Speaker 1: Native Land Pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership
Speaker 1: with Reason Choice Media. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.
Speaker 2: Welcome, Welcome, Hey, everybody. This episode is a replay of
Speaker 2: one of our interviews from our live stream as a
Speaker 2: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference. If you want
Speaker 2: to listen to or watch the full stream, check out
Speaker 2: the links in the episode description. You can also find
Speaker 2: a full list of all the guests we interviewed. Welcome home, y'all.
Speaker 1: We got a whole Brothers panel right now.
Speaker 2: We have I was gonna say, Congress, we said. We
Speaker 2: have Garrison Hayes, who's a video correspondent for Mother Hayes.
Speaker 2: We have Chris Ray, who is the international president of
Speaker 2: five Beta Sigma. You see him dapper in that blue
Speaker 2: and he's also the president of the Divine Nine Council
Speaker 2: of Presidents. Also, I don't know why Andrew is the
Speaker 2: Welcome Committee. He needs to do it on Life's so.
Speaker 1: He just doesn't care. I got a He has no
Speaker 1: idea what I said.
Speaker 2: He wants to be the Welcome Committee, the Goodbye Committee.
Speaker 3: The Hello Committee.
Speaker 2: I'm not listening to.
Speaker 1: You committee anyway.
Speaker 2: Last, but certainly not least in my introductions doctor Wes Bellamy,
Speaker 2: who is the public Policy chair for one hundred Black Men.
Speaker 2: He brings his students here to this conference every single year.
Speaker 2: I have the great honor of being an EP on
Speaker 2: his documentary more than a statue, and he's here, of
Speaker 2: course with a kin take clock bowta.
Speaker 4: I love you.
Speaker 5: And you guys are doing better.
Speaker 6: He looks better than.
Speaker 2: How you look. So tell us about what's going on. Man,
Speaker 2: get close to get close before Yeah, we did.
Speaker 4: I did.
Speaker 2: We were over there comedian talking about you should introduce
Speaker 2: him to mister president. Now that he's back and he
Speaker 2: knows that we actually did our black jobs.
Speaker 1: You have to and before you leave, we have to
Speaker 1: get a photo because my brother, I would be remiss.
Speaker 1: My brother is a proud member of five Beta Sigma
Speaker 1: Fraternity Incorporated players that georgiis. Yes, you and I have
Speaker 1: to get a photo so I can send this listen.
Speaker 7: First of all, thank you all so much for the
Speaker 7: opportunity to hang out with you all right.
Speaker 3: Been following you all.
Speaker 7: Love what you're doing for the culture, Love the information
Speaker 7: that you're sharing. I get to do my black job,
Speaker 7: which is I'm the international president of Phive Beta Sigma.
Speaker 7: I get to serve as the president, the twentieth president
Speaker 7: of Barbara Scotia College, the home of Mary MacLeod Bethune,
Speaker 7: and now I am the chairman of the Council of Presidents.
Speaker 7: He got a lot of jobs, a lot of black jobs,
Speaker 7: a lot of black leading literally but just doing the
Speaker 7: good work, doing the good work.
Speaker 3: And this this.
Speaker 7: Man right here, who has you know, who has been
Speaker 7: a big inspiration. I got caught up in this whole
Speaker 7: leadership chain when I had the opportunity service mayor of
Speaker 7: Spring Lake, North Carolina a few moons ago, and I
Speaker 7: was plucked out of this whole obscurity because of Andrew
Speaker 7: Gilliam And so just really glad that he was able
Speaker 7: to put me and connect me with a group of
Speaker 7: amazing young people who have now I've been able to
Speaker 7: grow up with in the fight.
Speaker 4: And they all still design their own outfits. So let's
Speaker 4: just know everything is.
Speaker 3: Purpose for him. Let's be clear. Let's be clear.
Speaker 5: I'm super excited to be here.
Speaker 6: One man, you know, with respect to our dear brother Andrew,
Speaker 6: but he's everybody's big brother, honestly, man. And the work
Speaker 6: and what you put in. It is super appreciative. Tiffany,
Speaker 6: you know how much I admire you and thank you.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 6: I love both of y'all. But I'm gonna not gonna lie.
Speaker 6: I love Angela and anybody messing with her, I'm gonna
Speaker 6: find them. I was clear, but we'll see stop.
Speaker 1: Joe.
Speaker 5: Yeah, y'all can't let me and Wing win.
Speaker 6: But we really appreciate all the work and what you
Speaker 6: all do, and we're excited to talk about, you know,
Speaker 6: a lot of the collaborative work efforts that we have
Speaker 6: going on and not only getting brothers and since was
Speaker 6: out the vote, but most importantly putting off for the
Speaker 6: culture for these last fifty some.
Speaker 8: Days here it is Yeah, I mean, I'm really happy
Speaker 8: to be here as well. It's great to be on
Speaker 8: finally and make it happen. I mean, you guys are
Speaker 8: doing something really special in that I think black media
Speaker 8: has such a really important role right now, and so
Speaker 8: it's incredible to see your platform and the way you're
Speaker 8: using your platform is amazing. In my work, I'm covering
Speaker 8: black issues most consistently, telling black stories about the way
Speaker 8: that we're utilizing our black political power. This year, I've
Speaker 8: been down in Atlanta, talking to both voters and organizers
Speaker 8: on the ground, folks who are mobilizing and communities that
Speaker 8: are often left behind, and many of them are getting
Speaker 8: their information from platforms just like this one.
Speaker 3: So it's a real honor to be here.
Speaker 1: I love it. Thank you for your work bringing information
Speaker 1: to people. I'm happy to have these black men at
Speaker 1: the table because we've talked about this a little earlier
Speaker 1: in the show, and that is this the manisphere and
Speaker 1: the comments coming from the manisphere, And I just wonder
Speaker 1: what you all might say to our good brothers out
Speaker 1: there who might be misinformed, misdirected, miseducated about what is
Speaker 1: at stake for this election. And I hear consistently from
Speaker 1: the manisphere about this agenda to drive a wedge between
Speaker 1: us and y'all know we love you, we can't we
Speaker 1: need not only do we love you, but we need you.
Speaker 1: You are integral to our lives and our community. So
Speaker 1: what would you say out there the men who feel like, well,
Speaker 1: we left out of the conversation and this black women
Speaker 1: this and his black women always owe Democrats and black
Speaker 1: men vote with Trump, and what about me? What do
Speaker 1: y'all say to them?
Speaker 2: Do the voice one more time and what about me?
Speaker 6: And we appreciate it, but nonetheless, so the one hundred
Speaker 6: black men we're a part of this twenty one city
Speaker 6: tour talking about real men vote and to be candid,
Speaker 6: those are things in which when we go to these
Speaker 6: town halls, we hear some brothers say we feel left out,
Speaker 6: But I think what I would say to them is
Speaker 6: similarly what we say during the town halls. As brothers,
Speaker 6: we have to be one educated and informed on the issues.
Speaker 6: We know that there's a great deal of misinformation that
Speaker 6: is specifically targeted towards us. And if you just look
Speaker 6: no further than the mother, the black mama that birthed you,
Speaker 6: her rights are under attacked. You're a black sister, you're
Speaker 6: a black daughter, your a black niece, your black cousin.
Speaker 5: You all just had alectus on their.
Speaker 6: Bodies and their ability to be able to do what
Speaker 6: they want to do is under attack. And candidly, what
Speaker 6: I'm often saying is currently we don't have the time
Speaker 6: to complain about what isn't happening or the wig that's
Speaker 6: being pushed between us, perceived wedge between us. What we
Speaker 6: have to do right now is what we have to do,
Speaker 6: which is be the true leaders of our communities, collaborate
Speaker 6: and work together, take care of our brothers and our sisters,
Speaker 6: and most importantly, show up. That's most important. Show up
Speaker 6: and do your job because you have an obligation to
Speaker 6: do so.
Speaker 5: Right now, I'm.
Speaker 2: Sorry I would a little what you said. One of
Speaker 2: my favorite things about you is I saw your videos
Speaker 2: on TikTok and you are constantly educating in spaces where
Speaker 2: people will get on completely unresearched. Not saying much, but
Speaker 2: every video that I've seen from you, I've learned something.
Speaker 2: How are you utilizing that platform to kind of combat
Speaker 2: some of the misinformation that Tivi's talking about making sure
Speaker 2: you're bringing people in to be heard.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean, I think what's so important here is
Speaker 8: that we don't get to this moment without the things
Speaker 8: that came before it. Right, Like, we have to talk
Speaker 8: about the fact that we are at this very week
Speaker 8: is the thirtieth anniversary of the nineteen ninety four crime Bill.
Speaker 8: Black men are left out of the conversation. I just
Speaker 8: mentioned being in Atlanta. Just last week, I was in
Speaker 8: Atlanta talking to some young men and both of them
Speaker 8: had felony convictions, they can't vote, and so they have
Speaker 8: been taken out of this conversation in a way intentionally systematically, right,
Speaker 8: And so we have to acknowledge that that there are
Speaker 8: structures in place that have led to this kind of
Speaker 8: disillusionment that we see. Yeah, And at the same time,
Speaker 8: I love the mentorship, the messaging that we're hearing from
Speaker 8: our brothers here about we don't have time to really
Speaker 8: get caught up in that. Right, they're using our vulnerabilities
Speaker 8: against us as men, the misogyny and sexism that we're
Speaker 8: taught from birth, the ways that we're being conditioned to
Speaker 8: believe that women are inferior to us. They're using that
Speaker 8: against us to leverage our vote against us. And so
Speaker 8: much of what I try to do on my platform
Speaker 8: is that re education work, the work of really taking
Speaker 8: that history, taking the issues and reframing them, hopefully adding
Speaker 8: in some more information so that people understand things differently
Speaker 8: so that we can build a better future.
Speaker 5: And I think that's so.
Speaker 8: I think it's so important and often overlooked in this
Speaker 8: conversation because men are being educated by folks who do
Speaker 8: not have our best.
Speaker 5: Interest in mind.
Speaker 8: The last thing I'll say is is Unfortunately, men are
Speaker 8: taking their own lives and we have to ask ourselves why.
Speaker 8: And a lot of it has to do with the
Speaker 8: pressure that we put on ourselves, and the manisphere is
Speaker 8: a part of that.
Speaker 3: They have blood on their hands and.
Speaker 5: We have to call it that and say it that way.
Speaker 5: And this election is so important because.
Speaker 1: I think that's such a thank you for that, for
Speaker 1: stating that the way you did. Anybody can answer this.
Speaker 1: I just wonder why out of that frustration, Because when
Speaker 1: our brothers are in pain, we hold your pain, we
Speaker 1: feel that pain. We too are in pain, and I
Speaker 1: think it's in our nature to love and to nurture.
Speaker 1: I wonder why out of that does it become that we,
Speaker 1: the black women, are your.
Speaker 3: Enemy broken and you're the closest to many of us.
Speaker 7: Are broken, and when what you don't realize is is
Speaker 7: that we are literally moving through life broken.
Speaker 3: And so here I am.
Speaker 7: I have been taught at a certain age how to
Speaker 7: carry myself or what I think a man should be,
Speaker 7: how I should move in this world. And then when
Speaker 7: they are individuals that see me not operate in that space,
Speaker 7: they criticize me, they tear me up. They It is
Speaker 7: literally death by a thousand cuts. So by the time
Speaker 7: I get to a space where it's time for me
Speaker 7: now to take a partner, I don't. I'm not even
Speaker 7: who I'm supposed to be, broken and so and then
Speaker 7: and then you have the individuals who say to you
Speaker 7: you don't need to get any help. You know that's
Speaker 7: you know, you don't need any any support there? You
Speaker 7: know a real man, doesn't you know? You just suck
Speaker 7: it up. You know how many times I've heard that
Speaker 7: in my life, just suck it up. And here I
Speaker 7: am now. And so you wonder why as I moved
Speaker 7: through this space that I am not able to have
Speaker 7: the true conversation with my partner. I'm not able to
Speaker 7: really know how to navigate on my job. I don't
Speaker 7: know how to navigate in other relationships. And so the
Speaker 7: only time that I find an opportunity for me to
Speaker 7: really express myself is in this informal opportunities, informal time
Speaker 7: with my brothers where I'm just kicking it and you know,
Speaker 7: you're saying stuff like man, she tripping right, But really
Speaker 7: what I'm saying is it's like, man, I don't know.
Speaker 3: How to communicate to her.
Speaker 7: I don't know how to move in such a way
Speaker 7: to let her know that I'm care I don't know
Speaker 7: how to say I'm vulnerable. Oh my gosh, that word
Speaker 7: very rarely comes out of our mouth, and so by
Speaker 7: because being vulnerable as a man is absolutely not a
Speaker 7: part of the lexicon of being a man broken.
Speaker 4: And I'll just say brokenness also has no monopoly on men.
Speaker 4: Brokenness applies across the board. And the reason why I
Speaker 4: think it's important to say it is because we're almost
Speaker 4: always it feels like we're looked at from the deficit
Speaker 4: perspective of what we're not bringing to the table, rather
Speaker 4: than what is here present that you've never seen exemplified
Speaker 4: anybody else but me, if we're being honest with each other.
Speaker 4: But I will say in y' all of y'all's comments
Speaker 4: that hit on this, that it is systematic that folks
Speaker 4: aren't waking up feeling broken. There are advertisers who put
Speaker 4: commercials on television between the most popular shows on tele
Speaker 4: that we're watching and others are watching, and never choose
Speaker 4: to take mental health as their mantle or their opportunity
Speaker 4: to say, you know what, this is in vogue. Whatever
Speaker 4: the phrasing is that communicates directly to us in a
Speaker 4: way that we can hear it. When you consider black
Speaker 4: men taking on issues during this election supposedly not supportive
Speaker 4: of the black woman who's running for president, you are
Speaker 4: getting not just you United States of America, Republicans and
Speaker 4: conservatives coming at you in your inboxes, in your screen
Speaker 4: time and when you're twirling through trying to see what
Speaker 4: story you're going to read next. But you got China
Speaker 4: and you've got Russia. You're so powerful as an individual
Speaker 4: and as an entity that foreign nations have determined that
Speaker 4: you are the enemy and are now putting endless resources
Speaker 4: into making it true. So it isn't by accident. Is
Speaker 4: we're not stumbling into it. We're not broken and falling
Speaker 4: into it. We are targeted, targeted with significant resources to
Speaker 4: perform a certain way.
Speaker 6: But you said something also that I think is super
Speaker 6: important where you said the closest the proximity sivity, Like
Speaker 6: when you see the closest proximity to the person that
Speaker 6: you know is oftentimes the person in which you harm
Speaker 6: if you're not healed in some regard. So our sisters
Speaker 6: often catch the brunt of our brokenness because they are
Speaker 6: the closest to us and we feel as if that's
Speaker 6: the only place in which we can try to be
Speaker 6: invoke some kind of superiority, which again is all systematic,
Speaker 6: you know, things in which we have to be intentional
Speaker 6: with breaking down. And I'm glad that we have in
Speaker 6: the platform the opportunity to be able to discuss this.
Speaker 6: You ask a question earlier to what would we say
Speaker 6: to black men first and foremost, You're valued, you're loved,
Speaker 6: you're supported.
Speaker 5: You're needed, you're necessary.
Speaker 6: But you also have to go out and vote in
Speaker 6: this election, or at a bare minimum, encourage everyone you
Speaker 6: can to do the right thing, because if you don't
Speaker 6: do the right thing in this instance, you may not
Speaker 6: have another chance to do anything.
Speaker 3: You're not going to have another chance.
Speaker 7: And you know, I remember there was an argument the
Speaker 7: one time I had with my wife and she said,
Speaker 7: if you were on your job, would you talk to
Speaker 7: your supervisor your manager that way? No, you wouldn't because
Speaker 7: you're trying to protect your job. So why would you
Speaker 7: talk to me like that in our home where we
Speaker 7: are you know, the president and CEO or where the
Speaker 7: you know.
Speaker 3: Why would you do that to me here? Knowing that.
Speaker 7: You wouldn't do that outside of this space, but you
Speaker 7: would do it in this space, and I had to
Speaker 7: check myself, you know, she had to check herself realizing that,
Speaker 7: you know, I'm not going to blow up on you
Speaker 7: here because I know that I'm going to be able
Speaker 7: to manage how I'm going to delete, delete, delete that
Speaker 7: email before I resend it, because I'm trying to protect
Speaker 7: the lifestyle that I have. So why would I not
Speaker 7: try to protect the lifestyle that I got.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 7: One of the things that we're doing with the National
Speaker 7: Parmle in the Council, specifically our fraternities, is we're having
Speaker 7: deep conress stations with the fraternities, the five fraternities on
Speaker 7: how we're going to make sure that we are seriously
Speaker 7: engaged in this upcoming election cycle. Now next week, we're
Speaker 7: excited that we're going to be dropping a lot of
Speaker 7: information on how the National Penalanonic Council is about to
Speaker 7: be a part of this process. We're not sitting on
Speaker 7: the sidelines. We're going to make sure that we're going
Speaker 7: to be an intricate part. Every single week there's going
Speaker 7: to be something coming out from us about making sure
Speaker 7: that folks are getting to the poll.
Speaker 4: I love it.
Speaker 3: On November fifth, watch us work. I love you.
Speaker 1: So this is amazing, so great. Thank you for that.
Speaker 1: What an amazing way to close out the show with
Speaker 1: words from black men and the openness and knowledge that
Speaker 1: you've armed the home viewing audience with, but also does
Speaker 1: us as your counterparts who are cheering you on and
Speaker 1: grateful to the roles that y'all play in our lives
Speaker 1: in our commune.
Speaker 2: We do see, y'all, We do thank you. I do
Speaker 2: want to say his name one more time, Justin Robinson,
Speaker 2: who is the young man who was shot and killed
Speaker 2: by the police here in Washington, DC just days ago,
Speaker 2: And we want y'all to know we stand with you,
Speaker 2: we're thinking of you, and we're absolutely gonna talk to
Speaker 2: the CVC about what can be done on a federal
Speaker 2: level to prevent these shootings to continue to happen.
Speaker 1: Thanks you so much for joining it. Thank you brother.
Speaker 1: Hey y'all, thanks for listening.
Speaker 2: Remember to rate, review, subscribe, and tune into our regular
Speaker 2: episode that drops every single Thursday, Welcome Home, y'all.
Speaker 1: Native Land Pod is the production of iHeart Radio and
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