July 11, 2024 • 29 mins
Malik is just back from the Essence Festival with a full report!
And he wrestles with two questions that have been on his mind over the past few weeks...
- What's a Black Job?
- What is Your Time Worth?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Miligu bus has how to knowledge you want, My league
but has how the knowledge you need. But yet they
have all the books that the whole wild world one
up read Milieu buts. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malie's Bookshew
bringing the world together with books, culture and community. Hi,
(00:21):
my name is Malik, your host of Malife's Bookshelf.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
All week long since that debate, people.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Have been popping up asking this one question, what's a
black job? Well, I'll tell you what's a black job.
Malik Books got all the books you need.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I created it.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I'm the founder and the co owner of Malie's Books,
two locations.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
That's a black job.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Now, let's get real, right now, let's get to the
nitty gritty. We need to stop deceiving ourselves as black people.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
You know, good and well, what a black job is.
There are certain things that.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Was designed for us to do in America, and no
white person.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Wasn't going to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Housekeeping the mammies, picking up garbage and let us not
forget the cotton. That's a black job. Stop trying to
act like America don't have a history and that certain
things wasn't designed for us to do.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
If there was some dirty jobs that had to be done.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
It was black people that they relegated to do those
dirty jobs, those backbreaking jobs.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
That's what a black job is. And when the border
exploded and.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Twelve million people enter into this nation, let's keep it
one hundred. Who is that going to affect.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
A lot of them jobs? Black people don't want to
do no more.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
But their whole lot of people on this planet will
be very grateful to do it, and they will become
enriched because they recycle their money in their communities and
they're able to expand and buy properties, buy commercial buildings,
and grow generational wealth. All these black jobs that black
(02:53):
people don't want to do no more. All right, other
people are doing I remember doing construction and developing I
guess improving on my homes over the years.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Back in nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
If you went up to home depot, you didn't see
nobody but Hispanics willing to do some labor.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
There was a time when black people.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Were the master builders of this nation and was the
number one compenters, plumbers, electricians and otherwise.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
What has happened?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So the Hispanics would be up at the home depot
looking to get some work labor or some or skilled
wouldn't be no black people none, No black people whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
And I remember.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Building a room looking for someone because I'm the contractor.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I know what I want done. I just hey, you're a.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Comper, you know I drive all. Hey, you know how
to bank? Well, I'm gonna give you directions because I'm
on the set. I don't need a contractor. I can
guide you at that time.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Right. Well, no black people, it's all his panties.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
And that's the case still today, from nineteen ninety to
twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Foult. Now, they got all the skills, got all the jobs.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I don't hardly see no, I mean, colleague, and I
don't hardly see no black tradesmen, skillsmen, compenters, builders. It's
very difficult to find, and particularly one this good with integrity.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Let's keep it one hundred.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Now you know what a black job is the jobs
that white people.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Didn't want to do. Now they have brought.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
An explosion of immigrants in this nation, and they doing
those jobs.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Because black folks don't want to do. See, so we're
not recycling much.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
We became middle class, working in fact, but also being
carpenter's plumbers, electric tradesmen, auto mechanics because of them, black.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Jobs that other people didn't want to do.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
So this generation don't have lost their minds, don't know
no history, don't read no books about our legacy. We
just want to forget what that mean and what that is.
(05:44):
America doesn't have enough jobs for everybody. So if a lot,
if they let twelve million people, what they're gonna do,
they're gonna have to do for self. They're gonna have
to create a job. But then there were jobs I
used to I was told this one. I was asked
this question, and they say, well, if we don't let
them in the country, then won't be no food pick now, really,
(06:07):
so you would starve before you allow somebody to pick
the food. You wouldn't go out there and pick it
yourself if you had to. I mean think about that.
You're not gonna pick the food unless someone else do
it for you. Now, if you that lazy, then you
don't deserve to eat because if it comes down to
us having to pick our own food, you won't have
(06:29):
to pick your own food. So it might not be
a job that you want to do. But guess what,
back in the day, that was a black job. You know,
that's what we call a black job. The fact that
we gotta walk around and try to make mockery of
what is historically have been jobs that have been designed specifically.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
For black people.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
You can call it what they want, but this country
has a legacy of racism and discrimination.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And when you just allow.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Twelve million majority immigrants, twelve million immigrant, majority of them
with no skills, they taking somebody's job, They're affecting some
group of people.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
They here to make a living, they here to compete
for whatever jobs that are available in this nation.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Now, I'm not mad at nobody seeking a better life.
I'm not upset about no one seeking to change their reality.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm not upset about that at.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
All, because if you're dissatisfied.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
You need to do so. I'm no body.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Okay, So that's not my argument there, But I'm here to.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Talk about a black job. What's a black job?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
And why we seem to think that this nation didn't design.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Or set aside certain jobs just for black folks.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
All right?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Now, when you got to integration and they opened up
you know, restaurants and universities and workplace where they hired
black folks to come in, and you ain't see it
(08:47):
no more as a black job. But before that, before that,
and that hasn't changed. There's still jobs here that certain
people don't want to do, will not do, and they
feel the above doing those types of jobs now. But
after the civil rights movement, integration, all right, a lot
(09:11):
of jobs opened up.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
The quote unquote wasn't necessarily what a black job.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
See and because of the segregation, guess what black folks
had to do create a black job for themselves. Because
the white man wasn't hotting. You couldn't go in the restaurant.
It you better create your own restaurant. They were hired
skillsmen come in and build beautiful homes for them. But
(09:38):
after that, you gotta get out. But you wasn't but
you wasn't allowed to work in certain places. You wasn't
allowed to go certain places, and you you she just
wasn't and you were not permitted to walk in the
(09:58):
front door. So let's not forget our history what a
black job is. It can be a multitude of things,
but historically a black job with simply picking cotton and
a whole lot of other things that white folks forced
us to do and that they will would not do.
(10:23):
That's a black job, and today you need to create
a black job. Just going to school getting a degree
is not enough to compete. And it's growing and ever
changing complex world. You could chew gum and walk at.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
The same time.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Get your paper, get your degree, but also do for
self as well as you can work in corporate America
if you so desired, but you also need to do
for self. There's an opportunity in America to explode in growth,
(11:08):
both internally and externally, both financially and otherwise. So take
advantage of the opportunity and don't limit yourself, but create
that black job, because that's what a black job is,
the one you created like I created elite books, all right, peace,
(11:29):
hope you enjoyed what I had to.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Say, a community, elite and just down traveling it back
from the thirtieth Essence Festival, I was here in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Let me tell you, if you never attended it, that's successival.
I definitely recommend it was huge. It has blown up
into a huge, huge corporate.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Event electric I mean thousand upon thousands of thousands. This
is my first time ever attending the Essays Festival, and people.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
From all over the country, if not something from around
the world.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Music culture, that's what it was all about.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
There were tons of activations and vendors throughout the convention.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
I had a festive time. Let me tell you who
what was said. Vacation wasn't exhausting.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
This wasn't no resting relaxation that I thought, you know,
because the month of June we had a banging at.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Believe Books, one event after a major event after another.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
And so I came out here to celebrate my.
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Fiftieth well my sixtieth birthday in April's fiftieth birthday, and
we kind of targeted our birthday is a place where
we would try together and celebrate.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
But let me tell you this, this was a well
attended event. I'm thankful I was able to make it
this year.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
This the thirtieth anniversary of the Essence Festival, was a
huge successful. Essence Blown Up Now that's a black magazine.
They've been around for a long time, and the magazine
a salts black woman and the culture and the beauty.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
Of black women.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, this year's Essence Festival had huge partnerships like Target,
Aten and T Disney and McDonald's also called CoA Cola.
They had huge activations.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
But I got to.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Point out something because I went to the convention and
I walked around. I went to they had what was
called Essen's Authors, all right, because Essen's bringing authors, they
feature certain books, they have a lot of panels. So
I got a chance to stop by. I ran into
(14:13):
Michael Harritt, the author of Black History, A f also
ran into a few other authors, as well as people
in the industry, the publishing industry, I mean HarperCollins and
so forth. There was some legends they were honoring this year,
Brenda Jackson, who writes a lot of historical fiction, as
(14:35):
well as Beverly Jenkins also who writes a lot of
historical fiction. They were honored for their contribution as black authors.
Brenda Jackson is on her one hundred and fifty book.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
Can you imagine that?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I mean, now, there are some authors that have written
a lot of books, but I ain't never met him personally,
but I met brit To Jackson and she wrote one
hundred She's on one hundred and fiftieth books. So it
was powerful to meet legends that have been in the
publishing industry and for quite some time as well as
(15:13):
it was just nice to be around.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
People love books.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
We loved black.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Books was kind of one of the quotes that was
on a big billboard inside the space. The activation was
a very beautiful space, and I honored to have traveled
out to the Essence Festival and be there to witness
such a well organized, curated, designed, marketed space for black authors.
(15:46):
And it was very important that while I was there
that had I dropped by that booth because as a
black bookstore who host a lot of authors, I wanted
to meet as many as possible, particularly since Malik is
the height man of books. So it was a very,
very very wonderful experience.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
The place was huge.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I'm be honest, I've been to a lot of conventions
in my life. That was the biggest convention, particularly a
black convention, that I've ever attended. And I got to
give kudos to Essens for the many years serving the culture,
elevating the culture, and evolving the culture. So I was
(16:32):
proud to be there. I was proud to participate. And
let me say this, you haven't attended the Essen Festival,
I would encourage you to do. So that was my
first time, and like I said, that was the thirtieth
and a first of the Essens Festival. So I would
definite return visit it again. But just let me tell
(16:54):
you some of the things that I just wanted to
point out. It's nothing, it's not a knock on the essence,
but it's just something that because the event is all
about empowerment, it's all about the culture, it's all about elevation,
it's all about the black experience.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
And it was amazing to see to my surprise, like
Target had this huge booth, so they McDonalds so that
Coca Cola and.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Target was given out this they had this.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
This quote it was called security bag.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
All right, you know something that if you know anything
about black culture, you know we say security bag. So anyway,
they had in big letters given out bags. I didn't
find out that that's what they was given out until
I asked, I said, I asked one of the security
(17:57):
I said, wow, what's all these people in this line?
Speaker 5 (18:01):
What are they getting? And he said getting a bag?
I said, what, listen, let me tell you this line was.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
It had a point where it say sixty minutes all right,
then it went past that to another area.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
Literally people were standing.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Line for eighty minutes to get a ten cent bag.
Now I got to ask the question, how much.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Do you value your time?
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Was a target bag with a couple of two cent
items worth eighty minutes of your time? Well, I got
to talk about that, but I'm gonna talk about that
at a different time because I don't want to talk
about it on this segment.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
Because that's a mindset and that's something different. But the
essence for Vote, I thought was like prolific to see something.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
Organized in the way that it was and.
Speaker 9 (19:08):
Bringing people to get They had like three major concerts
hit one headline by I Believe Cash Money, one headline
by Usher, and the.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Other headline by Janet Jocksh.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I went to the Janey Jacks Carcle powerful. It was
a very very entertaining concert. Maids played Honor and Frankie
Belly also Victoria when they performed the very sexy and
classy forty five minutes of Entertainment. Now, I mean it
(19:47):
was entertaining. S WV put on it, put it down
odies but Goodies, R and B was live and well.
Janet did her thing. She's prolific, she's exciting. She's one
of the most top female no just artist period in
the world.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
And her songs are.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Hits for days, so it was a charged up concert.
I went to a brunch at the Highest Hotel. It
was three thousand people dressing in all white crazy. That
was the largest brunch I've attended in my life.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
And people we partied.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
These bands just got to beat the capital of bands
live music.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
It was extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I think this is the capitol musicians for show, especially
for jazz. I mean, we walked down Bourbon Street and
popped into a couple of places and the music was
just popping and on and culture and entertaining and exciting
and electric.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
And these live bands, man.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
They are amazing.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Went down the Frenchman Quarter.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
You know, we took a taxi, but it was a
bike taxi, right, and the guy was like, you want
Bourmonton Street or you want Frenchman Quarter.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
I was she's And then he gave me us a definition.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
She said, if you want to go to the Sioux
and Crazy, you go to Bourbon Street.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
If you want to be around adults, you go to
Frenchman Quarters.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I said, okay, We're going to Frenchman Quarters because I've
already done the Bourbon already. I do concur what he said,
but it was funny how he said it, because he
lives out there, works out.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
There, and he was pumping that biking. We had a
wonderful time.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
We ended up down at Frenchman Quarters, saw a couple
of lines man so all week long, hotel, pool, fun, music, dancing, concerts, convention.
It was just a amazing five six days here. I
(21:55):
had a wonderful time and I'm hitting back home, and
I just wanted to give y'all taste because you know,
Malice bookshelf bringing a world together with books, culture and community.
All that I witnessed out here, our witness books, witness culture,
and our witness community. Now I just want to touch
on briefly here is how much is your time worth?
Speaker 5 (22:20):
All right?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Because time equals money, time can equal health, time can equal.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Whatever you want it to be. But the question is.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
If a person gonna complain about how much they get
paid an hour, then they got to ask themselves. Is
waiting in line for eighty minutes to get a ten
cent bag from Target and to walk around with a
bag that Target is not paying you to walk around
and advertise them for is that viable use of your time?
(23:00):
That's where this stegment how valuable is your time.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Worth? Came from when I saw what I saw.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
I saw people standing in the line an hour to
get a free French fry from McDonald's.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
Right, they had a whole fashion thing that they was doing.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
But on the side they're giving our free French fry
and people stand in a line an hour to get
some fries. I said to myself, No, Ray, about twenty
meters is the full court, even if they're charging the
fries five ballas how much is your time of work
(23:47):
that you were standing rid to get a free French fries,
to get a ten shin bang, to be in Disney
line to get some free Mickey Mouse head pieces that
probably cost five cent for them to make, mass produced,
probably from China.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
So my question is how much is your time worth?
How falable do you fighting your time?
Speaker 10 (24:12):
Because for me, that should be it should be a
conversation to be addressed. They could have easily gave out
them bags as you were walking.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
In, and Target could have did some other type of activation.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
But to put together an activation and.
Speaker 10 (24:31):
To have.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
People standing line to get at tention back, that's mind control.
To me.
Speaker 5 (24:43):
You're giving them your power that you have.
Speaker 10 (24:47):
Control over, because that's not a good use of your time.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Man.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Do you know they had a lot of vendors from
all over this country came there to set up, pay thousands,
thousands and thousands of dollars to display their product.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
For the people.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
And then you take eighty minutes, sixty minutes of your time,
said walking around and looking at these different vendors in
the different products that they created and offered into enriched
Black entrepreneurship. To wait in line to get a free
(25:29):
ten cent bag, that to me is kind of productive.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
And to me, I saw that as an insult to.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
For an activation that man, they said, I don't even
went one day and the thing was huge. A million
square foot was occupied and it was huge. And I'm saying,
it's about education, it's about the culture, and Target ain't
about the cold now.
Speaker 11 (25:58):
They sell the culture, but they ain't about the culture now.
And I'm glad to see that they selling, you know,
bringing in activations, black products and so forth, and selling.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
It to the distributing it because some of us can
create a product but don't have a way to distribut it.
So Target it's helping some of these activate, some selling
black and celebration to.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Sell that product. And be distributed through CHI. That's a
wonderful thing.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
And many of.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Those activations or those part could have been there for
people to walk up and engage. But the standing line
that was the main Activate the standing line and get
a cheap ten cent bag.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
That for eighty seventy sixty minutes. I thought that that
was insulting to me too, that you got the your.
Speaker 8 (26:51):
Time miners, the value of your time miners, and that's
not a balance or an equal balance.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
You're not getting a term for your time in that case.
And to me, stuff like that because they had.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Like they had activations of talking about economics and economic growth.
Speaker 5 (27:13):
And business and so forth. They had an economic summit, which.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Is great, which to me was also crazy because they
had Okay, you had to go through security to get in,
you had to go do a double.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Security to get in that when they was required more
to get inside of there than it was to get
inside of the actual.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Convintion, which I said, now you know, I meant people
that's gonna turn off and discourage it. They're not gonna
go to the most important thing here, which is inside
of the economic summing as well. So I said, man,
why won't you do that you know where you make
it difficult to go to the most important part, which
is the economic summing.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
Well, anyway, whoever.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Was talking something that right there should have been the
first thing addressed.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
How much is your time order? How much do you
value your time? Because the line to get a.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Tent with then you know target is a major spot.
So it would have been like, oh, you're attacking you
know target. We don't want to undermine our sponsors. But
at the same time, you got to find a way
to address that. Maybe that wasn't the best way to
address it at that time, But when they debrief and
talk about they need to talk about a better strategy
(28:32):
and a better use of people's time, because that takes
away from all the other vendors that came across the
nation to bring you products that they have created or
published or ain't a fright to. So I just think
that I think that it shouldn't be addressed because I
don't think that you should have people waiting in the
(28:53):
line that long to get something that's not even worth
their time.
Speaker 5 (28:57):
I don't even think it's there fault. Sometimes you just
don't know. Sometimes you just don't know.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
I just thought that I'll do a segment.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
How much is your time worth?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
That before you begin to decide on something, think about
how much your time is worth so that to make
sure you're getting something worth your time. Thanks for listening
to Maleak's Bookshelf, where topics on the shelf are books, culture,
(29:30):
and community.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Be sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check
out my instagram at Malak Books. See you next time.
Miligu bus has how to knowledge you want, My league
but has how the knowledge you need. But yet they
have all the books that the whole wild world one
up read Milieu buts. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malie's Bookshew
bringing the world together with books, culture and community. Hi,
(00:21):
my name is Malik, your host of Malife's Bookshelf.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
All week long since that debate, people.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Have been popping up asking this one question, what's a
black job? Well, I'll tell you what's a black job.
Malik Books got all the books you need.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I created it.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I'm the founder and the co owner of Malie's Books,
two locations.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
That's a black job.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Now, let's get real, right now, let's get to the
nitty gritty. We need to stop deceiving ourselves as black people.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
You know, good and well, what a black job is.
There are certain things that.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Was designed for us to do in America, and no
white person.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Wasn't going to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Housekeeping the mammies, picking up garbage and let us not
forget the cotton. That's a black job. Stop trying to
act like America don't have a history and that certain
things wasn't designed for us to do.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
If there was some dirty jobs that had to be done.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
It was black people that they relegated to do those
dirty jobs, those backbreaking jobs.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
That's what a black job is. And when the border
exploded and.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Twelve million people enter into this nation, let's keep it
one hundred. Who is that going to affect.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
A lot of them jobs? Black people don't want to
do no more.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
But their whole lot of people on this planet will
be very grateful to do it, and they will become
enriched because they recycle their money in their communities and
they're able to expand and buy properties, buy commercial buildings,
and grow generational wealth. All these black jobs that black
(02:53):
people don't want to do no more. All right, other
people are doing I remember doing construction and developing I
guess improving on my homes over the years.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Back in nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
If you went up to home depot, you didn't see
nobody but Hispanics willing to do some labor.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
There was a time when black people.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Were the master builders of this nation and was the
number one compenters, plumbers, electricians and otherwise.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
What has happened?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So the Hispanics would be up at the home depot
looking to get some work labor or some or skilled
wouldn't be no black people none, No black people whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
And I remember.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Building a room looking for someone because I'm the contractor.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I know what I want done. I just hey, you're a.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Comper, you know I drive all. Hey, you know how
to bank? Well, I'm gonna give you directions because I'm
on the set. I don't need a contractor. I can
guide you at that time.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Right. Well, no black people, it's all his panties.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
And that's the case still today, from nineteen ninety to
twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Foult. Now, they got all the skills, got all the jobs.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I don't hardly see no, I mean, colleague, and I
don't hardly see no black tradesmen, skillsmen, compenters, builders. It's
very difficult to find, and particularly one this good with integrity.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Let's keep it one hundred.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Now you know what a black job is the jobs
that white people.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Didn't want to do. Now they have brought.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
An explosion of immigrants in this nation, and they doing
those jobs.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Because black folks don't want to do. See, so we're
not recycling much.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
We became middle class, working in fact, but also being
carpenter's plumbers, electric tradesmen, auto mechanics because of them, black.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Jobs that other people didn't want to do.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
So this generation don't have lost their minds, don't know
no history, don't read no books about our legacy. We
just want to forget what that mean and what that is.
(05:44):
America doesn't have enough jobs for everybody. So if a lot,
if they let twelve million people, what they're gonna do,
they're gonna have to do for self. They're gonna have
to create a job. But then there were jobs I
used to I was told this one. I was asked
this question, and they say, well, if we don't let
them in the country, then won't be no food pick now, really,
(06:07):
so you would starve before you allow somebody to pick
the food. You wouldn't go out there and pick it
yourself if you had to. I mean think about that.
You're not gonna pick the food unless someone else do
it for you. Now, if you that lazy, then you
don't deserve to eat because if it comes down to
us having to pick our own food, you won't have
(06:29):
to pick your own food. So it might not be
a job that you want to do. But guess what,
back in the day, that was a black job. You know,
that's what we call a black job. The fact that
we gotta walk around and try to make mockery of
what is historically have been jobs that have been designed specifically.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
For black people.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
You can call it what they want, but this country
has a legacy of racism and discrimination.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And when you just allow.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Twelve million majority immigrants, twelve million immigrant, majority of them
with no skills, they taking somebody's job, They're affecting some
group of people.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
They here to make a living, they here to compete
for whatever jobs that are available in this nation.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Now, I'm not mad at nobody seeking a better life.
I'm not upset about no one seeking to change their reality.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm not upset about that at.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
All, because if you're dissatisfied.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
You need to do so. I'm no body.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Okay, So that's not my argument there, But I'm here to.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Talk about a black job. What's a black job?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
And why we seem to think that this nation didn't design.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Or set aside certain jobs just for black folks.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
All right?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Now, when you got to integration and they opened up
you know, restaurants and universities and workplace where they hired
black folks to come in, and you ain't see it
(08:47):
no more as a black job. But before that, before that,
and that hasn't changed. There's still jobs here that certain
people don't want to do, will not do, and they
feel the above doing those types of jobs now. But
after the civil rights movement, integration, all right, a lot
(09:11):
of jobs opened up.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
The quote unquote wasn't necessarily what a black job.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
See and because of the segregation, guess what black folks
had to do create a black job for themselves. Because
the white man wasn't hotting. You couldn't go in the restaurant.
It you better create your own restaurant. They were hired
skillsmen come in and build beautiful homes for them. But
(09:38):
after that, you gotta get out. But you wasn't but
you wasn't allowed to work in certain places. You wasn't
allowed to go certain places, and you you she just
wasn't and you were not permitted to walk in the
(09:58):
front door. So let's not forget our history what a
black job is. It can be a multitude of things,
but historically a black job with simply picking cotton and
a whole lot of other things that white folks forced
us to do and that they will would not do.
(10:23):
That's a black job, and today you need to create
a black job. Just going to school getting a degree
is not enough to compete. And it's growing and ever
changing complex world. You could chew gum and walk at.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
The same time.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Get your paper, get your degree, but also do for
self as well as you can work in corporate America
if you so desired, but you also need to do
for self. There's an opportunity in America to explode in growth,
(11:08):
both internally and externally, both financially and otherwise. So take
advantage of the opportunity and don't limit yourself, but create
that black job, because that's what a black job is,
the one you created like I created elite books, all right, peace,
(11:29):
hope you enjoyed what I had to.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Say, a community, elite and just down traveling it back
from the thirtieth Essence Festival, I was here in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Let me tell you, if you never attended it, that's successival.
I definitely recommend it was huge. It has blown up
into a huge, huge corporate.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Event electric I mean thousand upon thousands of thousands. This
is my first time ever attending the Essays Festival, and people.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
From all over the country, if not something from around
the world.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Music culture, that's what it was all about.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
There were tons of activations and vendors throughout the convention.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
I had a festive time. Let me tell you who
what was said. Vacation wasn't exhausting.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
This wasn't no resting relaxation that I thought, you know,
because the month of June we had a banging at.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Believe Books, one event after a major event after another.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
And so I came out here to celebrate my.
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Fiftieth well my sixtieth birthday in April's fiftieth birthday, and
we kind of targeted our birthday is a place where
we would try together and celebrate.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
But let me tell you this, this was a well
attended event. I'm thankful I was able to make it
this year.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
This the thirtieth anniversary of the Essence Festival, was a
huge successful. Essence Blown Up Now that's a black magazine.
They've been around for a long time, and the magazine
a salts black woman and the culture and the beauty.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
Of black women.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, this year's Essence Festival had huge partnerships like Target,
Aten and T Disney and McDonald's also called CoA Cola.
They had huge activations.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
But I got to.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Point out something because I went to the convention and
I walked around. I went to they had what was
called Essen's Authors, all right, because Essen's bringing authors, they
feature certain books, they have a lot of panels. So
I got a chance to stop by. I ran into
(14:13):
Michael Harritt, the author of Black History, A f also
ran into a few other authors, as well as people
in the industry, the publishing industry, I mean HarperCollins and
so forth. There was some legends they were honoring this year,
Brenda Jackson, who writes a lot of historical fiction, as
(14:35):
well as Beverly Jenkins also who writes a lot of
historical fiction. They were honored for their contribution as black authors.
Brenda Jackson is on her one hundred and fifty book.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
Can you imagine that?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I mean, now, there are some authors that have written
a lot of books, but I ain't never met him personally,
but I met brit To Jackson and she wrote one
hundred She's on one hundred and fiftieth books. So it
was powerful to meet legends that have been in the
publishing industry and for quite some time as well as
(15:13):
it was just nice to be around.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
People love books.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
We loved black.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Books was kind of one of the quotes that was
on a big billboard inside the space. The activation was
a very beautiful space, and I honored to have traveled
out to the Essence Festival and be there to witness
such a well organized, curated, designed, marketed space for black authors.
(15:46):
And it was very important that while I was there
that had I dropped by that booth because as a
black bookstore who host a lot of authors, I wanted
to meet as many as possible, particularly since Malik is
the height man of books. So it was a very,
very very wonderful experience.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
The place was huge.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I'm be honest, I've been to a lot of conventions
in my life. That was the biggest convention, particularly a
black convention, that I've ever attended. And I got to
give kudos to Essens for the many years serving the culture,
elevating the culture, and evolving the culture. So I was
(16:32):
proud to be there. I was proud to participate. And
let me say this, you haven't attended the Essen Festival,
I would encourage you to do. So that was my
first time, and like I said, that was the thirtieth
and a first of the Essens Festival. So I would
definite return visit it again. But just let me tell
(16:54):
you some of the things that I just wanted to
point out. It's nothing, it's not a knock on the essence,
but it's just something that because the event is all
about empowerment, it's all about the culture, it's all about elevation,
it's all about the black experience.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
And it was amazing to see to my surprise, like
Target had this huge booth, so they McDonalds so that
Coca Cola and.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Target was given out this they had this.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
This quote it was called security bag.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
All right, you know something that if you know anything
about black culture, you know we say security bag. So anyway,
they had in big letters given out bags. I didn't
find out that that's what they was given out until
I asked, I said, I asked one of the security
(17:57):
I said, wow, what's all these people in this line?
Speaker 5 (18:01):
What are they getting? And he said getting a bag?
I said, what, listen, let me tell you this line was.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
It had a point where it say sixty minutes all right,
then it went past that to another area.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
Literally people were standing.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Line for eighty minutes to get a ten cent bag.
Now I got to ask the question, how much.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Do you value your time?
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Was a target bag with a couple of two cent
items worth eighty minutes of your time? Well, I got
to talk about that, but I'm gonna talk about that
at a different time because I don't want to talk
about it on this segment.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
Because that's a mindset and that's something different. But the
essence for Vote, I thought was like prolific to see something.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
Organized in the way that it was and.
Speaker 9 (19:08):
Bringing people to get They had like three major concerts
hit one headline by I Believe Cash Money, one headline
by Usher, and the.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Other headline by Janet Jocksh.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I went to the Janey Jacks Carcle powerful. It was
a very very entertaining concert. Maids played Honor and Frankie
Belly also Victoria when they performed the very sexy and
classy forty five minutes of Entertainment. Now, I mean it
(19:47):
was entertaining. S WV put on it, put it down
odies but Goodies, R and B was live and well.
Janet did her thing. She's prolific, she's exciting. She's one
of the most top female no just artist period in
the world.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
And her songs are.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Hits for days, so it was a charged up concert.
I went to a brunch at the Highest Hotel. It
was three thousand people dressing in all white crazy. That
was the largest brunch I've attended in my life.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
And people we partied.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
These bands just got to beat the capital of bands
live music.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
It was extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I think this is the capitol musicians for show, especially
for jazz. I mean, we walked down Bourbon Street and
popped into a couple of places and the music was
just popping and on and culture and entertaining and exciting
and electric.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
And these live bands, man.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
They are amazing.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Went down the Frenchman Quarter.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
You know, we took a taxi, but it was a
bike taxi, right, and the guy was like, you want
Bourmonton Street or you want Frenchman Quarter.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
I was she's And then he gave me us a definition.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
She said, if you want to go to the Sioux
and Crazy, you go to Bourbon Street.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
If you want to be around adults, you go to
Frenchman Quarters.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I said, okay, We're going to Frenchman Quarters because I've
already done the Bourbon already. I do concur what he said,
but it was funny how he said it, because he
lives out there, works out.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
There, and he was pumping that biking. We had a
wonderful time.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
We ended up down at Frenchman Quarters, saw a couple
of lines man so all week long, hotel, pool, fun, music, dancing, concerts, convention.
It was just a amazing five six days here. I
(21:55):
had a wonderful time and I'm hitting back home, and
I just wanted to give y'all taste because you know,
Malice bookshelf bringing a world together with books, culture and community.
All that I witnessed out here, our witness books, witness culture,
and our witness community. Now I just want to touch
on briefly here is how much is your time worth?
Speaker 5 (22:20):
All right?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Because time equals money, time can equal health, time can equal.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Whatever you want it to be. But the question is.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
If a person gonna complain about how much they get
paid an hour, then they got to ask themselves. Is
waiting in line for eighty minutes to get a ten
cent bag from Target and to walk around with a
bag that Target is not paying you to walk around
and advertise them for is that viable use of your time?
(23:00):
That's where this stegment how valuable is your time.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Worth? Came from when I saw what I saw.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
I saw people standing in the line an hour to
get a free French fry from McDonald's.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
Right, they had a whole fashion thing that they was doing.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
But on the side they're giving our free French fry
and people stand in a line an hour to get
some fries. I said to myself, No, Ray, about twenty
meters is the full court, even if they're charging the
fries five ballas how much is your time of work
(23:47):
that you were standing rid to get a free French fries,
to get a ten shin bang, to be in Disney
line to get some free Mickey Mouse head pieces that
probably cost five cent for them to make, mass produced,
probably from China.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
So my question is how much is your time worth?
How falable do you fighting your time?
Speaker 10 (24:12):
Because for me, that should be it should be a
conversation to be addressed. They could have easily gave out
them bags as you were walking.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
In, and Target could have did some other type of activation.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
But to put together an activation and.
Speaker 10 (24:31):
To have.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
People standing line to get at tention back, that's mind control.
To me.
Speaker 5 (24:43):
You're giving them your power that you have.
Speaker 10 (24:47):
Control over, because that's not a good use of your time.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Man.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Do you know they had a lot of vendors from
all over this country came there to set up, pay thousands,
thousands and thousands of dollars to display their product.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
For the people.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
And then you take eighty minutes, sixty minutes of your time,
said walking around and looking at these different vendors in
the different products that they created and offered into enriched
Black entrepreneurship. To wait in line to get a free
(25:29):
ten cent bag, that to me is kind of productive.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
And to me, I saw that as an insult to.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
For an activation that man, they said, I don't even
went one day and the thing was huge. A million
square foot was occupied and it was huge. And I'm saying,
it's about education, it's about the culture, and Target ain't
about the cold now.
Speaker 11 (25:58):
They sell the culture, but they ain't about the culture now.
And I'm glad to see that they selling, you know,
bringing in activations, black products and so forth, and selling.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
It to the distributing it because some of us can
create a product but don't have a way to distribut it.
So Target it's helping some of these activate, some selling
black and celebration to.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Sell that product. And be distributed through CHI. That's a
wonderful thing.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
And many of.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Those activations or those part could have been there for
people to walk up and engage. But the standing line
that was the main Activate the standing line and get
a cheap ten cent bag.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
That for eighty seventy sixty minutes. I thought that that
was insulting to me too, that you got the your.
Speaker 8 (26:51):
Time miners, the value of your time miners, and that's
not a balance or an equal balance.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
You're not getting a term for your time in that case.
And to me, stuff like that because they had.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Like they had activations of talking about economics and economic growth.
Speaker 5 (27:13):
And business and so forth. They had an economic summit, which.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Is great, which to me was also crazy because they
had Okay, you had to go through security to get in,
you had to go do a double.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Security to get in that when they was required more
to get inside of there than it was to get
inside of the actual.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Convintion, which I said, now you know, I meant people
that's gonna turn off and discourage it. They're not gonna
go to the most important thing here, which is inside
of the economic summing as well. So I said, man,
why won't you do that you know where you make
it difficult to go to the most important part, which
is the economic summing.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
Well, anyway, whoever.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Was talking something that right there should have been the
first thing addressed.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
How much is your time order? How much do you
value your time? Because the line to get a.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Tent with then you know target is a major spot.
So it would have been like, oh, you're attacking you
know target. We don't want to undermine our sponsors. But
at the same time, you got to find a way
to address that. Maybe that wasn't the best way to
address it at that time, But when they debrief and
talk about they need to talk about a better strategy
(28:32):
and a better use of people's time, because that takes
away from all the other vendors that came across the
nation to bring you products that they have created or
published or ain't a fright to. So I just think
that I think that it shouldn't be addressed because I
don't think that you should have people waiting in the
(28:53):
line that long to get something that's not even worth
their time.
Speaker 5 (28:57):
I don't even think it's there fault. Sometimes you just
don't know. Sometimes you just don't know.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
I just thought that I'll do a segment.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
How much is your time worth?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
That before you begin to decide on something, think about
how much your time is worth so that to make
sure you're getting something worth your time. Thanks for listening
to Maleak's Bookshelf, where topics on the shelf are books, culture,
(29:30):
and community.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Be sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check
out my instagram at Malak Books. See you next time.
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