WEBVTT - Sirens, Diversity and Trauma 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:04.200 My leg has all the knowledge you want. Le has 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:05.400 all the knowledge you need. 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:09.000 Yet they have all the books that the whole wild 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:15.800 world one up read books. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malik's Bookshow, 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:20.440 bringing the world together with books, culture and community. 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:24.319 Hi, my name is Malik, your host of Malik's Book Show. 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:32.640 Well, I put together a podcast studio inside Malik Books 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:36.760 so that when authors come in there, I'm able to 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:40.000 do a podcast right on the spot. 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:44.600 So sometimes some of the noise in the mall in the. 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:50.839 Background is picked up, so I apologize for that, but 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:55.280 I wanted to be more spontaneous. I wanted to, you know, 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:59.520 take advantage of when authors walking to the store or 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:03.280 when we engage in events in the store, to have 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:08.440 a nice conversation that I can feature on Malie's bookshelf. 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:12.880 So I did a couple of podcasts in the store, 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:16.120 and I want to bring that to you. On this 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:22.680 particular episode, we hosted Marcelli's Reynolds, who wrote three He 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:29.520 got a trilogy about three different books about Supreme Model, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:35.920 Supreme Siren, and that's his third book. That's the feature 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:40.679 book that we're hosting that Malie Books today. Unfortunately, I'm 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:43.880 not there April is hosted. April is going to interview 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:51.960 marsh Seller's for the podcast Supreme sign It's about iconic 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:58.360 women in music and the revolutionary inside the music industry. 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:02.760 She's going to do the podcast with Marcelle Reynald. 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:06.520 I might track meet with my daughter, so we you know, 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:14.160 sometimes we gotta go ourselves ways. Family community. Books still 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:18.320 go down. So if I'm in one place, April is 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:21.880 at another place. We're putting it down still. So she's 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:26.440 gonna host Marcella at the store. She's gonna interview him 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.480 for the podcast. So if you hear any noise in 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:33.000 the background like a baby, and we're sorry, but hey, 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:36.000 some things out I control. 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:36.920 We're doing our best. 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:42.840 But this is an impactful, iconic interview from a person 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:50.040 who's well accomplished and has taken He's an award winning reporter, 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:57.320 he is a now our author, and he's known throughout 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:02.079 the industry. Like I said, he won won awards. He's 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.760 well accomplished, he's iconic. His name is Marcella's Reynolds, and 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:10.240 we are happy to feature him on our podcast and host. 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:12.560 Them at Meleak Books for Supreme Books. 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:18.440 Signing from his Supreme series three books, you know, one 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:25.720 about women in acting, Supreme Actors, Supreme Models and Supreme Sirens, 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:29.640 women in the music. Hisstory is his latest book, Revolutionary Women. 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.919 So we're happy to have him grace us with his 0:03:34.040 --> 0:03:40.360 president of Malik Books. That interview took place justice last 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:44.440 March ninth at Mileae Books when we hosted them, and. 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:46.520 April is going to do the interview. 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.200 I'm also going to feature two other interviews that I 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:54.000 was able to take take advantage of in the store. 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:55.400 We had the. 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.880 Dlay Datch who wrote a book called The Versity Dilemma 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:02.000 talking about de I. 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:04.320 You know, that's all in the news about. 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:08.800 Diversity, equity, inclusion, and you know, some battle people think 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:12.880 it's reverse racism. People think that there's something that is 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:18.080 a handout, another ear mark, another you know, uh, subsidy 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:24.720 that the disenfranchised blacks, Whites, Asians, Hispanics or whatever. You know, 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:28.159 we live in this country, but it's a lot of insensitivities. 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:33.920 A lot of people feel that free education, do elementary 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:38.480 and Obamacare is sufficient to make up for you know, 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:42.520 all the oppression, all the discrimination there has taken place. 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:45.719 You know, we started in America under slavery. 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:49.840 Don't forget, and we pulled ourselves up and many of 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.600 us are well accomplished. And although the focus shouldn't be 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.960 of yesterday and it should be about what's going on now. 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:00.680 They are disparacies, there's just franchise. 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:05.360 There are just environments where communities are underserved, and it's 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:07.800 just a lot of people that feel that in corporate 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.880 America that the playing field is leveled out. No one 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:16.240 should have entitlements and therefore there's no need for affirm 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:21.640 the action which President Clinton eradicated, you know. 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:25.120 And now we're back today, and I've lived to see. 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:30.640 The multicultural movement which came and gone in the nineties, 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:35.640 where it's the same concept, you know, earmarking trying to 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:42.280 create space and leverage to level up the Black community 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:46.640 in corporate America, abroad, in schools and so forth. Now 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:53.240 we the di diversity, equity, inclusion corporations now feeling like, 0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:58.480 you know, how can we close that gap income, opportunity 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:02.160 and all of the things that you know in society 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:05.640 that can make one successful but yet make it almost 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:07.040 impossible for other groups. 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:10.080 Because the power in America is. 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:13.599 Just not share and the people who make decisions make 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:18.000 decisions based upon their bias and their upbringing and so forth. 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:22.160 So the world it is what it is. But it's 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:22.680 a battle. 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:28.880 It's a battle in this country on council, culture, book, band, 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:31.200 DEI verse. 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:34.880 Equity, clue. It's just you know, no one is happying, 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:36.280 no one is satisfied. 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:43.320 Everybody is arguing with each other about the direction in 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:46.040 the future of this nation and so forth. 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:51.080 So we just have a battle. And I always say this, 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:53.120 no one could do for you what you can do 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:53.760 for yourself. 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:56.960 So do as much as you can for yourself to 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:03.200 benefit yourself. And if opportunities like DEI and other things 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:06.880 can also elevate and help and grants and all that, 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:09.440 then you know, if you can qualify, you can get it, 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:13.280 go after it and what have you. But you know, 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:16.200 the hard work and the real work is if you 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.360 do as much as you can on your own for yourself. 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:25.560 There are a lot of things that Black America needs 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:28.040 to do that we need to do on our own, 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:31.800 regardless of all these subsidies and programs. They're nice and 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:37.160 they're important because there's disenfranchised and their discrimination, there's racism 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:38.040 still exists. 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:39.000 A lot of people just. 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.200 Want to throw it under the table and act like 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:47.000 it don't. There is diversity dilemma that exists. But I 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:50.600 think that we also as black people, and I'm black, 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:53.360 and I'm proud I'm and I'm unapologetically black, and I 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:55.680 feel like, you know, there are things that we have 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:59.000 to do on our own. It's important for us to do. 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:02.440 You know, is more powerful than an atomic bomb. And 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:05.360 we have to ask ourselves, do we have the ultimate 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:08.720 unity in order to do the things that we can 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:12.080 do on our own without the aid of all of 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:16.239 these programs. I'm not knocking that we don't need these programs. 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:18.960 What I'm knocking is the fact that why we can't 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:22.080 do all we can do in order to solve our problem, 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:26.480 to solve our conditions. It's nothing stopping us from uniting 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:30.600 our resources. Financially, we get one point five tree in dollars. 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:34.240 What's stopping us for creating a black fund putting twenty 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:37.880 dollars in a month, forty million black people raising eight 0:08:37.960 --> 0:08:42.440 hundred million dollars a month, raising twelve billion a year. 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:46.280 What's stopping us from doing that on our own? They 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.720 can solve a lot of our issues on our own. 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:55.480 I just think that it all starts at home and abroad. 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:59.199 But we gotta do better. We gotta do the things 0:08:59.240 --> 0:08:59.839 that we can do. 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:05.319 Instead of complaining about what's not here, let's leverage what 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:10.400 we can do. So I got that interview with Delay 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:15.120 that the diversity dilemma, and I'm gonna feature that on 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:20.559 this episode. I'm also gonna feature this episode that this 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:24.679 podcast segment that I took when a young lady came 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:26.679 in and she wrote a book called Don't touch My 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:31.400 No No, Don't touch my no No. And it's because 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:34.000 a lot of kids are touched and they stay in 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:37.400 silent and it impacts them throughout the life. So she 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:42.040 wrote a kid's book talking about this don't touch my 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:45.000 no no private parts that is. And so I was 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:46.920 able to interview and that that was kind of deep. 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:47.880 And I can relate. 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:48.720 Because I wrote a book. 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:52.120 I wrote a chapter in a book called The Heart 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:56.199 of a Black Man, the Stories of tryumph RESIENTI, and 0:09:56.280 --> 0:10:00.079 my chapter is called from Devastation, the elevation from of 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.800 a station. The elevation is in how you know things 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:07.240 that happened to me when I was young and how 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:10.240 it impacts you later on in life and you just 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:14.319 don't know that. But we we you know, people keep 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:17.600 these things in silent and so I made myself vulnerable 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:20.679 and open up some secrets about my childhood. But here's 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:23.679 the things that there are a lot of people out 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:27.240 here that has good intentions and really want to make 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:27.840 a difference. 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.400 In this book. Don't Touch My No No is an 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:31.640 example of. 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:36.880 Someone a young lady named Adrian Alexander wrote this book 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:40.840 in an effort to talk about a very sensitive subject matter. 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:45.600 And so I'm featuring that segment on this episode. 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:50.960 And so that's pretty much three book reviews, three interviews, 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:56.400 and I just enjoy, you know, trying to take this 0:10:56.520 --> 0:11:01.080 to another level video on these podcasts. Now I'm going 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:05.520 to be uploading these episodes on YouTube as well, so 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:06.960 enjoy the episode. 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.640 All right, Hello, today we have mister Morse. 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:16.240 You want to grow up the Morriscale. 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:20.559 Thank you so much for worsening us with your president 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:21.400 of Finlik book. 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:26.439 And today we are doing today this book discussion and 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:32.520 book signed with this lovely book and it is Supreme Sirens. 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.000 Title. Okay, well you're doing I can't do it better 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:36.240 than you. 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:41.200 Supreme Sirens iconic Black women who revolutionize music. And what's 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.280 important about this book and my other two books actually 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:46.760 is that they're the first, that they're kind they're the 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:51.040 first ever art books devoted exclusively to celebrating the stories 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:51.760 of black women. 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:53.720 So it's how. 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:55.720 Important with this journey you have a trilogy? 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:58.880 Here have a trilogy, So how important the trilogy? 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:01.880 Honey, the first one. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:04.080 Just give a little bit about your first. 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:06.520 So the first one, I always say, like it depends 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:09.719 on how I talk about each one. The first one 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:12.040 will always be my favorite because it took so long 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:17.120 for it to happen. Supreme Models took eight years to sell, 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.680 and then along the way, a bunch of people told 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:22.160 me a book about black women. 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:26.800 Would never sell, and as you know, Supreme Models became lies. 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:28.560 You tell us lies, they tell us. 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:32.880 Supreme Models became a best selling book and became you know. 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:35.199 Essence named it the number one book to read on 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.319 Black style. Vogue and Team Vogue named it one of 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:43.040 the best fashioned books of all time, and then not 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:46.160 to mention, it just became a perennial bestseller, and then 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:49.599 it became its own documentary where I co produced it 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:53.560 with MND, which now has like you know, now has 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:55.160 like eight point five million. 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:57.560 Views on Vogue YouTube. 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:01.199 Channels, so you know, all right, Supreme did what she did, 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.160 what she was supposed to do, and then we have 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:08.320 Supreme Actresses. So because of the success of Supreme Models, 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:12.319 Abrams came to me during the pandemic and was like, 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:14.040 do you want to do? Do you have an idea 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:15.839 for a second book? And I was like, do I 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:17.839 have an idea for a second book? 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:19.640 And I didn't, but I. 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.000 Like, I did have an idea for a second book 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:28.480 because there's actually a past of Supreme Models that has 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:33.319 an actress that has models to actresses in it, right, 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:35.959 and it was its own little section, but I was 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:39.640 over on pages so Abrams throughout Model to Actresses, and 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:40.720 so I was already in. 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:42.360 That mindset of actresses. 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:48.240 So the Supreme Actresses came out and it became a 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:52.559 It was just like another big book, especially because it 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:54.520 came out during the pandemic. It came out in the 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:57.040 fall of twenty twenty one, and it came out right 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:59.560 around that time where people were where people. 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:00.960 Were really eating black books. 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:04.439 Check it take it from us, you know, and the 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:08.720 pandemic really elevated you and I this is not. 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:10.760 Just our fly first ball game. And when I met 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:13.120 two years back, and we were at the ball and 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:16.439 whose Mall. But the pandemic really elevated us. Some people, 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.000 the pandemic put a pause on them because of fear. 0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:22.880 For fear is a stop sign. And we opened this 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.520 location the Moly books in the covers the hall in 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:27.760 the middle of the pandemic. Wow, we've been here for 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:29.840 four and a half years, so fear get. 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:33.520 Out the way. Yeah yeah, And then you know, Supreme 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:35.680 Actresses did what she was supposed to do. 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:38.840 What I think is most important to for our supremactresses 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:43.160 speaking about the pandemic was it was very easy to 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:47.040 interview actresses because they were sitting that hall at work. 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:51.320 So I interviewed so many people that I interviewed, Like. 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:56.200 My favorites are Lynn Whitfield, who played justinin Baker. That 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.080 was a break because she's just a legend and she 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:03.960 was wrapping her last show Greenwood, I think the name 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:04.480 of the show. 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:07.520 So that was really interesting to talk about her process 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:08.840 and what she was going to do next, and she 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.040 was like, I have to do nothing next. I'm good 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:13.480 like things keep you know, things will come to me 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:14.160 when they're ready. 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:18.920 I interviewed Sonna Lathan, who was really funny and dishy. 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:24.280 I interviewed Ray what I love about Supreme Actresses and 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:27.520 what I want people to not sleep on is and 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:28.840 why say it's my favorite. 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:33.960 I interviewed Ray before Barbie. I interviewed Alexander's Ship before Barbie. 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:38.200 So there are two barbiees in Supreme Actresses before Barbie 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:39.040 was even a thing. 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:46.800 And Alexander Ship's interview is really beautiful. Who else? Oh, 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:48.840 of course Gabrielle Union. She wrote the form. 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.400 And I found Gabrielle on the day where she seemed 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:53.680 to be mad, but she was just talking like she 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:54.920 was telling all the truths. 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:57.520 She was like, they can't get your makeup right, they 0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:00.320 can't get your hair right, they underpay it us. And 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:03.040 I was like, yes, yes, yes, yes to all. 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:04.800 This, because you know some people like try to do 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:07.880 an interview, they try to be politically. Gabrielle was like, 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.000 not today, not today, not. Plus, I was in my bathrobe. 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:14.240 We was doing a zoom and I thought it was 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.760 gonna be zoom audio and Gabrielle, and all of a sudden, 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:20.640 the screen opens and Gabrielle's in her beautiful mansion, hair 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:22.960 and makeup done, and she was like, are you going 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:25.480 to show yourself And I was like, no, I'm not 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:27.600 my bathle throbe, and she's like, well, I'm not talking 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:28.480 to a black screen. 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.239 So now I'm not only in my in my bathrobe. 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:33.440 I'm in my bathrobe in the bed in front of 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:37.000 the computer with like no lights all like like like 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:41.400 some like her brother. But it was just supposed to 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:42.800 be a zoom interview. 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:45.400 So I turned the camera and she was like, you're 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:47.680 killing your white man about the ground bathroom and I 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:52.760 was like, so, I mean I love that and all 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:53.320 of the books. 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:57.600 Now you know it didn't come from Oh, let me 0:16:57.680 --> 0:16:58.280 get this together. 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:01.640 So you came in and that's not my Well, I'm 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:05.720 always like if i'm not, I'm always in my bathroom. 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:06.960 Oh, I tell her, Okay. 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:10.720 So Supreme Sirens is the third book, and I say 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:12.640 it's the final one in this trilogy. 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.960 Another bathroom story. I got the day I was supposed. 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:21.000 To interview Monica, Monica did the foreward. The day I 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.280 was supposed to interview Monica, I got my days mixed 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:29.680 and her her manager is her cousin, Melinda, and I 0:17:29.760 --> 0:17:32.000 have been having all these conversations with Melinda, so I 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:33.440 was really like a little. 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:38.159 Casual with Melinda. So when Melinda called me, I was like, 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:39.680 hey girl, what's up. And she was like, are you 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:42.680 ready for the interview? And I was like, yeah, it's tomorrow, 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:45.360 and she's like, no, it's today. It's in an hour. 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:48.280 And I was like, and she was like, please tell 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:51.040 me that you're ready for this interview because Monica starts 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:52.120 traveling tomorrow. 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:54.600 And she's like, it's today or it's not happening. And 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.720 I was like, I'll be ready, like tell her to 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:00.200 call me, you know which, Tell her to call me 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.359 when she's ready. And because of. 0:18:02.440 --> 0:18:05.560 That, I was now scrambling to do like all this stuff. 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:07.240 I was like, how am I gonna set it up? 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.440 Blah blah blah. And I ended up and again I 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:13.600 was in my bathrobe because it was super early. I 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:17.280 created like a a like a sound booth, which like 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:18.760 I was literally under my. 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:21.639 Bed because my bed is like this. So I was 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:24.119 under my bed trying with the computer in front of me, 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.399 with my things on on my knees, with the crops 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:30.399 on a pillow like this, trying to create a sound booth. 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.320 And at the end of the interview, Monica was like, 0:18:35.080 --> 0:18:39.120 let Monica kept saying, the Lord is trying to tell 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:39.760 me something. 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:42.720 The Lord is talking to me, and I was like okay, 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:44.879 and she was like, are you on your knees? 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:46.960 And as it turned out, I was actually on my 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.159 knees because I was under my bed on I was 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:52.520 like this on my like not on my belly, but 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:55.159 on the pillow like this with the headphones on. And 0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:56.560 I was like, yeah, I'm on my knees and she 0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:59.960 was like, let's pray. So we prayed, and then after 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:02.399 what we were praying, she was like, stay the course. 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:05.480 And I was like, okay, yeah, I'm I got it. 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.000 I'm a stay of course. And she was like stay 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:09.760 the course and I was like, yes, stay the course. 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:11.480 And then she was like stay the course and I 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:14.040 was like, yes, Monica, I'm gonna stay the course. And 0:19:14.119 --> 0:19:16.480 she kept saying stay the course to get me to 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:19.600 say stay the course, because what God was telling her 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.520 was to tell me to stay the course. Because I 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:24.680 was saying that the book was so hard that I 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:27.639 didn't want to do it anymore. And so at the 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:30.880 end we were chanting stay the course at the same time, 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:32.800 stay the course, stayed of course, Stay the course. 0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:35.560 So then when we finished saying stay the course. She 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:36.480 was like, all right, you're. 0:19:36.320 --> 0:19:38.600 Good, and I was like, I'm good, and she was like, 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:40.760 all right, if you need something, you got Melinda's number. 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:42.639 You call her and tell and tell her that to 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:45.000 get to me if you need something. And that's how 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.240 Monica's interview with came to forward because it was that how. 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:54.720 Well. 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:56.479 I also think the power of words and I think 0:19:56.520 --> 0:19:59.960 the power of black women Monica was there when that interview. 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.119 It was so important because I literally had had a 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:07.320 conversation maybe within a week, telling my literary agent that 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:09.080 I wanted to give back the advance. 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.520 I didn't want to do this book and look at it, 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:16.359 and look at it. It's so beautiful. It's so beautiful. 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:19.320 I want to thank you so much for your time, 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:22.359 and I thank you so much for giving me your tongue. 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:25.600 I want to thank you for the the never ending support. 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:27.760 I want to thank you for creating places where black 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:31.239 artists can thrive and be exalted. I want to thank 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:33.320 you for still going. I know how hard it is 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:35.840 to be in a in in in the business, and 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:38.200 in the be in a black bookstore. So I just 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:39.800 want to thank you for all the things you're doing 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:40.680 for our community. 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:43.359 Thank you actually appreciate it. Tell the people who they 0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:43.879 can find you. 0:20:44.359 --> 0:20:45.439 I'm Ourselvia s Redols. 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:48.440 You can find me on Instagram a Marquie mark like 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:51.280 Marquee naming lights and. 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:52.280 You can find me here. 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:58.000 We will find autograph copy of all three of his 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:01.360 book that lead books both look and online. You can 0:21:01.400 --> 0:21:04.840 find us on social media Elik Books and our podcast 0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:06.119 Leak Bookshelf. 0:21:06.640 --> 0:21:08.280 Thank you so much Marcell. 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:21.880 Malik's bookshelf bringing the world together with books, culture and community. Hi, 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:25.760 my name is Malik, and I'm standing by this dynamic 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:28.879 female who wrote a beautiful new book to just hit 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:32.159 the market just now. It's called The Diversity Dilemma, A 0:21:32.280 --> 0:21:36.600 Survival GUD for Diversity and Inclusion good Doors. 0:21:36.880 --> 0:21:37.720 Her name is. 0:21:38.320 --> 0:21:42.200 Doctor dlay That and she's gonna tell you more about 0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:45.119 this book. Why because she wrote the book. So I'm 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:48.120 gonna turn the mic over to her right now, because Hey, 0:21:49.240 --> 0:21:49.920 she wrote. 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:51.960 It, right I wrote the book. 0:21:52.119 --> 0:21:55.119 What an amazing introduction. I just feel so hyped and 0:21:55.520 --> 0:21:58.200 blessed to be here at Malik Books. And I did 0:21:58.320 --> 0:22:01.680 write the book because there is a diversity dilemma. A 0:22:01.800 --> 0:22:07.320 lot of people, women, people from marginalized communities. We want diversity, 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:10.720 we want equity, we want inclusion, and we want justice. 0:22:11.000 --> 0:22:12.639 So in the work that I do, we call that 0:22:12.840 --> 0:22:15.480 the Jedi principles, like Jedi from Star Wars. 0:22:16.640 --> 0:22:18.040 Yes, I love the Jedi. 0:22:18.160 --> 0:22:21.160 I love science fiction, right, and some of the things 0:22:21.240 --> 0:22:24.680 I talk about and I believe is true change is 0:22:24.760 --> 0:22:28.639 an act of science fiction. And so I really work 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:32.680 at connecting like things that we are entertained by and 0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:35.280