June 27, 2025 • 34 mins
BIN News Anchors Bri Wood and Morgyn Wood stop by today's podcast to discuss the major news stories of the week.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been another busy news week and we like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
Black Information Network. Today, we are joined by Black Information
Network news anchors Morgan Wood and Brewood to discuss this
week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
This is the QR code.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
He is q Ward and he is Ramses's jaw.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
All right, Morgan and bre welcome back to the show.
What is the latest? What is the greatest Breed? Let's
start with you. Talk to me, tell me something good.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Hi, I'm doing very well. Just you know, I'm trying
to stay healthy over here. These allergies are kicking my behind.
And this sun I feel like I live in the South.
I do not, and so it's been very, very hot.
I've been trying to be up under AC as often
as possible. I'm mad at you the air conditioning.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
No, I know what that means. I'm in Phoenix, so it.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Is, you know firsthand, every day, absolutely, And I used
to this every day like it's cool for maybe a
day or two, but.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Not every day.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Oh listen, back to back out here is not a
problem anymore after this, as long as I've been here. Anyway, Morgan,
talk to me a thing new.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
What's the ladiest.
Speaker 6 (01:02):
No, not really, honestly, just out here just trying to
grind continually. And uh, you know, I've been on Capitol
Hill seeing what's going on with our good old president.
So that's what's been up with me, and that's been
keeping me busy.
Speaker 7 (01:14):
Enough.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, listen, we appreciate you because somebody got to be
out there doing that and you are the right one
to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So so keep on keeping on. How about that? All right,
let's get to the news. First step.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
After US military forces bomb nuclear sites in Iran, supporters
and critics alike began expressing their opinions on the president's decision,
including House Majority Leader, sorry, House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries. Bree,
let's get today's show started with you tell us more
about the comments made by Jeffries, and then Morgan and Q.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
We'll get your thoughts afterward.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Yeah, So, House Some Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, he's demanding
answers from President Trump over his recent strike on Aram's
nuclear facilities, which was all over the news.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
We remember that day.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Jeffries criticized Trump for bypassing congressional approval and called for
a full justification of the military action now. While he
kind of sidestepped questions about impeachment during a news conference,
Jeffrey's was very clear in asking why intelligence and military
leaders postponed the classified briefing for lawmakers, He said, what
(02:14):
are they running away from? He also said Americans need
full understanding of the truth, and he was among the
first leaders to question if Iran's nuclear program had actually
been obliterated, where the Trump administration had used to describe
the effectiveness of those air strikes. So Jeffrey said, there
are reasons to believe that it was quote a blatant
(02:34):
misrepresentation made by the Trump administration to the American people.
So now lawmakers are scheduled to receive some classified briefings
regarding the US air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The
Senate is going to be briefed first and the House
session is coming after that. The briefings followed the initial
classified intelligence report that suggested that the strikes caused just
(02:57):
a temporary disruption to Iran's nuclear pro instead of a
complete dismantling, which was announced by the President on that night.
So yeah, a lot of people, you know, we'recalling cap
on that immediately. So we will see what these briefings
are talking about. But that should be interesting to hear
the outcome of that. What it was is some outlets
(03:18):
we're reporting that President Trump was upset about classified information
being leaked that alluded to the fact that it was
not completely destroyed, as he was saying.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
So sure, Morgan.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
Yeah, And to piggyback off what Brie is saying is
that you know, they were they feel like that would
that information? Well, yeah, they said that that information was
leaked and that as a result of that, the Trump
administration going forward has decided not to share as much
information with Congress. So of course, you know, there's facing
some backlash in regards to that. Now, under the War
(03:56):
Powers Act, the executive must inform Congress within forty eight hours.
Of course, Jeffreys critiqued. His critique underscores growing concern about
unchecked military action without domestic oversight. Now, this it's just
one of those things where you know, Congress is like, hey,
you're supposed to consult with us, and the President is like, actually,
(04:16):
I don't have to.
Speaker 7 (04:17):
But the truth of the matter is that the Congress.
Speaker 6 (04:20):
You do have to consult with Congress when it comes
to declaring war but in terms of certain strikes and
things of that nature, it does not work in the
interest of us to know everything. You know, you can't
show your whole hand, and that's just you know, my
opinion on that. So I think that's essentially where the
line where you know, the president is going in regards
(04:42):
to this. But at the same time, as far as
whether or not these strikes were as effective as he says,
you know, that remains to be seen. And then furthermore,
who do we trust when it comes down to that intelligence.
Do we listen to Israel and what they say, do
we listen to our own president and what he says,
or do we listen to the people of Iran who
have said it's not as bad as y'all think it is.
So it's just one of those things that is kind
(05:04):
of like a wait and see. And furthermore, you know,
in dealing with this administration, you kind of never know.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
So there's that, Yeah, that's more than fairank you.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
I think what we continue to learn with this administration
and as president to be particular, that's it's kind of
always much ado about nothing, no matter the scandal or
the bad decision or the overreach or the you know,
disregarding of the Constitution or just decency and things that
would normally happen. There's nothing that you can do to
sway his base, and there seems to be nothing he
(05:38):
can do to actually be held accountable or to quote
unquote get in trouble with anyone. He seems to be
able to do and say whatever he wants, and we
get up in arms and we say things out loud,
and we you know, we kind of you know, make
a we show that we're upset about it, but nothing
actually happens, and nothing changes. His behavior doesn't change. He
(06:00):
continues to do whatever he wants. So I don't I
don't pest press pause as much as I used to
to stop and see what's going to happen, because I've
kind of accepted that nothing's going to happen. His base
will not turn their backs on him, and we cannot
apparently do anything to hold him accountables for any decisions
that he makes. So whether it, you know, compromises our
national security or violates our rights, the man seems to
(06:21):
be able to do whatever he wants. So cheers to that.
Speaker 6 (06:27):
Also, you know, the Supreme Court earlier this year ruled
that you know, he has that presidential immunity, so we're
starting to see what that could mean in certain situations,
you know, case by case.
Speaker 7 (06:36):
So yeah, we are in unprecedented times.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Host Charlotte Man and God recently sat down for an
interview with several issues, including the did He trial as
the thoughts on targeted black man. Morgan, it's time that
starts with you tell us a little bit about charlem
Mane's comments, and I'll follow up with Ramses and Bree
and get your opinions on as well.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
Okay, So I think it's very important, you know, and
I'm learning this myself working closely with Charlemagne on the
Breakfast Club, that he is a dynamic person. He will
change his mind, and I think, you know, that's that's
just human nature. But when he sat down with Rolling
Stone in this conversation, he discussed public outrage over sexual
(07:17):
misconduct allegations in the p Diddy trial, the systemic pressure
facing black men who may either be disproportionately targeted or
unfairly vilified. He spoke about the range of emotions in
this particular case with Sean diddy Combe's sex trafficking trial,
and he said, it's you know, He started off to
say that it's sad and people people got mad at
(07:39):
him last year when it first happened because he was
saying that, you know, this situation brings out such a
complexity of emotions. It's not just about being upset and
outraged about Oh, this is what this person is doing.
Speaker 7 (07:51):
It's just absolutely terrible.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
But it's also about the fact that these are people
who we've.
Speaker 7 (07:56):
Grown up with.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
I mean, you can't put on playlist or you know,
put something into rotation in the nineties without hearing a
bad boy song. So then there's that complexity of emotion
around dang, you know, do I listen to it?
Speaker 7 (08:10):
Do I not?
Speaker 6 (08:11):
He also mentioned Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, R Kelly, and
I will most recently add to the Bill, Smokey Robinson
in the in the in the in the rundown of
black men who have essentially been these public figures, high
profile figures, who have then you know, found themselves in
situations that compromise the art or what it is that
(08:35):
we know them for. And so in that we have
these cringey moments. You know, R Kelly plays in the
club and I mean, you could speak more to this
rams just because you're a DJ, you know, R Kelly
plays in the club and then it's like, oh, you know,
this was my jam at one point. But then also
here we are years later after knowing what R Kelly did,
it's like it's cringey. So basically Charlamagne is saying that,
(08:57):
you know, it's all these range of emotions and that
ultimately he did say that some of these high profile
people just need to make better choices and it comes
down to that instead of us pointing the finger at
the white Man or the system or this or that.
But at the same time, just you know, looking into
this particular situation with Sean did Hey Combs, he was
(09:17):
saying that there were things regarding the freak Offs that
were you know, seemingly hilarious or funny to him. You know,
he found it to be comedic. They're just the range
of emotions and of all of what's going on. And
I think he's facing a little bit of backlash and
some criticism behind that, and also going into you know,
cancel culture and whether or not these artists should be canceled.
(09:38):
Should we continue to be watching their shows, playing their music,
knowing the different things that they did. So he just basically,
or at least what I took away from the article
expressed that there is it's not just outrage. I mean,
people should be outraged, but it's not just about the outrage.
It's about the complexity of the these and then not
(09:59):
only that, you know, yeah, it's you do see a
lot of it happening amongst us our people, black people
and especially black men.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Yeah, with our icons. It's not always you know, black
and white. It can be very complicated, and there are areas
and shades of break where you're trying to determine how
you feel about their art versus the people that make
the art. So I definitely understand where you're coming from. Breed,
tell us your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Well, you know, Charlemagne, he's been outspoken every since we've
known him. On the air, he said the same thing
on air as he said in Rolling Stone. He's sad
over the allegations against Diddy, and you know, any man
that comes under fire.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
We recently saw it with Syler.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Perry also acknowledging the complexity of the emotions that are
involved with which you two have just covered, especially if
you're a longtime fan of these people who are getting
in all of this trouble. However, he also notes that
regardless of how big of a fan you are, it's
still important to take accountability for your actions, and you know,
(10:59):
he says that the entertainers, they're not victims of systemic takedowns,
but rather their own poor choices.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
So that's always something to think about.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
I think it's also important to point out that he
does acknowledge that there needs to be accountability. I think
he's pointing out that there seems to be a double
standard in some cases where you know, famous iconic black
people seem to be held to a higher level of
scrutiny and a higher level of accountability than other people.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
What are your thoughts, Well, I think I'm gonna I'm
gonna tap into the part of my brain that's dedicated
to listening to Q Ward and I'm gonna make a
comparison that I think you would make, and that's, you know,
with the President of the United States. So when you
talk about, you know, a different level of accountability, there's
(11:51):
probably not a better example than that one. I wouldn't
try to mount a defense, but I think that I
think Oprah had an interview with Dave Chappelle and I
make no apologies about who I am, but this will
make sense to us on the call and hopefully to
our listeners. Oprah was interviewing Dave Chappelle a long time
(12:14):
ago and he said something that really stayed with me.
She asked him, you know, do you consider yourself a
little bit paranoid? And he says, well, Oprah, what is
a black man without his paranoia?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Intact?
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Right? And I think that that speaks to being black
in America is to see patterns. And these patterns are
often systemic. But if you're seeing patterns nonetheless, you run
the risk of potentially seeing patterns it may not be there.
And this is why I have to kind of check
myself when when I get to that point where I'm like,
(12:49):
am I seeing stuff that's not really here? You know,
let me not overwhelm myself with stuff where you know
it's not from a credible source. Let me not try
to make the version of the truth valid that I want.
Let me sit back and just wait for things to
play out. And that was what I had to do
(13:10):
with it, not just Diddy, but with Jonathan Major's and
with you know a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
I'm like, this doesn't this doesn't.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
It doesn't feel like I need to be a part
of the mob and the mob mentality, right, And at
the end of the day, when all of the facts
are laying out and there's a judgment and sentencing and
all that sort of stuff, then I can say, Okay,
this is the truth as the United States of America
has decided, and we all have to go with that.
(13:36):
That's I won't say it's fair, but that's the way
society works.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
I don't want to have Rams' version of the truth.
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I saw Jonathan Majors running away from the woman that
he was supposed to be attacking, like he was fleeing
from her, and having lived in that situation, having been
in that situation before, I'm trying to get away from
this because I know that if the police show up,
they're going to take your side, not mine. I understand that,
(14:04):
and so I'm like, this man doesn't need me with
this audience and this listenership piling onto him. So I
tried to be very hands off and understand that no
matter what happens, it's a sad situation. And this is
I think what Charlemagne was trying to say. So I
say this to say that I kind of understand sometimes
being cautious when it comes to covering stories about black people,
(14:27):
black men, because the world doesn't often give them that
benefit of the doubt. And if we are not willing
to at least withhold our judgment until the very end,
then we are no better than the white supremacist systems
that they suggest are there, whether or not they actually
(14:50):
are there holding these folks down.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Hey, what's up?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
This is Ramsey's job, and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Are we the social justice podcasts.
Speaker 8 (14:59):
Right here in the app?
Speaker 1 (15:01):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fosters allyship,
empathy and understanding, all the while conducting journalistically credible research
featuring influential, noteworthy guests, and empowering historically marginalized communities.
Speaker 8 (15:12):
The African proverb breeds, if you want to go far,
go together. So we are asking you to search for
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Speaker 1 (15:19):
That civ C cip h e er right here in
the app. Black Information Network news anchors Morgan Would Andrewood
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
a recently released study took a look at the impact
of evictions on black mothers in the city of Detroit,
and the results from the study revealed some disturbing correlations.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Bring.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Both you and Q share a connection to Detroit, So
let's go back to you and get it started here,
give us some details on the study, and then Morgan
and of course QUB, we're going to get your thoughts afterwards.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Yeah, Detroit is my hometown.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
So the study featured by the news outlet The Nineteenth
reveals some alarming findings about how evictions, both legal and illegal,
are arming the health of black mothers, in particular in
the communities with a special focus on Detroit. This is
led by doctor shaw Nita Seale Jefferson of Ohio State University,
and it's called the Secure Study, and it was developed
(16:12):
with input from a multi generational advisory board of black women,
activists and community leaders. So i'll quickly share some of
the key findings from this study. Over fifty percent of
the fourteen hundred black women that were surveyed in the
Detroit area for this study had experienced eviction. Large number
many of these were illegal, non court ordered removals, also
(16:34):
premature births are a consequence of living in these underserved neighborhoods.
The black mothers living there with high eviction rates face
a sixty eight percent higher risk of premature birth. That's
a number that I did not know, and that is
leasing a leading cause of infant mortality. Along with that
we know the CDC has reported that Black women in
(16:56):
the US experience significantly higher maternal mortality rates compared to
Hispanic and Asian women. Specifically, black women are three times
more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women.
Your mental health and physical trauma, it also becomes an issue.
Evictions are linked to chronic stress, anxiety, and physical health issues.
(17:18):
Even witnessing an eviction, they say in the neighborhood can
be traumatic, and Black women renters are disproportionately targeted, receiving
eviction filings at twice the rate of white renters in
several states. So that study notes that these disparities are
not just individual, but they also affect entire communities and
future generations. So doctor Seely Jefferson is stressing in this
(17:40):
report the urgency of addressing housing and justice and warning
that without intervention, these patterns will persist and worson moving forward,
which is the real tragedy.
Speaker 7 (17:50):
Here, Morgan, Yeah, to piggyback off what Bria is saying.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
This.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
Just reading this story made me be like, Okay, well,
let me see how this could impact you know, the
DMV where I am, DC, Maryland, Virginia, the region that
I'm living in. And because at the same time, we're
dealing with a slew of federal workers who are being
laid off, you know, left and right, and a lot
of them are black women, black mothers, And I'm just
(18:18):
curious as to how could that stand to impact women
in this area as well. And so to breeze point, yeah,
evictions are racialized in DC. Black women are make up
the majority of those targeted by eviction lawsuits, and it's
often less for less than six hundred dollars in amissed
rent payment. In Baltimore, failure to pay rent filings are
(18:41):
issued at some of the highest per capita rates in
the nation, disproportionately affecting Black women. In Maryland's fiction protections
are improving, but enforcement is inconsistent, and illegal evictions are
also on the rise. I just think about, you know,
the kids that are stand to be impacted and how
you know, young men, young black women. You know, now
(19:04):
they're teenagers and they're seeing their mothers deal with these
things and they find themselves in ay, we got to
get it. How we live type of situation, you know,
and whether or not that stands to also impact not
only just their overall economic status, but you know, the
health and how you can stand or are we gonna
get are we gonna get groceries this week?
Speaker 7 (19:23):
Or am I going to pay a medical bill? You know.
It's these types of things that you know, further put.
Speaker 6 (19:30):
That uh, that strain on on the on the black
family in a sense. So it just creates generational wealth loss,
you know it, It creates uh developmental risk within children.
And of course it leaves uh legal situations kind of
on the tables and you know, landlords they have you know,
if you're an investor, if you're somebody on that side
(19:52):
of things, you know, it just it nobody can stand
to win when these things are these things are are
going on. But it does, uh, like pre mentioned it,
research does show that black women are evicted at nearly
twice the rate of white women. And that's out of
the eviction lab from Princeton Studies so it's just, uh,
(20:13):
it's it's it's it's sad to see and it kind
of goes back to Q's point earlier. It's kind of like, well,
what can be done? Q?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Take a seven month.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
First of all that my sister Bree, I say what
up though? Just to extend the proper, proper Detroit Greening. Yes,
listening listening to these stories is discouraging and heartbreaking in
some senses as we watch federal, state, and local governments
roll back DEI protections and then we point to this
(20:52):
and say, this is the reason that those things existed
in the first place. And this is across all sectors,
from education to social services to private business. And you
think about the type of circumstances that you're born into
that create what people call criminal behavior. When, like you
guys said before you get this, get it out of
the mud position where you have to figure out how
(21:13):
you're going to feed your family, how are you going
to keep a roof over your head? And it's like
you remove the things that keep people safe, insulated, and protected,
and then you criminalize them from making decisions that are
just survival decisions. How am I going to eat? How
am I going to take care of my children? How
am I going to keep a roof over my head?
It's like setting up people to fail and then trying
to hold them account for having done so. This self
(21:35):
fulfilling prophecy of the you know, the welfare black woman
and the criminal black man, you know, creating an evolution
or a perpetual evolution of these circumstances that lead to
these behaviors, criminalizing and scrutinizing and putting under a microscope
the people who respond to the circumstances that you created,
and watching that thing running the circle for decades or centuries.
(21:59):
We have all the day, in all the research that
shows that these outcomes come from these circumstances, and we
continue to ignore those circumstances, and right now at a
rate where those who are rich and wealthy are hyper
rich and wealthy, and that gap in between the halves
and the have nots just continues to grow. And our
(22:20):
final story this week and involves an upcoming Supreme Court
case centered around a black inmate and his hair. Wow,
Morgan tell us a little bit more about this story.
Brion Rambis will come to you guys to close us out.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
Yeah, So Supreme Court is going to hear the Rastafarian
inmates case over dreadlocks. On June twenty third, the Supreme
Court agreed to review the case of Damon Lander, who
was forcibly bald by Louisiana prison guards they cut his
hair at Raymond labourde or Laborde Correctional Center in twenty twenty,
despite presenting prior legal protections under the RLUIPA. Now Damon
(22:59):
Landers for damages when his and as and let me
just say, I think that this is what this case
is really all about. It's all about the money. But
I'll get into that in just a bit. So Damion
Lander sued for damages when his locks and I don't
like to call them dreadlocks because I also have them
and there's nothing dreadful about.
Speaker 7 (23:15):
Them, but they he was sued.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
He sued for damages when his locks were shaved by guards.
His attorneys claim that the hairstyle is a key point
of his faith. In Rastafarian faith, locks are considered the
holy crown of hair and it's a sign of their
spiritual commitment. As a symbol to their faith, they view
locks as sacred, representing a close connection to the world
(23:40):
and God and a form of protection against the same thing,
the perceived evils of Babylon, which is considered Western civilization,
which this is a prime example of. So this practice
is also rooted in a Nazarite vow from the Bible,
which prohibits cutting the hair. You guys, I don't know
if you know the story of Samson. He believed that
his length was in his hair and his hair source
(24:02):
of strength. And then his wife Delilah went and cut
it off.
Speaker 7 (24:05):
And yeah.
Speaker 6 (24:06):
So but the lawsuit, going back to the lawsuit seeks
to hold jail officials personally liable rather than the government
entity itself. So the Fifth Circuit condemned the incident, but
ruled Lander couldn't recover damages from officials under the current interpretation.
So the Supreme Court will address whether the inmate can
(24:28):
seek monetary damages, a decision expected in fall arguments and
with a potential twenty summer twenty twenty six ruling. Now,
the reason why I say it all boils down to
the money is the moment that somebody got to pay.
Speaker 7 (24:45):
Oh yeah, now we're going to change the tone of things.
Speaker 6 (24:47):
If this comes down to them not having to pay, well,
they're going to move forward, probably with cutting people's hair
and violating whatever other rights they can for inmates, because
at the end of the day, when you are an inmates,
sometimes your rights are stripped right. So when it comes
to this particular situation, I truly believe that it's going
(25:10):
to boil down to the money and whether or not
the Supreme Court decides to rule to allow this man
lander to receive damages is going to determine a lot
going forward as to whether or not people's and inmates
rights will be violated going forward.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
The ever expensive qualified immunity breathe What are your thoughts?
Speaker 4 (25:39):
Yeah, Morgan pretty much covered it all, but his legal
claim just to reiterate the religious factor of it. It's
based on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
of two thousand, which protects the religious practice of incarse.
So parts a twenty seventeen court ruling affirming his right
(26:01):
to wear his hair in that style, and he was
handcuffed and shaved bald anyway, So he is claiming that
the guards ignored and discarded that ruling. The lower court
is acknowledging the violation, but they said he could not
seek the monetary damages again, which Morgan pointed out. But
the Supreme Court will hear that case and it will
set a precedent for sure. The case could set the
(26:22):
precedent rather for how religious rights are protected in prisons
and whether or not these officials can potentially be financially
accountable for those types of violations. So it'll be interesting
to see the outcome of that with a majority conservative
Supreme Court as well. But you know, in my opinion,
I hope that he comes out victorious because really that
(26:44):
is a violation, and I just don't see the reason
why they ignored his request. I don't understand why it's
a big deal.
Speaker 6 (26:53):
I'm just I'm looking at Amy Coneybarrett, who was a
Trump appoint see on that core in the High Court,
but also so has black childdren.
Speaker 7 (27:01):
I'm just out there, you know, Okay, yes she is.
She has.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
In other cases, you know, gone against you know, what
the President aligns with. So I'm just as someone who
has adopted black children, Amy Cony Barrett, I'm looking at.
Speaker 7 (27:18):
You, girl, what you're going to do for me?
Speaker 4 (27:20):
You know that doesn't always mean they align with the
black thought process. You know, they adopt the black children,
but they still don't know anything about being black.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
My skepticism leads me to believe that they're only hearing
it so they can set a new precedent. But that's
just me, ramses, go ahead and close this out, sir.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
All right, Well.
Speaker 7 (27:42):
I the crown of a holy crown of his own.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Yeah, I agree. I know the story of Samson. And
you know, I haven't cut my hair in decades. This
is what my hair looks like. This is how it comes.
That's just what it does. It is natural, it is
(28:09):
this is what a human being looks like. Homo sapey
and sapient looks just like me. Right, And I stopped
cutting my hair when I was in my last year
of college.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Right toward the very end.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I knew for some reason that I was going to
get out into the world and something special was going
to happen.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
I just felt it.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
And I knew that I was going to step into
rooms after leaving those lecture halls, in those classrooms where
I was the only black person, I might be one
of two black people in a four hundred person lecture hall.
I knew that I was going to step into some
even rarer air, and I thought to.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Myself, you know, what to take my people with me.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I need to take as much blackness as I can
with me in all of these rooms so that these
people know what I'm about, because I've just never been
I've just never been a soft person. I've never been like,
I'm not that way. I'm not no gangster, no brawler
or nothing like that. But I'm not a soft man.
I'm just not. And I needed people to knew what
(29:26):
business I stood on. And I knew one way I
could take all of Africa, all of my history, all
the people that were born, lived short, hard, miserable lives
and died young. I could take all of those stories
with me. It's by letting my hair grow. Because it expands,
it doesn't it's not stringy, lifeless slap down to the side.
(29:47):
I know it's alive and it grows and it reaches
to the sun, and you have to see it. If
you see me, you have to see all of that Africa. Right,
That's what I knew.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I knew.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
I knew my hair grew like this. I used to
have braids growing up, and you know all, but I
was like, no, no braids, none of that. I'm tenderheaded anyway.
Just let my hair do what it does. That way,
they know no matter what room I walk into, they
know what I'm on. That's the reason I grew my hair,
That's the reason I haven't cut it in decades. Right,
(30:17):
if these people on this court can make this right
by giving him back his hair, he had grown his
hair for about as long as I've grown mine. If
they can make this right by giving him back his
hair because they've acknowledged that they did him wrong. Right,
that you have the right to practice your religion in prison.
(30:38):
This is why they have Qurans in prison. Seek people
for those and unfamiliar Seek people tend to wear turbans.
They don't cut their hair, they don't cut their facial hair,
they don't cut their hair on the men. They don't
cut their hair at all for their whole life. So
their hair will be super long if they take it
out of the turban. Right, it's a part of their faith.
If they go to prison, they don't have to cut
(31:00):
their hair because it's a part of their faith. Now,
Seek people are less melanated overall then, of course Muslim people, black.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
People and so forth.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
But I think my point remains that it is illegal
to discriminate on the basis of religion, even in a
prison system. Right, if they could make this right by
giving him back his hair, then they should absolutely, but
they can't because they cut it off. So if they've
acknowledged that they did wrong, and they are willing to
(31:35):
acknowledge that they can't make it right by fixing it
by giving him back his hair, then if you read
our money on every bill printed, it says this is
legal tender good for all debts public and private in
the country something like that. Effectually, that's what it says.
Speaker 7 (31:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
This is how we make wrongs or make right the
wrongs in a society where no other form of recompense
will will suffice. So there's that's how we that's the
great meeting point of all litigation in this.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Society is money.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
So for them to have this argument and I think
Q might be onto something again, we try to keep
each other from getting into conspiracy.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Theories, but sometimes we be right.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
So for Q to say, you know, I think they
might be doing this just to have case president, just
to say, yeah, we violated your rights and we don't
have to pay for it. Therefore we can keep violating
your rights with no accountability. That kind of seems on
brand for the administration, that is, you know, holding all
the levers of government right now.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Now.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Again, that hasn't happened yet. We're obviously going to monitor
the story and see what does happen. But if it
did happen, I don't think you would be surprised, and
I wouldn't be surprised either. But I do know one thing.
Somebody held me down in a chair and cut off
all my hair, they'd be cutting off a lot more
than my hair.
Speaker 7 (33:04):
That's right, dignity stripping you of a lot.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
You're right, that's a long list, but that's a great
place to start, dignity, So we'll leave that one right there.
As always, i'd like to thank you both very much
for your time and your insight. Once again, today's guests
are Black Information Network news anchors Morgan Would and Bree Would.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
Always a pleasure, Thank you, yes, yes, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your
host Rams's Jah on all social media.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
I am Qward on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. Your stations, showtimes and
podcast info jeck Civiccipher dot com and join us Monday
as we share our news with our voice from
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Our perspective right here on the QR code
It's been another busy news week and we like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
Black Information Network. Today, we are joined by Black Information
Network news anchors Morgan Wood and Brewood to discuss this
week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
This is the QR code.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
He is q Ward and he is Ramses's jaw.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
All right, Morgan and bre welcome back to the show.
What is the latest? What is the greatest Breed? Let's
start with you. Talk to me, tell me something good.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Hi, I'm doing very well. Just you know, I'm trying
to stay healthy over here. These allergies are kicking my behind.
And this sun I feel like I live in the South.
I do not, and so it's been very, very hot.
I've been trying to be up under AC as often
as possible. I'm mad at you the air conditioning.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
No, I know what that means. I'm in Phoenix, so it.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Is, you know firsthand, every day, absolutely, And I used
to this every day like it's cool for maybe a
day or two, but.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Not every day.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Oh listen, back to back out here is not a
problem anymore after this, as long as I've been here. Anyway, Morgan,
talk to me a thing new.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
What's the ladiest.
Speaker 6 (01:02):
No, not really, honestly, just out here just trying to
grind continually. And uh, you know, I've been on Capitol
Hill seeing what's going on with our good old president.
So that's what's been up with me, and that's been
keeping me busy.
Speaker 7 (01:14):
Enough.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, listen, we appreciate you because somebody got to be
out there doing that and you are the right one
to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So so keep on keeping on. How about that? All right,
let's get to the news. First step.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
After US military forces bomb nuclear sites in Iran, supporters
and critics alike began expressing their opinions on the president's decision,
including House Majority Leader, sorry, House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries. Bree,
let's get today's show started with you tell us more
about the comments made by Jeffries, and then Morgan and Q.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
We'll get your thoughts afterward.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Yeah, So, House Some Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, he's demanding
answers from President Trump over his recent strike on Aram's
nuclear facilities, which was all over the news.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
We remember that day.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Jeffries criticized Trump for bypassing congressional approval and called for
a full justification of the military action now. While he
kind of sidestepped questions about impeachment during a news conference,
Jeffrey's was very clear in asking why intelligence and military
leaders postponed the classified briefing for lawmakers, He said, what
(02:14):
are they running away from? He also said Americans need
full understanding of the truth, and he was among the
first leaders to question if Iran's nuclear program had actually
been obliterated, where the Trump administration had used to describe
the effectiveness of those air strikes. So Jeffrey said, there
are reasons to believe that it was quote a blatant
(02:34):
misrepresentation made by the Trump administration to the American people.
So now lawmakers are scheduled to receive some classified briefings
regarding the US air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The
Senate is going to be briefed first and the House
session is coming after that. The briefings followed the initial
classified intelligence report that suggested that the strikes caused just
(02:57):
a temporary disruption to Iran's nuclear pro instead of a
complete dismantling, which was announced by the President on that night.
So yeah, a lot of people, you know, we'recalling cap
on that immediately. So we will see what these briefings
are talking about. But that should be interesting to hear
the outcome of that. What it was is some outlets
(03:18):
we're reporting that President Trump was upset about classified information
being leaked that alluded to the fact that it was
not completely destroyed, as he was saying.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
So sure, Morgan.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
Yeah, And to piggyback off what Brie is saying is
that you know, they were they feel like that would
that information? Well, yeah, they said that that information was
leaked and that as a result of that, the Trump
administration going forward has decided not to share as much
information with Congress. So of course, you know, there's facing
some backlash in regards to that. Now, under the War
(03:56):
Powers Act, the executive must inform Congress within forty eight hours.
Of course, Jeffreys critiqued. His critique underscores growing concern about
unchecked military action without domestic oversight. Now, this it's just
one of those things where you know, Congress is like, hey,
you're supposed to consult with us, and the President is like, actually,
(04:16):
I don't have to.
Speaker 7 (04:17):
But the truth of the matter is that the Congress.
Speaker 6 (04:20):
You do have to consult with Congress when it comes
to declaring war but in terms of certain strikes and
things of that nature, it does not work in the
interest of us to know everything. You know, you can't
show your whole hand, and that's just you know, my
opinion on that. So I think that's essentially where the
line where you know, the president is going in regards
(04:42):
to this. But at the same time, as far as
whether or not these strikes were as effective as he says,
you know, that remains to be seen. And then furthermore,
who do we trust when it comes down to that intelligence.
Do we listen to Israel and what they say, do
we listen to our own president and what he says,
or do we listen to the people of Iran who
have said it's not as bad as y'all think it is.
So it's just one of those things that is kind
(05:04):
of like a wait and see. And furthermore, you know,
in dealing with this administration, you kind of never know.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
So there's that, Yeah, that's more than fairank you.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
I think what we continue to learn with this administration
and as president to be particular, that's it's kind of
always much ado about nothing, no matter the scandal or
the bad decision or the overreach or the you know,
disregarding of the Constitution or just decency and things that
would normally happen. There's nothing that you can do to
sway his base, and there seems to be nothing he
(05:38):
can do to actually be held accountable or to quote
unquote get in trouble with anyone. He seems to be
able to do and say whatever he wants, and we
get up in arms and we say things out loud,
and we you know, we kind of you know, make
a we show that we're upset about it, but nothing
actually happens, and nothing changes. His behavior doesn't change. He
(06:00):
continues to do whatever he wants. So I don't I
don't pest press pause as much as I used to
to stop and see what's going to happen, because I've
kind of accepted that nothing's going to happen. His base
will not turn their backs on him, and we cannot
apparently do anything to hold him accountables for any decisions
that he makes. So whether it, you know, compromises our
national security or violates our rights, the man seems to
(06:21):
be able to do whatever he wants. So cheers to that.
Speaker 6 (06:27):
Also, you know, the Supreme Court earlier this year ruled
that you know, he has that presidential immunity, so we're
starting to see what that could mean in certain situations,
you know, case by case.
Speaker 7 (06:36):
So yeah, we are in unprecedented times.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Host Charlotte Man and God recently sat down for an
interview with several issues, including the did He trial as
the thoughts on targeted black man. Morgan, it's time that
starts with you tell us a little bit about charlem
Mane's comments, and I'll follow up with Ramses and Bree
and get your opinions on as well.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
Okay, So I think it's very important, you know, and
I'm learning this myself working closely with Charlemagne on the
Breakfast Club, that he is a dynamic person. He will
change his mind, and I think, you know, that's that's
just human nature. But when he sat down with Rolling
Stone in this conversation, he discussed public outrage over sexual
(07:17):
misconduct allegations in the p Diddy trial, the systemic pressure
facing black men who may either be disproportionately targeted or
unfairly vilified. He spoke about the range of emotions in
this particular case with Sean diddy Combe's sex trafficking trial,
and he said, it's you know, He started off to
say that it's sad and people people got mad at
(07:39):
him last year when it first happened because he was
saying that, you know, this situation brings out such a
complexity of emotions. It's not just about being upset and
outraged about Oh, this is what this person is doing.
Speaker 7 (07:51):
It's just absolutely terrible.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
But it's also about the fact that these are people
who we've.
Speaker 7 (07:56):
Grown up with.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
I mean, you can't put on playlist or you know,
put something into rotation in the nineties without hearing a
bad boy song. So then there's that complexity of emotion
around dang, you know, do I listen to it?
Speaker 7 (08:10):
Do I not?
Speaker 6 (08:11):
He also mentioned Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, R Kelly, and
I will most recently add to the Bill, Smokey Robinson
in the in the in the in the rundown of
black men who have essentially been these public figures, high
profile figures, who have then you know, found themselves in
situations that compromise the art or what it is that
(08:35):
we know them for. And so in that we have
these cringey moments. You know, R Kelly plays in the
club and I mean, you could speak more to this
rams just because you're a DJ, you know, R Kelly
plays in the club and then it's like, oh, you know,
this was my jam at one point. But then also
here we are years later after knowing what R Kelly did,
it's like it's cringey. So basically Charlamagne is saying that,
(08:57):
you know, it's all these range of emotions and that
ultimately he did say that some of these high profile
people just need to make better choices and it comes
down to that instead of us pointing the finger at
the white Man or the system or this or that.
But at the same time, just you know, looking into
this particular situation with Sean did Hey Combs, he was
(09:17):
saying that there were things regarding the freak Offs that
were you know, seemingly hilarious or funny to him. You know,
he found it to be comedic. They're just the range
of emotions and of all of what's going on. And
I think he's facing a little bit of backlash and
some criticism behind that, and also going into you know,
cancel culture and whether or not these artists should be canceled.
(09:38):
Should we continue to be watching their shows, playing their music,
knowing the different things that they did. So he just basically,
or at least what I took away from the article
expressed that there is it's not just outrage. I mean,
people should be outraged, but it's not just about the outrage.
It's about the complexity of the these and then not
(09:59):
only that, you know, yeah, it's you do see a
lot of it happening amongst us our people, black people
and especially black men.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Yeah, with our icons. It's not always you know, black
and white. It can be very complicated, and there are areas
and shades of break where you're trying to determine how
you feel about their art versus the people that make
the art. So I definitely understand where you're coming from. Breed,
tell us your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Well, you know, Charlemagne, he's been outspoken every since we've
known him. On the air, he said the same thing
on air as he said in Rolling Stone. He's sad
over the allegations against Diddy, and you know, any man
that comes under fire.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
We recently saw it with Syler.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Perry also acknowledging the complexity of the emotions that are
involved with which you two have just covered, especially if
you're a longtime fan of these people who are getting
in all of this trouble. However, he also notes that
regardless of how big of a fan you are, it's
still important to take accountability for your actions, and you know,
(10:59):
he says that the entertainers, they're not victims of systemic takedowns,
but rather their own poor choices.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
So that's always something to think about.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
I think it's also important to point out that he
does acknowledge that there needs to be accountability. I think
he's pointing out that there seems to be a double
standard in some cases where you know, famous iconic black
people seem to be held to a higher level of
scrutiny and a higher level of accountability than other people.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
What are your thoughts, Well, I think I'm gonna I'm
gonna tap into the part of my brain that's dedicated
to listening to Q Ward and I'm gonna make a
comparison that I think you would make, and that's, you know,
with the President of the United States. So when you
talk about, you know, a different level of accountability, there's
(11:51):
probably not a better example than that one. I wouldn't
try to mount a defense, but I think that I
think Oprah had an interview with Dave Chappelle and I
make no apologies about who I am, but this will
make sense to us on the call and hopefully to
our listeners. Oprah was interviewing Dave Chappelle a long time
(12:14):
ago and he said something that really stayed with me.
She asked him, you know, do you consider yourself a
little bit paranoid? And he says, well, Oprah, what is
a black man without his paranoia?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Intact?
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Right? And I think that that speaks to being black
in America is to see patterns. And these patterns are
often systemic. But if you're seeing patterns nonetheless, you run
the risk of potentially seeing patterns it may not be there.
And this is why I have to kind of check
myself when when I get to that point where I'm like,
(12:49):
am I seeing stuff that's not really here? You know,
let me not overwhelm myself with stuff where you know
it's not from a credible source. Let me not try
to make the version of the truth valid that I want.
Let me sit back and just wait for things to
play out. And that was what I had to do
(13:10):
with it, not just Diddy, but with Jonathan Major's and
with you know a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
I'm like, this doesn't this doesn't.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
It doesn't feel like I need to be a part
of the mob and the mob mentality, right, And at
the end of the day, when all of the facts
are laying out and there's a judgment and sentencing and
all that sort of stuff, then I can say, Okay,
this is the truth as the United States of America
has decided, and we all have to go with that.
(13:36):
That's I won't say it's fair, but that's the way
society works.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
I don't want to have Rams' version of the truth.
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I saw Jonathan Majors running away from the woman that
he was supposed to be attacking, like he was fleeing
from her, and having lived in that situation, having been
in that situation before, I'm trying to get away from
this because I know that if the police show up,
they're going to take your side, not mine. I understand that,
(14:04):
and so I'm like, this man doesn't need me with
this audience and this listenership piling onto him. So I
tried to be very hands off and understand that no
matter what happens, it's a sad situation. And this is
I think what Charlemagne was trying to say. So I
say this to say that I kind of understand sometimes
being cautious when it comes to covering stories about black people,
(14:27):
black men, because the world doesn't often give them that
benefit of the doubt. And if we are not willing
to at least withhold our judgment until the very end,
then we are no better than the white supremacist systems
that they suggest are there, whether or not they actually
(14:50):
are there holding these folks down.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Hey, what's up?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
This is Ramsey's job, and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Are we the social justice podcasts.
Speaker 8 (14:59):
Right here in the app?
Speaker 1 (15:01):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fosters allyship,
empathy and understanding, all the while conducting journalistically credible research
featuring influential, noteworthy guests, and empowering historically marginalized communities.
Speaker 8 (15:12):
The African proverb breeds, if you want to go far,
go together. So we are asking you to search for
and subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
That civ C cip h e er right here in
the app. Black Information Network news anchors Morgan Would Andrewood
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
a recently released study took a look at the impact
of evictions on black mothers in the city of Detroit,
and the results from the study revealed some disturbing correlations.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Bring.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Both you and Q share a connection to Detroit, So
let's go back to you and get it started here,
give us some details on the study, and then Morgan
and of course QUB, we're going to get your thoughts afterwards.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Yeah, Detroit is my hometown.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
So the study featured by the news outlet The Nineteenth
reveals some alarming findings about how evictions, both legal and illegal,
are arming the health of black mothers, in particular in
the communities with a special focus on Detroit. This is
led by doctor shaw Nita Seale Jefferson of Ohio State University,
and it's called the Secure Study, and it was developed
(16:12):
with input from a multi generational advisory board of black women,
activists and community leaders. So i'll quickly share some of
the key findings from this study. Over fifty percent of
the fourteen hundred black women that were surveyed in the
Detroit area for this study had experienced eviction. Large number
many of these were illegal, non court ordered removals, also
(16:34):
premature births are a consequence of living in these underserved neighborhoods.
The black mothers living there with high eviction rates face
a sixty eight percent higher risk of premature birth. That's
a number that I did not know, and that is
leasing a leading cause of infant mortality. Along with that
we know the CDC has reported that Black women in
(16:56):
the US experience significantly higher maternal mortality rates compared to
Hispanic and Asian women. Specifically, black women are three times
more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women.
Your mental health and physical trauma, it also becomes an issue.
Evictions are linked to chronic stress, anxiety, and physical health issues.
(17:18):
Even witnessing an eviction, they say in the neighborhood can
be traumatic, and Black women renters are disproportionately targeted, receiving
eviction filings at twice the rate of white renters in
several states. So that study notes that these disparities are
not just individual, but they also affect entire communities and
future generations. So doctor Seely Jefferson is stressing in this
(17:40):
report the urgency of addressing housing and justice and warning
that without intervention, these patterns will persist and worson moving forward,
which is the real tragedy.
Speaker 7 (17:50):
Here, Morgan, Yeah, to piggyback off what Bria is saying.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
This.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
Just reading this story made me be like, Okay, well,
let me see how this could impact you know, the
DMV where I am, DC, Maryland, Virginia, the region that
I'm living in. And because at the same time, we're
dealing with a slew of federal workers who are being
laid off, you know, left and right, and a lot
of them are black women, black mothers, And I'm just
(18:18):
curious as to how could that stand to impact women
in this area as well. And so to breeze point, yeah,
evictions are racialized in DC. Black women are make up
the majority of those targeted by eviction lawsuits, and it's
often less for less than six hundred dollars in amissed
rent payment. In Baltimore, failure to pay rent filings are
(18:41):
issued at some of the highest per capita rates in
the nation, disproportionately affecting Black women. In Maryland's fiction protections
are improving, but enforcement is inconsistent, and illegal evictions are
also on the rise. I just think about, you know,
the kids that are stand to be impacted and how
you know, young men, young black women. You know, now
(19:04):
they're teenagers and they're seeing their mothers deal with these
things and they find themselves in ay, we got to
get it. How we live type of situation, you know,
and whether or not that stands to also impact not
only just their overall economic status, but you know, the
health and how you can stand or are we gonna
get are we gonna get groceries this week?
Speaker 7 (19:23):
Or am I going to pay a medical bill? You know.
It's these types of things that you know, further put.
Speaker 6 (19:30):
That uh, that strain on on the on the black
family in a sense. So it just creates generational wealth loss,
you know it, It creates uh developmental risk within children.
And of course it leaves uh legal situations kind of
on the tables and you know, landlords they have you know,
if you're an investor, if you're somebody on that side
(19:52):
of things, you know, it just it nobody can stand
to win when these things are these things are are
going on. But it does, uh, like pre mentioned it,
research does show that black women are evicted at nearly
twice the rate of white women. And that's out of
the eviction lab from Princeton Studies so it's just, uh,
(20:13):
it's it's it's it's sad to see and it kind
of goes back to Q's point earlier. It's kind of like, well,
what can be done? Q?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Take a seven month.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
First of all that my sister Bree, I say what
up though? Just to extend the proper, proper Detroit Greening. Yes,
listening listening to these stories is discouraging and heartbreaking in
some senses as we watch federal, state, and local governments
roll back DEI protections and then we point to this
(20:52):
and say, this is the reason that those things existed
in the first place. And this is across all sectors,
from education to social services to private business. And you
think about the type of circumstances that you're born into
that create what people call criminal behavior. When, like you
guys said before you get this, get it out of
the mud position where you have to figure out how
(21:13):
you're going to feed your family, how are you going
to keep a roof over your head? And it's like
you remove the things that keep people safe, insulated, and protected,
and then you criminalize them from making decisions that are
just survival decisions. How am I going to eat? How
am I going to take care of my children? How
am I going to keep a roof over my head?
It's like setting up people to fail and then trying
to hold them account for having done so. This self
(21:35):
fulfilling prophecy of the you know, the welfare black woman
and the criminal black man, you know, creating an evolution
or a perpetual evolution of these circumstances that lead to
these behaviors, criminalizing and scrutinizing and putting under a microscope
the people who respond to the circumstances that you created,
and watching that thing running the circle for decades or centuries.
(21:59):
We have all the day, in all the research that
shows that these outcomes come from these circumstances, and we
continue to ignore those circumstances, and right now at a
rate where those who are rich and wealthy are hyper
rich and wealthy, and that gap in between the halves
and the have nots just continues to grow. And our
(22:20):
final story this week and involves an upcoming Supreme Court
case centered around a black inmate and his hair. Wow,
Morgan tell us a little bit more about this story.
Brion Rambis will come to you guys to close us out.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
Yeah, So Supreme Court is going to hear the Rastafarian
inmates case over dreadlocks. On June twenty third, the Supreme
Court agreed to review the case of Damon Lander, who
was forcibly bald by Louisiana prison guards they cut his
hair at Raymond labourde or Laborde Correctional Center in twenty twenty,
despite presenting prior legal protections under the RLUIPA. Now Damon
(22:59):
Landers for damages when his and as and let me
just say, I think that this is what this case
is really all about. It's all about the money. But
I'll get into that in just a bit. So Damion
Lander sued for damages when his locks and I don't
like to call them dreadlocks because I also have them
and there's nothing dreadful about.
Speaker 7 (23:15):
Them, but they he was sued.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
He sued for damages when his locks were shaved by guards.
His attorneys claim that the hairstyle is a key point
of his faith. In Rastafarian faith, locks are considered the
holy crown of hair and it's a sign of their
spiritual commitment. As a symbol to their faith, they view
locks as sacred, representing a close connection to the world
(23:40):
and God and a form of protection against the same thing,
the perceived evils of Babylon, which is considered Western civilization,
which this is a prime example of. So this practice
is also rooted in a Nazarite vow from the Bible,
which prohibits cutting the hair. You guys, I don't know
if you know the story of Samson. He believed that
his length was in his hair and his hair source
(24:02):
of strength. And then his wife Delilah went and cut
it off.
Speaker 7 (24:05):
And yeah.
Speaker 6 (24:06):
So but the lawsuit, going back to the lawsuit seeks
to hold jail officials personally liable rather than the government
entity itself. So the Fifth Circuit condemned the incident, but
ruled Lander couldn't recover damages from officials under the current interpretation.
So the Supreme Court will address whether the inmate can
(24:28):
seek monetary damages, a decision expected in fall arguments and
with a potential twenty summer twenty twenty six ruling. Now,
the reason why I say it all boils down to
the money is the moment that somebody got to pay.
Speaker 7 (24:45):
Oh yeah, now we're going to change the tone of things.
Speaker 6 (24:47):
If this comes down to them not having to pay, well,
they're going to move forward, probably with cutting people's hair
and violating whatever other rights they can for inmates, because
at the end of the day, when you are an inmates,
sometimes your rights are stripped right. So when it comes
to this particular situation, I truly believe that it's going
(25:10):
to boil down to the money and whether or not
the Supreme Court decides to rule to allow this man
lander to receive damages is going to determine a lot
going forward as to whether or not people's and inmates
rights will be violated going forward.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
The ever expensive qualified immunity breathe What are your thoughts?
Speaker 4 (25:39):
Yeah, Morgan pretty much covered it all, but his legal
claim just to reiterate the religious factor of it. It's
based on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
of two thousand, which protects the religious practice of incarse.
So parts a twenty seventeen court ruling affirming his right
(26:01):
to wear his hair in that style, and he was
handcuffed and shaved bald anyway, So he is claiming that
the guards ignored and discarded that ruling. The lower court
is acknowledging the violation, but they said he could not
seek the monetary damages again, which Morgan pointed out. But
the Supreme Court will hear that case and it will
set a precedent for sure. The case could set the
(26:22):
precedent rather for how religious rights are protected in prisons
and whether or not these officials can potentially be financially
accountable for those types of violations. So it'll be interesting
to see the outcome of that with a majority conservative
Supreme Court as well. But you know, in my opinion,
I hope that he comes out victorious because really that
(26:44):
is a violation, and I just don't see the reason
why they ignored his request. I don't understand why it's
a big deal.
Speaker 6 (26:53):
I'm just I'm looking at Amy Coneybarrett, who was a
Trump appoint see on that core in the High Court,
but also so has black childdren.
Speaker 7 (27:01):
I'm just out there, you know, Okay, yes she is.
She has.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
In other cases, you know, gone against you know, what
the President aligns with. So I'm just as someone who
has adopted black children, Amy Cony Barrett, I'm looking at.
Speaker 7 (27:18):
You, girl, what you're going to do for me?
Speaker 4 (27:20):
You know that doesn't always mean they align with the
black thought process. You know, they adopt the black children,
but they still don't know anything about being black.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
My skepticism leads me to believe that they're only hearing
it so they can set a new precedent. But that's
just me, ramses, go ahead and close this out, sir.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
All right, Well.
Speaker 7 (27:42):
I the crown of a holy crown of his own.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Yeah, I agree. I know the story of Samson. And
you know, I haven't cut my hair in decades. This
is what my hair looks like. This is how it comes.
That's just what it does. It is natural, it is
(28:09):
this is what a human being looks like. Homo sapey
and sapient looks just like me. Right, And I stopped
cutting my hair when I was in my last year
of college.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Right toward the very end.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I knew for some reason that I was going to
get out into the world and something special was going
to happen.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
I just felt it.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
And I knew that I was going to step into
rooms after leaving those lecture halls, in those classrooms where
I was the only black person, I might be one
of two black people in a four hundred person lecture hall.
I knew that I was going to step into some
even rarer air, and I thought to.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Myself, you know, what to take my people with me.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I need to take as much blackness as I can
with me in all of these rooms so that these
people know what I'm about, because I've just never been
I've just never been a soft person. I've never been like,
I'm not that way. I'm not no gangster, no brawler
or nothing like that. But I'm not a soft man.
I'm just not. And I needed people to knew what
(29:26):
business I stood on. And I knew one way I
could take all of Africa, all of my history, all
the people that were born, lived short, hard, miserable lives
and died young. I could take all of those stories
with me. It's by letting my hair grow. Because it expands,
it doesn't it's not stringy, lifeless slap down to the side.
(29:47):
I know it's alive and it grows and it reaches
to the sun, and you have to see it. If
you see me, you have to see all of that Africa. Right,
That's what I knew.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I knew.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
I knew my hair grew like this. I used to
have braids growing up, and you know all, but I
was like, no, no braids, none of that. I'm tenderheaded anyway.
Just let my hair do what it does. That way,
they know no matter what room I walk into, they
know what I'm on. That's the reason I grew my hair,
That's the reason I haven't cut it in decades. Right,
(30:17):
if these people on this court can make this right
by giving him back his hair, he had grown his
hair for about as long as I've grown mine. If
they can make this right by giving him back his
hair because they've acknowledged that they did him wrong. Right,
that you have the right to practice your religion in prison.
(30:38):
This is why they have Qurans in prison. Seek people
for those and unfamiliar Seek people tend to wear turbans.
They don't cut their hair, they don't cut their facial hair,
they don't cut their hair on the men. They don't
cut their hair at all for their whole life. So
their hair will be super long if they take it
out of the turban. Right, it's a part of their faith.
If they go to prison, they don't have to cut
(31:00):
their hair because it's a part of their faith. Now,
Seek people are less melanated overall then, of course Muslim people, black.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
People and so forth.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
But I think my point remains that it is illegal
to discriminate on the basis of religion, even in a
prison system. Right, if they could make this right by
giving him back his hair, then they should absolutely, but
they can't because they cut it off. So if they've
acknowledged that they did wrong, and they are willing to
(31:35):
acknowledge that they can't make it right by fixing it
by giving him back his hair, then if you read
our money on every bill printed, it says this is
legal tender good for all debts public and private in
the country something like that. Effectually, that's what it says.
Speaker 7 (31:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
This is how we make wrongs or make right the
wrongs in a society where no other form of recompense
will will suffice. So there's that's how we that's the
great meeting point of all litigation in this.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Society is money.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
So for them to have this argument and I think
Q might be onto something again, we try to keep
each other from getting into conspiracy.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Theories, but sometimes we be right.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
So for Q to say, you know, I think they
might be doing this just to have case president, just
to say, yeah, we violated your rights and we don't
have to pay for it. Therefore we can keep violating
your rights with no accountability. That kind of seems on
brand for the administration, that is, you know, holding all
the levers of government right now.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Now.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Again, that hasn't happened yet. We're obviously going to monitor
the story and see what does happen. But if it
did happen, I don't think you would be surprised, and
I wouldn't be surprised either. But I do know one thing.
Somebody held me down in a chair and cut off
all my hair, they'd be cutting off a lot more
than my hair.
Speaker 7 (33:04):
That's right, dignity stripping you of a lot.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
You're right, that's a long list, but that's a great
place to start, dignity, So we'll leave that one right there.
As always, i'd like to thank you both very much
for your time and your insight. Once again, today's guests
are Black Information Network news anchors Morgan Would and Bree Would.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
Always a pleasure, Thank you, yes, yes, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your
host Rams's Jah on all social media.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
I am Qward on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. Your stations, showtimes and
podcast info jeck Civiccipher dot com and join us Monday
as we share our news with our voice from
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Our perspective right here on the QR code
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