m T, a officer and two other firefighters. So tests 321 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: it's hard. The physical test is not that hard. But 322 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 1: you've gotta be in great shape. No, you got to 323 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 1: have a great you have to have man over matter. 324 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 1: Because see, they told us this woman, we couldn't do 325 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 1: this job, we'll never get this job, and that that 326 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,879 Speaker 1: proved them wrong. We're not just got this job. We 327 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 1: are empowered. You know, we're in uh, probably most women 328 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: they've ever seen before in any city, because the women 329 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: in the City of Chicago Fire Department. We started calling 330 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,920 Speaker 1: on the job in nineteen seven, and they called me 331 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 1: in eighty seven. But I was pregnant with my daughter. 332 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: I came on in Okay, So it was physical, but 333 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 1: I was in physical fitness shape, our body build. I 334 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:16,359 Speaker 1: worked out and see my thing, it wasn't being physical 335 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: fitness shape. I'm very competitive. You know, you tell me 336 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: I can't have something I wanted even more. Yeah, so 337 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 1: what made you want to become a firefire because you 338 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: was very into your lugs and you know. But what 339 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: happened is my brother Tony asked me to take the 340 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: firefighter's example. I was like, I want to be no fireman. 341 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: You can't be no fireman. You're gonna be a fire lady. 342 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: And I was like, yeah, but I don't want to 343 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: be getting dirty and stuff. And dude, he showed me 344 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: how much they was making back then. I'm okay, I 345 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 1: take this. That's with you. So I took the test 346 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: and I passed. And um, long story short, he had 347 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: had an injury to his leg and the injury wouldn't 348 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: allow him to get on the job. And that was 349 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 1: in n and so I ended up getting on the 350 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: job and taking it seriously. And I had a lot 351 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: of people come against me because there's white men, then 352 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: I had black men. They didn't want me there. The 353 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 1: white man didn't want me there. Nobody wanted you there. 354 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 1: So I said over in the corner and I studied. 355 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: I said, okay, that's what we're gonna do. So im 356 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: I was stronger than them. I made sure I was 357 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: smarter than them, and I made sure they couldn't leave 358 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,680 Speaker 1: me nowhere. So we went into a situation, you don't 359 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: want to teach me, then I'm gonna learn on my own. 360 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: So I had an opportunity to transfer from my candidacy 361 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 1: to All Black Firehouse, which was one of the busiest 362 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 1: fire houses in the city on the South side of Chicago, 363 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,359 Speaker 1: which is on South Chicago. I want to mention the 364 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:06,880 Speaker 1: injured company, but I had an old lot of old 365 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: school brothers, and I came in the door. They was like, Oh, Lord, 366 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,679 Speaker 1: who's gonna carry her hand pump, Who's gonna help her 367 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: do this? So who's gonna That's how they were at first, 368 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,200 Speaker 1: And then when they see that cold bench presmos out 369 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 1: bench pressmost of them they were just like, oh, come on. 370 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 1: So we was trying to make a roof on the 371 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: building and cut a hole in the roof. I write 372 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: that chopping. We didn't have all the good stuff. They 373 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:33,840 Speaker 1: was like, we didn't have all the saws, and they underestimated. 374 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 1: Then after that they took me under their wing. They 375 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: taught me everything I need to know. They said, you 376 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,359 Speaker 1: ever have to get a detail, you gotta be out 377 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:42,920 Speaker 1: here with these Caucasians. That don't want you there. You 378 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: want you to know your ship, And to this day 379 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: I cannot run into some of them. I I happened 380 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:57,200 Speaker 1: to work and um a Rosland one day and I 381 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: knew one of my guys who was there that taught 382 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,400 Speaker 1: me to job. And I went over to his house 383 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:04,919 Speaker 1: and his wife to make sure they had enough ppe 384 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: with the mask and gloves and hand sanitizer due to 385 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: this pandemic. And when I walked up, I called him first, 386 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: he's an all good Okay. When I pulled up in 387 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,159 Speaker 1: my red fire chief car and I got out, he 388 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: broke down and cried like a new born baby. He 389 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: was like, oh my god, this is our baby. Our 390 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: baby is like she's the chief. Now, this is our baby. 391 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: We took on the our wing and oh my god. 392 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,920 Speaker 1: It was so amazing because I've ben't known his wife 393 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: since I was a kid. Yeah well I say that 394 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 1: since I was a kid, but since I was a 395 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: kid on the job and I did come on the job. Yeah, 396 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: I got emotional. I got emotional. I think about Gilly 397 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: because a lot of my friends I have passed away 398 00:24:54,200 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: already and that's cool. And so when I I'm kind 399 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 1: of one hand how many times I've seen this woman 400 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 1: crying and so um, I have pictures to go along 401 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:15,120 Speaker 1: with that. Anyway, his wife say, Frank, you start all 402 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 1: of that cry. He's like, this is my baby looking 403 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: at it? Fruit you know um. And he was just 404 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: so happy to see me, said, wow, you know, we 405 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,320 Speaker 1: knew you was gonna be somebody, but you surpassed all 406 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,880 Speaker 1: with us because they were just called up from them 407 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: on the fireman rights a bigger picture. I've seen a 408 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 1: bigger picture. So after that, I made engineer out of 409 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 1: our firehouse. I made engineer, which I was the first 410 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,399 Speaker 1: black female engineer driving fire and I heard you was 411 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 1: gonna be on the Guinness Word record book, but you 412 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,720 Speaker 1: turned them down. It was a whole lot more to 413 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: go along with that. But might you want to do it? 414 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 1: Because I was the first black fem me al that 415 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:05,880 Speaker 1: they recognized to drive a fire engine. But I wasn't 416 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: the first black female on paper because somebody had a 417 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:13,480 Speaker 1: relationshipship with somebody else. So they never went to school, 418 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: They never did, they never drove, but how sad piece 419 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: made sure that he slid her in there. So in 420 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: order for me to take something, I would have to 421 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: take something from a sister, and so I wasn't gonna 422 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: do that. But I was recognized in the city, this 423 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 1: girl of a draft anything. My brothers had eight between wheelers, 424 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 1: they had trucks, they said, had stick ships. They taught 425 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:42,920 Speaker 1: me how to drive. So long story short, I didn't 426 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:45,200 Speaker 1: want to take anything from my sister to make it 427 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,200 Speaker 1: seem like, you know, I'm trying to voast. But I 428 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: know who I am. That's all that mattered, you know. 429 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: And but when I went somewhere and I showed up 430 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,639 Speaker 1: to be the engineer for the day, nobody messed with me. 431 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: They used to. They think I didn't know my job. 432 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 1: They go over and they open all the ports and 433 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: they pulled the porch and it's called discharged port. It's 434 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 1: the engine is the one who carries the water. The 435 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,680 Speaker 1: truck is the one that carries the labs. So being 436 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,919 Speaker 1: an engineer, you had to know your um how much 437 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,000 Speaker 1: water is, seeing through certain holes is and how much pressure. 438 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: And so I would go to the rig and I 439 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 1: set my rig for the day. And when we go out, 440 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,399 Speaker 1: I get up something and I go to set the 441 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 1: rig and water's going everywhere. I try to make me 442 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 1: look like a food and so this is when I 443 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 1: be in the white neighborhood. Oh black neighborhood, white companies. 444 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:42,199 Speaker 1: Still something wrong with that picture. So um, one day 445 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: we came back in for lunch and I say, hey, 446 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:47,200 Speaker 1: I guess y'all trying to make me look like a fool. 447 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,159 Speaker 1: You're playing with my rig and making sure water is 448 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 1: going everywhere. And I pointed out, I said, I'm not 449 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 1: gonna fix it. I'm not going back to the rig 450 00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:59,400 Speaker 1: and check it out again because I'm not the one 451 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 1: in the build. You are right, you're gonna be the 452 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 1: one burning up in there trying to figure out why 453 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:09,680 Speaker 1: you don't have no water, why you're trying to sabotage 454 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: your asses in the burning built. So you think about that, 455 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: because I'm gonna leave that read just like you said it. 456 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 1: They stopped messing with my red. That's how dumb they are. 457 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:26,879 Speaker 1: They think they set me up, you setting yourself. I 458 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: can't getting no water because you don't want that. If 459 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: all y'all going in and die, that's all. They're gonna 460 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 1: take me down for a drug test, my pastor drug test, 461 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: just like oh well, So that was the end of that. 462 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: They stopped playing that red. So we spoke about this 463 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: last night. But do you feel like firefighters receive enough 464 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: recognition for what y'all do? Because I really don't hear 465 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: a lot of stories about firefighters. Well, I don't know. 466 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: I think that in the city of Chicago, they don't 467 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,960 Speaker 1: get lost, they get a don't just can never say enough, 468 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: what's he not? But they get a lot of recognition 469 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: for what they've done. Matter of fact, day before yesterday, 470 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 1: I won't mention where, but I had two firefighters. I 471 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: had a fire company respond to Hyde Park in the 472 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:23,280 Speaker 1: city of Chicago of a girl distrust in the bathroom. 473 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: Her parents called and said, she's distressed. We don't know 474 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 1: what she's doing. Long story short, we wrote them up 475 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: for award. She had hung herself with her apron on 476 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,120 Speaker 1: the back of the door, and the more you pushed 477 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 1: the door, the more the hinge pulled and choked her out. 478 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 1: So these two firefighters, four stay weight in. One grabbed 479 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: the legs, they pushed the door, He held her up, 480 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: and they cut her down. I made sure they got recognition. 481 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 1: I wrote on my foot an award it Yes she 482 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,720 Speaker 1: and she happened to be a sister, which is I 483 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:00,479 Speaker 1: because we don't do that. I'm sorry. I don't mean 484 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 1: to be funny, but it's not often it's not too much. 485 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 1: We can take that. We don't do that, you know. 486 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:11,160 Speaker 1: So mm hmm. So being at this is a male 487 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: dominant industry. What was some other hardships that you face? 488 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: The hardest thing was being male dominant. I was I 489 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: was always the girl. I was always a very girly girl, 490 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,440 Speaker 1: and I refused to be a dyke or I mean, 491 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:31,480 Speaker 1: back in my day when I first came on, it 492 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:38,400 Speaker 1: was a lot of hard chicks. I refused to say 493 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: I had to be one of the boys to be 494 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 1: a part of the game. I'm never gonna be one 495 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:49,760 Speaker 1: of the boys, and I'm gonna demand respect from the boys. 496 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: I'm not going to not be a girl because I 497 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 1: work with men, and I maintain my femininity from the 498 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: whole time. I also maintain a bit of distance because 499 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: it was some delicious fireman. Now that I can look 500 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: back and ain't got passed that I never nobody are 501 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: never gonna admit to it. I'm never gonna admit to it. 502 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: And my anonymous okay, well, let me say I got 503 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: it in a couple of times in the firehouse with 504 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 1: somebody else in love with a good time anyway. I 505 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:34,560 Speaker 1: think it makes for bad co workers when you have 506 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: a relationship around all these men, because you can't stop 507 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,560 Speaker 1: the next guy from flirting with you, and then dude 508 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: is standing here like, look a minute, that's my piece 509 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: you right. So y'all working together, and then you get 510 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: promoting and you become their boss. That's when the cut 511 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: off was a no no. Note. I would never even 512 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: ever across the line when I became their boss, okay, 513 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: because I wasn't gonna go down that way with somebody 514 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 1: to say, well, she took advantage of me as a firefighter. 515 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: You know, you know they were trying. But when I 516 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: was a firefighter, we was on playing field. I feel 517 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 1: like when you became cheating, I went to went to 518 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: your job with my with your daughter, like they all 519 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 1: like look up to and you respect you like you 520 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:27,320 Speaker 1: like the mama there. Then't had no choice, right But 521 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: they not even that. It's just that they know who 522 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:34,920 Speaker 1: I was. They know who I am, They know how 523 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: I got it. They know I didn't sleep my way 524 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: to the top. They know that I wasn't playing politics 525 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 1: to get to the top. They knew that I was 526 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: who they are, and I worked my way to the top. 527 00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: And when you do that, you don't have to demarriage back. 528 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 1: They're gonna get it, give it to you. Right. We're 529 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 1: looking back on everything you've done in your life. Do 530 00:32:55,520 --> 00:33:02,840 Speaker 1: you have any regrets? I don't have regrets. I wasted 531 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: twenty four years with an individual, but it really wasn't 532 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 1: a waste because I learned in it. Okay too, I 533 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 1: thought I wanted more children, but my daughter told me 534 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: self because I was on her as her spoil self. 535 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: She's like, oh, no, I am alone, and I'm glad 536 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:28,680 Speaker 1: I ain't got no SI. She is a brat. Okay, 537 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: but I thought, could you see us have more kids? Oh? 538 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: I would have loved to have more children. I can't 539 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 1: wait to have grandchildren. Oh I'm just gonna Oh my god, 540 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: what can you want with sixteen? Let's go get you 541 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: in the stage. Yeah, I can't wait to have some grandchildren. 542 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 1: That's why I got three dogs. And she's, boy, these 543 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 1: they ain't better food? Do we do? Yes? What else 544 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:00,720 Speaker 1: she would have did? Because I I can't see you 545 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:03,720 Speaker 1: a lot of kids? Not a lot. I just said 546 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 1: I probably had one more, and I would have liked 547 00:34:09,640 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 1: to have one more. But if it wasn't gonna be 548 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:14,480 Speaker 1: with her dad, I didn't want to have not much else. 549 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:18,359 Speaker 1: I wanted all my children with the same person. Her 550 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 1: dad and I are like brothers and sister now just 551 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: like really close. He's still trying to get back to 552 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 1: that has never happened. I mean, I can see why. 553 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: I feel like that was a very important relationship in 554 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,919 Speaker 1: your life too. Oh yeah, my my my daughter's dad. 555 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 1: It was a very very important relationship. He he um. 556 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 1: He taught me a lot of things. And when I 557 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:46,840 Speaker 1: say he taught me a lot of things. You know, 558 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:51,320 Speaker 1: once I had my daughter, I was I became a whole, another, 559 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 1: a whole, another mpity. I was just like an out 560 00:34:56,360 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 1: of body experience. I wasn't at spol self. Was it 561 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 1: was me, me, me and how I look and what 562 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:06,080 Speaker 1: I need and I gotta look like this or have that. 563 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:10,880 Speaker 1: It was raising my child right as some things you 564 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 1: just don't let your chelsea. My daughter was my daughters 565 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:18,359 Speaker 1: in high school about to graduate. Before she hadn't seen 566 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:21,719 Speaker 1: another man in her house. Now, it may come over, 567 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:26,840 Speaker 1: but they never slept. It may visit in the daytime, 568 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: but at nighttime you went home was you would not 569 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: be over my kid's head, right, So how important is that? 570 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,279 Speaker 1: Why was that so important to you? Because I don't 571 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:41,359 Speaker 1: feel that no man deserved the spot to be over 572 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: of my child's head. Her her her home was already built. 573 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:53,720 Speaker 1: They were just outside of coming in, so she already 574 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:56,879 Speaker 1: had a hole with just me. Even if her dad 575 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 1: was down the street. She didn't neither daddy. She had that. 576 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:04,680 Speaker 1: But I didn't want my daughter to think that it 577 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:08,800 Speaker 1: was okay that another male would have any kind of 578 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:12,440 Speaker 1: say so over her life. In her life. Now, if 579 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,359 Speaker 1: I was meant, if I was getting married, that would 580 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:20,640 Speaker 1: have been totally different. But even I had a long 581 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 1: term relationship, I just didn't feel that a man should 582 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 1: be over my daughter's head. I, as a young lady, 583 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 1: had a stepfather and we didn't see eye to eye, 584 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:37,799 Speaker 1: and not to go back a whole lot of years, 585 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:41,080 Speaker 1: but I will say I had a whole lot of 586 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,840 Speaker 1: life lessons. I left home at sixteen and went to 587 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:48,000 Speaker 1: the job for it. But that's why I graduated school 588 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:52,800 Speaker 1: because I hated my stepfather. It was some hard lessons 589 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,200 Speaker 1: in there. So I went to a whole city in 590 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:58,320 Speaker 1: this whole state that I knew nothing about. And I 591 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:03,000 Speaker 1: was in a dormitory with girls from all over, all 592 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:07,680 Speaker 1: over everywhere, even from as far as the Shock. Who's 593 00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 1: a shock? Well, I thought I'm a girl. That's what 594 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:16,760 Speaker 1: happened when you think you're gone, even from the Virgin Islands. 595 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:21,920 Speaker 1: So the girls from New York. Oh man, there's some 596 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:26,840 Speaker 1: bad girls. Some girls from New York and some girls 597 00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:32,759 Speaker 1: from the Virgin Islands and girls from Detroit, and oh man, 598 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:35,359 Speaker 1: we just made a covenant. We was just like, we're 599 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 1: gonna stick together. We're not gonna let this happens. We're 600 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:41,920 Speaker 1: gonna all stick together. Man. Look up, I got girls 601 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: on a stroll. We got girls on drugs, and they 602 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,880 Speaker 1: had them out there in the world. You know. But 603 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,640 Speaker 1: I was strong for that. I told you I had that. 604 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 1: It just couldn't compete. And like I said, I had 605 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:58,440 Speaker 1: that relationship with God that every time I took a 606 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:02,759 Speaker 1: step and it wasn't right. Let me know whatnot all 607 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,879 Speaker 1: the time, all the time, says she said. She says 608 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:12,279 Speaker 1: she knows Gods hear you. Oh my God, amazing. He's 609 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 1: just like it's just like right there. I just I 610 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:17,920 Speaker 1: just feel it and feel it all the time. It's 611 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,040 Speaker 1: like Okay, I guess not what he wants me to do. 612 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:26,959 Speaker 1: Just this ain't that, you know. But before we leave, 613 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:31,319 Speaker 1: what's the advice she would give to our listeners. Don't 614 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:35,759 Speaker 1: waste time. M Don't waste time on something you're trying 615 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:40,319 Speaker 1: to fix, because if it's for you, you ain't gotta 616 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: fix it. If you got to make somebody think alone 617 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:51,279 Speaker 1: the same path that you're trying to go down, that 618 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:55,200 Speaker 1: ain't your that ain't your somebody. Your somebody is already 619 00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 1: on the same pathis and you waste time. You look 620 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 1: up and your time is gone. You can't have no 621 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 1: babies no more, you know, waste it all this time 622 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:13,480 Speaker 1: on his knucklehead. You know I had friends who did that. Also, 623 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,719 Speaker 1: Love your parents, you know what I mean parents, I say, 624 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 1: whoever raised you. You gotta love them to the utmost. 625 00:39:23,719 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: You gotta just put everything you got into them. You 626 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:29,879 Speaker 1: gotta take them to dinner, and take them to get 627 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,040 Speaker 1: their nails done, let them go to the movies with you. 628 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: You just have to take everything you learn and put 629 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: it back into them, because some of them they just 630 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:42,160 Speaker 1: long it. Not only that when your parents leave you. 631 00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:44,960 Speaker 1: If you did all that and you put a fan 632 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 1: into them, and you took care of them. You don't 633 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,319 Speaker 1: have no tears. The people that screened the louders at 634 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: the funerals, the ones who did the least, that's a fact, 635 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: those are the ones they got all that regret. I 636 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,879 Speaker 1: couldn't get a tear gone mm hmm, and I felt bad. 637 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,480 Speaker 1: I couldn't cry on my mom and dad, and I 638 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:11,480 Speaker 1: thought someone's wrong with me. Well, I learned early on. 639 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:14,960 Speaker 1: My best friend didn't have no mother. My other best 640 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:17,799 Speaker 1: friend didn't have a mother. My boyfriend didn't have a mother. 641 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 1: And everybody told me how they wish, I wish, I wish. Well. 642 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:25,560 Speaker 1: I took from that and I made sure that I 643 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,080 Speaker 1: loved on her. I took care of her. We got 644 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:31,920 Speaker 1: massages two or three times a month, We got a 645 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:34,200 Speaker 1: feet done together, We ate dinner. I took her to 646 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:37,480 Speaker 1: the best restaurant. I took her to Vegas whatever she 647 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:39,680 Speaker 1: wanted to go. Now, you're not gonna see your mom. 648 00:40:39,719 --> 00:40:46,399 Speaker 1: And when my mom left here, I said, all is well, 649 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,879 Speaker 1: m hm, that's all you could say, because I did 650 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:55,120 Speaker 1: all I could do. I never let the hangar. Yeah. 651 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,400 Speaker 1: So well, I appreciate you, mom. I feel like you've 652 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,040 Speaker 1: been my mom since I was eighteen that something I 653 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:05,799 Speaker 1: called you and that boy I call her crying because 654 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:09,400 Speaker 1: my first love has some bitch there at his probate. 655 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,680 Speaker 1: He's like, you take a shot, don't see you sweat. 656 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:17,279 Speaker 1: That's right, But now you we definitely look up to you. 657 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:20,080 Speaker 1: We're very fortunate to have you in our lives, and 658 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:23,120 Speaker 1: we always tell your daughter that you're the best to 659 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 1: ever do it. Man, thank you what somebody tell hercane, 660 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:33,040 Speaker 1: don't you'd be like whatever? But I have any questions, 661 00:41:33,120 --> 00:41:34,960 Speaker 1: comments to anything. And I was suppose a good interview 662 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:40,239 Speaker 1: because I interview a CEO, interview police officers. I didn't 663 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:42,719 Speaker 1: realize people, I never interviewed a fire fire. So you're 664 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:48,239 Speaker 1: the highest wrek of them, Salian chief. Okay, okay, So 665 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:50,520 Speaker 1: if you have any questions, comments or concerns, make sure 666 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:53,480 Speaker 1: to email me a hello at the PhD podcast dot com. 667 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:55,839 Speaker 1: And until next time Later