May 22, 2025 • 29 mins
News anchors Alexandria Ikomoni and Rey Harris join Host Ramses Ja on today's podcast to discuss the major 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 Alexandria Ekimoni and Ray Harris to discuss
this week's major stories. This is the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast, and I'm your host, Ramses job. All right,
Alexandria and Ray, welcome back to the show. Anything new
(00:23):
to report, Alexandria, anything going on in your world we
should know about?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hi, nothing new crazy to report, you know, just here
and joining in the warmer weather and ready for the summer.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's good enough for us. Ray, talk to me mails latest.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Hey, just hit the lottery, so I'm going to send
uh my resignation. Just wow. Listen, John getting no all
as well. Okay, news is popping all over the planet,
and we're trying to keep up and doing the best
weekend here at the Black Information Network, trying to keep
(00:58):
power viewers and listeners of our website and our streaming
services up to day on the lulst information and news
around the world.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Absolutely, I'm not mad at that. All right. Well, let's
get to the news then.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
First off, during a recent prayer breakfast, gathering, the Reverend
Al Sharpton gathered some choice words and his thoughts on
the state of black leadership in America. Alexandria, let's start
today's program with you give our listeners some context on
the story, and then Ray, we'll get your thoughts next.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, one visiting Philadelphia's reported that Revenul Sharpton accused some
successful members in the black community of having quote Negro amnesia.
He was speaking at an event saying the generation honestly
doesn't want to be tested, and how the black community
needs to come together to make a change in this country.
But we know he's been very vocal about this new
(01:47):
administration coming in ever since they came in, So this
is just another message he's putting out to the massis
and he's also been extremely vocal about the DII changes,
among other things. So Revenel Sharpton is doing what Revenue
Sharpten does and what he's known for doing and really
just speaking powerful words too many.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Sure, Ray, your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
DEI initiatives and the fact that the Trump administration is
focusing on them so hard and trying to limit people
of color, especially African Americans, has been at the forefront
with Revenuel Sharpton, and he's basically what he's asking for
(02:33):
all leader leaders of color is to call it when
you see it, to step up and speak for those
who cannot have their voices heard. And he's really asking
everyone to be accountable. Also, want to flip the script
on that as well. Amid all of this, is that
(02:54):
that's going on African American John Ewing Jr. In all places, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.
You know, Uh, he's the first black Democratic mayor. So
there are a lot of inroads that are that are
being made. But at the same time, I believe Reverend
Sharpton is asking everyone to be accountable and uh, you know,
(03:19):
really focus on our civic leaders and the duties that
they that they have.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
You know, when I when I was reading about this,
I thought that, you know, there's a lot of people
that have had a lot to say about Al Sharpton
and his age and his his I don't know if
it's inability, but he certainly has not gone to great
lengths to kind of pass the torch. Right, He's still
(03:48):
very much in the center of it all. And I'll
admit that, you know, I was a part of that
camp and I still I think that he could be
taking this time to develop the next generation of leaders,
you know what I mean a little bit more than
he has been passing the spotlight, sharing the spotlight, sharing
(04:12):
the stage, and really kind of taking a back seat.
But when he has moments like this, I still see
how important his leadership is, and I still see how
viable his strategies are and how powerful his words are.
(04:32):
Because I think that there is something to be said
about this. There's you know, the Negro amnesia, as he
calls it is. It's something that's very easy to succumb to,
right because we all have only the frame of reference
(04:52):
that you know, our lives allow us to have. You know,
it's very difficult for us to envision what life is
like under a different story. We can have like little
glimpse and you know, tell ourselves little stories here and
there based on our imagination, but to really know is
very challenging for human beings.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
It's just we know our own stories.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And what Reverend Sharpton is saying is that there were
people who made sacrifices in order to create the reality
that you live in so that you can.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Enjoy what you're able to enjoy.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
But this great experiment, this great journey that we are
on as a people, is not finished.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Some of you have made it to the point where
you have a little bit more mobility, you have more finances,
you have more opportunities, you know whatever. But the data
suggest that we still are on the path toward an
equitable experience in this country. And you owe it to
the people that came before you, and you owe it
to the people that will come after you to to
(06:00):
pour back into this black experiment, this black journey that
we're on in this country. And if you forget about that,
you know, even if you can't imagine what it would
have been like to be a slave, even if you
can't imagine what it would have been like to live,
to be born, live and die in Jim Crow America,
you know what I mean. You just went to a
(06:21):
museum here and there, you heard some stories, you took
a class, and that's really all you got. But you're
out here like turning up every weekend and spending money,
popping bottles and doing whatever, and you forget where you're
coming from. And I'm not sure that that's the direction
he was going in, but this is what I took
from it, then you're doing a disservice to your people.
And you know, I know again he didn't go into
(06:42):
detail here, but it was a prayer breakfast.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
So the thoughts spurned in my mind.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Okay, there's Jewish people here and there's Muslim people here,
but you know, Jewish people famously invest in their own communities,
They famously spend in their own communities. They famously, you know,
remind themselves constantly of their struggle, and not just to struggle,
but you know, their how how they continue to fortify
themselves against something like that happening again. And so when
(07:11):
Reverend Sharpton discusses this Negro amnesia, you know again I'm
looking at it like, ah, that's a good point. You
know that this leadership still has still has a place,
and as long as he has that long perspective, and
he's been on this journey for such a long time,
you know, I had to kind of rethink, like and
(07:31):
I never was like, you know, Reverend Sharpton should step aside.
I wasn't one of those people, but I really he's
in such a position to empower another person or another
group of people, and he still should. I'm I'm gonna
I'm going to maintain that we all should. I don't
think anybody should age out in this position. But but uh,
(07:52):
you know, when when he's right, he's right. And when
he when his words are potent and they resonate, they do.
And you know, he's an oratory, he's a he's a minister,
and so you know, he reminded me certainly that he
still has the capacity to you know, ring a few bells.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Here and there.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
And I think we should be paying attention moving on.
As we've stated many times on this show, elections have consequences,
and those consequences impact our community the hardest. The next
story unfortunately falls under this category. Ray, Let's start with
you this time, share with our audience and details about
the changes underway at the Department of Justice, and then
of course, Alexandria will get.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Your loss next.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
The Justice Department has been in the headlines in recent weeks.
They are focusing on their new objectives, as they say,
and they have announced that police departments in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
and also Louisville, Kentucky, they're going to drop their internal
(08:50):
investigations and the DJ investigations. Now these are police agencies.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
That are accused.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Of unconstitutional policing practices, among other things. But the d
OJ says these lawsuits were wrong and they had a
lot of intentional discrimination and flawed methodologies and incomplete data.
So that's why they're tossing this. They're tossing those lawsuits out.
(09:25):
But the d OJ is not only focusing on those
particular cities, but I also recall seeing cancelations of investigations
in Phoenix, Arizona, Trenton, New Jersey, I think, Memphis, and
New York, also Oklahoma City. Those are other police agencies
(09:50):
that were the cases have been dismissed as a result
of continued history involved having African Americans and cases that
have been highlighted and brought to the dlj's attention, and
this is their way of stepping back. But at the
(10:11):
same time, they're highlighting other cases that have significantly less
merit according to some civil rights leaders in regards to
misdoings or misinvestigations by these departments.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Sure, Alexandria, I just feel like this can be seen
as a slap to the face of a lot of families,
especially in different cities where we have seen very traumatic
incidents and situations. So Yeah, this is when I know
we'll be following closely just to kind of see how
(10:51):
it continues to unfold a reaction to that, but I'll
stop it in the face for sure.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, I think that.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
You know, Chris's note here that elections have consequences is
the part that rings the truest here. I know that
percentage wise, you know, black folks, we voted overwhelmingly in
support of a different administration. This includes black men, despite
(11:21):
what you may have thought. But you know, I maintained
that the last election was really decided by people who
chose to stay home. And you know, it was unconscionable
for them to vote for Donald Trump, and they couldn't.
(11:42):
They didn't have enough to vote for Kamala Harrison, so
they stayed home. And you know, one administration is very
different from the other. And you know, we say the
Department of Justice, but this is Trump's Department of Justice.
He installed the people to do this, and he ordered
them to, you know, drop the investigations and all that,
(12:04):
and so any meaningful not even reform, but accountability will
not be seen for black people under this administration. It
just won't happen. And think of these city Memphis. You know,
we're covering Tyree Nichols. You know, what sort of reform
(12:25):
needs to take place, what sort of accountability needs to
take place. Can we identify that there is discrimination, that
there are there's over policing, that there's an a higher
frequency of violent arrests and violent takedowns by police officers.
(12:51):
Is there a disproportionate amounts of police violence and police shootings?
You know, we talked about New Jersey. We've covered stories
from these places, from these police departments like Phoenix, where
I live, Like, I know these people, and Phoenix has
lucked that Phoenix. I'm not sure if it's still true,
(13:12):
but within the past couple of years, Phoenix was the
most murderous police department in the country. They just were
killing everybody. And I have no idea how it continued
to fly under the national radar, but it's something that
we well knew here and we reached a point where
there was a degree of it looked like there was.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Going to be a degree of accountability.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
And it happened sometime after the arrest of a deaf
man in a parking lot.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
There was a white person.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
For those with short memories, there was a white person
at a like a corner store, like a gas station,
corner store, who had been I think it was stealing
or something like that, and feel free to look up
the story if I get the details wrong, but I
think he might have been stealing or accused of stealing
something like that.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
The police approached him, the white man who was stealing.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
The white man says, oh, no, that wasn't me, it
was that guy points to a black man.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
The police then go and approach the black.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Man was death and you know, there's a violent takedown
and arrest of the man because he wasn't responding to
their cause he like noticed them, and he's trying to
like put two and two together because he had done
nothing wrong. He just was black and close enough. And
this was all captured on video fortunately, so we were
all able to see this and see kind of the
(14:26):
policing done in Arizona, and there was of course this outcry.
This is a story that we covered Q and I
covered this one here. And finally after all of this,
that was kind of the thing because people look at
data and they're like sure, but when they look at videos,
they're like, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Right, So.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
You know, we thought that there was finally going to
be an investigation into this. We're going to have some
accountability police officers were not going to They were going
to be concerned about how they handle black and brown bodies.
And then Donald Trump wins the election and the investigat
that was taking place, he just cancels it.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
So now we have to live under this.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Police department still for at least the next four years
or you know, throughout the duration of this administration and
just kind of do the best that we can and
hope that it doesn't affect us or our brothers or
you know, friends or whatever community. And we know that
it will so for those that set home on the couch,
you know, this is a result of that decision as well.
(15:28):
So I do want to make one note though here.
I do know that Minneapolis said, despite the Department of
Justice dropping their investigations, that they're going to continue to
implement the solutions that they had come up with because
it's just the right thing to do, you know, like
when someone points out all your inconsistencies and your failings
(15:50):
and your shortcomings, for someone to remove the consequences if
you don't change it, you know, that's kind of the
easy way out and that's reinforced white supremacist system that
we've called it that for years now, but at least
in Minneapolis, they're actually going to do something despite this
president saying that they don't have to.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Hey, what's up.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
This is Ramsay's 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.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that busters allyship,
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Speaker 5 (16:30):
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Speaker 1 (16:38):
That's CIVIIC cip h e er right here in the app.
Black Information Network news anchors Alexandria Ikimoni and Ray Harris
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
next up, we head to North Carolina for our next story,
involving a black child and a racist out of control parent. Alexandria,
(16:59):
you cover the North Carolina market for the network, So
let's go back to you, tell us more about this
story and then Ray will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Yeah, So this woman is actually facing charges after getting
on a school bus in North Carolina and calling a
student the N word, and that student was a black
eighth grader. The local Shares office spokesperson said that her
name is Samantha Spoor or Spoor is facing charges of trespassing,
misconduct and some other charges there. And it's reported that
(17:29):
this happened after that woman, Samantha's son was bullied by
allegedly some students on the bus and that's why it
prompted her to go on that rage. But I there
was a point in the story where I saw that
the eighth grader was like, I just did not respond.
She chose not to respond in that moment, even though
her parents taught her to stand up for herself. But
(17:50):
she kind of knew when and where as a little
eighth grader against this grown woman, you know, calling you
the N word, she chose not to respond. I thought
that was, you know, a smart choice on her behalf,
because you know, what can you do as a little
girl with this woman as adult. But it has reported
that spot she says she regrets her words, but she
was protecting her child. But to me, you know, that's
(18:11):
never going to be excusable for you to use an
N word to anybody, especially a little girl, a little
eighth grader. So very heartbreaking to hear that story, and
you know, admirable about how the child handled it but
still stood her ground.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Yeah, Ray, A lot of incidents have been happening in
schools around the nation, Oh yeah, and it's been unfortunate,
especially with the DEI initiatives that are being pushed, and
you have the threats of mass shootings that they're up
in schools around the nation. Cell Phone use in schools
(18:48):
that's a big and heated debate, lunch programs being cut,
teacher shortages, school closings, especially in black, predominantly black neighborhood
where kids have to travel a lot farther to get
to their day of schooling. Parents are really concerned about
(19:08):
these issues, Ramses, and I believe this is a part
of a news cycle during the school year where all
of these issues are coming to the forefront and they're
asking school leaders and political leaders to do something about it.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
You know this, I think that you know, I would
kind of attach this to the previous story that elections
have consequences. And one of the things that I was
having this conversation recently with a person who's been on
the show before, Ami Horowitz, was was in town and
(19:50):
we went and shared a meal. And for those that
don't remember, Amy Horwitz is a like a Fox News pundin.
He's on the other side of the aisle, and we've
chosen to to be brothers, so we're going to love
each other no matter what, right, And so he gets
to share his wrong opinions with me, and I get
(20:12):
to correct him how I look at it. But but
one of the things that I was able to kind
of point out in a recent conversation with him was
that even if you agree with all of the policies
and all of the legislation, and you know, everything that
Donald Trump stands for, one of the things that you
(20:34):
cannot know is what it's like to live under President
Donald Trump. And you know, for a lot of people,
they're like, well, Donald Trump's you know, his decisions don't
affect you. He's not a racist person. That's just the
media within that sort of stuff up. And so I
had to explain to my brother, Tommy Horwitz that Donald Trump.
(20:59):
Even if you were right, which of course you're not.
But even if you were right, and Donald Trump wasn't
a racist and he just gets a bad rap, all
of the racist people support Donald Trump. All of them
support Donald Trump, and they don't support Kamala Harris. They
don't support They want the version of the country that
Donald Trump will bring into manifestation. Donald Trump emboldens them
(21:23):
because he speaks their language. He's playing their greatest hits
DEI and you know, woke history and black history and
all that sort of stuff, you know, the stuff that
they push back against. Donald Trump pushed back against that.
So they feel the most emboldened under his presidency. And
those are the people that we live with. So the
ripple effect of the election of Donald Trump means that
(21:44):
in our actual communities, stories like this are more prominent.
And that's not just me guessing, that's not just that
that's like based on data. You know, there's an increase
in hate speech online, and there's an increase in hate
crimes every time Donald Trum gets elected. It happens every
single time. These people are the most emboldened that they've
ever been. And this is something that I can communicate
(22:07):
to someone across the aisle, which is like, Hey, this
is the consequence.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Of your voting.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
If you voted because you're a fiscal conservative, because you
think that these policies make your life better, just know
that the trade off is that it makes my life
worse and the world that my children grow up in
is more challenging for them. And you know, for people
that think that race is a barrier, that a race
isn't a barrier than anyone needs to overcome anymore for
(22:33):
them to ignore the data and ignore the reality of
our day to day lives and ignore the fact that
these people are the people in our communities that are
responsible for hiring and policing and judging and you know,
legislating our day to day lives, then you're ignoring the
other half of your vote. Yeah, sure you're a fiscal conservative,
but you're making the world a lot more challenging for
(22:56):
people that you claim to be, you know, sympathetic with
and understand and appreciate and value. You know, and that's
not Ami personally, but this was the argument I was making,
and so I think it fits right here. Voting has
consequences directly or indirectly, and I think this is an
example of an indirect consequence of voting. Finally, as we
(23:18):
had toward the holiday weekend, let's end this week's show
with some positive news involving the city of Clarkstille, Mississippi.
In the movie centers right, let's hear more about the
story from you, and then Alexandria will get your thoughts
to close this out.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Sinners, it's coming to a theater near you, but there's
not a theater in a town called clark Still, Mississippi.
For our listeners, I won't I won't the I won't
tell you what the movie is about, but so we
won't spoil that for you. But what we can tell
(23:51):
you is that this movie is going to make a
big debut and clark Still next month on a special holiday,
June tenth, juneteenth, and that is on the nineteenth of June. Now,
they don't have a theater there. The closest theater of
Ramses is about an hour's drive away to Memphis, so
(24:14):
it would be a monumental feat and a difficult task
for many families there to go visit a theater just
to go to a movie instead of you know, driving
sixty sixty miles and then getting your movie tickets and
refreshments and gas money and stuff like that. That could
(24:38):
be a tremendous haul on some families. But in Clarksdale,
they're going to have a special screening of the movie
at Clarksdale High School on their football field, and the
star of the movie, Michael B. Jordan and the director
Ryan Coogler will be there to celebrate this monumental feed
(25:01):
in a city that's known for its civil rights movement
and it is also the home of the blues. And
another quick footnote for our listeners to give them a
better perspective of Clarksdale's town about fifteen thousand, mostly black residents,
(25:22):
so this will be a big treat for them. One
of the most famous people that we all may know
Morgan Freeman. He lives nearby and an now called Charleston, Mississippi.
He owns a co owns a club in Clarksdale called
Ground Zero, a big time blues club. So they'll probably
(25:46):
have some events there associated with the event, but it
should be a very nice occasion, and of course the
Black Information Network is going to cover them. I love it, Alexandre.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I saw the movie yesterday actually, and I'm a little late,
but I finally saw it, and it was such a
good movie. So I am excited for this community just
to really see it if they're interested. You know, here
talk about Home of the Blues, which plays a huge
part of the movie. So I thought there'll be a
lot of great connections that the community can really get
(26:21):
from it when they see it. So it's really exciting
that it's coming there, and of course the star and
the director being there as well. So yeah, so I'm
looking forward to seeing, you know, the responses when they
do see the movie and going from there. And I
hope they get a movie theater soon because you know,
it's important to not have to drive so far for
good entertainment.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Yeah, and I think that just in short, I really
love how Ryan and Michael are, Like really.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
They're not.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
Like your typical Hollywood stars, you know what I mean.
They really I really get the the feeling that they're
doing this for the people. They're doing this for the
legacy of our people. They're doing you know what I mean,
it's more than just numbers and and you know, to
get rich and for the craft and all the you know,
all the things that you typically hear out of Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
They're doing this.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
For for the people, and that feels that that feels
so special and I you know, obviously we lost Chad
with Boseman, but you know, it felt like from a distance,
Chadwick Boseman was kind of a similar figure where he's like, Okay,
I'm doing this because this is my craft, this is
what I love to do. But I stand with my people,
(27:39):
and I think that, you know, situations like this illustrate
that that that point quite well, because there's no need
outside of you know, I think the town has like
fifteen thousand people in it, there's no need for the
director and the you know, the star of the film
to like go out there and do a screen as
(28:00):
it may as well be a private screening for just
the people where the town is set, you know, none
of the actors or none of that stuff. So that
feels kind of special. And you know, I had the
this is not just you know, me guessing. I had
the opportunity to meet Michael B.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Jordan.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
He's a friend of C's, just like everyone else, and
so Q introduced me in uh this might have been
San Diego or something like that a couple of years back.
And you know, with the work that you and I do.
It really did feel like he was really interested in
that type of work. Uh, And so you know, I've
(28:36):
been kind of watching him ever since then through that lens.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Of like, is he really like as pro black as
he came.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Across in that conversation, And I'm I'm glad that he
absolutely is, and and Ryan Coogler as well. And so
for those who haven't been able to support the film,
please go support the film. But you know, in the meantime,
like like Chris said, it's a feel good story, So
we'll take it well that in mind, we'll leave it
right there. I'd like to thank you both very much
for your time and inside always once again. Today's guests
(29:05):
are Black Information Network news anchors Alexandria, Icimoni and Ray Harris.
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 Ramsey's Jaw on all social media, and I'll be
(29:27):
hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this weekend on a
station near you. For stations, show times, and podcast info,
check Civiccipher dot com and join us Monday as we
share our news with our voice from our perspective right
here on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
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 Alexandria Ekimoni and Ray Harris to discuss
this week's major stories. This is the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast, and I'm your host, Ramses job. All right,
Alexandria and Ray, welcome back to the show. Anything new
(00:23):
to report, Alexandria, anything going on in your world we
should know about?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hi, nothing new crazy to report, you know, just here
and joining in the warmer weather and ready for the summer.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's good enough for us. Ray, talk to me mails latest.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Hey, just hit the lottery, so I'm going to send
uh my resignation. Just wow. Listen, John getting no all
as well. Okay, news is popping all over the planet,
and we're trying to keep up and doing the best
weekend here at the Black Information Network, trying to keep
(00:58):
power viewers and listeners of our website and our streaming
services up to day on the lulst information and news
around the world.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Absolutely, I'm not mad at that. All right. Well, let's
get to the news then.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
First off, during a recent prayer breakfast, gathering, the Reverend
Al Sharpton gathered some choice words and his thoughts on
the state of black leadership in America. Alexandria, let's start
today's program with you give our listeners some context on
the story, and then Ray, we'll get your thoughts next.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, one visiting Philadelphia's reported that Revenul Sharpton accused some
successful members in the black community of having quote Negro amnesia.
He was speaking at an event saying the generation honestly
doesn't want to be tested, and how the black community
needs to come together to make a change in this country.
But we know he's been very vocal about this new
(01:47):
administration coming in ever since they came in, So this
is just another message he's putting out to the massis
and he's also been extremely vocal about the DII changes,
among other things. So Revenel Sharpton is doing what Revenue
Sharpten does and what he's known for doing and really
just speaking powerful words too many.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Sure, Ray, your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
DEI initiatives and the fact that the Trump administration is
focusing on them so hard and trying to limit people
of color, especially African Americans, has been at the forefront
with Revenuel Sharpton, and he's basically what he's asking for
(02:33):
all leader leaders of color is to call it when
you see it, to step up and speak for those
who cannot have their voices heard. And he's really asking
everyone to be accountable. Also, want to flip the script
on that as well. Amid all of this, is that
(02:54):
that's going on African American John Ewing Jr. In all places, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.
You know, Uh, he's the first black Democratic mayor. So
there are a lot of inroads that are that are
being made. But at the same time, I believe Reverend
Sharpton is asking everyone to be accountable and uh, you know,
(03:19):
really focus on our civic leaders and the duties that
they that they have.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
You know, when I when I was reading about this,
I thought that, you know, there's a lot of people
that have had a lot to say about Al Sharpton
and his age and his his I don't know if
it's inability, but he certainly has not gone to great
lengths to kind of pass the torch. Right, He's still
(03:48):
very much in the center of it all. And I'll
admit that, you know, I was a part of that
camp and I still I think that he could be
taking this time to develop the next generation of leaders,
you know what I mean a little bit more than
he has been passing the spotlight, sharing the spotlight, sharing
(04:12):
the stage, and really kind of taking a back seat.
But when he has moments like this, I still see
how important his leadership is, and I still see how
viable his strategies are and how powerful his words are.
(04:32):
Because I think that there is something to be said
about this. There's you know, the Negro amnesia, as he
calls it is. It's something that's very easy to succumb to,
right because we all have only the frame of reference
(04:52):
that you know, our lives allow us to have. You know,
it's very difficult for us to envision what life is
like under a different story. We can have like little
glimpse and you know, tell ourselves little stories here and
there based on our imagination, but to really know is
very challenging for human beings.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
It's just we know our own stories.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And what Reverend Sharpton is saying is that there were
people who made sacrifices in order to create the reality
that you live in so that you can.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Enjoy what you're able to enjoy.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
But this great experiment, this great journey that we are
on as a people, is not finished.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Some of you have made it to the point where
you have a little bit more mobility, you have more finances,
you have more opportunities, you know whatever. But the data
suggest that we still are on the path toward an
equitable experience in this country. And you owe it to
the people that came before you, and you owe it
to the people that will come after you to to
(06:00):
pour back into this black experiment, this black journey that
we're on in this country. And if you forget about that,
you know, even if you can't imagine what it would
have been like to be a slave, even if you
can't imagine what it would have been like to live,
to be born, live and die in Jim Crow America,
you know what I mean. You just went to a
(06:21):
museum here and there, you heard some stories, you took
a class, and that's really all you got. But you're
out here like turning up every weekend and spending money,
popping bottles and doing whatever, and you forget where you're
coming from. And I'm not sure that that's the direction
he was going in, but this is what I took
from it, then you're doing a disservice to your people.
And you know, I know again he didn't go into
(06:42):
detail here, but it was a prayer breakfast.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
So the thoughts spurned in my mind.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Okay, there's Jewish people here and there's Muslim people here,
but you know, Jewish people famously invest in their own communities,
They famously spend in their own communities. They famously, you know,
remind themselves constantly of their struggle, and not just to struggle,
but you know, their how how they continue to fortify
themselves against something like that happening again. And so when
(07:11):
Reverend Sharpton discusses this Negro amnesia, you know again I'm
looking at it like, ah, that's a good point. You
know that this leadership still has still has a place,
and as long as he has that long perspective, and
he's been on this journey for such a long time,
you know, I had to kind of rethink, like and
(07:31):
I never was like, you know, Reverend Sharpton should step aside.
I wasn't one of those people, but I really he's
in such a position to empower another person or another
group of people, and he still should. I'm I'm gonna
I'm going to maintain that we all should. I don't
think anybody should age out in this position. But but uh,
(07:52):
you know, when when he's right, he's right. And when
he when his words are potent and they resonate, they do.
And you know, he's an oratory, he's a he's a minister,
and so you know, he reminded me certainly that he
still has the capacity to you know, ring a few bells.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Here and there.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
And I think we should be paying attention moving on.
As we've stated many times on this show, elections have consequences,
and those consequences impact our community the hardest. The next
story unfortunately falls under this category. Ray, Let's start with
you this time, share with our audience and details about
the changes underway at the Department of Justice, and then
of course, Alexandria will get.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Your loss next.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
The Justice Department has been in the headlines in recent weeks.
They are focusing on their new objectives, as they say,
and they have announced that police departments in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
and also Louisville, Kentucky, they're going to drop their internal
(08:50):
investigations and the DJ investigations. Now these are police agencies.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
That are accused.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Of unconstitutional policing practices, among other things. But the d
OJ says these lawsuits were wrong and they had a
lot of intentional discrimination and flawed methodologies and incomplete data.
So that's why they're tossing this. They're tossing those lawsuits out.
(09:25):
But the d OJ is not only focusing on those
particular cities, but I also recall seeing cancelations of investigations
in Phoenix, Arizona, Trenton, New Jersey, I think, Memphis, and
New York, also Oklahoma City. Those are other police agencies
(09:50):
that were the cases have been dismissed as a result
of continued history involved having African Americans and cases that
have been highlighted and brought to the dlj's attention, and
this is their way of stepping back. But at the
(10:11):
same time, they're highlighting other cases that have significantly less
merit according to some civil rights leaders in regards to
misdoings or misinvestigations by these departments.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Sure, Alexandria, I just feel like this can be seen
as a slap to the face of a lot of families,
especially in different cities where we have seen very traumatic
incidents and situations. So Yeah, this is when I know
we'll be following closely just to kind of see how
(10:51):
it continues to unfold a reaction to that, but I'll
stop it in the face for sure.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, I think that.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
You know, Chris's note here that elections have consequences is
the part that rings the truest here. I know that
percentage wise, you know, black folks, we voted overwhelmingly in
support of a different administration. This includes black men, despite
(11:21):
what you may have thought. But you know, I maintained
that the last election was really decided by people who
chose to stay home. And you know, it was unconscionable
for them to vote for Donald Trump, and they couldn't.
(11:42):
They didn't have enough to vote for Kamala Harrison, so
they stayed home. And you know, one administration is very
different from the other. And you know, we say the
Department of Justice, but this is Trump's Department of Justice.
He installed the people to do this, and he ordered
them to, you know, drop the investigations and all that,
(12:04):
and so any meaningful not even reform, but accountability will
not be seen for black people under this administration. It
just won't happen. And think of these city Memphis. You know,
we're covering Tyree Nichols. You know, what sort of reform
(12:25):
needs to take place, what sort of accountability needs to
take place. Can we identify that there is discrimination, that
there are there's over policing, that there's an a higher
frequency of violent arrests and violent takedowns by police officers.
(12:51):
Is there a disproportionate amounts of police violence and police shootings?
You know, we talked about New Jersey. We've covered stories
from these places, from these police departments like Phoenix, where
I live, Like, I know these people, and Phoenix has
lucked that Phoenix. I'm not sure if it's still true,
(13:12):
but within the past couple of years, Phoenix was the
most murderous police department in the country. They just were
killing everybody. And I have no idea how it continued
to fly under the national radar, but it's something that
we well knew here and we reached a point where
there was a degree of it looked like there was.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Going to be a degree of accountability.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
And it happened sometime after the arrest of a deaf
man in a parking lot.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
There was a white person.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
For those with short memories, there was a white person
at a like a corner store, like a gas station,
corner store, who had been I think it was stealing
or something like that, and feel free to look up
the story if I get the details wrong, but I
think he might have been stealing or accused of stealing
something like that.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
The police approached him, the white man who was stealing.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
The white man says, oh, no, that wasn't me, it
was that guy points to a black man.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
The police then go and approach the black.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Man was death and you know, there's a violent takedown
and arrest of the man because he wasn't responding to
their cause he like noticed them, and he's trying to
like put two and two together because he had done
nothing wrong. He just was black and close enough. And
this was all captured on video fortunately, so we were
all able to see this and see kind of the
(14:26):
policing done in Arizona, and there was of course this outcry.
This is a story that we covered Q and I
covered this one here. And finally after all of this,
that was kind of the thing because people look at
data and they're like sure, but when they look at videos,
they're like, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Right, So.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
You know, we thought that there was finally going to
be an investigation into this. We're going to have some
accountability police officers were not going to They were going
to be concerned about how they handle black and brown bodies.
And then Donald Trump wins the election and the investigat
that was taking place, he just cancels it.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
So now we have to live under this.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Police department still for at least the next four years
or you know, throughout the duration of this administration and
just kind of do the best that we can and
hope that it doesn't affect us or our brothers or
you know, friends or whatever community. And we know that
it will so for those that set home on the couch,
you know, this is a result of that decision as well.
(15:28):
So I do want to make one note though here.
I do know that Minneapolis said, despite the Department of
Justice dropping their investigations, that they're going to continue to
implement the solutions that they had come up with because
it's just the right thing to do, you know, like
when someone points out all your inconsistencies and your failings
(15:50):
and your shortcomings, for someone to remove the consequences if
you don't change it, you know, that's kind of the
easy way out and that's reinforced white supremacist system that
we've called it that for years now, but at least
in Minneapolis, they're actually going to do something despite this
president saying that they don't have to.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Hey, what's up.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
This is Ramsay's 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.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that busters allyship,
empathy and understanding, all the while conducting journalistically credible research
featuring influential, noteworthy guests, and empowering historically marginalized communities.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
The African proverb reads, if you want to go far,
go together. So we are asking you to search for
and subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
That's CIVIIC cip h e er right here in the app.
Black Information Network news anchors Alexandria Ikimoni and Ray Harris
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
next up, we head to North Carolina for our next story,
involving a black child and a racist out of control parent. Alexandria,
(16:59):
you cover the North Carolina market for the network, So
let's go back to you, tell us more about this
story and then Ray will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Yeah, So this woman is actually facing charges after getting
on a school bus in North Carolina and calling a
student the N word, and that student was a black
eighth grader. The local Shares office spokesperson said that her
name is Samantha Spoor or Spoor is facing charges of trespassing,
misconduct and some other charges there. And it's reported that
(17:29):
this happened after that woman, Samantha's son was bullied by
allegedly some students on the bus and that's why it
prompted her to go on that rage. But I there
was a point in the story where I saw that
the eighth grader was like, I just did not respond.
She chose not to respond in that moment, even though
her parents taught her to stand up for herself. But
(17:50):
she kind of knew when and where as a little
eighth grader against this grown woman, you know, calling you
the N word, she chose not to respond. I thought
that was, you know, a smart choice on her behalf,
because you know, what can you do as a little
girl with this woman as adult. But it has reported
that spot she says she regrets her words, but she
was protecting her child. But to me, you know, that's
(18:11):
never going to be excusable for you to use an
N word to anybody, especially a little girl, a little
eighth grader. So very heartbreaking to hear that story, and
you know, admirable about how the child handled it but
still stood her ground.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Yeah, Ray, A lot of incidents have been happening in
schools around the nation, Oh yeah, and it's been unfortunate,
especially with the DEI initiatives that are being pushed, and
you have the threats of mass shootings that they're up
in schools around the nation. Cell Phone use in schools
(18:48):
that's a big and heated debate, lunch programs being cut,
teacher shortages, school closings, especially in black, predominantly black neighborhood
where kids have to travel a lot farther to get
to their day of schooling. Parents are really concerned about
(19:08):
these issues, Ramses, and I believe this is a part
of a news cycle during the school year where all
of these issues are coming to the forefront and they're
asking school leaders and political leaders to do something about it.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
You know this, I think that you know, I would
kind of attach this to the previous story that elections
have consequences. And one of the things that I was
having this conversation recently with a person who's been on
the show before, Ami Horowitz, was was in town and
(19:50):
we went and shared a meal. And for those that
don't remember, Amy Horwitz is a like a Fox News pundin.
He's on the other side of the aisle, and we've
chosen to to be brothers, so we're going to love
each other no matter what, right, And so he gets
to share his wrong opinions with me, and I get
(20:12):
to correct him how I look at it. But but
one of the things that I was able to kind
of point out in a recent conversation with him was
that even if you agree with all of the policies
and all of the legislation, and you know, everything that
Donald Trump stands for, one of the things that you
(20:34):
cannot know is what it's like to live under President
Donald Trump. And you know, for a lot of people,
they're like, well, Donald Trump's you know, his decisions don't
affect you. He's not a racist person. That's just the
media within that sort of stuff up. And so I
had to explain to my brother, Tommy Horwitz that Donald Trump.
(20:59):
Even if you were right, which of course you're not.
But even if you were right, and Donald Trump wasn't
a racist and he just gets a bad rap, all
of the racist people support Donald Trump. All of them
support Donald Trump, and they don't support Kamala Harris. They
don't support They want the version of the country that
Donald Trump will bring into manifestation. Donald Trump emboldens them
(21:23):
because he speaks their language. He's playing their greatest hits
DEI and you know, woke history and black history and
all that sort of stuff, you know, the stuff that
they push back against. Donald Trump pushed back against that.
So they feel the most emboldened under his presidency. And
those are the people that we live with. So the
ripple effect of the election of Donald Trump means that
(21:44):
in our actual communities, stories like this are more prominent.
And that's not just me guessing, that's not just that
that's like based on data. You know, there's an increase
in hate speech online, and there's an increase in hate
crimes every time Donald Trum gets elected. It happens every
single time. These people are the most emboldened that they've
ever been. And this is something that I can communicate
(22:07):
to someone across the aisle, which is like, Hey, this
is the consequence.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Of your voting.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
If you voted because you're a fiscal conservative, because you
think that these policies make your life better, just know
that the trade off is that it makes my life
worse and the world that my children grow up in
is more challenging for them. And you know, for people
that think that race is a barrier, that a race
isn't a barrier than anyone needs to overcome anymore for
(22:33):
them to ignore the data and ignore the reality of
our day to day lives and ignore the fact that
these people are the people in our communities that are
responsible for hiring and policing and judging and you know,
legislating our day to day lives, then you're ignoring the
other half of your vote. Yeah, sure you're a fiscal conservative,
but you're making the world a lot more challenging for
(22:56):
people that you claim to be, you know, sympathetic with
and understand and appreciate and value. You know, and that's
not Ami personally, but this was the argument I was making,
and so I think it fits right here. Voting has
consequences directly or indirectly, and I think this is an
example of an indirect consequence of voting. Finally, as we
(23:18):
had toward the holiday weekend, let's end this week's show
with some positive news involving the city of Clarkstille, Mississippi.
In the movie centers right, let's hear more about the
story from you, and then Alexandria will get your thoughts
to close this out.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Sinners, it's coming to a theater near you, but there's
not a theater in a town called clark Still, Mississippi.
For our listeners, I won't I won't the I won't
tell you what the movie is about, but so we
won't spoil that for you. But what we can tell
(23:51):
you is that this movie is going to make a
big debut and clark Still next month on a special holiday,
June tenth, juneteenth, and that is on the nineteenth of June. Now,
they don't have a theater there. The closest theater of
Ramses is about an hour's drive away to Memphis, so
(24:14):
it would be a monumental feat and a difficult task
for many families there to go visit a theater just
to go to a movie instead of you know, driving
sixty sixty miles and then getting your movie tickets and
refreshments and gas money and stuff like that. That could
(24:38):
be a tremendous haul on some families. But in Clarksdale,
they're going to have a special screening of the movie
at Clarksdale High School on their football field, and the
star of the movie, Michael B. Jordan and the director
Ryan Coogler will be there to celebrate this monumental feed
(25:01):
in a city that's known for its civil rights movement
and it is also the home of the blues. And
another quick footnote for our listeners to give them a
better perspective of Clarksdale's town about fifteen thousand, mostly black residents,
(25:22):
so this will be a big treat for them. One
of the most famous people that we all may know
Morgan Freeman. He lives nearby and an now called Charleston, Mississippi.
He owns a co owns a club in Clarksdale called
Ground Zero, a big time blues club. So they'll probably
(25:46):
have some events there associated with the event, but it
should be a very nice occasion, and of course the
Black Information Network is going to cover them. I love it, Alexandre.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I saw the movie yesterday actually, and I'm a little late,
but I finally saw it, and it was such a
good movie. So I am excited for this community just
to really see it if they're interested. You know, here
talk about Home of the Blues, which plays a huge
part of the movie. So I thought there'll be a
lot of great connections that the community can really get
(26:21):
from it when they see it. So it's really exciting
that it's coming there, and of course the star and
the director being there as well. So yeah, so I'm
looking forward to seeing, you know, the responses when they
do see the movie and going from there. And I
hope they get a movie theater soon because you know,
it's important to not have to drive so far for
good entertainment.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Yeah, and I think that just in short, I really
love how Ryan and Michael are, Like really.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
They're not.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
Like your typical Hollywood stars, you know what I mean.
They really I really get the the feeling that they're
doing this for the people. They're doing this for the
legacy of our people. They're doing you know what I mean,
it's more than just numbers and and you know, to
get rich and for the craft and all the you know,
all the things that you typically hear out of Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
They're doing this.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
For for the people, and that feels that that feels
so special and I you know, obviously we lost Chad
with Boseman, but you know, it felt like from a distance,
Chadwick Boseman was kind of a similar figure where he's like, Okay,
I'm doing this because this is my craft, this is
what I love to do. But I stand with my people,
(27:39):
and I think that, you know, situations like this illustrate
that that that point quite well, because there's no need
outside of you know, I think the town has like
fifteen thousand people in it, there's no need for the
director and the you know, the star of the film
to like go out there and do a screen as
(28:00):
it may as well be a private screening for just
the people where the town is set, you know, none
of the actors or none of that stuff. So that
feels kind of special. And you know, I had the
this is not just you know, me guessing. I had
the opportunity to meet Michael B.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Jordan.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
He's a friend of C's, just like everyone else, and
so Q introduced me in uh this might have been
San Diego or something like that a couple of years back.
And you know, with the work that you and I do.
It really did feel like he was really interested in
that type of work. Uh, And so you know, I've
(28:36):
been kind of watching him ever since then through that lens.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Of like, is he really like as pro black as
he came.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Across in that conversation, And I'm I'm glad that he
absolutely is, and and Ryan Coogler as well. And so
for those who haven't been able to support the film,
please go support the film. But you know, in the meantime,
like like Chris said, it's a feel good story, So
we'll take it well that in mind, we'll leave it
right there. I'd like to thank you both very much
for your time and inside always once again. Today's guests
(29:05):
are Black Information Network news anchors Alexandria, Icimoni and Ray Harris.
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 Ramsey's Jaw on all social media, and I'll be
(29:27):
hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this weekend on a
station near you. For stations, show times, and podcast info,
check Civiccipher dot com and join us Monday as we
share our news with our voice from our perspective right
here on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
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