June 5, 2025 • 42 mins
On today's midweek memo, Hosts Ramses Ja and Q Ward take a look at the ongoing battle between Elon Musk and Donald Trump over the "Big Beautiful Bill " and also share news on the Obama Foundation's new collaboration.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A man who needs no introduction.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
The Black Information Network is committed to bringing you up
to the date news stories that are relevant, informative, and inspiring.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And while news stories are always being updated and others
are breaking, we understand that you need to be in
the know all week long.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to your midweek memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with Me ramses Jaw and I am q Ward.
All right. First up from the Black Information Network. Tech
billionaire Elon Musk slammed Trump's Big Beautiful bill, calling it
a disgusting abomination. Just days after his official White House
(00:37):
sendoff as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. On Tuesday,
June third, Musk took to x formerly Twitter to express
his grievances with the massive Republican bill passed in the
House last month. Quote I'm sorry, but I just can't
stand it anymore, must wrote Izan to say, this massive, outrageous,
pork filled congressional spinning bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame
(00:59):
on those who voted for it. You know you did wrong.
You know it. It will massively increase the already gigantic
budget deficit to two point five trillion dollars and burden
American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt. He added. The bill
now in the hounds the Senate, would extend Trump's tax cuts,
eliminate tax on tips and overtime, and boost finding for
(01:21):
immigration enforcement and the military. The measure would also make
cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or snap.
Tax cuts and spending hikes for Trump's agenda would outweigh
the savings, increasing the deficit by two point three trillion dollars,
according to the Congressional Budget Office. The TESLA CEO has
previously stated that the massive spending bill undermines his work Underdoge.
(01:46):
Musk was given an official sendoff from his stint as
head of the agency last week. So you know what's
funny is that under this headline, it's Elon Musk wearing
a hat that said, as Trump was right about everything.
And I think this is the problem with the you
describe it better than me. It's you use a word
(02:08):
that's not cult, but it's like similar to that. And
I think this is the problem with that, because you know,
it's hard to hold a person accountable as a public
servant when you've positioned him as a deity and so
I you know, you you kind of set us up
for this one. But anyway, your thoughts here cure This
(02:34):
is like.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Him pretending like, oh my god, how could you people
support this thing after he spent the last year telling
us how Trump was right about everything, how this dude was,
you know, the best thing we'd ever seen, and how
together they're gonna, you know, make America great again. And
(03:02):
then the gangster moves that he pulled from his Trump
appointed government but non government public servant position, where he
came into the government, closed every office and every department,
investigating his questionable at best, illegal at worst dealings with
(03:25):
all of his companies, renegotiating one hundred million to billion
dollar deals for all those same companies, and then putting
his hand up like, well, my work's done here and
I'm going to leave government alone for now and let
the pros do it. And oh yeah, by the way,
that thing that's very unpopular, Yes, I'm against that, like wow, man,
(03:50):
like the corporate thugging in the government. And no, that's
not a jeezy album title. That's just what we just
watched Elon Musk and Donald Trump do for the last
four or five months. And now that he's made sure
that all his companies are no longer under a microscope,
and has access to all of America's supposedly secret data,
(04:15):
and has opened up new facilities you know, in places
of the country that are mass polluting, you know, environments
and communities that are filled with people that look like us,
and made himself again a few hundred million at worst,
a few billion at best in profit from his quign
(04:37):
and and all the other things that he's done to
set his own companies up with government contracts while saving
us no money, when that was supposed to be the
whole point of the job he created for himself.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
They say they saved money, but it's.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
It cost us money, Like, yeah, that's the president bought
a job under the guise of saving us money and
saved us no money. Yeah no, no, no real money.
The American I don't even know. I don't even want
us to do the semantic game. I don't want someone
to hear the clip and.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, you know, maybe he saved this No no, no, no, no,
he said, he eliminated the services that we needed and
inflated the value of what he's what he saved by
a long shot. None of that stuff has been substantiated
and it doesn't pass any sort of scrutiny. But just
in case you've listened to other news sources and gotten
that what we know to be true is what Q
(05:29):
was saying right now. So he doesn't saved us any money.
There you go, got it, got it, needed.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Social services, got rid of things that you need, and
your family and your parents and your grandparents and probably
your kids and your neighbors to give himself more money,
to give himself more tax cuts. And after the work
was done and he got everything you needed, not only
is he like, Okay, I'm done. You know nothing to
(05:56):
see here, but he comes out against this grossly unpopular
bill right that Republicans are going to vote yes on
anyway because they're sick of fans and they're in a zealot,
white supremacist, anti everybody cult.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah. You know what else that really kind of concerns
me about this bill is that, so, first off, Elon Musk,
I he did a Nazi salute. That was the end
of his story. In my book, I couldn't care less
about Elon musk He's a Nazi. That's that I've done
(06:35):
with him way before that salute. Yeah, yeah, of course,
but at that point he's not even a person worthy
of like taking seriously. Okay, so Elon Musk said this
about his former partner in crime, literally Donald Trump. All Right,
they're they're fighting and they don't get along or they
(06:56):
don't agree on this one thing or whatever it is
going on with this story. But to this big, beautiful bill. Okay,
one of the things and you might have sent this
one in Meek, Actually, I think you did. One of
the things I think people need to know about is again,
if you're a fan of the Constitution, if you're a
fan of democracy, if you're a fan of the founding fathers,
(07:17):
if you're a patriot, if you love this country and
you love whatever, whatever your story is, you need to
know that not only does this increase the deficit, not
only does this cost the country more money. And you know,
there's you know, there's nothing in this bill that at
(07:41):
least the majority of economists are excited about. This is
kind of more republican ideologies. Again, when we've thrived as
a country, take the last you know, forty years, when
we've thrived, you know, I think it's like, I don't
know what percentage but the vast, vast majority percentage of
(08:01):
years that we've thrived has been under democratic policies and
Republican policies absolutely benefit wealthy people, but it's always packaged
and sold to the American public as though it will
benefit the everyman, and it never does. You know, you
could even go back for past forty years. You can
go back to Ronald Reagan. You can go back, you know,
(08:21):
because a lot of this started with Reaganomics and trickle
down economics, and that philosophy has more or less been
rebranded time and again to benefit corporations with the with
the premise being that of corporations and rich folks save money,
they'll be able to hire more, stimulate the economy, job growth,
et cetera. But all they'll do is invest in machines
and robots like they've done in the past. They'll invest
(08:43):
in you know, artificial intelligence. Now they'll invest you know,
like or they won't invest at all, just that the money. Yeah,
and and and then and that's because that's what you
sound like.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
They're progressive for humanity and a person can argue that so,
or they'll just invest in themselves.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
There you go, board all the wealth there, it is,
and so for fans of capitalism, I think that the
logic in supporting capitalism breaks down once you get to
the point where billionaires are true to human nature, at
that point where you have like unimaginable wealth and you
can literally shape your reality, and it doesn't make fiscal
(09:26):
sense to do x, y or z, and it only
makes fiscal sense to keep your money because interest rates
are high and you can make money off your or
whatever the you know, whatever that is.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
But John Musk has profited from public funding thirty eight
billion dollars. Yeah, looking at it, all right, So from
how awesome his companies are are, not because he invented
the electric.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Car, just because he bought the president of thirty eight
billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
He claims to have saved the country one hundred and
seventy billion roughly, And that's just a number he made.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Up, That's what I was saying earlier.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah, but we know that he's received thirty eight billion
dollars and public money, not even including tax cuts and
loans and grants that have been forgiven.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
So now watch this, now watch this. Now we're talking
about the big beautiful bill. Okay, So the thing that
is the scariest part of it again for fans of
this country, fans of democracy, fans of the Constitution, fans
of the founding fathers, fans of tomorrow on this land.
(10:46):
Section seven zero three zero two of the bill would
limit the ability of federal courts to hold government off
officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders. Now, I
want to read that again just so that you can
process it. Section seven oh three h two of the
bill would limit the ability of federal courts to hold
(11:08):
government officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders. Basically
Buried in this big, beautiful bill is the loophole that
Trump and his cronies will use to violate the court
systems in the United States of America, to to just
(11:30):
ignore court rulings.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
So then there are no criminal or civil punishments for
them for anything, nor.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Are there checks and balances in the United States of
America for American officials. So if that doesn't scare people, now, see,
here's the thing. I know that there are government officials
who are Democrats, who are bad people. They'll steal their grifters,
I know that, and if they have to, at the
(12:00):
end of the day face some sort of accountability. I
know that it is at least possible for them to
do so if they live in my city, if they
live in my state, if they live, you know, in DC,
and they're doing it on a federal level whatever, they're
still checks and balances in the United States. In this
big beautiful bill again, section seven zero three zero two.
(12:21):
We're not talking about Elon Musk. I don't care about him.
He's a Nazi. I'm not talking about. This is Republicans.
Jasmine Crockett told me in UQ. Republicans have done some
evil things, are doing not hard doing. Yes, And that's
actually that's actually what she said.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Even if all Democrats were bad people, they are the
only ones that can still be held accountable because the
president can just send people to go in their homes
and take them to jail. They don't have to charge
them with anything due process. There's no court hearings, there's nothing.
(13:03):
These people show up to your house, masked up, no ID,
they say they're who they are, they take you away,
and we're watching it on TV and no one's doing
anything about it in real time in America right now today,
not in some scare tactic that we're saying and theory
might happen one day in the future, but happening yeah, no,
(13:24):
this is substantiated happening right now and not in secret
on camera, and nothing's happening to stop it.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So it's important that you know that when we're talking
about Elon Musk, and that's sensational because that name gets
clicks and attention. But the fact of the matter is
that this is something that then opening pong it back
and forth between you know, the Senate and the House.
But at present, this landmine is in there, perhaps specifically
(13:58):
to provide cover or trump circumventing the law checks and
balances in this country. This is I don't know if
it's a play directly out of Project twenty twenty five,
but it certainly is consistent with the nature of Project
twenty twenty five, which is, let's make him a king,
(14:22):
you know what I mean, where he does he's exempt
from prosecution, he's above the law. He does whatever he
wants to do, and that's that. And that's a lot
of faith to put into, to build into the system,
to give to one person, because then you have to
undo that system when that person ends up dying. This
(14:42):
is why kings don't work because inevitably you end up
with a king it doesn't do it the way that
you specifically want to do it. There's some people to
look at Donald Trump be like, I don't care what
he does. He's Trump. That's my guy. Right, that's fair,
But inevitably you're gonna end up with the king. Fair.
That's crazy, that's super crazy. But you know for those
people people that make that argument, eventually you're going to
end up with somebody that doesn't do everything you want.
(15:04):
Look at Elon Musk now that he's broken with Trump
and Trump there's no accountant alone.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
You're also talking about blatant hypocrites who will absolutely criticize
it as the worst thing ever when it's somebody that's
not doing what they want, and their lack of ability
to see that juxtaposition and the picture that you just
painted is the part that's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Seriating. Yeah, it's crazy, but that's why we got to
point it out. And remember this is Republicans that have
done that that limited it. Okay, So this is this
is against section seven zero three zero two of a
budget bill that doesn't have anything to do with judicial
(15:45):
and none of that. It's just this is how we're
going to spend money, and they buried that in there
so that it can become the law of the land.
In that crazy? Is that crazy? All right? Shit matter
more to people, I see it, all right. Next up
from the Black Information Network, Monroe Nichols, the first black
(16:06):
mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has proposed a one hundred million
dollar reparations package aimed at repairing the impact of the
nineteen twenty one race massacre. On Sunday, Nichols unveiled a
plan to create a one hundred and five million dollar
private trust to give descendants of the nineteen twenty one
Tulsa race massacre scholarships and housing help. Per the Associated Press,
(16:26):
the nineteen twenty one massacre, considered one of the worst
racial attacks in US history, left as many as three
hundred black people dead, and destroyed Tulsa's once thriving Greenwood district,
which was widely dubbed Black Wall Street. Nichols announced starry
his multimillion dollar road to repair on Sunday at the
Greenwood Cultural Center. Quote for one hundred and four years,
(16:47):
the Tulsa race massacre has been a stain on our
city's history, Nichols said, It goes on to say the
massacre was hidden from history books, only to be followed
by the intentional acts of redlining, a highway built to
choke off economic vitality, and the perpetual underinvestment of local, state,
and federal governments. Now it's time to take the next
big steps to restore. He added. The sweeping plan wouldn't
(17:11):
provide direct cash payments to descendants or the last two
survivors of the attack. Instead, the bulk of the funding
sixty million, will go toward improving buildings and revitalizing the
Greenwood district. The mayor's proposal came after he signed an
executive order earlier this year recognizing June first as Tulsa
Race Massacre Observance Day. Nichols recognized that his announcement comes
(17:32):
amid Trump' sweeping attack on diversity, equity and inclusion. Quote.
The fact that this lines up with a broader national
conversation is a tough environment, but it doesn't change the
work we have to do unquote. So you know that
is uh, I just my minorlely thoughts here before. I
(17:54):
don't want to jump in front of you, but meorly thoughts.
You know I would like to see cash payments. I
think that cash payments help people out directly, and it's immediate,
and it can change your circumstances and elevate your whatever,
eliminate dead or give you some breathing room. Because for
a lot of black folks, that's our reality. Every day
(18:14):
is just chase a dollar, and you know, we don't
really get a time to stop and smell the roses, breathe.
Blah blah Blah's part and parcel with a lot of
black people's stories in this country. But one hundred million
dollars to improve the district and to kind of bring
it back to life or to you know, preserve the
legacy of it, or to provide some other form of
access to that economy. It's not nothing. Not something that
(18:37):
we are probably getting used to saying on this show.
But not nothing is critically not nothing. So I'm appreciative
it of anybody taking taking that seriously and actually, you know,
putting some some energy into manifesting it. So your thoughts
and the words have been great.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Philosopher Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Oh it's not enough, because I'm
tired of hearing that's not nothing. Yeah, No, we only
say that when it's kind of nothing, but it's technically not. Yeah, well,
when it's not. Even when it's objectively not nothing, we
(19:19):
say it. But you'd only say that when it's almost
kind of nothing.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
You wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
If they were giving people one hundred million dollars, there'd
be no need to say it's not nothing. Well, when
they're reappropriating one hundred million dollars in funds to give
to some other stuff. Because the last thing they want
to do is give black people money. They've convinced themselves
that that's a non starter because we'll waste it on
drugs and alcohol and spinning rims and all the other
(19:46):
imaginary nonsense.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
They don't have it in the first place.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
We can't give black people money because they'll they'll spend
it irresponsibly, they won't use it in a good way,
and who's going to pay for it? All this nonsense
they come up with, Well, that's exactly what you should do,
because in every other case of reparations in human history,
(20:10):
exactly what you did. So I don't even want to
hear that it's not nothing, like just give us money,
give us money. You took wealth from us in the beginning.
You and I talk about this all the time, the
Chris Rock story. It's a joke, but he's serious. Me
and Jay Z and Mary J. Blige, three of the
(20:33):
best people in the history of planet Earth at what
we do. Live next door to dentists and doctors. Not
the dentist and doctors that invented teeth or perform the
first surgery. No, just the regular dentists where you go
to get your teeth cleaned because of the head start
(20:57):
that those people had in this country, because of the
hundreds of years of free labor, subjugation, oppression, Jim Crow, segregation, redlining,
and we could spend an hour just naming all the
things that were permanently were supposedly permanent class classifications for
(21:18):
our people in this country, as property, as perpetual free
labor to build the country that you all think is
so great. We made it great. This makes it great again.
Thing is hilarious. The people that made this place great
have never had a great experience here. So when you
(21:41):
say great again, you're talking about going back to some
time before now where things were worse than now, and
you see how awful they are now. So give us
actual repair, pay us back, acting like we're saying something
ridiculous when we mentioned the word reparation when we send
(22:05):
trillions to aid other countries in the name of capitalists warmongering, Like,
let's be serious, man, who's going to pay for it?
Argument is, oh, we got money for we can't feed
the poor by a great philosopher tupacamarshakor like, come on, man,
I'm tired of having the same conversations and circles and
(22:28):
pretending that there's no solutions when we know what they
straightforwardly and objectively.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Are you know what I will say here though, o Q.
First off, one thousand percent, you're right. I know that
I'm always kind of looking in this direction and you're
looking like, okay, here's our reality. But in this one,
I'm going to take a moment stop and look around
and say you're right. Because we've had the reparations conversation
(22:53):
however many times and however long we've done our shows.
So you're right, you're right, You're right. This is not
a butt, this is not an excuse. I just feel
like this is probably worth mentioning. So for folks that
don't know Monroe Nichols, the mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma is
(23:15):
a black man, Okay. Now, I would imagine that if
I was in that position as a black man in Tulsa,
where maybe I didn't have the numbers, the population didn't
skew the way it does in a place like Atlanta
or you know whatever. We're talking Tulsa, Okay, and I
(23:39):
had to get white folks on board that I might
frame this in the way that he did, and the
best that I might be able to hope for in
that position is indeed a not nothing. This isn't giving
anybody a past, yes, but it's I think it's worth
(24:05):
mentioning because I always want people who listen to to
our programs ME and Q, I always want you to
feel like doing nothing is the worst thing that you
can do. We all have a responsibility to our ancestors
and to our posterity to do something, each and every
(24:28):
one of us with a beating heart, drawing breath. And
you know, for some of us, we're able to do more,
and I would charge us to do more for some
of us who maybe that's that's too taller an order.
Do what you can. Okay. So if this is a strategy,
and I don't know that it is. But if this
is a strategy by Monroe Nichols to frame this in
(24:52):
such a way where it's like, look, you know, to
your point, Q, white folks have historically been like, no,
we're not giving black people money. But if he frames
it like, hey, look, we're go invest in this community
where the black people live. But it's gonna make it,
you know, nice, and everyone can come and shop and
take advantage of blah blah blah whatever. And that's how
he gets this across the board. And it does create
an economic boom in that space, or it does bring
(25:15):
back to life, you know, Black Wall Street, or does
provide access points for people from that community to who knows.
I know, I haven't gotten into the weeds there. That
not nothing. As tiring and as exhausting and as hurtful
as it is to keep saying it over and over again,
(25:37):
I hear myself to you. I know I sound like
a broken record. I know that there's a lot of
people who came before me where it is pretty color,
and they had a lot of that's not nothing too,
and they had to take incremental, little baby steps toward
even this point where I'm able to have a nationally
(25:59):
syndicate radio show and you know, a podcast backed by
a mega corporation with my best friend, and we get
to make sense of the world together and have therapy
together and share our insight with you know, some listeners.
And so I think that everybody who's frustrated deserves to
(26:20):
be frustrated. I think that that's where we are. We're
way past that. Everybody that looks at this like like
when you said, Kendrick, it is not enough. I think
that energy is absolutely necessary because it keeps everybody focused
on what should be enough, what is enough. Let's go
for that. But critically, if we can't get everything overnight
(26:43):
and we're waiting for that type of transformation, we might
be waiting our entire lives, and that transformation may never come.
But what I've learned, at least from our history, is
that progress. Sometimes it looks like baby steps and baby
steps are never going to be enough, but taken all together,
(27:06):
they add up to hopefully measurable, meaningful progress. And I
want to add that not you, what you said was right.
I want to make sure that that is well stated.
What you said is right, But I don't want anybody
to hear anything that I say, or that Q says,
and take that to mean that it's okay to throw
(27:29):
up our arms. It's okay to throw in the talent.
So you know, we will not be given. We'll not
give into despair. We cannot do that. There are people
that gave their lives so that we could have this moment,
and I beg you to live this moment. Well please,
(27:53):
you know me and Q we can't be the only one.
So we need y'all to so don't lose faith. We
take the wins where we can get them, and we
remind ourselves that this is not what we came for
and we still need to keep going. So I want
to make sure I stad that Hey, what's up.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
This is ramses Ja and I am Q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher, are weekly
social justice podcast right here in the app. We pride
ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship, empathy and understanding,
all the while conducting journalistically credible research, featuring influential, noteworthy guests,
and empowering historically marginalized communities. The African proverb breeds, if
(28:29):
you want to go far, go together. So we are
asking you to search for and subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
That's civiic cip h e er right here in the app.
This is your midweek memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with your hosts ramses Ja and q Ward.
All right. Next up from Black Information Network, a group
of New York college students is going viral for spreading
black boy joy as they try new activities around the
(28:57):
city and break the mold of how society perceives young
black men. Per NBC News, a group known as OSB
or One Strong Brotherhood, consists of ten students at Hunter
College in Manhattan. They initially went viral after Kadeem tiam
I believe that's how his name is said, shared a
TikTok video of them trying to trying matcha green tea
(29:20):
at a Dunkin Donuts in New York City. The nineteen
second clip showed them smiling and laughing as they held
up their cups of tea. The video initially garnered several
negative comments, suggesting that men shouldn't be this happy to
try macha quote. I don't know why the Internet reacted
like that, D Soul said. He goes on to say
so now I was like, Okay, so y'all don't want
(29:42):
to see us try macha, We're going to start trying
many other things. Despite the criticism, the group continued to
share videos of them trying a wide range of activities,
from puppy yoga to dance classes and pilates. The goal
was to break down negative stereotypes of black men and
boys and spread black boy joy. Okay, Okay, I went
(30:03):
last time first, so you can go this time first.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
It's an interesting just to position to see these videos
and these young men and where their minds and hearts
are in lieu of what we're actually dealing with in
the country right now. I'm glad that there's some people
who can find a way to laugh and smile and
be happy, because for me that gets more difficult every day.
(30:32):
Like even in this moment, to be fully transparent, it's
hard to even smile about that story because of the story.
We're just finished talking about this incremental whatever. I'm happy
for these kids. Stereotypes are powerful, and if that's all
people see, they believe it, even when it seems ridiculous,
(30:54):
even when it's known nonsense, even when there's years of
data and just actual lived experience that should easily shut down.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Those stereotypes.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
They exist, and they endure, and they multiply and they amplify.
So tomorrow, maybe not at Dunkin Donuts, but I'm gonna
go somewhere and get me a macha.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Go ahead, cue, I'm gonna share that on Beyonce's Internet.
Go ahead, you get it. Just to be in solidarity
with these young men, that's okay. That makes me happy,
all right? So dig this. I saw this. I saw
the video of them doing the I think it might
be pilates. I don't know, but they're doing like some exercises, right,
(31:47):
and there's like the instructor telling them all how to
do it, and there's all these young black men on
these machines trying these new like exercises, right, So maybe
that's pilates, And they were laughing and they were trying it,
and there was like levity and joy in that moment
(32:16):
in that video, right, And as is often the case,
you know, I feel my emotions. I do. I'm an
adult man. I don't need to prove anything to anybody.
When I feel something, I laugh, When I feel something else,
I cry. It's just how I'm a human being. Sue
(32:36):
me or not, it doesn't matter. I'm on my journey. Okay.
So I see these young men having fun with each other,
living life, doing things that many people wouldn't expect for
that purpose, and I became emotional. And the reason I
(32:57):
became emotional is because I remember thinking like, yeah, yes,
you deserve this. You deserve to be free from burdens.
You deserve to be happy. You deserve you know, And
it's so tough to get there. You and I both
know that, que it's tough to get there because those
burdens are ever present, and they're very heavy. And you know,
(33:23):
even with you and me, we have to help each
other shoulder each other's burdens. You're helping me a lot
more at present, shoulder the burdens that I have to shoulder.
You know what I'm talking about, of course. And you
deserve more than just having to help your friend. You
deserve to be free and not to have to worry
(33:44):
about your family. You deserve to be just laugh for
no reason, or do a thing because it's silly and
it's fun. Because you are a human being endowed with
consciousness and your life should not be born fight and
you deserve a better story than that. It should not
be born, work and die. It should not be born
(34:05):
any one thing and die. You deserve the full range
of the human experience, because that's what you are, right.
And so much of our story is associated with all
of the bad, all of the negative, all of the
statistics that suggest that X, Y and Z and you know,
and we have all these things that we need to overcome,
(34:27):
all these stereotypes that we're fighting against and pushing back against,
all these forces and factors, these white supremacist institutions. And
then we got you know, police, and then we got
you know, employment, and we got housing, and then we
got medical, and then we got you know, zip code
where do we live, and environmental factors and you know,
and it's constant. And then we have to shoulder that
(34:48):
as men. It happens, I would imagine more often as men,
we have to be responsible for other people. Sometimes they're
older than us, if they're no longer like viable in
the prime of their life, we have to be responsible
for them and make decisions for people that we're used
to making decisions for us. Add to that that we
have to make decisions for people on the other end
(35:09):
who are younger than us, you know, or across the board,
you know. So it's hard and that pressure is constant,
and it's it makes you. It makes you break and
it makes you cry. And you and me know that
because we are close enough, and we have been close
(35:31):
enough for enough decades to have broken and cried in
each other's arms many times, and that brokenness is like
kind of like, why are we here? What is the
point of this? Why would we be? Why would God
allow us to be born into a world that hates
us only so we can experience hate, you know. And
(35:54):
when I look at the video and I see them
being happy just for the sake of being happy and
sharing that with everybody, it reminds me that we deserve that,
and so that was what I took from it. They
deserve that, and you deserve to get a tea and
put it on Beyonce's Internet and be just happy. And
we're going to be okay, Q I promise, and I'm
I'm even if we're not going to be okay, then
(36:15):
we're not going to be alone. And that's that's I'll
go with that. I wouldn't change a thing. Let's let's
get it dog my bad. I had a moment next
up from the Black Information Network. I just want to
make an announcement here so we don't have to go
into too many details, but this is something that we're
really proud of here at the Black Information Network. And
(36:37):
you know, this came down from the boss man, mister
Tony Coles, and you know, Chris Thompson and Q and
I we got a chance to talk about it, so
we're happy to share this with you. The Black Information Network,
a twenty four to seven national audio news network dedicated
to providing fact based, objective news with a distinct Black voice,
has announced its collaboration with the Obama Foundation to advance
community engagement with youth. This multi year collaboration, the first
(36:59):
of it's for BI, brings together its mission to inform, educate,
and elevate Black voices with the Obama foundations commitment to
empowering individuals and communities to create lasting change. Both organizations
share a vision of advancing equity, social justice, and civic
engagement for future generations. Quote. This powerful collaboration will deliver important,
unbiased information to our audiences, promote civic engagement, and foster
(37:22):
inclusive dialogue in today's news environment. Our responsibility is to
ensure the stories, commitment, and goals of civic and community
leaders are heard by our listeners and carried forward by
future generations. This, according to Tony Coles, the president of
the Black Information Network quote, the Obama Foundation is proud
to partner with bi IN in this unique collaboration to
advance youth engagement. This according to Valerie Jarrett, CEO of
(37:46):
the Obama Foundation. She goes on to say, working together,
we will amplify the critical work of the leaders working
every day to make a difference in their communities and
elevate stories of progress, unity and justice to a wider audience,
inspiring collective actaction for a more equitable future. This multi
year collaboration will build upon bim's mission to provide a
(38:07):
nonpartisan and responsible news service to the Black community, while
showcasing the transformative programs of the Obama Foundation, including the
Leader's Program, My Brother's Keeper, Alliance, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Obama
Foundation Scholars and others that empower young leaders, support educational
and career opportunities, and foster inclusive communities that incite leadership
(38:28):
and sustainable change. Accordingly, BIM will advance the mission of
the Obama Presidential Center in the run up to opening
in twenty twenty six, by sharing and distributing stories focused
on President Obama's legacy, community driven initiatives on the South
Side of Chicago, and engaging in national conversations and around equity,
democracy and change. So any final thoughts there aqueue of
(38:52):
excitement or anything. There's not a whole lot to be
excited about these days.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
But not only is this exciting, there's not many people
that deserve for something like this to happen. More than
Tony Cole's life has taught me that things don't go
the way that they should. I've lost the idea that
karma exists because I see awful people have wonderful existences
(39:19):
and wonderful lives and all the money and everything that
they could ever want, and to cause harm to people
with impunity, and nothing happens to them, and we're supposed
to just accept that. You know, it'll happen to them
in the next life or in the afterlife, or whatever
the case, but in all the life that all of
us know for sure happens here on this earth while
(39:43):
we're breathing in these flesh covered bodies, that part of
their life gets to be great and we see awesome
people suffer, and not that Tony has been in a
position of suffering. He's done quite well, but he's one
of those people that deserve an awesome EXAs distance and
to have something incredible happened two and for them, and
(40:05):
this being something that involves Tony Coles and the bi in.
It's like this was that news where I was punching
the air in a good way, like yes, Like finally
there's a win we can celebrate for somebody that's good,
for somebody that's decent, for somebody who's who spends their
whole day, every day, every week, every month, every year
(40:30):
pouring into everybody else. A win for the good guys. Finally,
two people, three people, four people, five people, a group
of people that we admire immensely having a collaboration like
this come together and be realized it's it's really special
(40:51):
at a time where we don't have a lot of
a whole lot of special happening for us.
Speaker 2 (40:57):
Well, I couldn't have said it better, you know, shout
out to Chris Thompson, see TZ and uh Tony Coles, Tony, Look,
those are my guys, really proud of you. Really proud
to uh have this new work and this new access,
and you know, for everybody that supported us on this journey.
(41:18):
We're really excited to bring some insight and some values
and so forth from the Obama administration to you via
the airwaves, via the podcast. And we will do our
best to maintain journalistic fidelity regardless of whatever room we
walk in. I don't think we're made any different, you know.
So we're really excited about you know, about this and
(41:43):
and we won't let you down. So keep on rocking
with us, all right, don't forget these Another news stories
can be found at binnews dot com. This has been
a production of the Black Information Network. Today's show was
produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share,
use the red microphone talk back which on the iHeartRadio app.
While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe and download
(42:03):
all of our episodes. I'm your host ramses Jah on
all social media. I am q Ward on all social
media as well. And join us tomorrow as we share
our news with our voice from our perspective right here
on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
A man who needs no introduction.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
The Black Information Network is committed to bringing you up
to the date news stories that are relevant, informative, and inspiring.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And while news stories are always being updated and others
are breaking, we understand that you need to be in
the know all week long.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to your midweek memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with Me ramses Jaw and I am q Ward.
All right. First up from the Black Information Network. Tech
billionaire Elon Musk slammed Trump's Big Beautiful bill, calling it
a disgusting abomination. Just days after his official White House
(00:37):
sendoff as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. On Tuesday,
June third, Musk took to x formerly Twitter to express
his grievances with the massive Republican bill passed in the
House last month. Quote I'm sorry, but I just can't
stand it anymore, must wrote Izan to say, this massive, outrageous,
pork filled congressional spinning bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame
(00:59):
on those who voted for it. You know you did wrong.
You know it. It will massively increase the already gigantic
budget deficit to two point five trillion dollars and burden
American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt. He added. The bill
now in the hounds the Senate, would extend Trump's tax cuts,
eliminate tax on tips and overtime, and boost finding for
(01:21):
immigration enforcement and the military. The measure would also make
cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or snap.
Tax cuts and spending hikes for Trump's agenda would outweigh
the savings, increasing the deficit by two point three trillion dollars,
according to the Congressional Budget Office. The TESLA CEO has
previously stated that the massive spending bill undermines his work Underdoge.
(01:46):
Musk was given an official sendoff from his stint as
head of the agency last week. So you know what's
funny is that under this headline, it's Elon Musk wearing
a hat that said, as Trump was right about everything.
And I think this is the problem with the you
describe it better than me. It's you use a word
(02:08):
that's not cult, but it's like similar to that. And
I think this is the problem with that, because you know,
it's hard to hold a person accountable as a public
servant when you've positioned him as a deity and so
I you know, you you kind of set us up
for this one. But anyway, your thoughts here cure This
(02:34):
is like.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Him pretending like, oh my god, how could you people
support this thing after he spent the last year telling
us how Trump was right about everything, how this dude was,
you know, the best thing we'd ever seen, and how
together they're gonna, you know, make America great again. And
(03:02):
then the gangster moves that he pulled from his Trump
appointed government but non government public servant position, where he
came into the government, closed every office and every department,
investigating his questionable at best, illegal at worst dealings with
(03:25):
all of his companies, renegotiating one hundred million to billion
dollar deals for all those same companies, and then putting
his hand up like, well, my work's done here and
I'm going to leave government alone for now and let
the pros do it. And oh yeah, by the way,
that thing that's very unpopular, Yes, I'm against that, like wow, man,
(03:50):
like the corporate thugging in the government. And no, that's
not a jeezy album title. That's just what we just
watched Elon Musk and Donald Trump do for the last
four or five months. And now that he's made sure
that all his companies are no longer under a microscope,
and has access to all of America's supposedly secret data,
(04:15):
and has opened up new facilities you know, in places
of the country that are mass polluting, you know, environments
and communities that are filled with people that look like us,
and made himself again a few hundred million at worst,
a few billion at best in profit from his quign
(04:37):
and and all the other things that he's done to
set his own companies up with government contracts while saving
us no money, when that was supposed to be the
whole point of the job he created for himself.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
They say they saved money, but it's.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
It cost us money, Like, yeah, that's the president bought
a job under the guise of saving us money and
saved us no money. Yeah no, no, no real money.
The American I don't even know. I don't even want
us to do the semantic game. I don't want someone
to hear the clip and.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, you know, maybe he saved this No no, no, no, no,
he said, he eliminated the services that we needed and
inflated the value of what he's what he saved by
a long shot. None of that stuff has been substantiated
and it doesn't pass any sort of scrutiny. But just
in case you've listened to other news sources and gotten
that what we know to be true is what Q
(05:29):
was saying right now. So he doesn't saved us any money.
There you go, got it, got it, needed.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Social services, got rid of things that you need, and
your family and your parents and your grandparents and probably
your kids and your neighbors to give himself more money,
to give himself more tax cuts. And after the work
was done and he got everything you needed, not only
is he like, Okay, I'm done. You know nothing to
(05:56):
see here, but he comes out against this grossly unpopular
bill right that Republicans are going to vote yes on
anyway because they're sick of fans and they're in a zealot,
white supremacist, anti everybody cult.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah. You know what else that really kind of concerns
me about this bill is that, so, first off, Elon Musk,
I he did a Nazi salute. That was the end
of his story. In my book, I couldn't care less
about Elon musk He's a Nazi. That's that I've done
(06:35):
with him way before that salute. Yeah, yeah, of course,
but at that point he's not even a person worthy
of like taking seriously. Okay, so Elon Musk said this
about his former partner in crime, literally Donald Trump. All Right,
they're they're fighting and they don't get along or they
(06:56):
don't agree on this one thing or whatever it is
going on with this story. But to this big, beautiful bill. Okay,
one of the things and you might have sent this
one in Meek, Actually, I think you did. One of
the things I think people need to know about is again,
if you're a fan of the Constitution, if you're a
fan of democracy, if you're a fan of the founding fathers,
(07:17):
if you're a patriot, if you love this country and
you love whatever, whatever your story is, you need to
know that not only does this increase the deficit, not
only does this cost the country more money. And you know,
there's you know, there's nothing in this bill that at
(07:41):
least the majority of economists are excited about. This is
kind of more republican ideologies. Again, when we've thrived as
a country, take the last you know, forty years, when
we've thrived, you know, I think it's like, I don't
know what percentage but the vast, vast majority percentage of
(08:01):
years that we've thrived has been under democratic policies and
Republican policies absolutely benefit wealthy people, but it's always packaged
and sold to the American public as though it will
benefit the everyman, and it never does. You know, you
could even go back for past forty years. You can
go back to Ronald Reagan. You can go back, you know,
(08:21):
because a lot of this started with Reaganomics and trickle
down economics, and that philosophy has more or less been
rebranded time and again to benefit corporations with the with
the premise being that of corporations and rich folks save money,
they'll be able to hire more, stimulate the economy, job growth,
et cetera. But all they'll do is invest in machines
and robots like they've done in the past. They'll invest
(08:43):
in you know, artificial intelligence. Now they'll invest you know,
like or they won't invest at all, just that the money. Yeah,
and and and then and that's because that's what you
sound like.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
They're progressive for humanity and a person can argue that so,
or they'll just invest in themselves.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
There you go, board all the wealth there, it is,
and so for fans of capitalism, I think that the
logic in supporting capitalism breaks down once you get to
the point where billionaires are true to human nature, at
that point where you have like unimaginable wealth and you
can literally shape your reality, and it doesn't make fiscal
(09:26):
sense to do x, y or z, and it only
makes fiscal sense to keep your money because interest rates
are high and you can make money off your or
whatever the you know, whatever that is.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
But John Musk has profited from public funding thirty eight
billion dollars. Yeah, looking at it, all right, So from
how awesome his companies are are, not because he invented
the electric.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Car, just because he bought the president of thirty eight
billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
He claims to have saved the country one hundred and
seventy billion roughly, And that's just a number he made.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Up, That's what I was saying earlier.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah, but we know that he's received thirty eight billion
dollars and public money, not even including tax cuts and
loans and grants that have been forgiven.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
So now watch this, now watch this. Now we're talking
about the big beautiful bill. Okay, So the thing that
is the scariest part of it again for fans of
this country, fans of democracy, fans of the Constitution, fans
of the founding fathers, fans of tomorrow on this land.
(10:46):
Section seven zero three zero two of the bill would
limit the ability of federal courts to hold government off
officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders. Now, I
want to read that again just so that you can
process it. Section seven oh three h two of the
bill would limit the ability of federal courts to hold
(11:08):
government officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders. Basically
Buried in this big, beautiful bill is the loophole that
Trump and his cronies will use to violate the court
systems in the United States of America, to to just
(11:30):
ignore court rulings.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
So then there are no criminal or civil punishments for
them for anything, nor.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Are there checks and balances in the United States of
America for American officials. So if that doesn't scare people, now, see,
here's the thing. I know that there are government officials
who are Democrats, who are bad people. They'll steal their grifters,
I know that, and if they have to, at the
(12:00):
end of the day face some sort of accountability. I
know that it is at least possible for them to
do so if they live in my city, if they
live in my state, if they live, you know, in DC,
and they're doing it on a federal level whatever, they're
still checks and balances in the United States. In this
big beautiful bill again, section seven zero three zero two.
(12:21):
We're not talking about Elon Musk. I don't care about him.
He's a Nazi. I'm not talking about. This is Republicans.
Jasmine Crockett told me in UQ. Republicans have done some
evil things, are doing not hard doing. Yes, And that's
actually that's actually what she said.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Even if all Democrats were bad people, they are the
only ones that can still be held accountable because the
president can just send people to go in their homes
and take them to jail. They don't have to charge
them with anything due process. There's no court hearings, there's nothing.
(13:03):
These people show up to your house, masked up, no ID,
they say they're who they are, they take you away,
and we're watching it on TV and no one's doing
anything about it in real time in America right now today,
not in some scare tactic that we're saying and theory
might happen one day in the future, but happening yeah, no,
(13:24):
this is substantiated happening right now and not in secret
on camera, and nothing's happening to stop it.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So it's important that you know that when we're talking
about Elon Musk, and that's sensational because that name gets
clicks and attention. But the fact of the matter is
that this is something that then opening pong it back
and forth between you know, the Senate and the House.
But at present, this landmine is in there, perhaps specifically
(13:58):
to provide cover or trump circumventing the law checks and
balances in this country. This is I don't know if
it's a play directly out of Project twenty twenty five,
but it certainly is consistent with the nature of Project
twenty twenty five, which is, let's make him a king,
(14:22):
you know what I mean, where he does he's exempt
from prosecution, he's above the law. He does whatever he
wants to do, and that's that. And that's a lot
of faith to put into, to build into the system,
to give to one person, because then you have to
undo that system when that person ends up dying. This
(14:42):
is why kings don't work because inevitably you end up
with a king it doesn't do it the way that
you specifically want to do it. There's some people to
look at Donald Trump be like, I don't care what
he does. He's Trump. That's my guy. Right, that's fair,
But inevitably you're gonna end up with the king. Fair.
That's crazy, that's super crazy. But you know for those
people people that make that argument, eventually you're going to
end up with somebody that doesn't do everything you want.
(15:04):
Look at Elon Musk now that he's broken with Trump
and Trump there's no accountant alone.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
You're also talking about blatant hypocrites who will absolutely criticize
it as the worst thing ever when it's somebody that's
not doing what they want, and their lack of ability
to see that juxtaposition and the picture that you just
painted is the part that's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Seriating. Yeah, it's crazy, but that's why we got to
point it out. And remember this is Republicans that have
done that that limited it. Okay, So this is this
is against section seven zero three zero two of a
budget bill that doesn't have anything to do with judicial
(15:45):
and none of that. It's just this is how we're
going to spend money, and they buried that in there
so that it can become the law of the land.
In that crazy? Is that crazy? All right? Shit matter
more to people, I see it, all right. Next up
from the Black Information Network, Monroe Nichols, the first black
(16:06):
mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has proposed a one hundred million
dollar reparations package aimed at repairing the impact of the
nineteen twenty one race massacre. On Sunday, Nichols unveiled a
plan to create a one hundred and five million dollar
private trust to give descendants of the nineteen twenty one
Tulsa race massacre scholarships and housing help. Per the Associated Press,
(16:26):
the nineteen twenty one massacre, considered one of the worst
racial attacks in US history, left as many as three
hundred black people dead, and destroyed Tulsa's once thriving Greenwood district,
which was widely dubbed Black Wall Street. Nichols announced starry
his multimillion dollar road to repair on Sunday at the
Greenwood Cultural Center. Quote for one hundred and four years,
(16:47):
the Tulsa race massacre has been a stain on our
city's history, Nichols said, It goes on to say the
massacre was hidden from history books, only to be followed
by the intentional acts of redlining, a highway built to
choke off economic vitality, and the perpetual underinvestment of local, state,
and federal governments. Now it's time to take the next
big steps to restore. He added. The sweeping plan wouldn't
(17:11):
provide direct cash payments to descendants or the last two
survivors of the attack. Instead, the bulk of the funding
sixty million, will go toward improving buildings and revitalizing the
Greenwood district. The mayor's proposal came after he signed an
executive order earlier this year recognizing June first as Tulsa
Race Massacre Observance Day. Nichols recognized that his announcement comes
(17:32):
amid Trump' sweeping attack on diversity, equity and inclusion. Quote.
The fact that this lines up with a broader national
conversation is a tough environment, but it doesn't change the
work we have to do unquote. So you know that
is uh, I just my minorlely thoughts here before. I
(17:54):
don't want to jump in front of you, but meorly thoughts.
You know I would like to see cash payments. I
think that cash payments help people out directly, and it's immediate,
and it can change your circumstances and elevate your whatever,
eliminate dead or give you some breathing room. Because for
a lot of black folks, that's our reality. Every day
(18:14):
is just chase a dollar, and you know, we don't
really get a time to stop and smell the roses, breathe.
Blah blah Blah's part and parcel with a lot of
black people's stories in this country. But one hundred million
dollars to improve the district and to kind of bring
it back to life or to you know, preserve the
legacy of it, or to provide some other form of
access to that economy. It's not nothing. Not something that
(18:37):
we are probably getting used to saying on this show.
But not nothing is critically not nothing. So I'm appreciative
it of anybody taking taking that seriously and actually, you know,
putting some some energy into manifesting it. So your thoughts
and the words have been great.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Philosopher Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Oh it's not enough, because I'm
tired of hearing that's not nothing. Yeah, No, we only
say that when it's kind of nothing, but it's technically not. Yeah, well,
when it's not. Even when it's objectively not nothing, we
(19:19):
say it. But you'd only say that when it's almost
kind of nothing.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
You wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
If they were giving people one hundred million dollars, there'd
be no need to say it's not nothing. Well, when
they're reappropriating one hundred million dollars in funds to give
to some other stuff. Because the last thing they want
to do is give black people money. They've convinced themselves
that that's a non starter because we'll waste it on
drugs and alcohol and spinning rims and all the other
(19:46):
imaginary nonsense.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
They don't have it in the first place.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
We can't give black people money because they'll they'll spend
it irresponsibly, they won't use it in a good way,
and who's going to pay for it? All this nonsense
they come up with, Well, that's exactly what you should do,
because in every other case of reparations in human history,
(20:10):
exactly what you did. So I don't even want to
hear that it's not nothing, like just give us money,
give us money. You took wealth from us in the beginning.
You and I talk about this all the time, the
Chris Rock story. It's a joke, but he's serious. Me
and Jay Z and Mary J. Blige, three of the
(20:33):
best people in the history of planet Earth at what
we do. Live next door to dentists and doctors. Not
the dentist and doctors that invented teeth or perform the
first surgery. No, just the regular dentists where you go
to get your teeth cleaned because of the head start
(20:57):
that those people had in this country, because of the
hundreds of years of free labor, subjugation, oppression, Jim Crow, segregation, redlining,
and we could spend an hour just naming all the
things that were permanently were supposedly permanent class classifications for
(21:18):
our people in this country, as property, as perpetual free
labor to build the country that you all think is
so great. We made it great. This makes it great again.
Thing is hilarious. The people that made this place great
have never had a great experience here. So when you
(21:41):
say great again, you're talking about going back to some
time before now where things were worse than now, and
you see how awful they are now. So give us
actual repair, pay us back, acting like we're saying something
ridiculous when we mentioned the word reparation when we send
(22:05):
trillions to aid other countries in the name of capitalists warmongering, Like,
let's be serious, man, who's going to pay for it?
Argument is, oh, we got money for we can't feed
the poor by a great philosopher tupacamarshakor like, come on, man,
I'm tired of having the same conversations and circles and
(22:28):
pretending that there's no solutions when we know what they
straightforwardly and objectively.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Are you know what I will say here though, o Q.
First off, one thousand percent, you're right. I know that
I'm always kind of looking in this direction and you're
looking like, okay, here's our reality. But in this one,
I'm going to take a moment stop and look around
and say you're right. Because we've had the reparations conversation
(22:53):
however many times and however long we've done our shows.
So you're right, you're right, You're right. This is not
a butt, this is not an excuse. I just feel
like this is probably worth mentioning. So for folks that
don't know Monroe Nichols, the mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma is
(23:15):
a black man, Okay. Now, I would imagine that if
I was in that position as a black man in Tulsa,
where maybe I didn't have the numbers, the population didn't
skew the way it does in a place like Atlanta
or you know whatever. We're talking Tulsa, Okay, and I
(23:39):
had to get white folks on board that I might
frame this in the way that he did, and the
best that I might be able to hope for in
that position is indeed a not nothing. This isn't giving
anybody a past, yes, but it's I think it's worth
(24:05):
mentioning because I always want people who listen to to
our programs ME and Q, I always want you to
feel like doing nothing is the worst thing that you
can do. We all have a responsibility to our ancestors
and to our posterity to do something, each and every
(24:28):
one of us with a beating heart, drawing breath. And
you know, for some of us, we're able to do more,
and I would charge us to do more for some
of us who maybe that's that's too taller an order.
Do what you can. Okay. So if this is a strategy,
and I don't know that it is. But if this
is a strategy by Monroe Nichols to frame this in
(24:52):
such a way where it's like, look, you know, to
your point, Q, white folks have historically been like, no,
we're not giving black people money. But if he frames
it like, hey, look, we're go invest in this community
where the black people live. But it's gonna make it,
you know, nice, and everyone can come and shop and
take advantage of blah blah blah whatever. And that's how
he gets this across the board. And it does create
an economic boom in that space, or it does bring
(25:15):
back to life, you know, Black Wall Street, or does
provide access points for people from that community to who knows.
I know, I haven't gotten into the weeds there. That
not nothing. As tiring and as exhausting and as hurtful
as it is to keep saying it over and over again,
(25:37):
I hear myself to you. I know I sound like
a broken record. I know that there's a lot of
people who came before me where it is pretty color,
and they had a lot of that's not nothing too,
and they had to take incremental, little baby steps toward
even this point where I'm able to have a nationally
(25:59):
syndicate radio show and you know, a podcast backed by
a mega corporation with my best friend, and we get
to make sense of the world together and have therapy
together and share our insight with you know, some listeners.
And so I think that everybody who's frustrated deserves to
(26:20):
be frustrated. I think that that's where we are. We're
way past that. Everybody that looks at this like like
when you said, Kendrick, it is not enough. I think
that energy is absolutely necessary because it keeps everybody focused
on what should be enough, what is enough. Let's go
for that. But critically, if we can't get everything overnight
(26:43):
and we're waiting for that type of transformation, we might
be waiting our entire lives, and that transformation may never come.
But what I've learned, at least from our history, is
that progress. Sometimes it looks like baby steps and baby
steps are never going to be enough, but taken all together,
(27:06):
they add up to hopefully measurable, meaningful progress. And I
want to add that not you, what you said was right.
I want to make sure that that is well stated.
What you said is right, But I don't want anybody
to hear anything that I say, or that Q says,
and take that to mean that it's okay to throw
(27:29):
up our arms. It's okay to throw in the talent.
So you know, we will not be given. We'll not
give into despair. We cannot do that. There are people
that gave their lives so that we could have this moment,
and I beg you to live this moment. Well please,
(27:53):
you know me and Q we can't be the only one.
So we need y'all to so don't lose faith. We
take the wins where we can get them, and we
remind ourselves that this is not what we came for
and we still need to keep going. So I want
to make sure I stad that Hey, what's up.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
This is ramses Ja and I am Q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher, are weekly
social justice podcast right here in the app. We pride
ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship, empathy and understanding,
all the while conducting journalistically credible research, featuring influential, noteworthy guests,
and empowering historically marginalized communities. The African proverb breeds, if
(28:29):
you want to go far, go together. So we are
asking you to search for and subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
That's civiic cip h e er right here in the app.
This is your midweek memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with your hosts ramses Ja and q Ward.
All right. Next up from Black Information Network, a group
of New York college students is going viral for spreading
black boy joy as they try new activities around the
(28:57):
city and break the mold of how society perceives young
black men. Per NBC News, a group known as OSB
or One Strong Brotherhood, consists of ten students at Hunter
College in Manhattan. They initially went viral after Kadeem tiam
I believe that's how his name is said, shared a
TikTok video of them trying to trying matcha green tea
(29:20):
at a Dunkin Donuts in New York City. The nineteen
second clip showed them smiling and laughing as they held
up their cups of tea. The video initially garnered several
negative comments, suggesting that men shouldn't be this happy to
try macha quote. I don't know why the Internet reacted
like that, D Soul said. He goes on to say
so now I was like, Okay, so y'all don't want
(29:42):
to see us try macha, We're going to start trying
many other things. Despite the criticism, the group continued to
share videos of them trying a wide range of activities,
from puppy yoga to dance classes and pilates. The goal
was to break down negative stereotypes of black men and
boys and spread black boy joy. Okay, Okay, I went
(30:03):
last time first, so you can go this time first.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
It's an interesting just to position to see these videos
and these young men and where their minds and hearts
are in lieu of what we're actually dealing with in
the country right now. I'm glad that there's some people
who can find a way to laugh and smile and
be happy, because for me that gets more difficult every day.
(30:32):
Like even in this moment, to be fully transparent, it's
hard to even smile about that story because of the story.
We're just finished talking about this incremental whatever. I'm happy
for these kids. Stereotypes are powerful, and if that's all
people see, they believe it, even when it seems ridiculous,
(30:54):
even when it's known nonsense, even when there's years of
data and just actual lived experience that should easily shut down.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Those stereotypes.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
They exist, and they endure, and they multiply and they amplify.
So tomorrow, maybe not at Dunkin Donuts, but I'm gonna
go somewhere and get me a macha.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Go ahead, cue, I'm gonna share that on Beyonce's Internet.
Go ahead, you get it. Just to be in solidarity
with these young men, that's okay. That makes me happy,
all right? So dig this. I saw this. I saw
the video of them doing the I think it might
be pilates. I don't know, but they're doing like some exercises, right,
(31:47):
and there's like the instructor telling them all how to
do it, and there's all these young black men on
these machines trying these new like exercises, right, So maybe
that's pilates, And they were laughing and they were trying it,
and there was like levity and joy in that moment
(32:16):
in that video, right, And as is often the case,
you know, I feel my emotions. I do. I'm an
adult man. I don't need to prove anything to anybody.
When I feel something, I laugh, When I feel something else,
I cry. It's just how I'm a human being. Sue
(32:36):
me or not, it doesn't matter. I'm on my journey. Okay.
So I see these young men having fun with each other,
living life, doing things that many people wouldn't expect for
that purpose, and I became emotional. And the reason I
(32:57):
became emotional is because I remember thinking like, yeah, yes,
you deserve this. You deserve to be free from burdens.
You deserve to be happy. You deserve you know, And
it's so tough to get there. You and I both
know that, que it's tough to get there because those
burdens are ever present, and they're very heavy. And you know,
(33:23):
even with you and me, we have to help each
other shoulder each other's burdens. You're helping me a lot
more at present, shoulder the burdens that I have to shoulder.
You know what I'm talking about, of course. And you
deserve more than just having to help your friend. You
deserve to be free and not to have to worry
(33:44):
about your family. You deserve to be just laugh for
no reason, or do a thing because it's silly and
it's fun. Because you are a human being endowed with
consciousness and your life should not be born fight and
you deserve a better story than that. It should not
be born, work and die. It should not be born
(34:05):
any one thing and die. You deserve the full range
of the human experience, because that's what you are, right.
And so much of our story is associated with all
of the bad, all of the negative, all of the
statistics that suggest that X, Y and Z and you know,
and we have all these things that we need to overcome,
(34:27):
all these stereotypes that we're fighting against and pushing back against,
all these forces and factors, these white supremacist institutions. And
then we got you know, police, and then we got
you know, employment, and we got housing, and then we
got medical, and then we got you know, zip code
where do we live, and environmental factors and you know,
and it's constant. And then we have to shoulder that
(34:48):
as men. It happens, I would imagine more often as men,
we have to be responsible for other people. Sometimes they're
older than us, if they're no longer like viable in
the prime of their life, we have to be responsible
for them and make decisions for people that we're used
to making decisions for us. Add to that that we
have to make decisions for people on the other end
(35:09):
who are younger than us, you know, or across the board,
you know. So it's hard and that pressure is constant,
and it's it makes you. It makes you break and
it makes you cry. And you and me know that
because we are close enough, and we have been close
(35:31):
enough for enough decades to have broken and cried in
each other's arms many times, and that brokenness is like
kind of like, why are we here? What is the
point of this? Why would we be? Why would God
allow us to be born into a world that hates
us only so we can experience hate, you know. And
(35:54):
when I look at the video and I see them
being happy just for the sake of being happy and
sharing that with everybody, it reminds me that we deserve that,
and so that was what I took from it. They
deserve that, and you deserve to get a tea and
put it on Beyonce's Internet and be just happy. And
we're going to be okay, Q I promise, and I'm
I'm even if we're not going to be okay, then
(36:15):
we're not going to be alone. And that's that's I'll
go with that. I wouldn't change a thing. Let's let's
get it dog my bad. I had a moment next
up from the Black Information Network. I just want to
make an announcement here so we don't have to go
into too many details, but this is something that we're
really proud of here at the Black Information Network. And
(36:37):
you know, this came down from the boss man, mister
Tony Coles, and you know, Chris Thompson and Q and
I we got a chance to talk about it, so
we're happy to share this with you. The Black Information Network,
a twenty four to seven national audio news network dedicated
to providing fact based, objective news with a distinct Black voice,
has announced its collaboration with the Obama Foundation to advance
community engagement with youth. This multi year collaboration, the first
(36:59):
of it's for BI, brings together its mission to inform, educate,
and elevate Black voices with the Obama foundations commitment to
empowering individuals and communities to create lasting change. Both organizations
share a vision of advancing equity, social justice, and civic
engagement for future generations. Quote. This powerful collaboration will deliver important,
unbiased information to our audiences, promote civic engagement, and foster
(37:22):
inclusive dialogue in today's news environment. Our responsibility is to
ensure the stories, commitment, and goals of civic and community
leaders are heard by our listeners and carried forward by
future generations. This, according to Tony Coles, the president of
the Black Information Network quote, the Obama Foundation is proud
to partner with bi IN in this unique collaboration to
advance youth engagement. This according to Valerie Jarrett, CEO of
(37:46):
the Obama Foundation. She goes on to say, working together,
we will amplify the critical work of the leaders working
every day to make a difference in their communities and
elevate stories of progress, unity and justice to a wider audience,
inspiring collective actaction for a more equitable future. This multi
year collaboration will build upon bim's mission to provide a
(38:07):
nonpartisan and responsible news service to the Black community, while
showcasing the transformative programs of the Obama Foundation, including the
Leader's Program, My Brother's Keeper, Alliance, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Obama
Foundation Scholars and others that empower young leaders, support educational
and career opportunities, and foster inclusive communities that incite leadership
(38:28):
and sustainable change. Accordingly, BIM will advance the mission of
the Obama Presidential Center in the run up to opening
in twenty twenty six, by sharing and distributing stories focused
on President Obama's legacy, community driven initiatives on the South
Side of Chicago, and engaging in national conversations and around equity,
democracy and change. So any final thoughts there aqueue of
(38:52):
excitement or anything. There's not a whole lot to be
excited about these days.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
But not only is this exciting, there's not many people
that deserve for something like this to happen. More than
Tony Cole's life has taught me that things don't go
the way that they should. I've lost the idea that
karma exists because I see awful people have wonderful existences
(39:19):
and wonderful lives and all the money and everything that
they could ever want, and to cause harm to people
with impunity, and nothing happens to them, and we're supposed
to just accept that. You know, it'll happen to them
in the next life or in the afterlife, or whatever
the case, but in all the life that all of
us know for sure happens here on this earth while
(39:43):
we're breathing in these flesh covered bodies, that part of
their life gets to be great and we see awesome
people suffer, and not that Tony has been in a
position of suffering. He's done quite well, but he's one
of those people that deserve an awesome EXAs distance and
to have something incredible happened two and for them, and
(40:05):
this being something that involves Tony Coles and the bi in.
It's like this was that news where I was punching
the air in a good way, like yes, Like finally
there's a win we can celebrate for somebody that's good,
for somebody that's decent, for somebody who's who spends their
whole day, every day, every week, every month, every year
(40:30):
pouring into everybody else. A win for the good guys. Finally,
two people, three people, four people, five people, a group
of people that we admire immensely having a collaboration like
this come together and be realized it's it's really special
(40:51):
at a time where we don't have a lot of
a whole lot of special happening for us.
Speaker 2 (40:57):
Well, I couldn't have said it better, you know, shout
out to Chris Thompson, see TZ and uh Tony Coles, Tony, Look,
those are my guys, really proud of you. Really proud
to uh have this new work and this new access,
and you know, for everybody that supported us on this journey.
(41:18):
We're really excited to bring some insight and some values
and so forth from the Obama administration to you via
the airwaves, via the podcast. And we will do our
best to maintain journalistic fidelity regardless of whatever room we
walk in. I don't think we're made any different, you know.
So we're really excited about you know, about this and
(41:43):
and we won't let you down. So keep on rocking
with us, all right, don't forget these Another news stories
can be found at binnews dot com. This has been
a production of the Black Information Network. Today's show was
produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share,
use the red microphone talk back which on the iHeartRadio app.
While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe and download
(42:03):
all of our episodes. I'm your host ramses Jah on
all social media. I am q Ward on all social
media as well. And join us tomorrow as we share
our news with our voice from our perspective right here
on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
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