Speaker 1: Hey, hey, Hey, we're back. We're black, we're mad, we're
Speaker 1: going to talk, pissed off. Yes, but we're also Brown Ambition.
Speaker 2: Welcome Brown Ambition, Welcome back, y'all.
Speaker 3: Hey.
Speaker 2: Special shout out to Brown Ambition listener Yolanda yo Yo
Speaker 2: who is from where did she say Harlem or the Bronx?
Speaker 2: I forget, but I ran into her this weekend was
Speaker 2: African American Heritage Day and Westchester County where I live,
Speaker 2: and she was Weststa west Chester, and yeah, she was working.
Speaker 2: She was helping her friend out at her booth. Her
Speaker 2: friend has like a I forget the name now, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2: I'm so sorry to her friend. Her name is her
Speaker 2: friends name is Tiffany. But she was like I know
Speaker 2: you and then there's like the in a good way
Speaker 2: or like did I'm out step on your foot at
Speaker 2: the grocery store last week? Kind of but she says that.
Speaker 2: And when she said I watch your podcast, I was like,
Speaker 2: you watch it? And she's a YouTube subscriber, so yeah,
Speaker 2: she's like, I like to I like to watch. My
Speaker 2: friends like to listen. But I love that you guys
Speaker 2: are on YouTube. So it's a good reminder too that
Speaker 2: you can find us and see our faces.
Speaker 1: You want to see lady's girls steadily popping, am I
Speaker 1: skin glowing? You know you do head out over the
Speaker 1: Just type in brown amission in the search but bar
Speaker 1: and you'll find this. I feel like that's gonna be
Speaker 1: the last little gig we half a little while, y'all know,
Speaker 1: we got to talk about it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was trying to avoid it. Yeah, it's uh, well,
Speaker 2: I guess the question is like, how did you feel
Speaker 2: when you got the news Friday morning that we are
Speaker 2: gonna undo fifty years of president?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 1: I you ever, like like when I used to get
Speaker 1: spanked as a kid, which was all the time, because
Speaker 1: wild if I knew I was getting a spanking, you
Speaker 1: know how you brace yourself You're like, okay, right, And
Speaker 1: that's how it kind of felt that, Like, you know,
Speaker 1: as soon as I saw Roe versus way, I I
Speaker 1: knew and I kind of like braced myself for the impact.
Speaker 1: But it doesn't actually help, you know, just like when
Speaker 1: I was going to spanking as a kid, that doesn't
Speaker 1: actually help.
Speaker 2: You mean, like when the when the when the opinion
Speaker 2: leaked before? Yeah, so we had like this warning time.
Speaker 3: That warning.
Speaker 1: It's almost like, you know, the teacher tells you, like,
Speaker 1: so I'm telling your parents, your your dad that you
Speaker 1: were acting up today. You're like, oh, gosh, I'm pretty
Speaker 1: sure this is not gonna end well. And then you
Speaker 1: finally come home and you brace yourself. But as soon
Speaker 1: as the headline came up, I had not even fully
Speaker 1: read the headline, but I knew already and it was
Speaker 1: just like it just was this punch in the gut.
Speaker 1: But then instantly I feel like now, especially I do
Speaker 1: this thing where it's like it's too much. So you know,
Speaker 1: I put up like this like wall because it's too much,
Speaker 1: which I mean my therapist will say it's not good
Speaker 1: because you're supposed to feel things, but it's like it's
Speaker 1: too much to feel, and so yeah, I just it's
Speaker 1: too much. Honestly, it's all.
Speaker 2: Too much much in all directions. Yeah, it's it's it's
Speaker 2: so hard to just be a human and go through
Speaker 2: your day and stay positive and put one foot in front.
Speaker 3: Of the other.
Speaker 2: It's too much. Like on top of having our own
Speaker 2: personal everyone has their own personal challenges and then and
Speaker 2: it's hard enough to deal with that, but then you
Speaker 2: put on top of it these outside forces it's it's
Speaker 2: so much. But I think, I mean, isn't it. Everyone
Speaker 2: has their own way of like coping with things. I
Speaker 2: don't feel like there's a wrong way to do it.
Speaker 2: I've just felt like an open wound all weekend, Like
Speaker 2: you know that feeling where you're just like emotionally raw.
Speaker 2: Anything will start me off, like even the movies like
Speaker 2: I started to watch. One of my favorite comfort movies
Speaker 2: is like Hope Floats so dumb. Yes, I love Sandra Bullock.
Speaker 2: Who doesn't know that Forrest Whitaker. Forest Whitaker directed that movie.
Speaker 3: Did you know?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 3: Really, I did not know that.
Speaker 2: Oh man, let's how you know. I was raised by
Speaker 2: a white woman.
Speaker 3: I was worried about to africas. Oh my girl, I
Speaker 3: loved it.
Speaker 2: I know it's universal, universal, fine, but I wanted to
Speaker 2: watch that and feel better. So I paid my little
Speaker 2: three ninety nine on Amazon Prime to watch that movie.
Speaker 2: Everything made me cry, like it was just some things
Speaker 2: were sad. I started thinking about whatever, but just like
Speaker 2: an open wound. And I think I had just come
Speaker 2: out of therapy that morning, and I, you know, I
Speaker 2: go to the park, I did my little therapy call
Speaker 2: and then I just rolling through my phone, and I
Speaker 2: was already kind of like emotional from that, but when
Speaker 2: I got the news, it just just overcame with like
Speaker 2: deep deep sadness in fear, and I immediately felt like talking,
Speaker 2: so I didn't like necessarily post right away. I ended
Speaker 2: up just like recording a video on my phone just
Speaker 2: with my thoughts, and I didn't. I mean, the anger
Speaker 2: was there, but it was like the fear and the
Speaker 2: rage and the inner need to do something, you know.
Speaker 2: And what I'm great for is that I feel like
Speaker 2: I did have those couple how long has it been
Speaker 2: since the opinion leaked, I've had a couple of months
Speaker 2: or a month or how long, like think about my
Speaker 2: feelings about the bigger picture, and immediately what I wanted
Speaker 2: to talk about was how and I and I, you know,
Speaker 2: when I was talking just to my phone at that point,
Speaker 2: I would realize, like I want to speak to black
Speaker 2: and brown women first and foremost. You know, that's my heart,
Speaker 2: that's what we're here to do. And I wanted the
Speaker 2: message to be clear that this this action like reversing
Speaker 2: Roe v. Wade, it's an assault on all women's rights
Speaker 2: and honestly on everyone's rights because it's not just a
Speaker 2: women's issue and people who have uteruses. It's not just
Speaker 2: our issue. It's men as well. But I wanted to
Speaker 2: specifically speak to black and brown women because we are
Speaker 2: the ones who are going to be disproportionately impacted by
Speaker 2: this lack of fundamental health care, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: And if it wasn't even that long ago. But I
Speaker 2: sometimes I think about my younger self and I'll never
Speaker 2: forget the day when I found out I was pregnant
Speaker 2: and I was twenty six going on twenty seven, and
Speaker 2: the world dropped from underneath me. But I was so
Speaker 2: lucky to have the option to choose a different path
Speaker 2: for myself. And I haven't really talked about it on
Speaker 2: Brown Ambition, I mean, that doesn't really come up that often,
Speaker 2: but I've mentioned it on social media, and honestly, I
Speaker 2: feel very much about my story, how I feel about
Speaker 2: everyone's stories is our stories, and no one has the
Speaker 2: right to it doesn't. I didn't even want to tell
Speaker 2: people necessarily because the decision is so deeply personal until
Speaker 2: you have been in that position to make that kind
Speaker 2: of decision. It's in that moment when I was twenty six,
Speaker 2: twenty seven when I was making that decision with my
Speaker 2: partner at the time, who's not my husband, Like I
Speaker 2: remember feeling, why tell anyone? Literally, it's no one's choice
Speaker 2: but my own, but ours, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: And even then, I didn't even think it'd be a
Speaker 2: possibility that there'd come a time when a woman wouldn't
Speaker 2: be able to make the same choice that I did.
Speaker 2: And what would my life look like if I had
Speaker 2: not been able to get the care that I needed
Speaker 2: in that moment. I would not be sitting where I
Speaker 2: am today, I would not have this business that I
Speaker 2: have now. My life would have been blown up, you know,
Speaker 2: and I still would have been one of the lucky ones.
Speaker 2: I would have been quote unquote fine. But there are
Speaker 2: women who found out Friday morning, who went there to
Speaker 2: make the same choice I did, just how many years ago,
Speaker 2: eight years ago, and they couldn't make that choice. They
Speaker 2: were turned away, And that fucking breaks my heart. It
Speaker 2: breaks my heart. And so when I hopped on to
Speaker 2: start talking about it and I posted it, finally, you know,
Speaker 2: I realized in that moment, it's actually I'm glad that
Speaker 2: I I'm glad that I spoke out, and just you know,
Speaker 2: reminded everyone that, like the impact is going to happen
Speaker 2: black and brown women, but also reminded my followers, like
Speaker 2: who the fuck you're you're walking, who you're following, who
Speaker 2: I am, because some people I realized when I posted that,
Speaker 2: had another idea about who Mandy money is, and.
Speaker 3: That's a Southern lady R.
Speaker 2: I don't know how they found my page, but you
Speaker 2: know what, I was just talking to my Mandy money
Speaker 2: makers about authenticity on social media and sharing your stories
Speaker 2: so that you're sharing your stories in a way to
Speaker 2: bring people to you who need to find you, yes,
Speaker 2: but also sharing it to tell the people who need
Speaker 2: to lose you where the exit door is, you know
Speaker 2: what I mean. And it was interesting to me to
Speaker 2: have that moment and also feel like, Okay, maybe I
Speaker 2: should do this like once a year just to remind
Speaker 2: people where I stand. Like a healthy you know, they
Speaker 2: burn forest down to like have the next trees coming stronger.
Speaker 2: I feel like, as social media influencers or any like
Speaker 2: public figure or anyone in general, just remind people who
Speaker 2: you are consistently so that the people who can find
Speaker 2: you can find you.
Speaker 3: A cleansing of sorts, a cleanse yes.
Speaker 2: A cleans of sort. Anyway, it's been Yeah, it's been
Speaker 2: very raw, and I'm I don't know, Tiff. I feel
Speaker 2: like usually there's this feeling of speechlessness and like, well,
Speaker 2: there's not much we can do, but I know exactly
Speaker 2: what we can do, So I want to talk about that,
Speaker 2: like first and foremost, I think one obviously donating to causes,
Speaker 2: donating to organizations that are helping women who now can
Speaker 2: no longer get the health care they need find alternative
Speaker 2: options in other states. So if you can donate to
Speaker 2: Planned Parenthood. I've also seen people starting funds to cover
Speaker 2: travel expenses for women and people with uteruses who want
Speaker 2: to who have to travel far, you know, to get
Speaker 2: the care they need. And midterm elections are coming up, y'all.
Speaker 2: November is coming, and we mentioned that before, but I
Speaker 2: want to remind y'all. In some states they make sure
Speaker 2: you have to register far, far far in advance. So
Speaker 2: if you're not registered right now, register go to vote
Speaker 2: dot org, vote dot gov, register to vote. And I'm
Speaker 2: my husband and I we sat down and we talked
Speaker 2: about like which causes, which political candidates we want to
Speaker 2: donate to, and living in a state like New York
Speaker 2: where things are pretty progressive already, and I'm so grateful
Speaker 2: that immediately the governor and the mayor both said abortion
Speaker 2: will stay legal here. Okay, but there are states where
Speaker 2: they're much more on the fringe. And in those states
Speaker 2: where there's campaigns where the there's a possibility of shift
Speaker 2: and power. You know, if people who don't believe in
Speaker 2: a woman's right to choose could be taking over, I
Speaker 2: think it's important to donate to those campaigns. Those are
Speaker 2: two I think meaningful things to do. And then thirdly,
Speaker 2: get more financial empowerment for black and brown women, like
Speaker 2: we have to the more power we have, financial power,
Speaker 2: power as leaders, influence. This won't happen like we can
Speaker 2: save ourselves, but we have to keep fighting. We have
Speaker 2: to keep wanting more for ourselves, reaching for for the
Speaker 2: financial gains, reaching for seats at the table, and when
Speaker 2: we get there, making room for more of us to
Speaker 2: get to the table, that's when we're going to see
Speaker 2: real change. I think we're just living in this like
Speaker 2: this diseased world where we have been held back for
Speaker 2: so so long, and until we get to a position
Speaker 2: of power more of us, this is going to keep happening.
Speaker 2: And that's petrifying, but it also gives me hope because
Speaker 2: I can, like, through brown ambition, through the work that
Speaker 2: we're doing, I see it every day, black women reaching
Speaker 2: for that Black and brown women reaching for that empowerment,
Speaker 2: feeling empowered. We just need more, more more.
Speaker 1: It's like a real shift, you know. I think in
Speaker 1: times like this, that's the only thing that I guess,
Speaker 1: if there is a glimmer of hope, is that those
Speaker 1: who thought that voting for Voldemore wouldn't be so bad,
Speaker 1: those women who were like, oh, he can't get into
Speaker 1: but so much trouble and now here we are. I
Speaker 1: read an article. It was a CNN I believe it
Speaker 1: was CNN where you know the Voldemort are former president.
Speaker 1: He you know, he's been a little KOI, which is
Speaker 1: not like him not wanting to claim full credit saying
Speaker 1: it's not just me. I'm like, that seems odd because
Speaker 1: behind the scenes, here's the thing about Boldemort. He's, as
Speaker 1: much as he is an idiot, he's not dumb. He
Speaker 1: recognizes that suburban women are what put him over the
Speaker 1: edge to become president, and he recognizes that this is
Speaker 1: a direct attack on those very same women for those
Speaker 1: who you know, are are open enough to realize that
Speaker 1: that women. It's like, sure, we don't mind this, we
Speaker 1: don't mind that, we don't wait what and so he
Speaker 1: recognizes that this is way further. There were a lot
Speaker 1: of folks this is like okay, now here's where I
Speaker 1: draw the line, you know, And and know this that
Speaker 1: the current those who sit on the bench the are
Speaker 1: currently looking for more, Like Clarence Thomas had said, like, okay,
Speaker 1: now that we've done this, they're looking at gay rights,
Speaker 1: they're looking at contraception, birth control, and.
Speaker 2: So interracial marriage.
Speaker 3: Well I thought that was just a joke.
Speaker 2: But you never know, honestly, so it could be it
Speaker 2: could be anything.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. Yeah. These are the very same justices that
Speaker 1: it was three of them that when they were being
Speaker 1: you know, because you have to be grilled before you're appointed,
Speaker 1: that three of them stated that like, no, no, I
Speaker 1: believe that that that Roe versus raised way is settled,
Speaker 1: meaning I'm not going to do anything about it.
Speaker 3: Obviously that was a lie.
Speaker 1: And so if there is anything that I have seen
Speaker 1: is then when something swings to the extremes, it's met
Speaker 1: with extremes, meaning that this is such a far swing
Speaker 1: to the right that there are people who might not
Speaker 1: normally go up against the right that are going to
Speaker 1: be like, Okay, you know this is too much. And
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't believe in extremes anyway. I don't
Speaker 1: like fast drinks to the left either. I believe that
Speaker 1: there has to be something in the middle of something
Speaker 1: in the center where everyone doesn't get everything they want,
Speaker 1: but everyone doesn't get anything that they don't want. So yeah,
Speaker 1: it's just it's a lot. I don't honestly. I mean,
Speaker 1: I try to look back in history and I think
Speaker 1: to myself, you know, there was the Black Plague, and
Speaker 1: there are these other things that happen, and I'm like,
Speaker 1: it just seems like so much. I don't remember being
Speaker 1: like so crazy. But I guess it's because I'm an adult,
Speaker 1: you know, I get to live it through an adult lens.
Speaker 1: But it just seems like the last few years have
Speaker 1: been so heavy.
Speaker 2: They have, and I mean, I think there's definitely opportunities
Speaker 2: for self care. I feel like, you know, something you
Speaker 2: mentioned is so important. The white suburban women who voted
Speaker 2: Trump into office. I'm sorry, he who must not be
Speaker 2: named into office in twenty sixteen, that it's important and
Speaker 2: that yes, this very much impacts them as well. And
Speaker 2: when I'm saying that this impacts black environ women disproportionately,
Speaker 2: what I mean is by that is not that we're
Speaker 2: more likely to want an abortion, but that we are
Speaker 2: more likely to not have the financial means to get
Speaker 2: it when it's in a different freaking state and potentially
Speaker 2: I don't know who knows intend how long it could
Speaker 2: take and who takes over, you know, in our states
Speaker 2: now that it's at the state level that's deciding whether
Speaker 2: or not a woman and people who have uterses have
Speaker 2: the right to choose, you know, who are elect officials
Speaker 2: in these states going to be down the line? Could
Speaker 2: there be a time when the whole country looks very
Speaker 2: different than what it is right now. I think it's
Speaker 2: about half the country does and half the country doesn't
Speaker 2: allow it. But that financial then, the reason it's so
Speaker 2: important to have that financial empowerment is because when you
Speaker 2: have the financial empowerment, you can make choices. You know,
Speaker 2: you can go other places where they do welcome the
Speaker 2: decisions that you make. We don't get to make those choices,
Speaker 2: We don't get to have those options when we're not
Speaker 2: financially empowered, it's not as easy. You know, waiting for
Speaker 2: someone to help you get there is fine, and that's
Speaker 2: those options for maybe be out there. But when we
Speaker 2: can make our own choices, that is what real empowerment is.
Speaker 2: And for white suburban moms, white women in general, they
Speaker 2: and I know that there's plenty who have struggled and
Speaker 2: all of that. And believe me, you're all over my
Speaker 2: page being like, I struggle too, and I've been you know,
Speaker 2: I grew up poor blah blah blah. Great, that's good,
Speaker 2: and the majority of you don't. Okay, majority of black
Speaker 2: and white, black and brown women very different circumstances, and
Speaker 2: that's why it's important that we talk to them specifically
Speaker 2: and center them and everything that we do center those voices,
Speaker 2: enter those stories. Because if we can make sure that
Speaker 2: black and brown women succeed financially to the point where
Speaker 2: they can make their own choices, then believe me, everyone,
Speaker 2: you're gonna be fine like us. Being more empowered financially
Speaker 2: does not you know, does not threaten you in any way,
Speaker 2: shape or form, you know what I mean. And those women,
Speaker 2: I feel like it's an opportunity for them. Will you
Speaker 2: stand with us now and will you stand for not
Speaker 2: just your rights, but everyone's, you know, people who don't
Speaker 2: look like you as well. We'll see how things shake out.
Speaker 2: I'm very I'm very, very concerned about November. I'll tell
Speaker 2: you that right damn Now. So much is writing on
Speaker 2: who we elect in at our state level, and people
Speaker 2: pay so much attention to the presidential election, and I
Speaker 2: don't think far enough to the state level. You know,
Speaker 2: elections like pay attention, y'all, wake up, pay attention, vote
Speaker 2: support candidates who stand for things that you care about.
Speaker 2: Every election counts. I mean, it's it's freaking scary. I
Speaker 2: know it's a lot, but it's it's like we can't
Speaker 2: turn away from that fear and that stress. I don't
Speaker 2: think in this moment. I don't think this is a
Speaker 2: moment to put our heads in the stand to pretend
Speaker 2: like it's not happening. We got to go there, We
Speaker 2: got to have uncomfortable conversations.
Speaker 1: No, Like, so I'm actually like an upstate New York
Speaker 1: I said, I'd like, I saw one of my friends
Speaker 1: and say she was in the cat Skills. I was like,
Speaker 1: why don't I go to upstate New York just to like,
Speaker 1: you know, so y'all know I live in Newark and
Speaker 1: it's about an hour and a half hour and forty
Speaker 1: five minute drive, but it's like it might as well
Speaker 1: be in another country for how different it is. It's
Speaker 1: so slow, but so beautiful. I set man dry some pictures.
Speaker 1: It's so pretty you.
Speaker 2: Out there by yourself. There's some nice pictures there. You
Speaker 2: got a.
Speaker 1: Tripod, no, I just you know, you put on the
Speaker 1: timer and you put it against a rock.
Speaker 3: That's what the nature's tripod?
Speaker 2: Gorgeous. Yeah, it's up to in the stream.
Speaker 3: I know.
Speaker 1: But when I was out here like walking and just
Speaker 1: like you know, just thinking about what I wanted and
Speaker 1: who I am, one of the things that came to me.
Speaker 1: I was like, you know, one of my core values
Speaker 1: is safety and security, because how could it not be
Speaker 1: as a as a black woman, And because I thought
Speaker 1: to myself, you know, as I was thinking about what
Speaker 1: are some of my financial goals? But I really wanted
Speaker 1: to know, why is that your goal?
Speaker 2: To me?
Speaker 1: It's not just for the money's sake, and it's for
Speaker 1: what we're talking about now. I want to have enough that,
Speaker 1: you know, barring anything super crazy, that I can handle it.
Speaker 1: Because I know no one's coming for me. I know
Speaker 1: no one's going to save me, that it's going to
Speaker 1: be on me to financially save myself and like oftentimes
Speaker 1: save my sisters, you know. And by sisters I mean friends,
Speaker 1: I mean family, you know. And so to Manager's point,
Speaker 1: that's why we do what we do right. Certainly we're
Speaker 1: sharing this difficult topic, but we talk here about your
Speaker 1: economic empowerment because you know, if you have enough to
Speaker 1: take care of yourself and your family to provide safety
Speaker 1: and security for yourself. Also too, money talks at the
Speaker 1: end of the day, you know, that's what politics and
Speaker 1: all that, it really comes down to who has the
Speaker 1: money to make the decisions. And so I'm committed. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm committed to like my economic growth, but also to yours.
Speaker 1: You know. That's why we're here. You know, it's for us.
Speaker 1: It's not just money for money's sake, It's it allows
Speaker 1: you to have choices when you have access to money,
Speaker 1: you know, at least in the US of A. You know,
Speaker 1: other places might be different, but here, you know, you
Speaker 1: are are offered a wider range of choices, you know,
Speaker 1: when you have money.
Speaker 2: Yeah, hell yeah, And there's something that you said, you
Speaker 2: said it like I don't remember, I don't know. I
Speaker 2: feel like you said every once in a while, But
Speaker 2: what happens when a woman is financially empowered and know
Speaker 2: that it's not just about a woman helping herself, but
Speaker 2: women spread our influence and our power to others, helped
Speaker 2: lift up families and communities and small local economies. I mean,
Speaker 2: I think, like even just yesterday at that African American
Speaker 2: Heritage Day, the booths were just black women, black women, entrepreneurs,
Speaker 2: black women reaching for more. I wanted to stop and
Speaker 2: talk to every single one of them and just listen
Speaker 2: to their stories. And so many women who started businesses
Speaker 2: during the pandemic and made a way for themselves. You know,
Speaker 2: it's powerful stuff, and they are and they're all in
Speaker 2: these businesses that are seeking to provide services to help,
Speaker 2: you know, whether it's creating you know, natural body oils
Speaker 2: to help us take better care of ourselves, or creating
Speaker 2: bookstores you know that allow me to purchase books for
Speaker 2: my son where there's characters that are from all diverse
Speaker 2: backgrounds and have such unique stories. Like I think that's
Speaker 2: the powerful things we need to like focus on is
Speaker 2: what incredible things can happen when black and brown women
Speaker 2: when we are financially winning, and what choices can we
Speaker 2: make that benefit everyone else? And it's such a great
Speaker 2: message to remind folks because it's like, you can go
Speaker 2: some women get uncomfortable wanting money because it feels like,
Speaker 2: oh greedy and you know, meaningless and all of that,
Speaker 2: but bring it back down to what can you do
Speaker 2: with that with that power? And what would you do
Speaker 2: if you had the opportunity. I had this women over,
Speaker 2: like women in my neighborhood for a like a cocktail
Speaker 2: hour a couple of a few weeks ago pre when
Speaker 2: I got COVID, and I remember they were like complaining
Speaker 2: about Jeff Bezos going to the moon and spending billions
Speaker 2: of dollars, And I'm like, what would you do if
Speaker 2: you were a billionaire? What's focus on us becoming billionaires?
Speaker 2: Because they're going to ride their giant dicks to the
Speaker 2: moon and that's fair, So like, what what are we
Speaker 2: going to do with the money. Maybe we'll open free childcare,
Speaker 2: you know, institutions, maybe we would, but let's focus on
Speaker 2: what we could do. Let's get the billions, you know
Speaker 2: what I mean? Then it won't matter what Bezos is doing.
Speaker 3: So I'll tell you what I would do.
Speaker 1: A close family member has a child with sickle cell,
Speaker 1: And if you're not familiar, sickle cell is a blood
Speaker 1: disorder that you know. Normally, blood cells, red blood cells
Speaker 1: are the shape of a circle and they flow freely
Speaker 1: through your veins. But when you have sickle cell, it's
Speaker 1: in the shape of a sickle because there's not enough
Speaker 1: oxygen I guess getting to the cell, so it almost
Speaker 1: like collapses, so it's like the shape of almost like
Speaker 1: a sea a sickle. But as a result, those cells
Speaker 1: will collect in areas of your body and cause extreme pain,
Speaker 1: so like think knees, elbows, and it is such a terrible,
Speaker 1: terrible disease, so much so that if you are African
Speaker 1: American and you're marrying somebody who's African American, you know,
Speaker 1: it's almost guaranteed that they're going to ask both of
Speaker 1: you to be tested because if you know both of you,
Speaker 1: like I carry the trait for sickle cell. Girell did not,
Speaker 1: And we talked about it that if he carried the trait,
Speaker 1: you know, would we even try to have children? Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a terrible disease. That the life expectancy is not
Speaker 1: is not great for folks with sickle cell. And my
Speaker 1: family member was sharing, you know that there's next to
Speaker 1: no research, despite that it is one of the number
Speaker 1: one killers of children African American children. There's nearly no
Speaker 1: research that almost no new medicines have come out in
Speaker 1: the last thirty years. And why do you think that
Speaker 1: is despite this being one of the biggest killers of children.
Speaker 1: Why because the biggest killers of black and brown children.
Speaker 1: So there's no research.
Speaker 3: But what would you do?
Speaker 1: And I and I've thought about that, you know, And
Speaker 1: I said, you know, as I grow my wealth, one
Speaker 1: of the things I'm setting aside. Maxu we talked last
Speaker 1: week about it was the last week about trust and wills.
Speaker 1: One of the things I'm doing is set insided money
Speaker 1: in my trust for sickle cell research. Because if black
Speaker 1: and brown people with wealth don't do it, they're not
Speaker 1: going to do it.
Speaker 3: They're not going to do it. And we have way more.
Speaker 1: Power than you think. There was an article that came
Speaker 1: out for seeing in all the financial places, like I
Speaker 1: don't want to say five years or so ago, that
Speaker 1: the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs were black women, and
Speaker 1: then this other article, especially if you manage with your
Speaker 1: book coming out by the Atlantic, which is super exciting.
Speaker 1: It says the most likely person to read a book
Speaker 1: a college educated black woman, And I thought that was
Speaker 1: so exciting. It's like the Pew Pew Research has stumbled
Speaker 1: upon an interesting data point that the most likely person
Speaker 1: to read a book in any format is a black
Speaker 1: woman who's been to college. So one night, try to
Speaker 1: tell you so while you're as you're doing your book proposal, Mandy,
Speaker 1: don't let me try to tell you, well, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, so yes I will.
Speaker 3: It's like, no, no, sorry, sis.
Speaker 1: Actually my book literally by nature of you being a
Speaker 1: black woman writing for black women like that is the
Speaker 1: perfect audience because we're like, we're reading.
Speaker 3: More than anyone else.
Speaker 1: And so I just share all that to say that
Speaker 1: we have way more power and economic power that we
Speaker 1: give ourselves credit for, but we have to turn it
Speaker 1: inward and toward our community. So we can because we're
Speaker 1: going to be the super heroes that we're looking for,
Speaker 1: you know, we have to link together like the Avengers
Speaker 1: and say like, Okay, you have wealth, you have knowledge,
Speaker 1: you have this, you have a microphone, you have the
Speaker 1: you know, and because that's really the only way you're
Speaker 1: going to see things change, because no one's going to
Speaker 1: care more about you and your babies and the kids
Speaker 1: and the mamas and the dad is no one's going
Speaker 1: to care more than you.
Speaker 2: Yeah. One of the last booths I stopped by yesterday
Speaker 2: at that fair was the Women's Black Political Caucus of
Speaker 2: Westchester and took their flyer and I said, you're going
Speaker 2: to hear from me. You know, at that local level,
Speaker 2: there are black women black We're just amazing, and we
Speaker 2: are working in the trenches every day. I don't want
Speaker 2: to make it seem like we're not already out there
Speaker 2: being I mean, come on, now, how many elections have
Speaker 2: we saved for this country? We wouldn't you know, Yes,
Speaker 2: we're struggling right now, but Biden wouldn't be there if
Speaker 2: not for the power the black women vote, you know
Speaker 2: what I mean. Now, imagine if we had the money
Speaker 2: to back that vote. Imagine if it was the black
Speaker 2: the black women were as powerful as the NRA, you know,
Speaker 2: big oil, Like, imagine the influence we could have. But yeah,
Speaker 2: absolutely that at that local level too. You know, where
Speaker 2: are the women doing the work today? And how can
Speaker 2: we amplify and lift them up and support them, volunteer,
Speaker 2: donate all of that, and then we have to like
Speaker 2: kind of focus on it from all sides and then
Speaker 2: make our own financial bag, secure the bag for ourselves.
Speaker 2: I believe that Black women are the largest untapped resources
Speaker 2: in the country. My God, like, yeah, are we the
Speaker 2: most educated as well?
Speaker 1: Actually the Nigerians but you know now for her listnerans,
Speaker 1: which is crazy to me. Well, actually not crazy, because
Speaker 1: I know Nigerian pants are crazy. No, I just honestly,
Speaker 1: I like it feels me. I'm trying not to lean
Speaker 1: into the fear and the hopelessness and really trying to
Speaker 1: lean into the hopefulness because I am grateful to be black.
Speaker 1: I'm grateful to be a woman, and I know that
Speaker 1: we have we have, we have way more power than
Speaker 1: I think. I think people even give us credit for.
Speaker 1: Sometimes we even give ourselves credit for. And that you know,
Speaker 1: as long as we are here, you know, there is
Speaker 1: a light ah I ah see.
Speaker 3: We started off like h now see.
Speaker 2: Because thank God for the show, tip, thank God for
Speaker 2: the work that we're doing, because we get to be
Speaker 2: a part of that change, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2: I'm so happy to I was so happy knowing I
Speaker 2: got to come here and talk about this as I
Speaker 2: am every week, but never more at a time than
Speaker 2: I feel like when our when when there's targets on
Speaker 2: our backs, you know, as a as a people.
Speaker 1: I'm so glad that, right, we have this safe space
Speaker 1: where we can vent, but we can also figure out
Speaker 1: what we can do, and we can moost out, we
Speaker 1: can still laugh and yeah, it's just I hope that
Speaker 1: you guys find that here too, And if you know
Speaker 1: other black women and brown women, even the Jamal's remember.
Speaker 3: Jamal a Jerome Jamal.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, even the Jamal said, this is a safe
Speaker 1: space for you too. If you know anybody who needs
Speaker 1: to be here, send them on over to brownibitchingpodcast dot com.
Speaker 2: Everybody should listen to our show, but never get a
Speaker 2: twisted Who we are here speaking to first and foremost,
Speaker 2: and from whose perspective we speak from. That's all it is.
Speaker 2: I think everyone would love our show and should come,
Speaker 2: but I just don't want anyone to. Let's just remind
Speaker 2: them it's called brown ambition, okay, for a reason, all right?
Speaker 2: That is who we are here to center and everything
Speaker 2: that we do yep. Well should we take a quick,
Speaker 2: quick woosaw break and come right.
Speaker 1: Back, and now it's time to boost up, break up, Boost.
Speaker 2: Up, break.
Speaker 3: Break.
Speaker 1: I feel like we've been doing a lot of booths
Speaker 1: because you know, there's been a lot of you know,
Speaker 1: show what sure you going on? Yeah, but you know
Speaker 1: I'm going to continue the boost.
Speaker 3: Oh thank goodness.
Speaker 2: I was afraid you were going to be like and
Speaker 2: I'm gonna be done with that.
Speaker 3: Oh quick boost one.
Speaker 1: I wanted to just boost like how did your how
Speaker 1: did your webinar go? Oh?
Speaker 2: It's tomorrow, So you guys will listen to it the
Speaker 2: day after, but the replay will be available the day after.
Speaker 2: So send me an email at info at Mande money
Speaker 2: dot com if you want the replay. Yeah, so the
Speaker 2: webinar is going to be available for forty eight hours.
Speaker 2: So if you're listening to this on Wednesday morning, I
Speaker 2: mean she mean an email. See if you can't get
Speaker 2: the replay, hopefully you'll register. We I've got about five
Speaker 2: hundred register already.
Speaker 3: It's awesome.
Speaker 2: Well, bad for just planning that last Tuesday.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's amazing. Okay, that's awesome. Yeay, So that's a
Speaker 1: boost Man's webinar. She's gonna be getting your life together,
Speaker 1: especially during these times with feeling really crazy. My mother
Speaker 1: was just really just a quick boost that tomorrow's my
Speaker 1: fifth wedding anniversary. It's one of these is why I
Speaker 1: just had to come here because I'm like, I need
Speaker 1: a USA, I know. So I was like, you know what,
Speaker 1: let me come to the someplace beautiful.
Speaker 3: I was.
Speaker 1: I couldn't help a giggle because as I took my
Speaker 1: hike and stuff, I was like, this is literally the
Speaker 1: antithesis of what drow be willing to do.
Speaker 3: He'd be like, I'm not doing on that day. I'm walking.
Speaker 2: I don't think i've seen a picture of y'all in
Speaker 2: nature before together.
Speaker 3: It's not I know, nature would have not been his thing.
Speaker 1: So I was laughing because I was just like, you know,
Speaker 1: this is how I was spending my anniversary, which is
Speaker 1: the opposite of what Droo would have wanted to do,
Speaker 1: although he did like flowers and things like that, but
Speaker 1: taking a two mile.
Speaker 3: Hike around a lake.
Speaker 1: He'd be like, wait what, But yeah, it would have
Speaker 1: been five years. I think people think that like I
Speaker 1: just met Diro, but no, we met when I was
Speaker 1: twenty three. We started dating when I was thirty. We
Speaker 1: enjoyed like the same I'm a few months older. Started
Speaker 1: dating when I was thirty. Broke up because I was like,
Speaker 1: I'm dating the budget Nissa. She's kind of like a
Speaker 1: really big dal I clad started budgets and I was thirty.
Speaker 1: I had to make a decision.
Speaker 3: I was like, I choose her, I know.
Speaker 1: But then we started dating again when I was thirty four,
Speaker 1: when I realized the budget this is cute, but I
Speaker 1: really don't swing that way. So started dating again when
Speaker 1: I was thirty four, got married, engaged at thirty six,
Speaker 1: married at thirty seven, and as all know, he know,
Speaker 1: passed away when I was forty one.
Speaker 3: Forty two. Yeah, I just.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 3: You just never know how life is going to swing.
Speaker 1: So, despite all that's happening and how terrible things seem,
Speaker 1: if you have someone your kids, your sister, your mom,
Speaker 1: your dad, your partner to love up on and hug
Speaker 1: up on, now, is now more than ever make that
Speaker 1: your priority, because truly there is nothing more important. And
Speaker 1: the world is going to well, you never know, but
Speaker 1: as far as we know, the world's going to keep
Speaker 1: turning and there's always going to be good, bad, and indifferent,
Speaker 1: and you can't control all of those things. Certainly, you
Speaker 1: can do your part, but the place where you have
Speaker 1: the most influence is really inside yourself, but also to
Speaker 1: inside the little family.
Speaker 3: That you've built for yourself.
Speaker 1: So you know, love on your people today and so yeah,
Speaker 1: happy from anniversary, made.
Speaker 3: Happy fifth anniversary.
Speaker 2: And thinking about U Durell always. I gasped when he
Speaker 2: told me, because you know what, what other day is
Speaker 2: the same day as your anniversary is his base birthday?
Speaker 3: Oh, that's right, same day.
Speaker 2: And there was a point last week when I knew
Speaker 2: it was today tomorrow. There was a point last week
Speaker 2: when I knew your anniversary was coming up, and I
Speaker 2: also knew it was Hasba's birthday. And in between that
Speaker 2: point and now I've forgotten. It's been a lot going
Speaker 2: on and what did I get him? But you're right,
Speaker 2: I will take some time. This has been like so
Speaker 2: much going on, and then it was Father's Day and
Speaker 2: then COVID. But he deserves a nice birthday and he's here,
Speaker 2: and so I will make him do something he doesn't
Speaker 2: want to do either.
Speaker 3: That's a birthday?
Speaker 1: Is it for it?
Speaker 3: You want for the person to have because that's what
Speaker 3: you want.
Speaker 2: Yeah, did I tell you why I got him for
Speaker 2: Father's Day?
Speaker 3: No? What did you get him?
Speaker 2: So we have been we have been like trying to
Speaker 2: We're just so different, and I think it was really
Speaker 2: cute when we were dating and as adult humans now
Speaker 2: like ten years later and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2: We're just our interests are so different.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I'm over here in my butterfly garden obsessing over by
Speaker 2: the way two butterflies hatch today, okay, And he's washing
Speaker 2: the car and I'm like, why are you washing that
Speaker 2: damn car? But to him, it's not a washing, it's like,
Speaker 2: you know, it's it's like, I don't know, it's like art.
Speaker 3: It literally is.
Speaker 2: An art form anyway. So he's very into cars. So
Speaker 2: we started watching Formula one, this Formula one documentary on Netflix.
Speaker 2: What's it called, something puney like Drive to Survive or
Speaker 2: something like that. So in New York City they have
Speaker 2: the EPRE, which is the electric car version of Formula one.
Speaker 2: So I will be sitting in the stands in July
Speaker 2: at the EPRE with Husbane because that's the good wife.
Speaker 3: Now He's gonna love that.
Speaker 2: He was so excited. Yeah, he's really excited. It should
Speaker 2: be good. But yeah, but anyway, sorry to hijack your
Speaker 2: your boost.
Speaker 1: No no, no, no no, So what about your boost?
Speaker 1: Switch your boost or a break? Oh, you're gonna like
Speaker 1: my You're gonna like my boost. I was thinking about you, actually,
Speaker 1: because with my boost, I need some advice.
Speaker 2: My boost is for daycare teachers, okay, and especially my
Speaker 2: son's daycare teachers, especially one in particular, whose name is Shelly,
Speaker 2: and she's amazing. And you know, the other day when
Speaker 2: he had to go back to daycare finally after ten
Speaker 2: days being out with COVID and quarantine and all that,
Speaker 2: it was a rough transition, like taking kids out of
Speaker 2: their routine and then trying to get them back to
Speaker 2: go to school. And now he's really talking a lot
Speaker 2: more so he can tell me, Mommy, no school, and
Speaker 2: it's very heartbreaking. But he was just so upset about it,
Speaker 2: and Shelley came outside, and when I got to the
Speaker 2: door to drop him off, I knew he was. He
Speaker 2: was already crying, and I was like, I told the
Speaker 2: woman who greeted me, I was like, can you go
Speaker 2: get Shelly. I know she's busy with Breck, but just
Speaker 2: tell Shelley to come, and she came out there and
Speaker 2: she helped him find out that there's like these rock
Speaker 2: beds that they have like with rocks by the plants.
Speaker 2: And she was like, you know what, Rio, let's go
Speaker 2: pick up he loves rocks. I don't know he loves him.
Speaker 2: She's like, should we go find a rock to go
Speaker 2: feed Rocky, which is their pet fish. I forgot he
Speaker 2: had a classroom fish. And immediately he was like huh,
Speaker 2: and he went and got his rock and then he
Speaker 2: was all excited about going to give the rock to Fishy,
Speaker 2: to the to Rocky the fish and put it in
Speaker 2: his fish tank or whatever and anyway, and it was also,
Speaker 2: he's switching to a new classroom, So I want to
Speaker 2: show Shelley and his daycare teachers my appreciation. They're just
Speaker 2: like phenomenal and at times like this when it's scary
Speaker 2: to send a kid anywhere these days, like the reason
Speaker 2: I continue sending him is because I'm like, he's with
Speaker 2: these women and they're incredible and men too. There's men
Speaker 2: there too, But I'm trying to think. After I finished
Speaker 2: for courting Tip, I gotta go get Shelley a gift
Speaker 2: I've done like Amazon gift cards in the past, but
Speaker 2: any advice went to get your favorite daycare teacher.
Speaker 1: I always I mean, well one, you know one like
Speaker 1: they're like, you're teaching daycare, you're probably super sentimental because
Speaker 1: why else are you there?
Speaker 3: I know, I was so something.
Speaker 1: Sentimental, So like, you know, something that like he draws,
Speaker 1: you know, or like maybe he paints a rock or
Speaker 1: whatever for her. That's always really sweet because I would
Speaker 1: gep that I would still have that forever and ever
Speaker 1: and ever. But then also, girl, nobody says no to
Speaker 1: Uber Eats at the same time, so it's like Uper
Speaker 1: Eats gift card. But then also something sentimental like that,
Speaker 1: like that's what I would have loved, Like I mean honestly, yeah,
Speaker 1: anything that kids made me up, like I'm gonna keep
Speaker 1: this forever.
Speaker 2: So oh you think I would never have thought about that,
Speaker 2: because I'm like, they do arts and crafts with the
Speaker 2: kids all the time. Are they stick of that by now?
Speaker 1: But maybe I don't know, no, something especially like like
Speaker 1: the other day, like my niece Amelia, she drew this.
Speaker 1: Really she's really into like drawing unicorns and rainbows right now.
Speaker 1: It was this amazing picture I was like, is this
Speaker 1: for me? She's like no. On the back, it said
Speaker 1: Miss Rosa, I loved you so much. I was like,
Speaker 1: I've never heard you tell me you love Auntie Tiffany.
Speaker 1: She looked at me like, girl, please, So and I
Speaker 1: know Miss Rosa is gonna love that because it's just like,
Speaker 1: oh my gosh. You know, like cause according to my
Speaker 1: sister Carol, Alexa is raising the kids because like Amelia'll
Speaker 1: be like, Alexa, how do you spell?
Speaker 2: So?
Speaker 3: How do you spell?
Speaker 1: Much?
Speaker 3: I'm telling you.
Speaker 1: I was just like, I never I never thought about that.
Speaker 1: She said, girl, she's like, this girl's writing up letters.
Speaker 1: I don't have to tell her anything. She'd be like, mommy,
Speaker 1: why is this guy blue? She's like, since I don't know,
Speaker 1: ask Alexa.
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, that's so true.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I would say something personal, but then also
Speaker 1: something practical.
Speaker 3: I love that.
Speaker 2: Okay, So I think I was thinking Target would be good.
Speaker 2: But I'll see what they got. I'm gonna get to
Speaker 2: sort get her a gift card, and you're right all
Speaker 2: so I'll wait till tomorrow. I'm gonna get Rio to
Speaker 2: draw her, to color her a nice little picture, maybe
Speaker 2: give her one of my twelve caterpillars, y'all. I'm trying
Speaker 2: to take care of these babies as a responsible butterfly mom,
Speaker 2: but they are multiplying. I am overwhelmed by the number
Speaker 2: of caterpillars. If you live in Westchester and you would
Speaker 2: like some baby cdipullsh no, that's great. And just to
Speaker 2: any teachers out there, ough, just this is another thing
Speaker 2: that she sent me that picture.
Speaker 3: Oh, she sent me up.
Speaker 2: That's why I started talking about him going went to school.
Speaker 2: When he got to the classroom after they gave Rocky
Speaker 2: the fish his rock Shelley took the time to send
Speaker 2: me a DM on ig because she stalks me, and
Speaker 2: she sent me a picture of him at the table.
Speaker 3: And you're not suppoke.
Speaker 2: We get pictures in the app, you know, like through
Speaker 2: the life of like the little parenting app. But for
Speaker 2: her to like send me a picture she knew I
Speaker 2: was going to see right away because she knew I
Speaker 2: was worried about him. I just started to cry. I'm
Speaker 2: gonna start crying again because, like I said, I'm an
Speaker 2: open wound of emotions lately. But I just think that
Speaker 2: they're incredible And she sent him home with this huge
Speaker 2: like they don't just send them home with their artwork
Speaker 2: anymore at the end of the year because he's switching classrooms.
Speaker 2: It was like bound with a picture of him on
Speaker 2: the front and it said Rio's Memories and they were
Speaker 2: labeled and there was a photo of him printed with
Speaker 2: a little graduation cap. And I was like, Shelly, when
Speaker 2: do you have the time? And she said, her and
Speaker 2: her husband did it together. I just and her husband
Speaker 2: who doesn't who's not on the payroll, Like they went
Speaker 2: home after a long day with all those kids. These
Speaker 2: people are special, Like after a day with all these children,
Speaker 2: she went home and still worked on this project for us,
Speaker 2: And I just it's amazing. So if you haven't sent
Speaker 2: you know, your daycare teacher or just any teachers in general,
Speaker 2: you know, little thank you appreciation gift. You don't have
Speaker 2: to wait for teacher Appreciation Week, which I think was
Speaker 2: back in May. Just anytime.
Speaker 1: I'm telling we really appreciate herself because honestly, I loved
Speaker 1: your babies. I fight children, I fight moms over kids.
Speaker 1: I'm like, that's my baby too, girl. We raised this
Speaker 1: baby together for real, Like, honestly, especially the younger they are.
Speaker 3: The younger they are, you really loved.
Speaker 1: I used to pray for all my kids every single night.
Speaker 1: I would worry about the ones, you know that like
Speaker 1: maybe you weren't well, or maybe they had a household
Speaker 1: that was a little chaotic. I mean there are still
Speaker 1: kids to this day I think about in wonder if
Speaker 1: they okay, and say a little prayer for them. So like, yeah,
Speaker 1: like I know that people have so much to say
Speaker 1: about teachers, but the good ones really do love your kids,
Speaker 1: and you know, like there's nothing I would literally stand
Speaker 1: in front of a bullet for your for your baby,
Speaker 1: you know, like I have definitely almost tussled almost in
Speaker 1: real time. Yes, I'm just like yeah, because you really do.
Speaker 1: You really love these kids, and the kids love you
Speaker 1: right back, and it's what makes it all. Honestly, it's
Speaker 1: like no matter. You know, a parent could have just
Speaker 1: finished cussing and fussing me out and I'd be like,
Speaker 1: you lucky, I love your baby, because girl, we.
Speaker 3: Could meet at three o'clock. No, but honestly, no, that's awesome.
Speaker 3: I know.
Speaker 1: And shout to you, Shelley, because I know, like it's
Speaker 1: it's a it's a hard job, but like the hugs
Speaker 1: and the kisses and the I love you, Missievities, and
Speaker 1: that it just makes everything just worth it, and parents
Speaker 1: that appreciate Yeah.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Miss Shelley and all teachers. Oh goodness, my eyes.
Speaker 1: Are hopefully to be taking you on an emotion no
Speaker 1: roll up. Oh yes, So I hope you enjoyed this
Speaker 1: episode because certainly, although it was emotional, I hope but
Speaker 1: also left you with some hope as well. You know,
Speaker 1: despite all that's going on, there's still a lot of hope. Yes,
Speaker 1: there's always there's still a lot of good.
Speaker 2: So we love y'all, Love you, tiff, I'm glad you're
Speaker 2: having some quiet time in nature, and we love you Jirelle,
Speaker 2: and we're thinking of you, and tomorrow I'll be thinking
Speaker 2: of him too well. I scrambled to find something for
Speaker 2: y k.
Speaker 1: All right, y'all until next show, Until next week.
Speaker 3: Hey ba faan.
Speaker 2: We could not do this show without your support or
Speaker 2: the support of our team behind the scenes. The Brown
Speaker 2: Emission podcast is produced by Cumulus Podcast Network. It's edited
Speaker 2: by the wonderful Emani Crosby and produced by Tanya Bustos.
Speaker 2: Dennis Deplinsky is our in house tech guru, and I
Speaker 2: am being Indy Witdard Santos, your co host, and I
Speaker 2: will see y'all next week.