February 27, 2024 • 68 mins
Hey Friends & Kin!
FYI: THIS, JUST LIKE ALL EPISODES OF HAND ME MY PURSE, CONTAINS PROFANITY. THIS PODCAST IS FOR ADULTS AND CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT. Now that we've gotten that out of the way...
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Friends and Kin in this episode I was blessed enough to be in conversation with a Black unicorn, Jonathan McCrory of the National Black Theatre! His story is one of overcoming, perseverance and understanding WHO you are. What an amazing way to close out Black History Month!
In this two part conversation we learn all about my guest. We learn where he comes from, the obstacles and blessings that he navigated during his journey and what he is up to currently. It was a spiritually uplifting conversation that I am truly excited to share with you. Here’s a little bit about Jonathan:
Jonathan McCrory is a Tony Award and Emmy Award nominated producer, 2x Obie Award-winning, Harlem-based artist who has served as Executive Artistic Director at National Black Theatre since 2012 under the leadership of CEO, Sade Lythcott. He has directed numerous professional productions and concerts. He has been acknowledged as an exceptional leader additionally through Craine’s New York Business 2020 Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives. In 2013, he was awarded the Emerging Producer Award by the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and the Torch Bearer Award by theatrical legend Woodie King Jr. He is a founding member of the collaborative producing organizations Harlem9, Black Theatre Commons, The Jubilee, Next Generation National Network and The Movement Theatre Company. McCrory sits on the National Advisory Committee for Howlround.com and was a member of the original cohort for ArtEquity. A Washington, DC native, McCrory attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and New York University’s TISCH School of the Arts.
Enjoy this conversation, as I had such a wonderful time speaking with Jonathan about his life and his work. His story, the work he is doing as well as the work of the National Black Theatre should be something that we know about & THAT, friends & kin is exactly why I am sharing his story with you. Even though, Black History Month is over on the calendar - we should live a life where we strive to learn more and more about our history and the heroes of our communities today.
"GO WHERE YOU ARE ADORED. NOT WHERE YOU ARE TOLERATED..."
- MeMe's Jam No. 83 🎶
- Jonathan McCrory's Website
- National Black Theatre
- SUBMIT A QUESTION FOR “STRAIGHT FACTS”! 🤔
- DAILY GRATITUDE RITUALS.
- FIND YOURSELF A THERAPIST. 🤓
- Black Boy Joy Dance-Off!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hand Me My Purse is a production of iHeart Podcasts.
So I was perusing Fannie Willis's Internet. Shout out to
motherfucking Fannie Willis. Anyway, I was perusing Fannie Willis's Internet
and I read this wonderful quote from none other than
(00:22):
Auntie Nikki Giovanni, and I wanted to start the show
off with this quote to close out Black History Month
of twenty twenty four. Auntie Nikki says style has a
profound meaning to Black Americans. If we can't drive, we
will invent walks, and the world will envy the dexterity
(00:46):
of our feet. If we can't have ham, we will
boil chitterlings, or as they say in my community, chitlings.
If we are given rotten peaches, we will make cobblers.
If given scraps, we will make quilts. Take away our drums,
(01:07):
and we will clap our hands. We prove the human
spirit will prevail. We will take what we have to
make what we need. We need confidence in our knowledge
of who we are. Happy Black History Months, friends, and kin,
(01:49):
I can't see the Okay, what's up, y'all? Welcome to
Hand Me My Purse the podcast. I am none other
than me Me Walker, and I will be your forever
host each and every single time you tune into this podcast.
So go ahead and get comfortable. Get yourself a glass
of your favorite beverage. Whether that's some freshly pressed, fresh
(02:12):
pressed carrot juice, yuck, yuck aty yuck. I cannot stand
the taste of plain fresh pressed carrot juice. But if
you like it, shut out to you. Or if it's
some raspberry lemonade with a shot of champagne at the top,
(02:35):
or a nice hot cup of ash Wa Ganda and
soursop leaf tea with honey and lemon to heal your body,
go light yourself a candle, some incense or burn some
sage and just get ready to chill out and do
what I call have yourself a good time. What's up
(03:01):
friends in Kennis? Mee me Resident Anti Supreme here and
hand me my purse. And today I am sipping on
some and I'm going to say the name the brand.
I'm sipping on some sand Pellegrino. I got a bottle
today after I left the gym when I went to
get my protein heavy lunch, and that's what I'm drinking
right now. And it's not exciting. It's not exotic, it's
(03:26):
nothing to write home about. It's just plain, old, unflavored
sand pellegrino. And that's it. That's all I got. And
you know what the message is here. Sometimes life is
not flavored and a full of zest and excitement. Sometimes
life can just be simple and it is still good enough.
(03:47):
And it is and it did what it was supposed
to do. I don't know how exciting it was, because
I definitely did not finish it while I was eating
my food. Somehow it made it back home with me.
But you know what, I'm going to finish it before
the night's over. And I'm grateful. I am grateful that
I have something to drink. I am grateful that I
(04:09):
can buy what I want to drink. And I am
grateful that I have access to all different types of water,
and that's clean water, tap water. My tap water is
relatively clean, sparkling water, mineral water, spring water, distilled water.
I am grateful for that and I thank God for that.
(04:31):
So today I'm grateful for my sam pellegrina water that
is probably overpriced, but it's okay because I'm still grateful
that I can afford to buy it. Jesus, Jesus Jesus.
So for today's jam, friends and can, I chose a
(04:54):
classic song in my community. You know, this is the
last episode for Black History Month for twenty twenty four,
and so let's just be real black, right and know
the song is not be Real Black for Me by ROBERTA.
Flack and Donnie Hathaway, Although that is an amazing song.
I chose a song that's very uplifting and it makes
(05:17):
you feel good and that is optimistic by Sounds of Blackness.
I cannot remember if this song has been a jam before.
Part of me feels like this was a jam before
during Black History Month. But if it was, so what
it's gonna be the jam again, okay, because this is
(05:37):
what I'm feeling like, and so this is what it's
going to be. And so the reason that I chose
this song is because.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You know, we've been fighting, bowing and still fighting.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
To this day. Well that and because it's a wonderful song.
It's very inspirational and like I don't know what else
to say about it, like it just makes you feel good.
And it's one of those songs that I don't know
about everybody else as a black American person. When I
(06:10):
hear it, it's kind of a reminder for me to
just in the spirit of my ancestors and in the
spirit of resilience perseverance, to just never give up, never
give up on myself, never give up on my dreams,
(06:30):
never give up on making my ancestors proud of me,
never giving up on the desires of my heart, and
living a life of once again gratitude and positivity. Even
though life does not always issue cards that may be
(07:01):
an automatic winning hand, one thing about us is that
we are going to find a way to win the hand.
We're gonna find a way, And so this song just
reminds me of that. It's a beautiful song. And I
remember a few years ago the little boy that was
on Blackish, one of the twins. He's probably a fundament
fundamental but fundamental and fundamentally is like my new favorite
(07:25):
words to say on a regular basis. He's fully a
grown man now, I'm sure. But him and his dad
were dancing to this song and doing like a lot
of old school hip hop dances, and I'm gonna link
that in the show notes. I have to find it.
But the song is just positive and it makes you
feel good. I mean, for God's sake, the name of
(07:45):
the song is Optimistic, So go ahead and listen to it,
and then we're gonna get right into the show and
get into part two of my interview with Jonathan McCrory,
which was amazing. I hope you listened to part one already.
If not, you should probab stop and go back and
listen to part one so you can prepare yourself for
the next part of the interview. But it was amazing.
(08:07):
It was really really good. So go ahead and listen
to Optimistic, and then let's go ahead and get into
part two of the interview.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Canna Jay.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
During your journey after you just mentioned you said his
name was James I James, and you mentioned one of
the oppos that he faced during his journey, and he
turned that into something else and now look his plays
on Broadway. Once again, shout out to black people for
being resilient as fuck. But tell me about any obstacles,
(09:14):
any any additional obstacles, because you told me about something
that you faced as a child, that you have faced
during your journey once your career started to.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
I just want to and just want to uplift that
fat Ham is now being is reportedly going to be
the number one produced play of this season after its
Broadway closure. So it's actually big shout out to James
for turning that limit.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
And usually my listeners, I usually have a soundpad, but
we were having so many technical issues.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I was like, I'm not even going to bring anything else.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
In and I am constantly utilizing my Jamaican air horn sound.
So since I don't have it, shout out to James, I,
James and Fat Ham.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
As I talked about so other obstacles, I mean, are
there are many? Actually?
Speaker 3 (10:05):
In order in order to be the leader that I
wanted to become, I had to actually start to understand, appreciate,
and actually own or accept my dark side. My light
in Darkseye had to be a part of the conversation.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
So how did that self is real?
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Shadow self is real, and shadow self actually dictates, can
dictate what happens in the light, how the light actually
is absorbed, how the light is actually appreciated. So an
obstacle is that, I mean it is is actually that
journey of accepting the wholeness of someone and the wholeness
of myself.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
How have I done that?
Speaker 3 (10:42):
I've done that by going to Landmark Form, going to
Hoffmann therapy.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I did Landmark Form years ago, years ago. I did
it right in Virginia.
Speaker 6 (10:55):
Landmark Coffee Therapy. They all, they all, will you you
are the first. I'm taking my glasses off. You are
the first person to mention Landmark form to me since
I did it. And I couldn't even tell you what
year it was that I did it, and I could
even afford to do it. One of my cousins paid
(11:15):
for me to do it because she did it and
she said, I think this would be good for you,
and it was.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
I don't even remember much about it because I'm the
queen of suppression. Like if it's not if I'm not
using it, then I just violet. Yeah, just pilot. But
I remember it being so like transforming, just based on
the way that I was processing my own path, the
way that I processed my own pain, the way that
I processed my own mental chaos, the way that I
(11:44):
saw my pain and saw my trauma. I do remember
that it was very transforming for me in that way.
And it was also the first time that I spoke
about those things with other people.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Yeah, and being able and one of the One of
the key things for me was being able to have
the conversation of dismantling trauma's power mm hm and like
really starting to understand us as machines that are just
always processing things and turning things into meaning, but actually
(12:20):
everything is just in flow, just.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Happening, happening.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
It's just happening, like like they're like like like breakdowns
are not because you are having breakdowns. Breakdowns are just
happening because life is breaking, right, and like that's just
life happening.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
And how you and how.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
You we are that we are from Landmark Forum really
having a conversation how we are So we're skilled playwrights,
we are skilled authors, we are skilled like lyricists who
like create pins story after story after story that actually
distract from what's actually happening in front of us. So
like Landmark's really important for helping me to really start
(12:58):
to dismantle that that part.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
When did you do it?
Speaker 5 (13:02):
Oh gosh, I felt like I did it almost close
to ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Ten years ago. I'm forty four. I wonder if I
was younger then. I can't even remember when I did it.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Yeah, it was it was like based only ten years
ago and then I did Hoffman. I did Hoffman after that, and.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Then I found I'm not familiar with Hoffman.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
So Hoffman Hoffman is an institute where you basically go
in a in a space with the forty other strangers
for a whole week, and the whole goal is to
the whole premise of Hoffman's technology.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
And I use that from a space.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Of education and pedagogy is to lean into the theory
that love is the highest vibration that the world has
ever seen.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Love is the strongest vibration that the world has ever seen.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
And if that is the case, love is also something
that we sometimes have a challenge to be in relationship
with because it is being is either in rebellion or
in subjugation to how our parents love. We are taught
how to love versus us coming to our own relationship
to love.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
So that sounds that sounds heavy.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
So the idea of Hoffman is to break that tethering
to that parental line, yeah, and start to come up
to your own relationship to love. That is, so for
our entire week, you're not allowed to You have your
set meals, no kind of narcotics like, no drugs, no
anything you're with forty strangers, and you're you're put into pods.
(14:29):
You're you are your your name is your childhood name,
not your real name, so they call your childhood name
the entire week. You're not allowed to say your full
name until like the very end, and you're just you
go you you, and you're and you're with a therapy.
You have a therapist as your guide through it. You
go through visualizations and you and you eat this food
and you eat like really great food. Actually I love
(14:51):
the food of Hoffman. And you're on and and you're
and you're isolated, no cell phone, no computer, no anything
for a week for the whole and then and then
at the very end of it, at the very end
of it, at graduation, you finally get to tell people
what you do. You finally get to tell people who
you are. But before then, you're not supposed to talk
about what you do or who you are. You're supposed
(15:12):
to have you're supposed to basically stick.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
To the work. M HM.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
And And I have to say that it was one
of the most profound moments of one of my of
my life, Like it was number one. I learned what
silence actually sounds like. I had a very hard time
coming back to New York. I feel like I could
hear everything, everything, Everything was a distraction. I almost thought
I was gonna I Like they say, do not make
(15:39):
any drastic moves for the first three or four months.
So don't divorce, don't divorce, don't quit your job, don't
make any major moves for the first three months, because.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
You're just you.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Because the thing that had happened is that I had transformed,
but the world around me doesn't, had not, and I
had to meet the world with who I was, and
I had to come to place where it was Yeah,
how to find what balance is, which is what which is?
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Which is what anything is? Right? Like even in this moment,
I'm I'm changing.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
In this moment in conversation with you, I am in
a moment of actually my my molecules are having a
different conversation than what they were having before our convers
before we talk. However, the world is still existing in
the same kind of systems that I might find oppressive.
When I turn on my phone, right, and the question
is how do I meet How do I meet that
(16:31):
with the same energy? Right, not run away from it,
not not turn it, not act like it's not happening, right,
but I actually could allow for this to be a
part of the diamond making process that allows me to
shine in those other areas so that their solution building
that can happen, or there is advocacy that can happen,
or there is just an awareness that is happening, right
(16:52):
that that that that like that like the two are
synonymous and the two are needed to happen. So so
that's a little bit I mean, that's a little bit
of like, well, some obstacles want some more obstacles. I
mean another obstacle was just that I was really young
when I started. I was twenty four, So like, at
twenty four, I became the artistic leader of a forty
five year old organization.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
That's a lot if.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
You're if you can imagine where you were at the
age of twenty four.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I couldn't even lead myself.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
So it's like there's a whole conversation happening at that
age for me, where like I'm having to talk about budget.
I'm not even talking about salaries. I'm not talking about
quick keeping the lights on, turning on the doors. And
yes it's with a group of people, but I'm holding
a very prominent seat inside of.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
With that group of people.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
And so there's there's a part of me that's having
to grow up extremely fast an extremely small clique, and
that part of me is having to grow up pretty quickly.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
There's an innocence that goes away.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yeah, and so there so for me like maybe four
or five years, after like four or five years and
I was like, oh, I need to get reckless again, right,
and reckless not from the definition of like what everyone
defines reckless to be, but my own definition of reckless.
And that might mean that, like I have a meeting
tomorrow morning at eight o'clock in the morning, but i'
musa stay out at this club until five am because
(18:10):
and that's reckless.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Now I'm because I'm still twenty four.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
But I'm still because I'm exploring I'm exploring twenty four
inside of me that needed to have the space.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Absolutely because who wants to become forty four and have
regrets that I was so focused on my position at
MBT that I didn't get to enjoy being twenty four.
Now that I'm forty four, I probably don't want to
go back and do the things that I wanted to
do when I was twenty four, But unfortunately, some people
will go back and regress. Exactly, I'm gonna go out
(18:41):
and stay out all night and do a lot of
drugs and do a lot of drinking, and it's like
it don't hit the same when you forget for and
then the the other.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
The other part of it is that how do I
define it for my body today? Yes, and how I
find it for my body today actually allows for me
to grow in a deeper understanding of how to be
more whole. And also not to blame the gift like NBTS.
I love that NBT amen come out now, and so
(19:11):
I have to be able. I have to be able
to have a conversation with the gift that is not
distracted by the regret.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
M you on here, I'm dropping some dimes, Jonathan McCrory.
I'm listening.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Like you said, I'm not the same as I was
twenty five seconds ago. Don't blame the gift, Okay, all right?
I love that. And also I'm I want to know
about this Hoffman stuff, So before this is over, when
the recording is done, I want some information because this
sounds exciting, this sounds like I love a good healing
journe I love anything that adds.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
To my healing.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
I want to do it, share all of the things,
because when we are healed and the people around us,
the people around us are then healed. So you talked
about some of your obstacles as a black man, right
or as a black person. I should just say, just period,
do you feel like you were heavily supported by your
(20:13):
community in your choice to do theater? I can kind
of assume because like you were young and you walked
right into a forty forty five year old established program
or support.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Differently, did you.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Feel supported then your community?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (20:33):
At times? At times I don't.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Okay, even's to this day you don't.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
Yeah, But that's because I'm not everyone's cup of tea.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Absolutely I wasn't.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
I wasn't crafted to be everyone's cup of tea.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
No, I was crafted to be some Yeah, And as
you ascend, there will be people that just it's just
what happens. People who starts to not to start to
pick at the ways of which your ascension deflates there
and like you may not now be like what I'm
(21:06):
starting when I'm really starting to center and learn is
that my intent doesn't mean that the impact hits differently.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Intention versus impact. I talk about it all the time,
my intention. I'm an educator, So if we talk about
that all the time, your intention, which you intend to
share with these children and to communicate to their families,
is one thing. But how they receive it, how they
makes them feel, how they are impacted by the words
(21:36):
the actions are two totally different things. What does support
look like for you? If you could, if you if
you could live in a world or exists in a
space where you always felt like you were supported by
your community? And I was specifically talking about your community.
And when I say your community, I'm talking about black
(21:58):
your community, my community, black people. No, No, I mean what
does that look like for you?
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Well, I mean on one level, I want to say, spiritually,
I feel so supportive. I feel girded and grounded, right,
I feel ancestrally and inside the physical I feel like.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Bam good, Yeah covered locked.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
That's your lockdown, spirit gods locking it down.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Just because I grew.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Up in a Pentecostal church, don't think I don't know
no stuff, because I.
Speaker 5 (22:23):
Know I got me pull apex on, right.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
I know a little bit of things come on a
little bit of that.
Speaker 5 (22:28):
I'm at the apex. I'm at the apex.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I know the things they got me, they got.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
You, and what I will say, what I will say
from from the when you start talking about I think
sometimes there's a crabs in a barrel mentality that happens
and thinking, and I think in those moments I think
that we suffer from And I'm happy to be drawn
in the mat and actually have a conversation with whoever
(22:58):
who's listening. This might be like, Yo, you actually did,
You're actually not the You're not practically what you preach.
But I'm happy to happy to always be in conversation
around how to be a better human or how to
be a more equitable human with the words I say.
I think that sometimes when other people ascend, we have
a we have a desire to always pull some people
back down.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Absolutely, crabs in umbarrel.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Mentality of it all is what I think we suffer from,
even if someone in ten is not to be that,
but the impact feels that way because society works in
a different way than I think, we as a culture
sometimes operate right. Society says there only can be one society.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Also, also, I think that when you think. I always
draw things back to slavery, like we were brought here
and systems were created for us to be that way.
And that's not to say I'm blaming the white man
or you know, because it's not really about that, but
it is about systems were created so that certain outcomes
(23:58):
were present so that hope for me. The concept of
the overseer, the black overseer, is the is the root
of the crabs in a barrel mentality. The concept of
the house negro and the field negro is at the
root of the crabs in a barrel mentality because there's
(24:18):
always somebody that holds a higher position in our communities
or in that situation or in those spaces, and it's
like if they weren't there one maybe I could be there.
But also that person that is there oftentimes think that
they're you know, they it's presented that they think that
they're better and that they're looking down on everybody else.
(24:40):
But just because I arrived, whatever the fuck that means,
or just because I may ascend, I love that you
said that. Just because I ascend doesn't mean that you
are beneath me. Because you may be ascended or ascending
in another way, you may be great in another way.
I had an episode recently where I talked about competition
in the root of competition is really based in insecurity
(25:02):
and low self worth, and because I don't need to
compete with anybody else, because no one on this planet
can compete with me me. Nobody. Nobody's gonna breathe like me,
walk like me, talk like me. Nobody nobody can compete
with you. And not because of what you have done.
It's really just about your entire existence.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
People, and you are crafted for a very particular We're
both crafted for a very particular use yep, and actually
have a very particular algorithm that is fit to our
destiny and the quest. And the thing is that we
always we get distracted by the noise around us and
not centered in that. In that promisory note that like that,
(25:45):
like your sound, to your point was is solely your sound,
and also that like the indigenous aspect of it, which
is against Western capitalism, is that my goal is to
bring us all up, not just.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Testing me up.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Yes, I'm not an overseer. I'm not allow me to
ascend so that I can turn. It reminds me of
this book that my grandmother bought me I May she
rests when I was a little girl, and I wish
I could find this book. It's probably nine million dollars
now called The People Could Fly. And remember that book.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
I don't know how old you are, but I'm forty four.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
Yeah, I remember that book.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And so on the book there on the cover there
were all of these black people like flying in the air.
And it makes me think of just because we're flying
in the air or people are flying in the air,
it does not mean that they're not gonna come to
where you are and scoop you up so you can
fly with us. And just because you are down on
(26:56):
the ground and we are in the air, it does
not mean that we are better and better than you
or anybody is better than you. Because we're gonna if
you give us a moment, we're gonna come down and
we're gonna get you, and we're gonna scoop you up
so you can fly with us. That's what Harriet Tubman did.
Speaker 5 (27:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
And also I would just say I would just lay
this down. Maybe you weren't meant to fly right.
Speaker 5 (27:16):
And like because because because the higher, the the the the.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Collegey in order for the ecosystem to work, people have
to also stay in the lane in which they were
crafted to be in.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Yeah, people don't want to soak that up though. No,
everybody's not meant to be And I hate to bring
her into it, but you know, she's always in conversations
when people talk about this kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Everybody can't be Beyonce.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
No, no, but like but.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Like also but also the question, my question would always.
Speaker 7 (27:45):
Be ever anybody doesn't want to be Beyonce either, because
to actually be Beyonce, you're actually talking about close to
thirty years of a story that you know nothing.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Nope, No, And that's why I think when all of
the things came out about you know, jay z cheating,
people like, oh, no, she is no different than you
and I. She's a human being and he is a
human being as well. She just puts in a lot
of hard work. And also I find when people do
that crabs in a barrel thing or assume that people
(28:19):
are better than them, or compare and compete the people
who you assume are flying or who are ascending. Do
you want to do the work that they do? No,
it takes a lot. It takes a lot of work
to fly yeah. And some people are born with wings,
and some people are born with rocket shoes, and some
people and.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
It makes sometimes and it makes some sometimes wonder do
folks do folks actually do folks actually? Because her documentaries
that she's been doing, she gives you a glimpse into
the laker and to the labor that she has to
till and pour in, And I sometimes wonder, do you
actually listen to that rigor do people actually listen to
that that tilling that she has to do.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
I'm glad she did it. I've never been like a
super Beyonce fan, but I really like fell in love
with the energy of her work a long time ago.
Her work ethic is unmatched, It's unmatched. The only person
I can imagine came close is Michael Jackson, and they're
(29:22):
both virgos. It makes sense a prince well, but see,
you know what the difference is with Prince and Michael
Jackson and Beyonce. Prince he was born flying? Yeah he
if you if you pay attention to the artists, right,
because I too am a creative prince was born with gifts.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Beyonce has crafted this persona in this energy for thirty
something years Michael Jackson had to work. Joe Jackson treated
them like field hands. You're gonna work, We're gonna practice
around the clock. Jackson created that work ethic and that energy.
Prince wake up when he was nine. Stevie Wonder is
(30:07):
another one. He's blind, but he a phenom. Prince and
Stevie Wonder, in my mind, they're just and I love
when this does it.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
I don't understand. Did you see those balloons?
Speaker 1 (30:20):
It freaks me. I hoped my producers. We laugh about
it all the time. But for some reason, when I
do like this, like the balloons come up in Zoom
or Riverside, But anyway, Prince Stevie Wonder, I would even
think it was somebody else I just thought of, Like,
I just feel like they just wake up and their
gifts were there. But the reason that I respect Michael
(30:42):
Jackson and Beyonce so much, and not that I don't
respect Prince and Stevie Wonder, because they are absolutely my faves,
because there's a little bit of soul energy in their
work that is in no shade to Beyonce, heir Michael
Jackson that it's not necessarily in their works. It's a
(31:05):
to me it's it's palatable almost with seeming when they're
in prints, it's it's soul energy in their work that
tells me that it's a it's difficult, you get what
I'm saying, and the creative deal. And so I think
that people don't want to do the work it takes
to even be one eighty eighth of who Beyonce is.
(31:26):
That's a lot of work, that's a lot of sacrifice,
that's a lot of pushing through pain. People don't even
want to go to work when they have a cold,
but you want to fly. That's not how it works. No,
that's not how it works.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
That's not how it works.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
And the and the trick of the bag is that
they make it look that way, but that is not
how it works.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
No. And and like you said, I'm glad that she
did or that she's starting to put this these behind
the scenes stories out so that people can see, like
this shit ain't no cake walk. What.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
I gotta take my kids around.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
I gotta be a mom, I gotta be a wife,
I gotta be a friend, I have to be a daughter,
I have to be a business woman. And she shows
that even though I am these things, and it has
been thirty years, and I'm really good at it as
a black woman. People still play with me, still try
to play with me. Do you really want like, I
you know my thing with people? Do you really want that? Like?
Are you really kidded out to handle that? Or are
(32:25):
you gonna want to fight? You know you're gonna want
to slap the shit out of somebody who tries to
I'm Beyonce. No Carter, No, you can't do that.
Speaker 6 (32:34):
No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
No no, Because that's why some of your favorite performers
never made it, because no, they cannot temper that energy.
Speaker 5 (32:44):
The skill and the craft to be able to work.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
It's amazing.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
A dominant space is kind of profound.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
And now I am a stone cold Beyonce fan, not
necessarily be hive, but I'm adjacent. I got really into
this Renaissance thing. Listen, I don't know what it is.
A gay man that lives deep inside of me was
like embrace it.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Was actually it was actually really dope about the Renaissance
album and connection to NBT is that Doctor Tear is
actually in the Alien Superstar. That is the moment on
Alien Superstar, the person who's speaking at the very tail end.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
That's doctor Barbaran tire.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
That's I love that, you know what. Look at God
working it out for me and bringing this full circle
for me because Alien Superstar is my jazz thing and
it is like my life theme, like I am one
of one, I am number one, the only one. My
best friend had a birthday party and it was Beyonce thing.
(33:42):
We went to this club thing. It was called Club
Beyonce where they played Beyonce all night and so all
of the girls that went to the party were dressed
like variations of Beyonce from like music videos. Shout out
to my best friend who just turned forty four birthday,
Crystal time this airs, it will be way after her birthday.
But anyway, we went to this party, and you know,
(34:05):
people were dressed as Beyonce from the Kiddikat video from
Black Is King. Somebody dressed as her on Renaissance where
she had that costume with the hands. Everybody was dressed
up as a variation of a Beyonce where you've seen her.
I dressed up as Alien Superstar. I'm going to send
you the picture email. Yes, listen, I was. I was
(34:29):
there for the whole thing. I was an Alien superstar.
But anyway, enough about Beyonce and Renaissance. But that's awesome
to know that. Tell me her last name again, because
I always want to say, and Tier. I always want
to say a Tillier doctor. And Tier was the one
speaking at the end of the Is it the one
where she says we walk a certain way, we talk
(34:51):
a certain way. I love that. You just made my
black ass day. Okay, you just made my day. And
I'm gonna listen to it as soon this is done
and say, I know who that is, guys, because I
always wondered who it was and I thought maybe it
was best Anne Hardison.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
Oh no, no, no, no, no, it's no, no, it's doctor.
It's doctor Barbaras.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
I just made that up in my brain. Hey.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
Hey, that's also like something she would say. He's also
a legend.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Ago I'm I'm I'm so excited about that. I wonder
if her to be on her family. Yes, she's also,
I was gonna say, because she's also notorious for not doing.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
No she actually she actually she she she did it right.
Speaker 5 (35:31):
No, no, she should family.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
She made sure like yeah, no, no, no, it's actually
quite it's quite gorgeous. Uh, gorgeous story of like amplification
and also like replenishing right. I love them and making
sure and making sure that this this source that she's
utilizing is actually being able to, like you know, benefit
(35:57):
her future generations.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Absolutely give back as you as you take. Make sure, yes,
take with your right, but make sure you replenished with
your left. Yeah, that's that's how it should be. Tell
(36:23):
me about enough about Beyonce. She gets a lot of
press every episode of this show. I have a song
which is like Mimi's jam. This episode's jam will be
Alien Superstar. Definitely. Definitely tell me about some highlights from
mbt's twenty twenty three and highlights for you for twenty
(36:46):
twenty three. Told me Fathham was on Broadway.
Speaker 5 (36:49):
That's I'm becoming a being Tony nominated.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (36:54):
Fadham also getting an Emmy nomination from a.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Film that that I hoped to douce and create called
The Roll call the Rooster Strange Fruit that is on PBS.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
Another highlight is being being able to What are some
other highlights?
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Oh my gosh, I can't.
Speaker 5 (37:14):
I can't think about all of them. I mean, I mean,
you know, at one moment, at one.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Point we had we we this year, we've had three
shows that are critics picks New York Times critics Pick.
Speaker 5 (37:25):
The New York Times critics.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
Pick is a high honor that a show can get
in the New York City market. It's it's something where
the critics of The New York Times are dubbing in
as a as a significant work for the community or
the tri state area and even the country, because New
York Times is the national publication to be able to
pit pat into a witness.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
And the three shows that we.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Had were fat Ham, Proly Victorious and then also Pray.
These are all three shows, and what's beautiful is that
two of them are on Broadway and then one of
them is our off Broadway show. And having the off
Broadway show get that acknowledgement was really dope.
Speaker 5 (38:04):
I will say.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Another another huge was being able to do our topping
out ceremony for our topping topping off topping out ceremony
for our new building, and being able to walk through
that building and be able to witness other people like
be able to uh see it in its raw form
and now knowing that from that raw form it's going
to now give bricks and windows and get the lighting
(38:25):
and the other stuff. Being able to share the vision
has also been quite as a highlight.
Speaker 5 (38:33):
Being able to I think another major highlight of the year.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Uh, it's just I mean, I honestly will say, is
like being able to take this moment to be reflective, Uh,
to be grateful and be and I actually sit in
a space of deep gratitude for the year that's coming up,
because next year feels like it's going to be another
one of those abundant years, profound years for for National
(39:01):
Black Theater for me personally, and that feels deeply exciting.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
It's one of those moments.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
I mean, one of my biggest highlights of this of
this year has been there was a stint from September
to December where every week it felt like it was
a major week, like major things were happening, major accomplishments
were happening, and it just was like, at some point
you start.
Speaker 5 (39:22):
To get numb to it.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
And what I what I want to always do is
not get numbed because because it's just like that that
stretch may never happen again again.
Speaker 5 (39:34):
No, it also and also.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
It will though hey, but it will, and if it
does that that is the will of all this that
are necessary, and so is Shelby, and.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Yes it is.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
And also and also like I want to be able
to honor that pinch me moment, right, and be able
to honor the gratitude or that pinch me moment, because
it is from that gratitude that to your point, the
next one will happen, absolutely and it will keep on
just ascending. So I will say those are some highlights
from the year. Being able just to kind of be
(40:09):
my mind being blown in multiple different ways.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
I love that for you.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
And then also be able to walk into a new
year having two shows on Broadway, being a Tony nominated
and Emmy nominated in the same year, and then knowing
that I'm going into a year where there's another major
production that we're producing in June called The Gathering, and
being able to feel the excitement for that.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
That is awesome. I have a question, what's your sign?
Speaker 5 (40:35):
Pisces?
Speaker 4 (40:36):
What's your three?
Speaker 5 (40:37):
All I know is Pisces.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
Oh okay, you.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
Just know that you're all right, I got it.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
You just know that you're Pisces. It's funny you mentioned gratitude.
I talk about gratitude constantly on this show because I
want people, particularly black people, to understand that like we
only get you only get blessed by being grateful for
your blessings. And that is that is the work of
our ancestors, and it should be in our bone. Marror.
(41:04):
You know, there's no way that we made it. First
of all, I always say that the fact that we
are the descendants of the people who made it through
the Middle Passage, that alone should tell you enough about
who you come from. Right, You've got to be grateful
for everything, even if it's grateful that you like your nails.
(41:26):
If you're grateful that your plants are thriving. If one
plant dies, okay, sorry plant, but guess what the other
ones are alive and I can maybe get another plant.
I'm grateful that my eyes are open. I'm grateful that
I can see, just grateful for any and everything. Is
that is how you are blessed.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
And just and just also just also uplift that like
that like what we what we call death is a
return of the energy in a different form, right, and
it's energy actually maturing and actually manifesting. And like what
what is also what is also of when thinking when
thinking about even those even those rough moments, it's just like,
(42:05):
how how do we how not be Pollyanna about it?
Speaker 5 (42:08):
We need to honor it, But how.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
Does grief actually transform into deep senses of gratitude and
how does grief actually give us the space to imagine
ourselves differently? There's this beautiful Instagram posts talking about how
we get upset or we get or upset and this
shows up in our body, with our with our loved
ones and people that we're connected with because we are
(42:31):
grieving the fact that someone has transformed or changed and
we're sore and we're we wanted them to stay the same.
Speaker 5 (42:37):
Yeah, and and and my thing.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
Is that like I would rather I would rather go
through that grieving process and see someone go through a
space of transformation than for us to actually be stuck
and stagnant in our in our in our way of
being or a way of our way of doing. And
that is leading me into this talking about just a
little bit and some things I didn't actually talk about
that want to uplift. As far as gratitude, one is
(43:00):
grateful for this year, the State Department of New York
City State was able to grant MBT ten million dollars
this past year for our new buildings, so like that
was major and also the City of New York was
ultimately gave us about twenty twenty five twenty six million
dollars for the new building. So like, in total we've
(43:23):
been able to raise about fifty three fifty four million dollars.
That's an eight million dollars capital campaign. And so to
be over halfway the finish line and having the city
and the state be the deep investors, it's only saying
that we are meant to be here and this is
meant to happen, So really want to really want to
uplift and give gratitude for that.
Speaker 5 (43:44):
And then yeah, and then I'm.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
Just excited to talk about what's happening in twenty twenty
four and what MBT is planning to do in twenty
twenty four.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
It also says that the state and the city recognize
and respect the work that has been done over the
work that has come out from MBT since nineteen Yeah. Today,
that's amazing, that is amazing.
Speaker 3 (44:07):
Yeah, I mean the pandemic, I mean during I mean
even before the pandemic, we were critical to community. But
during the pandemic, the CEO Shaty Liftcad myself. MBT in
general found ourselves in the states of deep advocacy, helping communities,
organizations really being able to find the resources that they need.
(44:29):
Shot A helped to build the culture at three, which
was a deep resource inside the cultural sector. So and
so like these kind of moments of pouring again, we
gave a lot, and in giving, the city and the
state are pouring back in for that time and that
commitment that was able to be given.
Speaker 4 (44:48):
I think that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
So tell us about what you're excited about for twenty
twenty four.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
So, I mean, one of the great things that I'm
really excited about for twenty twenty four is that in
June one, we will be in the DMV area, will
be at the Candy Center. National Black Theater has a
partnership with the Candy Center called We're Conflux Partners.
Speaker 5 (45:10):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (45:11):
That means that for the past year we have been
helping to cultivate programmatic offerings for a week long exploration
that will happen happen the week of May twenty, right
after after Labor Day weekend May twenty seven or May yeah,
May twenty the week of May twenty six to June
(45:33):
to June second, there will be a series of programs
happening at throughout the various parts of the Candy Center
themed the Gathering a Space for Narrative Change. We will
be looking at the ways in which black and brown
bodies have helped to generate different kinds of narrative and
different kinds of resources inside of this community, inside of
this country. And it will be all centered around uplifting
(45:56):
a signature event called The Gathering a Sonic Green Shop.
The Gathering greenshot was a show that we did at
the Apollo to a sold out house in twenty twenty
two on the heels of the shut out, of the
shutdown from the pandemic, and we are being blessed to
be able to do it again through the help of
the Art for Justice Fund, the Ford Foundation and Andrew
(46:17):
Mellen Foundation. We are going to be kind of We're
going to be utilizing the Opera House of the Candy Center.
We are going to bring an eighty person orchestra, a
fifty nine person choir, and we are going to basically
do a sonic ring shout inside of that opera house
that will span over about ninety almost close to two
hours of music that will be guided by a narrative,
(46:42):
our virtual narrative, which would be Mahogany L.
Speaker 5 (46:45):
Brown, but you'll hear original work.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
I know her. Yeah, she's really good friends with one
of my really good friends. She is really good friends
with my friend Kiyah.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
Okay, she's a dope human. She's a dope human. Considered
it like a sister. And we're we're going to be
featuring works by Nonah Hendrix, Toshi Reagan, and Jason Michael
Webb with doing the DC premiere of Joel Thompson's Seven
Last Words of the Unarmed and also and also uplifting
Carlo Sign's Amen and also lifting Courtney Courtney Sectums Courtney's
(47:17):
Spectrums Sectum, which are all new, all original works by
all black artists. Uh And the whole goal of the
Ring Shout is suplifted indigenous technology that was housed in
the Gullageechee community which originates from the coast of West Africa.
It is a technology and a practice that during Atebellu
(47:39):
himself black and brown folks after working until on slavery.
As many of us know, they were not able to
have church or to go to church.
Speaker 5 (47:47):
This was their form of church.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
They will go out into the field, create a circle
and utilizing lessons and and information that they took with
him on that on on that journey of slavery slave ship.
They it's a sacred journey of call and response and
actually allowing the body to find liberation and healing and freedom,
knowing all the while the next morning they're back on
(48:10):
the they're back on the field. So it's a way
of reclinishing, of creating gatic care and so and wanting
to and wanting and knowing. The signature piece of the
gathering is the seven Last Words in the Unarmed, which
is a piece where Joel Thompson takes the seven seven
words seven last words of seven identify male identified bodies
who are murdered by the cops and puts it to
(48:33):
this eighty person orchestra and puts it to this fifty
person choir.
Speaker 4 (48:36):
And so I want to, I want to, I have
to be there.
Speaker 3 (48:39):
So that so the goal and the idea is to
take us on a journey that takes us from our
root chakra to our crown chakra. And Abby Dobson opens
the space with a benediction of doing a mashup of
the National Black anthem with a say her name, so
that we see, we see the atrocities that have happened
to female female identified bodies and the tutrocities happened to
male identified bodies, and then we take that, we take
(49:01):
that trauma or that nerve, and we take it to
a space where we can hopefully find resolution, revelation and
also love to then be able to take that again
what we talked about, maybe inside this room everything's been transformed,
but take that transformational energy and play and put it
out into the world.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
I love that. I would like to be there.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
There's going to be multiple different than events that happened
throughout the week, Like we're going to do an actual ring
shout on the Candy Center property. Many people don't know
that the Candy Center rest on black Indigenous not black
I own say indigenous proper land, but land that was
occupied and.
Speaker 5 (49:36):
Actually taken care of.
Speaker 3 (49:39):
The caretakers were a Black community called slab Town. So
we're going to do a land acknowledgment to slab Town
because they were displaced during force removal to build the
Candy Center and to build the what we now know
is Watergate. We are also going to do We're gonna
have a quilter there to quilt a new piece that
(50:00):
be a concert of all of the things that were
actually outlined throughout the week, and we also will do
a panel discussion and then we'll also have a dance
party at the very end on the next day. So
there is a destination of multiple different events. It's a
way in which to engage multiple different ways inside of family, tech,
inside of legacy, inside of history, but also to be
(50:22):
baptized and actually have a sonic bath of these really
phenomenal pieces written in for black and brown communities to
be able to be witnessed and be able to be
cared for.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
So I just want to know what do I need
to do to make sure that I am invited in
a part of all of these things.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
So I know for sure that shout out to TCG,
the Chambers Group Edwin in particular. I know for sure
that they will make sure that you gave all the information.
Starting in the new year, we're going to be doing
a big push around really trying to make sure people
in the DNB area come to the Candy Center to
check out this work. It will be it will be
(51:02):
an important conversation piece, not only for us to talk
about police state violence that happen, but also to talk
about what are the needs for us to do and
think about this election year also thinking about also thinking
about this notion of what does it mean for because
many of the artists that are part of the gathering
are also black and queer, what does it mean for
(51:23):
black queer artists and the start of Pride Month? They
are multiple different There are multiple different intersections that are
happening with inside the gathering that are centering how we
take the disenfranchised meant of who we are and actually
empower it to be a sav to move our to
move ourselves forward.
Speaker 1 (51:41):
I love that, So Edwin is who I need to
make sure that yes, Edwin, Edwin.
Speaker 4 (51:46):
I just want to say this, Edwin, because I know
you can hear me.
Speaker 1 (51:49):
Don't act like you don't know me when I reach
out to you about this, okay. And I would also
love to do my part because most of my listeners
are in Maryland. Actually the most of them are actually
in California, but the d m V area I have
a high listenership. I would love to help promote this
on my show because this is going to be phenomenal phenomenal. Yeah,
(52:12):
I'm excited. I'm really excited about the the call and
response part that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (52:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, I mean it's part of
our DNA. We were we were designed to call and
response and we were and we were designed to you know,
it's going to be lovely to take up all of
this beautiful black space inside of it's really inside of
this global iconic institution called the Candy Center that rest.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
On land that was cared for and that was occupied
by black people before they were displaced. I'm very excited. Spiritually,
I'm excited. My soul is excited. Sonically, I'm excited. I
want to hear it. I want to sing, I want
to shout, I want to dance. I'm very excited all
of this. So I have to make sure that we're
(53:02):
staying in contact, because I do. When it's time to
start promoting it, I am definitely going to talk about
it on here. I'm excited about it. So I want
to say thank you to you so much. This was
such a great conversation. It was so warm. I really
appreciate this conversation, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity
(53:27):
to be able to speak with you great.
Speaker 5 (53:30):
It was awesome.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I wish I could heug you here. I feel like
we are here and I just want to say thank
you so much, and I hope that maybe I can
have you on again after the gathering.
Speaker 3 (53:44):
I'm here for I'm here for it because but also
it would be great to come on after the gatherings
that we have a doctor. We're doing a making up
documentary that will premiere on PBS and also on all Arts,
and so there will be opportunity to talk about that
and be able to maybe tell your list about the
premier day.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
I would love that. I would love that. So thank
you so much, Jonathan, I appreciate you, and until next.
Speaker 5 (54:08):
Time, Until next time, much blessing is.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
Absolutely so friends, and can this straight fax question is
(54:34):
kind of funny because it is from my little cousin
Lance and this is hilarious, but he submitted a form
to ask a question, and so here we go. Hey,
Mimi Walker, Lol, is so funny saying that. But I
have one serious question and one funny question to ask
and get your perspective on. I'll start with the serious one,
(54:56):
and just so you guys know, I'm only going to
ask one of the questions today. I'll say the other
question for another episode. So Lance goes on to ask
what are some deal breakers and relationships that are usually
not brought up or communicated when it comes to really
taking a person seriously. An example I've heard was discussing
(55:16):
your partner's medical and mental health family history, which was
something I never even thought of asking. I wonder if
there are some other questions more people should be aware
of and discuss with their partner that people should know. PS.
This boy is crazy. PS. This does not relate to
my relationship at all. Everything is amazing. And that's Lance
(55:39):
from Fort Washington, Maryland. Okay, Lance, let's get into this.
Some things that I think should be asked when you
are starting to date someone seriously. I think when it
comes to dating seriously, I don't know about asking about
(56:01):
their famili's medical history, but I would definitely ask about
their mental health family history. And I mean the medical
history will come up too. I mean it's just good
to know. I would ask about how they feel about marriage,
you know, because that way you are on the same page.
(56:25):
Because if I want to be married and I'm dating
a man who has no interest in being married at all,
and we've never discussed it. It's a waste of time.
I would talk about children because I think that someone
wanting children and someone else not wanting children that should
(56:47):
probably be a deal breaker because if I want to
have kids and you don't, why am I with you?
If I know that that's not what I want. I
think another thing to discuss is not necessarily finances in
terms of what people do with their finances and how
(57:09):
much they make and things like that, but how they
feel about investments, how they feel about saving I think
these are good things to ask. Another thing that I
would ask about in terms of children is how they
feel about disciplining children, like what does that look like
for them? Because people will get together and they will
(57:31):
have children together and never stop to talk about their
concepts and their ideologies around disciplining children. Because some people
believe in that whole spare the rod, spoil the child,
spank the kid thing, and everybody is not into whooping
kids right. Some people will be into gentle parenting and
(57:58):
the other person will be into punishing, and that is
going to present an issue. Another thing that I think
people should talk about is relationships with their families, because
I personally come from It's funny. My cousins and I
were talking about this last week on the way to
(58:20):
my cousin's birthday party. I have a very close knit family, right,
and so I would love to be in a relationship
with someone who is, you know, family oriented, who understands
and respects the what's the word I'm looking for, you know,
(58:44):
the black family, and like the closeness of a family,
what it's rooted in, and I would want them to
have the same thing with their family. But if they don't,
that's still okay as long as you know, you respect
that my family that we're that way. And one of
(59:05):
my cousins went on to say, well, what if he
is not family oriented, and I said, well, he cannot be,
but I'm going. I'm going to the family function like
he ain't gotta go. I mean, I would want to
be in a relationship with somebody who would want to go,
and if he's close with his family, I would want
(59:25):
to go to his family's functions. But I'm going with
my family and he can come if you want to come,
But if he don't, I'm still going, like I'm going
to be with my family and it's up to you.
Like I'm not gonna keep begging anybody to do that,
but me and my family, we is going to get together.
(59:49):
It's what we do. We get together for all kinds
of things. The baby could be turning four, the puppy
could be having a birthday, Easter, super Bowl, Football Sundays, Basketball,
All Star Game. Like, we get together. We and not
just the major holidays. We gonna get together the other
(01:00:10):
holidays too. So I think that's another thing that people
don't talk about. And another one is like spiritual beliefs.
People don't talk about that. They only talk about, Oh,
are you a Christian? Or you a Muslim? Are you
this or you that. I think talking about spiritual beliefs
and spirituality and religion is really important because that can
(01:00:35):
determine a lot a lot in terms of, you know,
how people move and how they navigate in life. It
also has a lot to do with like their outlook.
You know, are they really negative? Most of the time
negative people don't even acknowledge or admit that they're negative.
(01:00:56):
They just say that they're realists. I hate that, it's
so ridiculous. Please, but I think those are things that
are really important. I can't think of any more in
this moment. But of course there are more. But those
are the ones, including the two that you mentioned, Lance,
that I would say you would want to discuss before
(01:01:19):
or as you are getting serious with someone else. For
today's we got to do better. I went and I
got a quote from Auntie Alice Walker. I love Alice Walker.
Shout out to Alice Walker and shout out to the
original Color Purple book and film. This quote. I wonder
(01:01:48):
if I've used this before. If I did, I don't care,
because somewhere somebody needs to hear it today, and it
might be me. It says, don't wait around for other
people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get,
you've got to make yourself. Look at the Lord working
(01:02:12):
it out for me. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Don't wait around
for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness
that you get, you've got to make yourself. And once
again that was Auntie Alice Walker. The first thing I
(01:02:32):
want to do is say thank you to God, who
is supreme, and I recognize and appreciate the grace, the mercy,
and all of the wonderful blessings that God has extended
to me. And continues to extend to me every single
day of my black ass life. I want to say
thank you to God for making me black. I'm grateful.
(01:02:53):
Being black is an honor, being black as a privilege,
being black is a blessing. And some people may not
understand why. I'm saying that some people don't get it.
But if you know, you know, and if you don't,
that's not really my problem. Thanks God for making me black.
Thank you God for Black History Months, Thanks for Cartegie Woodson.
Thanks for Negro History Week, which turned into a Negro
(01:03:15):
History Month, which is now Black History Month, where we
get to celebrate where the world chooses to celebrate the
accomplishments and the wonderful contributions of Black Americans to society.
I want to say shout out to Usher for his
(01:03:37):
super Bowl performance. It was fucking amazing. I want to
say shout out to God bless Alicia Keys in that
first note that she belted out during the Super Bowl,
God bless our heart. And shout out to Beyonce. Giselle
knows Carter for being bold and brave and telling us
(01:04:02):
and letting us know that she is releasing Renaissance Act two.
We know that they're four acts on March twenty ninth,
and it's going to be a country themed And I
just saw something on the internet that she is going
on tour again. You know what, She's a wild girl.
You just gonna take our money forever for the next
four years. Mionce, Is that what you're gonna do. Shout
(01:04:25):
out to Beyonce for being bold, not giving a fuck
and saying fuck y'all, I'm taking y'all money. Moving forward,
I want to say thank you to my folks. I
want to say thank you to all of the people
who have been rolling with me since day one, and
that's March first, twenty twenty. I appreciate you. I thank
you and I'm grateful for you. I appreciate you for
(01:04:48):
being here. And even if you just started listening to
hand me my purse today, I thank you for that
as well. Either way you play the cards, I'm grateful.
I'm thankful for my family. I love them. My friends,
my friends are really my family that I selected. I
hand selected them to be a part of my family.
My friends and kim all y'all listening, my supporters, you
(01:05:12):
guys listening are the reason that I do this every
single week. I love y'all so much, and it's nothing
short of an honor of privilege and a blessing to
be able to just share my voice, share my thoughts,
my time, my energy with you, especially if you keep
coming back every week to listen to this. If you
just listen, if you keep coming back to listen to
what I got to say, you wonder we rolling It's us,
(01:05:36):
It's us. We is Togema, and I look forward to
the next time that I get to do this with you. Now,
before you exit out of whatever streaming service you're using
to listen to this show, stop what you're doing, and
if you haven't already done so, look for the subscribe
or follow button. Click on it if it's an option
on the streaming service where you're listening, and then I
want you to go over to Instagram and follow me
(01:05:57):
at Handing Me my Purse Underscore podcast. Then go to
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Follow me there, and then on Facebook just search Handing
my Purse podcast. Follow me on there like it. Do
all the things, because those are the places where I
(01:06:18):
put most of the updates, information posts, and all my
beautiful Neon inspired social media posts anyway. If you listen
on a streaming service or a medium that allows you
to do so, do me a favor. Please please rate
and review Handing My Purse on Apple Podcasts if you will.
(01:06:39):
Can you do that for me? On Spotify? Leave me
a message? Okay, you can ask a question on there.
You can say, hey, Mimi, I think your show is awesome.
Hey me me your show sucks. If that's how you feel.
Either way, take a few minutes out and do that.
I would really appreciate it. I really really would. I'm
not even lying. It would make me really happy. Friends
(01:07:02):
and can be sure to share hand Me my Purse
with your friends, your loved ones, and even people that
get on your goddamn nerves. Because the best way for
anybody and everybody to find out about this show is
by you guys telling them all about it. So tell
a friend to tell a friend, to tell a friend
to tell a friend. Please submit your questions for the
(01:07:24):
straight Fact segment by clicking on the link in the
show notes that says submit a question for straight Facts.
It's a link, It's there, It's right by the jam.
I made it really easy for you to submit a question,
or you can click the link in my Instagram profile
and look for the button that says submit a question. Okay,
(01:07:46):
your question might be the next question that I read
on an upcoming show. Also, remember that show notes are
always available on the episode description. Wherever you're listening to
the show, be sure to take a look at show
notes because that is where I put all of the
links and other information that I'm mentioned during the show
that you may want to check out, in addition to
some stuff that I just want you to have access to. Also,
(01:08:06):
just so you know, the music for hand Me My
Purse the podcast is provided by the one and only
West Baltimore's own Gloomy Tunes. Last, but not least, I
want to give a big old shout out to my producers.
Together we make up Rando, Benjamin and the Dirty Roots.
(01:08:28):
I look forward to you, friends and ken looking forward
to listening to hand Me My Person Podcasts each and
every Tuesday. And you know what I'm out this bitch piece.
Hand Me My Purse is a production of iHeart Podcasts.
For more shows from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app,
(01:08:49):
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hand Me My Purse is a production of iHeart Podcasts.
So I was perusing Fannie Willis's Internet. Shout out to
motherfucking Fannie Willis. Anyway, I was perusing Fannie Willis's Internet
and I read this wonderful quote from none other than
(00:22):
Auntie Nikki Giovanni, and I wanted to start the show
off with this quote to close out Black History Month
of twenty twenty four. Auntie Nikki says style has a
profound meaning to Black Americans. If we can't drive, we
will invent walks, and the world will envy the dexterity
(00:46):
of our feet. If we can't have ham, we will
boil chitterlings, or as they say in my community, chitlings.
If we are given rotten peaches, we will make cobblers.
If given scraps, we will make quilts. Take away our drums,
(01:07):
and we will clap our hands. We prove the human
spirit will prevail. We will take what we have to
make what we need. We need confidence in our knowledge
of who we are. Happy Black History Months, friends, and kin,
(01:49):
I can't see the Okay, what's up, y'all? Welcome to
Hand Me My Purse the podcast. I am none other
than me Me Walker, and I will be your forever
host each and every single time you tune into this podcast.
So go ahead and get comfortable. Get yourself a glass
of your favorite beverage. Whether that's some freshly pressed, fresh
(02:12):
pressed carrot juice, yuck, yuck aty yuck. I cannot stand
the taste of plain fresh pressed carrot juice. But if
you like it, shut out to you. Or if it's
some raspberry lemonade with a shot of champagne at the top,
(02:35):
or a nice hot cup of ash Wa Ganda and
soursop leaf tea with honey and lemon to heal your body,
go light yourself a candle, some incense or burn some
sage and just get ready to chill out and do
what I call have yourself a good time. What's up
(03:01):
friends in Kennis? Mee me Resident Anti Supreme here and
hand me my purse. And today I am sipping on
some and I'm going to say the name the brand.
I'm sipping on some sand Pellegrino. I got a bottle
today after I left the gym when I went to
get my protein heavy lunch, and that's what I'm drinking
right now. And it's not exciting. It's not exotic, it's
(03:26):
nothing to write home about. It's just plain, old, unflavored
sand pellegrino. And that's it. That's all I got. And
you know what the message is here. Sometimes life is
not flavored and a full of zest and excitement. Sometimes
life can just be simple and it is still good enough.
(03:47):
And it is and it did what it was supposed
to do. I don't know how exciting it was, because
I definitely did not finish it while I was eating
my food. Somehow it made it back home with me.
But you know what, I'm going to finish it before
the night's over. And I'm grateful. I am grateful that
I have something to drink. I am grateful that I
(04:09):
can buy what I want to drink. And I am
grateful that I have access to all different types of water,
and that's clean water, tap water. My tap water is
relatively clean, sparkling water, mineral water, spring water, distilled water.
I am grateful for that and I thank God for that.
(04:31):
So today I'm grateful for my sam pellegrina water that
is probably overpriced, but it's okay because I'm still grateful
that I can afford to buy it. Jesus, Jesus Jesus.
So for today's jam, friends and can, I chose a
(04:54):
classic song in my community. You know, this is the
last episode for Black History Month for twenty twenty four,
and so let's just be real black, right and know
the song is not be Real Black for Me by ROBERTA.
Flack and Donnie Hathaway, Although that is an amazing song.
I chose a song that's very uplifting and it makes
(05:17):
you feel good and that is optimistic by Sounds of Blackness.
I cannot remember if this song has been a jam before.
Part of me feels like this was a jam before
during Black History Month. But if it was, so what
it's gonna be the jam again, okay, because this is
(05:37):
what I'm feeling like, and so this is what it's
going to be. And so the reason that I chose
this song is because.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You know, we've been fighting, bowing and still fighting.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
To this day. Well that and because it's a wonderful song.
It's very inspirational and like I don't know what else
to say about it, like it just makes you feel good.
And it's one of those songs that I don't know
about everybody else as a black American person. When I
(06:10):
hear it, it's kind of a reminder for me to
just in the spirit of my ancestors and in the
spirit of resilience perseverance, to just never give up, never
give up on myself, never give up on my dreams,
(06:30):
never give up on making my ancestors proud of me,
never giving up on the desires of my heart, and
living a life of once again gratitude and positivity. Even
though life does not always issue cards that may be
(07:01):
an automatic winning hand, one thing about us is that
we are going to find a way to win the hand.
We're gonna find a way, And so this song just
reminds me of that. It's a beautiful song. And I
remember a few years ago the little boy that was
on Blackish, one of the twins. He's probably a fundament
fundamental but fundamental and fundamentally is like my new favorite
(07:25):
words to say on a regular basis. He's fully a
grown man now, I'm sure. But him and his dad
were dancing to this song and doing like a lot
of old school hip hop dances, and I'm gonna link
that in the show notes. I have to find it.
But the song is just positive and it makes you
feel good. I mean, for God's sake, the name of
(07:45):
the song is Optimistic, So go ahead and listen to it,
and then we're gonna get right into the show and
get into part two of my interview with Jonathan McCrory,
which was amazing. I hope you listened to part one already.
If not, you should probab stop and go back and
listen to part one so you can prepare yourself for
the next part of the interview. But it was amazing.
(08:07):
It was really really good. So go ahead and listen
to Optimistic, and then let's go ahead and get into
part two of the interview.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Canna Jay.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
During your journey after you just mentioned you said his
name was James I James, and you mentioned one of
the oppos that he faced during his journey, and he
turned that into something else and now look his plays
on Broadway. Once again, shout out to black people for
being resilient as fuck. But tell me about any obstacles,
(09:14):
any any additional obstacles, because you told me about something
that you faced as a child, that you have faced
during your journey once your career started to.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
I just want to and just want to uplift that
fat Ham is now being is reportedly going to be
the number one produced play of this season after its
Broadway closure. So it's actually big shout out to James
for turning that limit.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
And usually my listeners, I usually have a soundpad, but
we were having so many technical issues.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I was like, I'm not even going to bring anything else.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
In and I am constantly utilizing my Jamaican air horn sound.
So since I don't have it, shout out to James, I,
James and Fat Ham.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
As I talked about so other obstacles, I mean, are
there are many? Actually?
Speaker 3 (10:05):
In order in order to be the leader that I
wanted to become, I had to actually start to understand, appreciate,
and actually own or accept my dark side. My light
in Darkseye had to be a part of the conversation.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
So how did that self is real?
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Shadow self is real, and shadow self actually dictates, can
dictate what happens in the light, how the light actually
is absorbed, how the light is actually appreciated. So an
obstacle is that, I mean it is is actually that
journey of accepting the wholeness of someone and the wholeness
of myself.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
How have I done that?
Speaker 3 (10:42):
I've done that by going to Landmark Form, going to
Hoffmann therapy.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I did Landmark Form years ago, years ago. I did
it right in Virginia.
Speaker 6 (10:55):
Landmark Coffee Therapy. They all, they all, will you you
are the first. I'm taking my glasses off. You are
the first person to mention Landmark form to me since
I did it. And I couldn't even tell you what
year it was that I did it, and I could
even afford to do it. One of my cousins paid
(11:15):
for me to do it because she did it and
she said, I think this would be good for you,
and it was.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
I don't even remember much about it because I'm the
queen of suppression. Like if it's not if I'm not
using it, then I just violet. Yeah, just pilot. But
I remember it being so like transforming, just based on
the way that I was processing my own path, the
way that I processed my own pain, the way that
I processed my own mental chaos, the way that I
(11:44):
saw my pain and saw my trauma. I do remember
that it was very transforming for me in that way.
And it was also the first time that I spoke
about those things with other people.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Yeah, and being able and one of the One of
the key things for me was being able to have
the conversation of dismantling trauma's power mm hm and like
really starting to understand us as machines that are just
always processing things and turning things into meaning, but actually
(12:20):
everything is just in flow, just.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Happening, happening.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
It's just happening, like like they're like like like breakdowns
are not because you are having breakdowns. Breakdowns are just
happening because life is breaking, right, and like that's just
life happening.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
And how you and how.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
You we are that we are from Landmark Forum really
having a conversation how we are So we're skilled playwrights,
we are skilled authors, we are skilled like lyricists who
like create pins story after story after story that actually
distract from what's actually happening in front of us. So
like Landmark's really important for helping me to really start
(12:58):
to dismantle that that part.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
When did you do it?
Speaker 5 (13:02):
Oh gosh, I felt like I did it almost close
to ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Ten years ago. I'm forty four. I wonder if I
was younger then. I can't even remember when I did it.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Yeah, it was it was like based only ten years
ago and then I did Hoffman. I did Hoffman after that, and.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Then I found I'm not familiar with Hoffman.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
So Hoffman Hoffman is an institute where you basically go
in a in a space with the forty other strangers
for a whole week, and the whole goal is to
the whole premise of Hoffman's technology.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
And I use that from a space.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Of education and pedagogy is to lean into the theory
that love is the highest vibration that the world has
ever seen.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Love is the strongest vibration that the world has ever seen.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
And if that is the case, love is also something
that we sometimes have a challenge to be in relationship
with because it is being is either in rebellion or
in subjugation to how our parents love. We are taught
how to love versus us coming to our own relationship
to love.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
So that sounds that sounds heavy.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
So the idea of Hoffman is to break that tethering
to that parental line, yeah, and start to come up
to your own relationship to love. That is, so for
our entire week, you're not allowed to You have your
set meals, no kind of narcotics like, no drugs, no
anything you're with forty strangers, and you're you're put into pods.
(14:29):
You're you are your your name is your childhood name,
not your real name, so they call your childhood name
the entire week. You're not allowed to say your full
name until like the very end, and you're just you
go you you, and you're and you're with a therapy.
You have a therapist as your guide through it. You
go through visualizations and you and you eat this food
and you eat like really great food. Actually I love
(14:51):
the food of Hoffman. And you're on and and you're
and you're isolated, no cell phone, no computer, no anything
for a week for the whole and then and then
at the very end of it, at the very end
of it, at graduation, you finally get to tell people
what you do. You finally get to tell people who
you are. But before then, you're not supposed to talk
about what you do or who you are. You're supposed
(15:12):
to have you're supposed to basically stick.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
To the work. M HM.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
And And I have to say that it was one
of the most profound moments of one of my of
my life, Like it was number one. I learned what
silence actually sounds like. I had a very hard time
coming back to New York. I feel like I could
hear everything, everything, Everything was a distraction. I almost thought
I was gonna I Like they say, do not make
(15:39):
any drastic moves for the first three or four months.
So don't divorce, don't divorce, don't quit your job, don't
make any major moves for the first three months, because.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
You're just you.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Because the thing that had happened is that I had transformed,
but the world around me doesn't, had not, and I
had to meet the world with who I was, and
I had to come to place where it was Yeah,
how to find what balance is, which is what which is?
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Which is what anything is? Right? Like even in this moment,
I'm I'm changing.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
In this moment in conversation with you, I am in
a moment of actually my my molecules are having a
different conversation than what they were having before our convers
before we talk. However, the world is still existing in
the same kind of systems that I might find oppressive.
When I turn on my phone, right, and the question
is how do I meet How do I meet that
(16:31):
with the same energy? Right, not run away from it,
not not turn it, not act like it's not happening, right,
but I actually could allow for this to be a
part of the diamond making process that allows me to
shine in those other areas so that their solution building
that can happen, or there is advocacy that can happen,
or there is just an awareness that is happening, right
(16:52):
that that that that like that like the two are
synonymous and the two are needed to happen. So so
that's a little bit I mean, that's a little bit
of like, well, some obstacles want some more obstacles. I
mean another obstacle was just that I was really young
when I started. I was twenty four, So like, at
twenty four, I became the artistic leader of a forty
five year old organization.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
That's a lot if.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
You're if you can imagine where you were at the
age of twenty four.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I couldn't even lead myself.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
So it's like there's a whole conversation happening at that
age for me, where like I'm having to talk about budget.
I'm not even talking about salaries. I'm not talking about
quick keeping the lights on, turning on the doors. And
yes it's with a group of people, but I'm holding
a very prominent seat inside of.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
With that group of people.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
And so there's there's a part of me that's having
to grow up extremely fast an extremely small clique, and
that part of me is having to grow up pretty quickly.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
There's an innocence that goes away.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yeah, and so there so for me like maybe four
or five years, after like four or five years and
I was like, oh, I need to get reckless again, right,
and reckless not from the definition of like what everyone
defines reckless to be, but my own definition of reckless.
And that might mean that, like I have a meeting
tomorrow morning at eight o'clock in the morning, but i'
musa stay out at this club until five am because
(18:10):
and that's reckless.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Now I'm because I'm still twenty four.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
But I'm still because I'm exploring I'm exploring twenty four
inside of me that needed to have the space.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Absolutely because who wants to become forty four and have
regrets that I was so focused on my position at
MBT that I didn't get to enjoy being twenty four.
Now that I'm forty four, I probably don't want to
go back and do the things that I wanted to
do when I was twenty four, But unfortunately, some people
will go back and regress. Exactly, I'm gonna go out
(18:41):
and stay out all night and do a lot of
drugs and do a lot of drinking, and it's like
it don't hit the same when you forget for and
then the the other.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
The other part of it is that how do I
define it for my body today? Yes, and how I
find it for my body today actually allows for me
to grow in a deeper understanding of how to be
more whole. And also not to blame the gift like NBTS.
I love that NBT amen come out now, and so
(19:11):
I have to be able. I have to be able
to have a conversation with the gift that is not
distracted by the regret.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
M you on here, I'm dropping some dimes, Jonathan McCrory.
I'm listening.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Like you said, I'm not the same as I was
twenty five seconds ago. Don't blame the gift, Okay, all right?
I love that. And also I'm I want to know
about this Hoffman stuff, So before this is over, when
the recording is done, I want some information because this
sounds exciting, this sounds like I love a good healing
journe I love anything that adds.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
To my healing.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
I want to do it, share all of the things,
because when we are healed and the people around us,
the people around us are then healed. So you talked
about some of your obstacles as a black man, right
or as a black person. I should just say, just period,
do you feel like you were heavily supported by your
(20:13):
community in your choice to do theater? I can kind
of assume because like you were young and you walked
right into a forty forty five year old established program
or support.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Differently, did you.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Feel supported then your community?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (20:33):
At times? At times I don't.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Okay, even's to this day you don't.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
Yeah, But that's because I'm not everyone's cup of tea.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Absolutely I wasn't.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
I wasn't crafted to be everyone's cup of tea.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
No, I was crafted to be some Yeah, And as
you ascend, there will be people that just it's just
what happens. People who starts to not to start to
pick at the ways of which your ascension deflates there
and like you may not now be like what I'm
(21:06):
starting when I'm really starting to center and learn is
that my intent doesn't mean that the impact hits differently.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Intention versus impact. I talk about it all the time,
my intention. I'm an educator, So if we talk about
that all the time, your intention, which you intend to
share with these children and to communicate to their families,
is one thing. But how they receive it, how they
makes them feel, how they are impacted by the words
(21:36):
the actions are two totally different things. What does support
look like for you? If you could, if you if
you could live in a world or exists in a
space where you always felt like you were supported by
your community? And I was specifically talking about your community.
And when I say your community, I'm talking about black
(21:58):
your community, my community, black people. No, No, I mean what
does that look like for you?
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Well, I mean on one level, I want to say, spiritually,
I feel so supportive. I feel girded and grounded, right,
I feel ancestrally and inside the physical I feel like.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Bam good, Yeah covered locked.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
That's your lockdown, spirit gods locking it down.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Just because I grew.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Up in a Pentecostal church, don't think I don't know
no stuff, because I.
Speaker 5 (22:23):
Know I got me pull apex on, right.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
I know a little bit of things come on a
little bit of that.
Speaker 5 (22:28):
I'm at the apex. I'm at the apex.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I know the things they got me, they got.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
You, and what I will say, what I will say
from from the when you start talking about I think
sometimes there's a crabs in a barrel mentality that happens
and thinking, and I think in those moments I think
that we suffer from And I'm happy to be drawn
in the mat and actually have a conversation with whoever
(22:58):
who's listening. This might be like, Yo, you actually did,
You're actually not the You're not practically what you preach.
But I'm happy to happy to always be in conversation
around how to be a better human or how to
be a more equitable human with the words I say.
I think that sometimes when other people ascend, we have
a we have a desire to always pull some people
back down.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Absolutely, crabs in umbarrel.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Mentality of it all is what I think we suffer from,
even if someone in ten is not to be that,
but the impact feels that way because society works in
a different way than I think, we as a culture
sometimes operate right. Society says there only can be one society.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Also, also, I think that when you think. I always
draw things back to slavery, like we were brought here
and systems were created for us to be that way.
And that's not to say I'm blaming the white man
or you know, because it's not really about that, but
it is about systems were created so that certain outcomes
(23:58):
were present so that hope for me. The concept of
the overseer, the black overseer, is the is the root
of the crabs in a barrel mentality. The concept of
the house negro and the field negro is at the
root of the crabs in a barrel mentality because there's
(24:18):
always somebody that holds a higher position in our communities
or in that situation or in those spaces, and it's
like if they weren't there one maybe I could be there.
But also that person that is there oftentimes think that
they're you know, they it's presented that they think that
they're better and that they're looking down on everybody else.
(24:40):
But just because I arrived, whatever the fuck that means,
or just because I may ascend, I love that you
said that. Just because I ascend doesn't mean that you
are beneath me. Because you may be ascended or ascending
in another way, you may be great in another way.
I had an episode recently where I talked about competition
in the root of competition is really based in insecurity
(25:02):
and low self worth, and because I don't need to
compete with anybody else, because no one on this planet
can compete with me me. Nobody. Nobody's gonna breathe like me,
walk like me, talk like me. Nobody nobody can compete
with you. And not because of what you have done.
It's really just about your entire existence.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
People, and you are crafted for a very particular We're
both crafted for a very particular use yep, and actually
have a very particular algorithm that is fit to our
destiny and the quest. And the thing is that we
always we get distracted by the noise around us and
not centered in that. In that promisory note that like that,
(25:45):
like your sound, to your point was is solely your sound,
and also that like the indigenous aspect of it, which
is against Western capitalism, is that my goal is to
bring us all up, not just.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Testing me up.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Yes, I'm not an overseer. I'm not allow me to
ascend so that I can turn. It reminds me of
this book that my grandmother bought me I May she
rests when I was a little girl, and I wish
I could find this book. It's probably nine million dollars
now called The People Could Fly. And remember that book.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
I don't know how old you are, but I'm forty four.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
Yeah, I remember that book.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And so on the book there on the cover there
were all of these black people like flying in the air.
And it makes me think of just because we're flying
in the air or people are flying in the air,
it does not mean that they're not gonna come to
where you are and scoop you up so you can
fly with us. And just because you are down on
(26:56):
the ground and we are in the air, it does
not mean that we are better and better than you
or anybody is better than you. Because we're gonna if
you give us a moment, we're gonna come down and
we're gonna get you, and we're gonna scoop you up
so you can fly with us. That's what Harriet Tubman did.
Speaker 5 (27:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
And also I would just say I would just lay
this down. Maybe you weren't meant to fly right.
Speaker 5 (27:16):
And like because because because the higher, the the the the.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
Collegey in order for the ecosystem to work, people have
to also stay in the lane in which they were
crafted to be in.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Yeah, people don't want to soak that up though. No,
everybody's not meant to be And I hate to bring
her into it, but you know, she's always in conversations
when people talk about this kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Everybody can't be Beyonce.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
No, no, but like but.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Like also but also the question, my question would always.
Speaker 7 (27:45):
Be ever anybody doesn't want to be Beyonce either, because
to actually be Beyonce, you're actually talking about close to
thirty years of a story that you know nothing.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Nope, No, And that's why I think when all of
the things came out about you know, jay z cheating,
people like, oh, no, she is no different than you
and I. She's a human being and he is a
human being as well. She just puts in a lot
of hard work. And also I find when people do
that crabs in a barrel thing or assume that people
(28:19):
are better than them, or compare and compete the people
who you assume are flying or who are ascending. Do
you want to do the work that they do? No,
it takes a lot. It takes a lot of work
to fly yeah. And some people are born with wings,
and some people are born with rocket shoes, and some
people and.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
It makes sometimes and it makes some sometimes wonder do
folks do folks actually do folks actually? Because her documentaries
that she's been doing, she gives you a glimpse into
the laker and to the labor that she has to
till and pour in, And I sometimes wonder, do you
actually listen to that rigor do people actually listen to
that that tilling that she has to do.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
I'm glad she did it. I've never been like a
super Beyonce fan, but I really like fell in love
with the energy of her work a long time ago.
Her work ethic is unmatched, It's unmatched. The only person
I can imagine came close is Michael Jackson, and they're
(29:22):
both virgos. It makes sense a prince well, but see,
you know what the difference is with Prince and Michael
Jackson and Beyonce. Prince he was born flying? Yeah he
if you if you pay attention to the artists, right,
because I too am a creative prince was born with gifts.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Beyonce has crafted this persona in this energy for thirty
something years Michael Jackson had to work. Joe Jackson treated
them like field hands. You're gonna work, We're gonna practice
around the clock. Jackson created that work ethic and that energy.
Prince wake up when he was nine. Stevie Wonder is
(30:07):
another one. He's blind, but he a phenom. Prince and
Stevie Wonder, in my mind, they're just and I love
when this does it.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
I don't understand. Did you see those balloons?
Speaker 1 (30:20):
It freaks me. I hoped my producers. We laugh about
it all the time. But for some reason, when I
do like this, like the balloons come up in Zoom
or Riverside, But anyway, Prince Stevie Wonder, I would even
think it was somebody else I just thought of, Like,
I just feel like they just wake up and their
gifts were there. But the reason that I respect Michael
(30:42):
Jackson and Beyonce so much, and not that I don't
respect Prince and Stevie Wonder, because they are absolutely my faves,
because there's a little bit of soul energy in their
work that is in no shade to Beyonce, heir Michael
Jackson that it's not necessarily in their works. It's a
(31:05):
to me it's it's palatable almost with seeming when they're
in prints, it's it's soul energy in their work that
tells me that it's a it's difficult, you get what
I'm saying, and the creative deal. And so I think
that people don't want to do the work it takes
to even be one eighty eighth of who Beyonce is.
(31:26):
That's a lot of work, that's a lot of sacrifice,
that's a lot of pushing through pain. People don't even
want to go to work when they have a cold,
but you want to fly. That's not how it works. No,
that's not how it works.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
That's not how it works.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
And the and the trick of the bag is that
they make it look that way, but that is not
how it works.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
No. And and like you said, I'm glad that she
did or that she's starting to put this these behind
the scenes stories out so that people can see, like
this shit ain't no cake walk. What.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
I gotta take my kids around.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
I gotta be a mom, I gotta be a wife,
I gotta be a friend, I have to be a daughter,
I have to be a business woman. And she shows
that even though I am these things, and it has
been thirty years, and I'm really good at it as
a black woman. People still play with me, still try
to play with me. Do you really want like, I
you know my thing with people? Do you really want that? Like?
Are you really kidded out to handle that? Or are
(32:25):
you gonna want to fight? You know you're gonna want
to slap the shit out of somebody who tries to
I'm Beyonce. No Carter, No, you can't do that.
Speaker 6 (32:34):
No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
No no, Because that's why some of your favorite performers
never made it, because no, they cannot temper that energy.
Speaker 5 (32:44):
The skill and the craft to be able to work.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
It's amazing.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
A dominant space is kind of profound.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
And now I am a stone cold Beyonce fan, not
necessarily be hive, but I'm adjacent. I got really into
this Renaissance thing. Listen, I don't know what it is.
A gay man that lives deep inside of me was
like embrace it.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Was actually it was actually really dope about the Renaissance
album and connection to NBT is that Doctor Tear is
actually in the Alien Superstar. That is the moment on
Alien Superstar, the person who's speaking at the very tail end.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
That's doctor Barbaran tire.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
That's I love that, you know what. Look at God
working it out for me and bringing this full circle
for me because Alien Superstar is my jazz thing and
it is like my life theme, like I am one
of one, I am number one, the only one. My
best friend had a birthday party and it was Beyonce thing.
(33:42):
We went to this club thing. It was called Club
Beyonce where they played Beyonce all night and so all
of the girls that went to the party were dressed
like variations of Beyonce from like music videos. Shout out
to my best friend who just turned forty four birthday,
Crystal time this airs, it will be way after her birthday.
But anyway, we went to this party, and you know,
(34:05):
people were dressed as Beyonce from the Kiddikat video from
Black Is King. Somebody dressed as her on Renaissance where
she had that costume with the hands. Everybody was dressed
up as a variation of a Beyonce where you've seen her.
I dressed up as Alien Superstar. I'm going to send
you the picture email. Yes, listen, I was. I was
(34:29):
there for the whole thing. I was an Alien superstar.
But anyway, enough about Beyonce and Renaissance. But that's awesome
to know that. Tell me her last name again, because
I always want to say, and Tier. I always want
to say a Tillier doctor. And Tier was the one
speaking at the end of the Is it the one
where she says we walk a certain way, we talk
(34:51):
a certain way. I love that. You just made my
black ass day. Okay, you just made my day. And
I'm gonna listen to it as soon this is done
and say, I know who that is, guys, because I
always wondered who it was and I thought maybe it
was best Anne Hardison.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
Oh no, no, no, no, no, it's no, no, it's doctor.
It's doctor Barbaras.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
I just made that up in my brain. Hey.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
Hey, that's also like something she would say. He's also
a legend.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Ago I'm I'm I'm so excited about that. I wonder
if her to be on her family. Yes, she's also,
I was gonna say, because she's also notorious for not doing.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
No she actually she actually she she she did it right.
Speaker 5 (35:31):
No, no, she should family.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
She made sure like yeah, no, no, no, it's actually
quite it's quite gorgeous. Uh, gorgeous story of like amplification
and also like replenishing right. I love them and making
sure and making sure that this this source that she's
utilizing is actually being able to, like you know, benefit
(35:57):
her future generations.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Absolutely give back as you as you take. Make sure, yes,
take with your right, but make sure you replenished with
your left. Yeah, that's that's how it should be. Tell
(36:23):
me about enough about Beyonce. She gets a lot of
press every episode of this show. I have a song
which is like Mimi's jam. This episode's jam will be
Alien Superstar. Definitely. Definitely tell me about some highlights from
mbt's twenty twenty three and highlights for you for twenty
(36:46):
twenty three. Told me Fathham was on Broadway.
Speaker 5 (36:49):
That's I'm becoming a being Tony nominated.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (36:54):
Fadham also getting an Emmy nomination from a.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Film that that I hoped to douce and create called
The Roll call the Rooster Strange Fruit that is on PBS.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
Another highlight is being being able to What are some
other highlights?
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Oh my gosh, I can't.
Speaker 5 (37:14):
I can't think about all of them. I mean, I mean,
you know, at one moment, at one.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Point we had we we this year, we've had three
shows that are critics picks New York Times critics Pick.
Speaker 5 (37:25):
The New York Times critics.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
Pick is a high honor that a show can get
in the New York City market. It's it's something where
the critics of The New York Times are dubbing in
as a as a significant work for the community or
the tri state area and even the country, because New
York Times is the national publication to be able to
pit pat into a witness.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
And the three shows that we.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Had were fat Ham, Proly Victorious and then also Pray.
These are all three shows, and what's beautiful is that
two of them are on Broadway and then one of
them is our off Broadway show. And having the off
Broadway show get that acknowledgement was really dope.
Speaker 5 (38:04):
I will say.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Another another huge was being able to do our topping
out ceremony for our topping topping off topping out ceremony
for our new building, and being able to walk through
that building and be able to witness other people like
be able to uh see it in its raw form
and now knowing that from that raw form it's going
to now give bricks and windows and get the lighting
(38:25):
and the other stuff. Being able to share the vision
has also been quite as a highlight.
Speaker 5 (38:33):
Being able to I think another major highlight of the year.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Uh, it's just I mean, I honestly will say, is
like being able to take this moment to be reflective, Uh,
to be grateful and be and I actually sit in
a space of deep gratitude for the year that's coming up,
because next year feels like it's going to be another
one of those abundant years, profound years for for National
(39:01):
Black Theater for me personally, and that feels deeply exciting.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
It's one of those moments.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
I mean, one of my biggest highlights of this of
this year has been there was a stint from September
to December where every week it felt like it was
a major week, like major things were happening, major accomplishments
were happening, and it just was like, at some point
you start.
Speaker 5 (39:22):
To get numb to it.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
And what I what I want to always do is
not get numbed because because it's just like that that
stretch may never happen again again.
Speaker 5 (39:34):
No, it also and also.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
It will though hey, but it will, and if it
does that that is the will of all this that
are necessary, and so is Shelby, and.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Yes it is.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
And also and also like I want to be able
to honor that pinch me moment, right, and be able
to honor the gratitude or that pinch me moment, because
it is from that gratitude that to your point, the
next one will happen, absolutely and it will keep on
just ascending. So I will say those are some highlights
from the year. Being able just to kind of be
(40:09):
my mind being blown in multiple different ways.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
I love that for you.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
And then also be able to walk into a new
year having two shows on Broadway, being a Tony nominated
and Emmy nominated in the same year, and then knowing
that I'm going into a year where there's another major
production that we're producing in June called The Gathering, and
being able to feel the excitement for that.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
That is awesome. I have a question, what's your sign?
Speaker 5 (40:35):
Pisces?
Speaker 4 (40:36):
What's your three?
Speaker 5 (40:37):
All I know is Pisces.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
Oh okay, you.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
Just know that you're all right, I got it.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
You just know that you're Pisces. It's funny you mentioned gratitude.
I talk about gratitude constantly on this show because I
want people, particularly black people, to understand that like we
only get you only get blessed by being grateful for
your blessings. And that is that is the work of
our ancestors, and it should be in our bone. Marror.
(41:04):
You know, there's no way that we made it. First
of all, I always say that the fact that we
are the descendants of the people who made it through
the Middle Passage, that alone should tell you enough about
who you come from. Right, You've got to be grateful
for everything, even if it's grateful that you like your nails.
(41:26):
If you're grateful that your plants are thriving. If one
plant dies, okay, sorry plant, but guess what the other
ones are alive and I can maybe get another plant.
I'm grateful that my eyes are open. I'm grateful that
I can see, just grateful for any and everything. Is
that is how you are blessed.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
And just and just also just also uplift that like
that like what we what we call death is a
return of the energy in a different form, right, and
it's energy actually maturing and actually manifesting. And like what
what is also what is also of when thinking when
thinking about even those even those rough moments, it's just like,
(42:05):
how how do we how not be Pollyanna about it?
Speaker 5 (42:08):
We need to honor it, But how.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
Does grief actually transform into deep senses of gratitude and
how does grief actually give us the space to imagine
ourselves differently? There's this beautiful Instagram posts talking about how
we get upset or we get or upset and this
shows up in our body, with our with our loved
ones and people that we're connected with because we are
(42:31):
grieving the fact that someone has transformed or changed and
we're sore and we're we wanted them to stay the same.
Speaker 5 (42:37):
Yeah, and and and my thing.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
Is that like I would rather I would rather go
through that grieving process and see someone go through a
space of transformation than for us to actually be stuck
and stagnant in our in our in our way of
being or a way of our way of doing. And
that is leading me into this talking about just a
little bit and some things I didn't actually talk about
that want to uplift. As far as gratitude, one is
(43:00):
grateful for this year, the State Department of New York
City State was able to grant MBT ten million dollars
this past year for our new buildings, so like that
was major and also the City of New York was
ultimately gave us about twenty twenty five twenty six million
dollars for the new building. So like, in total we've
(43:23):
been able to raise about fifty three fifty four million dollars.
That's an eight million dollars capital campaign. And so to
be over halfway the finish line and having the city
and the state be the deep investors, it's only saying
that we are meant to be here and this is
meant to happen, So really want to really want to
uplift and give gratitude for that.
Speaker 5 (43:44):
And then yeah, and then I'm.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
Just excited to talk about what's happening in twenty twenty
four and what MBT is planning to do in twenty
twenty four.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
It also says that the state and the city recognize
and respect the work that has been done over the
work that has come out from MBT since nineteen Yeah. Today,
that's amazing, that is amazing.
Speaker 3 (44:07):
Yeah, I mean the pandemic, I mean during I mean
even before the pandemic, we were critical to community. But
during the pandemic, the CEO Shaty Liftcad myself. MBT in
general found ourselves in the states of deep advocacy, helping communities,
organizations really being able to find the resources that they need.
(44:29):
Shot A helped to build the culture at three, which
was a deep resource inside the cultural sector. So and
so like these kind of moments of pouring again, we
gave a lot, and in giving, the city and the
state are pouring back in for that time and that
commitment that was able to be given.
Speaker 4 (44:48):
I think that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
So tell us about what you're excited about for twenty
twenty four.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
So, I mean, one of the great things that I'm
really excited about for twenty twenty four is that in
June one, we will be in the DMV area, will
be at the Candy Center. National Black Theater has a
partnership with the Candy Center called We're Conflux Partners.
Speaker 5 (45:10):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (45:11):
That means that for the past year we have been
helping to cultivate programmatic offerings for a week long exploration
that will happen happen the week of May twenty, right
after after Labor Day weekend May twenty seven or May yeah,
May twenty the week of May twenty six to June
(45:33):
to June second, there will be a series of programs
happening at throughout the various parts of the Candy Center
themed the Gathering a Space for Narrative Change. We will
be looking at the ways in which black and brown
bodies have helped to generate different kinds of narrative and
different kinds of resources inside of this community, inside of
this country. And it will be all centered around uplifting
(45:56):
a signature event called The Gathering a Sonic Green Shop.
The Gathering greenshot was a show that we did at
the Apollo to a sold out house in twenty twenty
two on the heels of the shut out, of the
shutdown from the pandemic, and we are being blessed to
be able to do it again through the help of
the Art for Justice Fund, the Ford Foundation and Andrew
(46:17):
Mellen Foundation. We are going to be kind of We're
going to be utilizing the Opera House of the Candy Center.
We are going to bring an eighty person orchestra, a
fifty nine person choir, and we are going to basically
do a sonic ring shout inside of that opera house
that will span over about ninety almost close to two
hours of music that will be guided by a narrative,
(46:42):
our virtual narrative, which would be Mahogany L.
Speaker 5 (46:45):
Brown, but you'll hear original work.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
I know her. Yeah, she's really good friends with one
of my really good friends. She is really good friends
with my friend Kiyah.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
Okay, she's a dope human. She's a dope human. Considered
it like a sister. And we're we're going to be
featuring works by Nonah Hendrix, Toshi Reagan, and Jason Michael
Webb with doing the DC premiere of Joel Thompson's Seven
Last Words of the Unarmed and also and also uplifting
Carlo Sign's Amen and also lifting Courtney Courtney Sectums Courtney's
(47:17):
Spectrums Sectum, which are all new, all original works by
all black artists. Uh And the whole goal of the
Ring Shout is suplifted indigenous technology that was housed in
the Gullageechee community which originates from the coast of West Africa.
It is a technology and a practice that during Atebellu
(47:39):
himself black and brown folks after working until on slavery.
As many of us know, they were not able to
have church or to go to church.
Speaker 5 (47:47):
This was their form of church.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
They will go out into the field, create a circle
and utilizing lessons and and information that they took with
him on that on on that journey of slavery slave ship.
They it's a sacred journey of call and response and
actually allowing the body to find liberation and healing and freedom,
knowing all the while the next morning they're back on
(48:10):
the they're back on the field. So it's a way
of reclinishing, of creating gatic care and so and wanting
to and wanting and knowing. The signature piece of the
gathering is the seven Last Words in the Unarmed, which
is a piece where Joel Thompson takes the seven seven
words seven last words of seven identify male identified bodies
who are murdered by the cops and puts it to
(48:33):
this eighty person orchestra and puts it to this fifty
person choir.
Speaker 4 (48:36):
And so I want to, I want to, I have
to be there.
Speaker 3 (48:39):
So that so the goal and the idea is to
take us on a journey that takes us from our
root chakra to our crown chakra. And Abby Dobson opens
the space with a benediction of doing a mashup of
the National Black anthem with a say her name, so
that we see, we see the atrocities that have happened
to female female identified bodies and the tutrocities happened to
male identified bodies, and then we take that, we take
(49:01):
that trauma or that nerve, and we take it to
a space where we can hopefully find resolution, revelation and
also love to then be able to take that again
what we talked about, maybe inside this room everything's been transformed,
but take that transformational energy and play and put it
out into the world.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
I love that. I would like to be there.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
There's going to be multiple different than events that happened
throughout the week, Like we're going to do an actual ring
shout on the Candy Center property. Many people don't know
that the Candy Center rest on black Indigenous not black
I own say indigenous proper land, but land that was
occupied and.
Speaker 5 (49:36):
Actually taken care of.
Speaker 3 (49:39):
The caretakers were a Black community called slab Town. So
we're going to do a land acknowledgment to slab Town
because they were displaced during force removal to build the
Candy Center and to build the what we now know
is Watergate. We are also going to do We're gonna
have a quilter there to quilt a new piece that
(50:00):
be a concert of all of the things that were
actually outlined throughout the week, and we also will do
a panel discussion and then we'll also have a dance
party at the very end on the next day. So
there is a destination of multiple different events. It's a
way in which to engage multiple different ways inside of family, tech,
inside of legacy, inside of history, but also to be
(50:22):
baptized and actually have a sonic bath of these really
phenomenal pieces written in for black and brown communities to
be able to be witnessed and be able to be
cared for.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
So I just want to know what do I need
to do to make sure that I am invited in
a part of all of these things.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
So I know for sure that shout out to TCG,
the Chambers Group Edwin in particular. I know for sure
that they will make sure that you gave all the information.
Starting in the new year, we're going to be doing
a big push around really trying to make sure people
in the DNB area come to the Candy Center to
check out this work. It will be it will be
(51:02):
an important conversation piece, not only for us to talk
about police state violence that happen, but also to talk
about what are the needs for us to do and
think about this election year also thinking about also thinking
about this notion of what does it mean for because
many of the artists that are part of the gathering
are also black and queer, what does it mean for
(51:23):
black queer artists and the start of Pride Month? They
are multiple different There are multiple different intersections that are
happening with inside the gathering that are centering how we
take the disenfranchised meant of who we are and actually
empower it to be a sav to move our to
move ourselves forward.
Speaker 1 (51:41):
I love that, So Edwin is who I need to
make sure that yes, Edwin, Edwin.
Speaker 4 (51:46):
I just want to say this, Edwin, because I know
you can hear me.
Speaker 1 (51:49):
Don't act like you don't know me when I reach
out to you about this, okay. And I would also
love to do my part because most of my listeners
are in Maryland. Actually the most of them are actually
in California, but the d m V area I have
a high listenership. I would love to help promote this
on my show because this is going to be phenomenal phenomenal. Yeah,
(52:12):
I'm excited. I'm really excited about the the call and
response part that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (52:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, I mean it's part of
our DNA. We were we were designed to call and
response and we were and we were designed to you know,
it's going to be lovely to take up all of
this beautiful black space inside of it's really inside of
this global iconic institution called the Candy Center that rest.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
On land that was cared for and that was occupied
by black people before they were displaced. I'm very excited. Spiritually,
I'm excited. My soul is excited. Sonically, I'm excited. I
want to hear it. I want to sing, I want
to shout, I want to dance. I'm very excited all
of this. So I have to make sure that we're
(53:02):
staying in contact, because I do. When it's time to
start promoting it, I am definitely going to talk about
it on here. I'm excited about it. So I want
to say thank you to you so much. This was
such a great conversation. It was so warm. I really
appreciate this conversation, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity
(53:27):
to be able to speak with you great.
Speaker 5 (53:30):
It was awesome.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I wish I could heug you here. I feel like
we are here and I just want to say thank
you so much, and I hope that maybe I can
have you on again after the gathering.
Speaker 3 (53:44):
I'm here for I'm here for it because but also
it would be great to come on after the gatherings
that we have a doctor. We're doing a making up
documentary that will premiere on PBS and also on all Arts,
and so there will be opportunity to talk about that
and be able to maybe tell your list about the
premier day.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
I would love that. I would love that. So thank
you so much, Jonathan, I appreciate you, and until next.
Speaker 5 (54:08):
Time, Until next time, much blessing is.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
Absolutely so friends, and can this straight fax question is
(54:34):
kind of funny because it is from my little cousin
Lance and this is hilarious, but he submitted a form
to ask a question, and so here we go. Hey,
Mimi Walker, Lol, is so funny saying that. But I
have one serious question and one funny question to ask
and get your perspective on. I'll start with the serious one,
(54:56):
and just so you guys know, I'm only going to
ask one of the questions today. I'll say the other
question for another episode. So Lance goes on to ask
what are some deal breakers and relationships that are usually
not brought up or communicated when it comes to really
taking a person seriously. An example I've heard was discussing
(55:16):
your partner's medical and mental health family history, which was
something I never even thought of asking. I wonder if
there are some other questions more people should be aware
of and discuss with their partner that people should know. PS.
This boy is crazy. PS. This does not relate to
my relationship at all. Everything is amazing. And that's Lance
(55:39):
from Fort Washington, Maryland. Okay, Lance, let's get into this.
Some things that I think should be asked when you
are starting to date someone seriously. I think when it
comes to dating seriously, I don't know about asking about
(56:01):
their famili's medical history, but I would definitely ask about
their mental health family history. And I mean the medical
history will come up too. I mean it's just good
to know. I would ask about how they feel about marriage,
you know, because that way you are on the same page.
(56:25):
Because if I want to be married and I'm dating
a man who has no interest in being married at all,
and we've never discussed it. It's a waste of time.
I would talk about children because I think that someone
wanting children and someone else not wanting children that should
(56:47):
probably be a deal breaker because if I want to
have kids and you don't, why am I with you?
If I know that that's not what I want. I
think another thing to discuss is not necessarily finances in
terms of what people do with their finances and how
(57:09):
much they make and things like that, but how they
feel about investments, how they feel about saving I think
these are good things to ask. Another thing that I
would ask about in terms of children is how they
feel about disciplining children, like what does that look like
for them? Because people will get together and they will
(57:31):
have children together and never stop to talk about their
concepts and their ideologies around disciplining children. Because some people
believe in that whole spare the rod, spoil the child,
spank the kid thing, and everybody is not into whooping
kids right. Some people will be into gentle parenting and
(57:58):
the other person will be into punishing, and that is
going to present an issue. Another thing that I think
people should talk about is relationships with their families, because
I personally come from It's funny. My cousins and I
were talking about this last week on the way to
(58:20):
my cousin's birthday party. I have a very close knit family, right,
and so I would love to be in a relationship
with someone who is, you know, family oriented, who understands
and respects the what's the word I'm looking for, you know,
(58:44):
the black family, and like the closeness of a family,
what it's rooted in, and I would want them to
have the same thing with their family. But if they don't,
that's still okay as long as you know, you respect
that my family that we're that way. And one of
(59:05):
my cousins went on to say, well, what if he
is not family oriented, and I said, well, he cannot be,
but I'm going. I'm going to the family function like
he ain't gotta go. I mean, I would want to
be in a relationship with somebody who would want to go,
and if he's close with his family, I would want
(59:25):
to go to his family's functions. But I'm going with
my family and he can come if you want to come,
But if he don't, I'm still going, like I'm going
to be with my family and it's up to you.
Like I'm not gonna keep begging anybody to do that,
but me and my family, we is going to get together.
(59:49):
It's what we do. We get together for all kinds
of things. The baby could be turning four, the puppy
could be having a birthday, Easter, super Bowl, Football Sundays, Basketball,
All Star Game. Like, we get together. We and not
just the major holidays. We gonna get together the other
(01:00:10):
holidays too. So I think that's another thing that people
don't talk about. And another one is like spiritual beliefs.
People don't talk about that. They only talk about, Oh,
are you a Christian? Or you a Muslim? Are you
this or you that. I think talking about spiritual beliefs
and spirituality and religion is really important because that can
(01:00:35):
determine a lot a lot in terms of, you know,
how people move and how they navigate in life. It
also has a lot to do with like their outlook.
You know, are they really negative? Most of the time
negative people don't even acknowledge or admit that they're negative.
(01:00:56):
They just say that they're realists. I hate that, it's
so ridiculous. Please, but I think those are things that
are really important. I can't think of any more in
this moment. But of course there are more. But those
are the ones, including the two that you mentioned, Lance,
that I would say you would want to discuss before
(01:01:19):
or as you are getting serious with someone else. For
today's we got to do better. I went and I
got a quote from Auntie Alice Walker. I love Alice Walker.
Shout out to Alice Walker and shout out to the
original Color Purple book and film. This quote. I wonder
(01:01:48):
if I've used this before. If I did, I don't care,
because somewhere somebody needs to hear it today, and it
might be me. It says, don't wait around for other
people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get,
you've got to make yourself. Look at the Lord working
(01:02:12):
it out for me. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Don't wait around
for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness
that you get, you've got to make yourself. And once
again that was Auntie Alice Walker. The first thing I
(01:02:32):
want to do is say thank you to God, who
is supreme, and I recognize and appreciate the grace, the mercy,
and all of the wonderful blessings that God has extended
to me. And continues to extend to me every single
day of my black ass life. I want to say
thank you to God for making me black. I'm grateful.
(01:02:53):
Being black is an honor, being black as a privilege,
being black is a blessing. And some people may not
understand why. I'm saying that some people don't get it.
But if you know, you know, and if you don't,
that's not really my problem. Thanks God for making me black.
Thank you God for Black History Months, Thanks for Cartegie Woodson.
Thanks for Negro History Week, which turned into a Negro
(01:03:15):
History Month, which is now Black History Month, where we
get to celebrate where the world chooses to celebrate the
accomplishments and the wonderful contributions of Black Americans to society.
I want to say shout out to Usher for his
(01:03:37):
super Bowl performance. It was fucking amazing. I want to
say shout out to God bless Alicia Keys in that
first note that she belted out during the Super Bowl,
God bless our heart. And shout out to Beyonce. Giselle
knows Carter for being bold and brave and telling us
(01:04:02):
and letting us know that she is releasing Renaissance Act two.
We know that they're four acts on March twenty ninth,
and it's going to be a country themed And I
just saw something on the internet that she is going
on tour again. You know what, She's a wild girl.
You just gonna take our money forever for the next
four years. Mionce, Is that what you're gonna do. Shout
(01:04:25):
out to Beyonce for being bold, not giving a fuck
and saying fuck y'all, I'm taking y'all money. Moving forward,
I want to say thank you to my folks. I
want to say thank you to all of the people
who have been rolling with me since day one, and
that's March first, twenty twenty. I appreciate you. I thank
you and I'm grateful for you. I appreciate you for
(01:04:48):
being here. And even if you just started listening to
hand me my purse today, I thank you for that
as well. Either way you play the cards, I'm grateful.
I'm thankful for my family. I love them. My friends,
my friends are really my family that I selected. I
hand selected them to be a part of my family.
My friends and kim all y'all listening, my supporters, you
(01:05:12):
guys listening are the reason that I do this every
single week. I love y'all so much, and it's nothing
short of an honor of privilege and a blessing to
be able to just share my voice, share my thoughts,
my time, my energy with you, especially if you keep
coming back every week to listen to this. If you
just listen, if you keep coming back to listen to
what I got to say, you wonder we rolling It's us,
(01:05:36):
It's us. We is Togema, and I look forward to
the next time that I get to do this with you. Now,
before you exit out of whatever streaming service you're using
to listen to this show, stop what you're doing, and
if you haven't already done so, look for the subscribe
or follow button. Click on it if it's an option
on the streaming service where you're listening, and then I
want you to go over to Instagram and follow me
(01:05:57):
at Handing Me my Purse Underscore podcast. Then go to
threads and you can get to threads from my Instagram profile.
Follow me there, and then on Facebook just search Handing
my Purse podcast. Follow me on there like it. Do
all the things, because those are the places where I
(01:06:18):
put most of the updates, information posts, and all my
beautiful Neon inspired social media posts anyway. If you listen
on a streaming service or a medium that allows you
to do so, do me a favor. Please please rate
and review Handing My Purse on Apple Podcasts if you will.
(01:06:39):
Can you do that for me? On Spotify? Leave me
a message? Okay, you can ask a question on there.
You can say, hey, Mimi, I think your show is awesome.
Hey me me your show sucks. If that's how you feel.
Either way, take a few minutes out and do that.
I would really appreciate it. I really really would. I'm
not even lying. It would make me really happy. Friends
(01:07:02):
and can be sure to share hand Me my Purse
with your friends, your loved ones, and even people that
get on your goddamn nerves. Because the best way for
anybody and everybody to find out about this show is
by you guys telling them all about it. So tell
a friend to tell a friend, to tell a friend
to tell a friend. Please submit your questions for the
(01:07:24):
straight Fact segment by clicking on the link in the
show notes that says submit a question for straight Facts.
It's a link, It's there, It's right by the jam.
I made it really easy for you to submit a question,
or you can click the link in my Instagram profile
and look for the button that says submit a question. Okay,
(01:07:46):
your question might be the next question that I read
on an upcoming show. Also, remember that show notes are
always available on the episode description. Wherever you're listening to
the show, be sure to take a look at show
notes because that is where I put all of the
links and other information that I'm mentioned during the show
that you may want to check out, in addition to
some stuff that I just want you to have access to. Also,
(01:08:06):
just so you know, the music for hand Me My
Purse the podcast is provided by the one and only
West Baltimore's own Gloomy Tunes. Last, but not least, I
want to give a big old shout out to my producers.
Together we make up Rando, Benjamin and the Dirty Roots.
(01:08:28):
I look forward to you, friends and ken looking forward
to listening to hand Me My Person Podcasts each and
every Tuesday. And you know what I'm out this bitch piece.
Hand Me My Purse is a production of iHeart Podcasts.
For more shows from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app,
(01:08:49):
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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