April 13, 2026 • 59 mins
This week on The Black Perspective, Teri McCready sits down with Nichole Johnson during Autism Acceptance Month to explore both the triumphs and ongoing challenges faced by Black individuals living on the autism spectrum.
Esther Dillard returns with her compelling series Unhoused and Unheard, taking a deeper look at how housing instability continues to impact Black communities across the country.
Mike Stevens speaks with Los Angeles-based community activist Rosie Mulligan, who shares a passionate message directed at Black churches and pastors about their role in today’s social climate.
Morgyn Wood chats with Tanya Y. Mitchell, a North Carolina A&T State University alumna and author of More Than a Dean, discussing her journey, leadership, and impact.
Doug Davis honors influential Black women by speaking with Vecepia Towery about her legacy and contributions.
And Roland Martin joins us for some insightful commentary.
Listen Now!
Esther Dillard returns with her compelling series Unhoused and Unheard, taking a deeper look at how housing instability continues to impact Black communities across the country.
Mike Stevens speaks with Los Angeles-based community activist Rosie Mulligan, who shares a passionate message directed at Black churches and pastors about their role in today’s social climate.
Morgyn Wood chats with Tanya Y. Mitchell, a North Carolina A&T State University alumna and author of More Than a Dean, discussing her journey, leadership, and impact.
Doug Davis honors influential Black women by speaking with Vecepia Towery about her legacy and contributions.
And Roland Martin joins us for some insightful commentary.
Listen Now!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's April twelfth, the second Sunday of the month, and
on today's show, news anchor Terry McCready speaks with Nicole
Johnson during the Autism Acceptance Month about the successes and
challenges of black people living on the spectrum. B Iron
anchor Esther Dillard is back with part two of the
series called Unhoused and Unheard, as she takes a closer
(00:20):
look at how housing instability is impacting black communities. Mike
Stevens talks to Rosie Mulligan, a black community activist in
Los Angeles who has a message for black churches and
black pastors. Morganwood talks to Tanya Y Mitchell. She's an
NCA and T alumni Aggie and the author of More
Than a Dean. Doug Davis returns with his conversation with
(00:42):
Vesseppia Towery as we continue to honor Black women who
have made a difference, and we get commentary from Roland
Martin and James T. Harris. These stories are coming your way.
On today's program, Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host,
Mike Island.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Welcome to the Black Perspective weekly community affairs program on
the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions on issues
important to the Black community.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Good Sunday and Welcome to the Black Perspective. April is
Autism Acceptance Month, and today bi in News anchor Terry
McCready talks with a special guest about autism in the
Black community.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I'm Terry McCready with the Black Information Network its Autism
Acceptance Month, and the Black Information Network is taking time
to examine the successes and challenges for those specifically Black
individuals on the autism spectrum and the special role of
parents and other family members, schools, businesses, and the community
(01:39):
to foster inclusivity, understanding, and awareness. Here to discuss the
social aspects of the young Neurodivergent is multi sensorial artist
and founder of The Harriet Tubman Effect Nicole Johnson. She
talks about the goals and objectives of her organization.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
So Harriet Tuban Effect is a research institute and human
resource center that focuses on dismantling systemic oppression through storytelling
and reparations related work. So our work in our mission
supports a variety of people predominantly at work across lots
of different industries. K through twelve higher education, theater, houses
(02:21):
of worship, corporate space, and we support them with tools
for dismantling systemic oppression in their workspaces.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Johnson says she's encouraged by the level of budgetary commitments
that many institutions are making on the road to diversity, equity, inclusion,
and accessibility training. She says organizations should begin with having
a lead or consultant in place to facilitate an effective strategy.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
I really suggest that organizations take on customized programming for
professional development around their staff, specifically around their middle managers,
because I think middle managers are supposed to be able
to communicate to everyone within the organization. If they're a
department head, they're supposed to be able to really pass
on the narrative of why the team is made up
(03:05):
in the way that it is, what people's work styles are,
how they might continue to contribute to the team, you know,
what performance evaluations are. Those middle managers are really important
in communication, and they think they're really important for in particular,
black neurodivergent employees as a means of like recognizing the
needs that they have with professional development and then being
(03:26):
able to communicate to everyone on the team about one
another's needs.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
It is vital for children and young adults to be
able to establish and maintain social connections, which is often
difficult for a multitude of reasons. Johnson calls it the
third space.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
They started building third spaces pretty early in my nonprofit
career and then continue to do that with Harriet Tevin effect.
Harry Tevin effect focuses on literally maintaining what you're describing,
this additional social network that functions as a system, so
it's not an unsustainable kind of method of making sure
that people's social capital rises, but it also focuses on
(04:05):
their financial wealth, their health wealth, their time wealth, their
knowledge wealth, in addition to their social wealth, and building
this particular one that I'm a part of right now
as a collective member, but one that I also designed.
It's actually been probably the strongest model that I've been
able to kind of orchestrate thus far.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
She describes the initiative as a values led, egalitarian style community.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Where people have specific touch points, whether it is a
quarterly training, our yearly week long intensive and then our
one on one coachings and zooms, and everyone in the
community shares their skill set as a part of the
values of reallocating wealth to one another, so it.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
Has depend it.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
Essentially, we depend.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
On one another, and the more people who participate in
the ecosystem, the stronger it becomes. And specifically for black
nerdivergent people, I find that it's just that additional family unit.
Inviting parents into this third space has also been a
really youthful kind of step for a lot of my clients.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Nicole Johnson with the Harriet Tubman Effect. Colleges, universities, and
institutions of higher learning often present challenges for young adults
with add ADHD, autism, and other spectrum disorders. Johnson says
external advocacy, including parental intervention, is imperative.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Whether it's racism or ableism that we're experiencing in the space,
I find it necessary to tap people who know the
client that I'm working with best, especially even in an
outside meeting. Doesn't mean that the parent needs to come
all the way into the university, as you mentioned, but
(05:47):
at least this being conversation so that then I, as
an advocate, am a bit more informed about ways that
I can support in ways that because family unions, specifically
in the neurodiverson community, I think many of us maintain
our relationship way beyond our thirties and forties. Right, there's
still like family advocacy that I see in a lot
(06:10):
of Black families who have kids who are on the spectrum.
So I always will ask my client like, hey, I'm
seeing that we're in a situation now where you're experiencing
direct racism or ableism. It might be a threat to
your job. I want to be able to bring in
as much help as we can. And that's what Harriet
Tevin Effect's value says is that historically, you know, all
(06:32):
of us would get together to navigate a journey towards
freedom right despite any kind of especially when things were
like egregious. It's like all of us have to have
hands on deck.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Black children in the US are generally diagnosed with spectrum
disorders at about five and a half years old, which
is later than the national average. It regularly occurs over
three years after the parent initially raised developmental concerns. Johnson says,
it is a systemic.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Issue, shocking that we are not finding our diagnosing resources,
that we're not understanding what resources that we have to
actually navigate, whether it is therapeutic resources to navigate mental
health in addition to our neurodivergent experience. Right, there's so
many things that we don't know about, but they're so
(07:20):
necessary for thriving literally, And it can even be like
granular information like clarity of contracts or clarity of class schedule,
or clarity of communicating changes that you need because your
access needs aren't being met, or that your access needs
are conflicting with someone else's access needs. And therefore, how
(07:41):
do we navigate moments of that kind when no one
is just as a kind of like casual way of
saying in your corner, especially if you're in a predominantly
white institution that's not really interested in understanding black neurodivergence.
You're kind of without an advocate, You're kind of deeply
on your own, and then can be isolated in a
(08:04):
very dangerous way that I think leads to so many
other mental health challenges beyond that. So the idea of
us kind of being like, well, this is kinship, this
is family.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
We need to make.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Sure that we're I find it necessary for me to
do that as much as I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Nicole Johnson with the Harriet Tubman Effect, a human resource
center and Institute for Justice advocacy research. A new survey
has found that a lack of awareness about autism research
could be slowing scientific progress. Very few Americans realize the
most critical tool for researchers, the human brain, is in
short supply. A survey by Autism brain Net found that
(08:45):
seventy percent of those surveyed had never heard of brain donation.
I'm Terry McCready with the Black Information Network.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Thanks Terry and Nicole for that special report on autism
in the Black community. As we recognize autism acceptance mouth.
What would you do if the system you worked and
paid into your entire life simply failed you. Donald Gardner
found out. He's sixty eight years old, and on this
week's The Color Between the Lines, the Black Information That Works,
(09:13):
Ester Dillard sits down with Donald and the National Coalition
for the Homeless for a conversation that will make you
think twice about everyone you pass on the street. This
is part two of a series called Unhoused and Unheard.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
To Live on the Streets is very frightened.
Speaker 8 (09:30):
That's Don Gardner. He's sixty eight years old. He worked
his whole life a cobbler, a caretaker, and a hut contractor,
and then the pandemic hit and everything he built disappeared.
I'm mister Dillard. This is part two of Unhoused and Unheard,
the Black experience of homelessness, and this is Donald's story.
(09:55):
Before homelessness, Donald Gardner had built something real. He says
he ran a shoe pair of business, working with hut
on the side and serving as a full time caretaker
for his godfather for eleven years. Then the pandemic hit.
His business shut down, his godfather passed, and the family
showed up to take the house.
Speaker 7 (10:14):
Right before the pandemic hit. I was doing pretty good.
My work ethic was great. I had the only footwear.
I'm a Footbritar specialist. I fixed it, repair and shine
shoes of Macawber. I learned that my dad's bobs and
when I was seven years old.
Speaker 8 (10:28):
His mother was eighty eight and he couldn't stay with
her at the time. So Donald did what millions of
Americans do every year when the system fails them. He
found a way to keep moving.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
I had worked the job, was working at TGI Fridays
and sleeping outside.
Speaker 9 (10:43):
I wor go to work.
Speaker 7 (10:44):
Nobody know I was homeless, and so when I could
afford to go do this particular shelter here in DC.
It was called Gospel Rescue Ministry, and you pay ten
dollars a day and you get your regular bit. It's
on like forty bids and you get it in a
lockerm for sixty dollars a month. But you get the
same bed. You don't have to line about side and
that type of thing. But anyway, the process was good,
(11:07):
but people didn't recognize people as human beings. So with
that I became homest. She kick me out. I move
all my things in my mother's base. My mother's on
the fixing this company. She's eighty eight this year October fifteenth,
and I said to one of my bodies who works
for PG County Homeless Hotline, and I was telling him,
(11:27):
I got stressed out.
Speaker 9 (11:29):
Man, I'm stressing my mom out. You know, I'm a
grown man and I don't want to live.
Speaker 8 (11:32):
With mom working homeless. At the same time, Donald Gardner
is not who most people picture when they hear the
word homeless, and that's exactly the problem. According to the
latest federal data, one in five people experiencing homelessness in
America is fifty five or older, and seniors are now
(11:52):
the fastest growing group without a home, with numbers projected
to triple by twenty thirty. Donald Whitehead leads the new
Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, d c.
Speaker 10 (12:03):
And people see that as a moral failure, but really
it's a structural failure. It is a failure of our
system to provide for the needs of people with mental
health and substance abuse issues. Now, the whole population is
much broader than that. We have an estimated one point
five million children in families that were counted by the
(12:26):
Department of Education as people being homeless in America.
Speaker 8 (12:30):
And Donald Gardner, who worked for HUD who fixed shoes
and who cared for a dying veteran, says the system
was not built for people like him, in mind that
a lot of.
Speaker 7 (12:39):
Them are worse off. This system is not set up
to help our seniors or I'll disabled. There's so much
and you know as well as I know, I don't
have to sugarcoat it. To have people homeless, to have
veterans that have people wanting for government assistance is systemic.
Speaker 8 (12:56):
Whitehead says the access to affordable housing is a single
biggest factor and the single biggest failure.
Speaker 10 (13:02):
So the absolute key to ending homelessness is a dramatic
production of affordable housing. You have an affordable housing crisis
in this country. If you look at the number of
people who are rent burdened paying more than thirty percent
of their rent thirty percent of their income for housing,
which is what the federal government says you should be paying.
(13:24):
We have over seven million people that are in that position.
They're paying upwards of seventy percent of their income for
housing alone, which doesn't leave a lot of room for
other things that are necessities of life. We have a
living wage that is not available in any portion of
the country. Our minimum wage hasn't been raised in decades.
Speaker 8 (13:49):
Donald says he spent fourteen months in a hotel shelter.
Then on Martin Luther King Junior's birthday, there was a
knock on his door. You can hear the rest of
that story on the Color between the Lines, on iHeart Radio,
on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Ester Dillard.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
This is part two of a series called Unhoused and Unheard,
and to learn more about the National Coalition for the
Homeless in Washington, DC, visit Nationalhomeless dot org. You can
hear part three of the series next week. Tanya y
Mitchell is an NCA and t alumni Aggie and the
author of More Than a Dean, a powerful look at
the real life experiences, challenges, and impact of being a dean,
(14:28):
especially within the HBCU community. Through her story, she highlights mentorship, resilience,
and the responsibility of shaping the next generation of Black professionals.
The Black Information Networks Morgan Wood spoke with her about
the inspiration behind the book and what students and alumni
can take away from her HBCU experience.
Speaker 11 (14:47):
I'm joined by author Tanya y Mitchell, whose book More
Than a Dean Kwister Craig's journey from humble roots to
reshaping business school education and advancing equity at hb US
and beyond, tells the powerful story of one man's life
and leadership. The book highlights how Dean Kwister Craig helped
transform business education at historically black colleges and universities, expanding
(15:12):
access and opening doors for generations of black professionals, especially
in the decades after Title seven, helped pave the way
for greater inclusion, or at least that's what we are hoping,
right Tanya, thank you so much for joining us on
the Black Information Network.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
Thank you, Morgan.
Speaker 11 (15:30):
So what inspired Let's just jump right into your book.
What inspired you to write this book More than a
Dean Qwister Craig's journey from humble roots to reshaping business
school education and advancing equity at HBCUs and beyond.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
That is quite the title.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Yes it is.
Speaker 12 (15:47):
It is a long title, but I didn't want to
leave lose the essence of what Dan Craig did. The
book was developed in two stages. I initially informally produced
a book of letters from Dane Craig's students, colleagues, faculty,
administrative staff, and special friends. It was titled Letters of
Gratitude to Doctor Q and the letters were all written
(16:09):
in the theme of gratitude. I started that project as
a result of the illness of my son, Omar, who
was also a graduate of A and T's Business School.
He took you three days before I was to attend
Dan Craig's retirement celebration honoring his forty one years of
service at A and T's Business School. I really wanted
(16:32):
to celebrate his legacy with the one thousand or so
people who attended that evening, but once I realized I
couldn't attend, I had a thought, and the thought was
to write Dan Craig a letter to express my gratitude
for everything he did for me when I was a
student at A and T. But that thought went dormant
(16:53):
as my son struggled for fifteen months and kidney disease.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Took his life.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
I'm so sorry to hear that.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 12 (17:03):
It's amazing what can come out of tragedy. I fast
forward to October twenty fifteen. I went to homecoming, you know,
trying to return normalcy to my life.
Speaker 11 (17:14):
Yes, and homecoming can kind of do that to you
a little bit, Yes, it can.
Speaker 12 (17:18):
And I ended up in a conversation with the fellow
Aggie and he asked me, telling you, why weren't you
at Dean Craig's retirement celebration. And I explained what kept
me away With emotion, of course, and the thought of
writing Dean Craig that letter resurfaced. Dean Craig when I
(17:41):
was a student, he mentored me he rewarded people who
met his academic standards and I was one of those,
and he put me on scholarship, so I had, you know,
I got the relief of having to, you know, finance
my education. He put me on scholarship and got me
(18:03):
my internship, my first internship. He helped me secure it
with Arthur Anderson, one of the biggest CPA firms of
that time, And for that I always held gratitude for
him for all this time in my heart. And that's
how the gratitude came about. It was sincere. But when
(18:26):
I got back home, the ideas expanded. It was like,
not only should you write your letter, but you should
compel a book of letters from his students. So in
October twenty sixteen, the next homecoming, I delivered one hundred
and thirteen letters from Dean Craig's students, colleagues, friends, faculty,
(18:51):
administrative staff, and special friends. And they all had unique stories.
Each one conveyed how Dean Craig had impacted their life lives.
Speaker 9 (19:01):
And so.
Speaker 12 (19:03):
Also during that process I learned a lot about him
and his significant achievements. As you know, the first African
American and HBCU representative to be the president of the
accreditation body the AACSB for business schools internationally, and he
(19:26):
served a term as a term as president also of
the National Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma. And so he
had national impact through the PhD Project, helping to diversify
business school faculty and nationwide business school faculty nationwide, and
(19:51):
also you know, he helped diversify the accounting profession and
corporate America. So, you know, I looked at the letters
and I looked at Dean Craig's work, and I knew
that together they made a powerful story, and alone his
work wouldn't be understood. I thought people would say, well,
(20:13):
that's what a business school dean is supposed to do.
But it was the power of the letters and the
impact he had on his students and colleagues and faculty.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
And then I.
Speaker 12 (20:27):
Put the history with the history also to make people
understand why, how what he did mattered, you know, and
it's taught to a history of education of African Americans
in this country.
Speaker 11 (20:43):
Absolutely. Do you mind taking me back and setting the
scene for me. What was it like going to his class,
What was the overall political climate like at that time?
Speaker 6 (20:57):
What was he? Was he a jolly man? Was he
a stern man?
Speaker 11 (21:02):
I know you said that he rewarded those students who
met his academic standard, which sounds like he is a
little bit strict, but at the same time it also
gave you some incentive to do what it was that
he was saying.
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Can you take me into the classroom with Dean Craig.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Oh, Dean Craig was all of that. He was strict.
Speaker 12 (21:23):
He was a man for purpose, you know, he was
purpose driven in the classroom.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
He didn't fool around.
Speaker 11 (21:32):
You know.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
I write about some of the.
Speaker 12 (21:34):
Letters explain different students experiences, and one of them was
that he would give a pop quiz every day in
the class and he and you know, and students would
ultimately drop out of accounting. For example, he used to
teach accounting even though he was a dean. He also
taught accounting and also for a time ran the accounting
(21:54):
department because of you know, the limited funding at HB
Public colleges HBCUs, so he had multiple jobs. And oh
the students. He not only taught the course work, and
he taught it in a very firm way, hoping that
one would understand it. He had a belief that the
(22:18):
business school shouldn't exist if we weren't prepared to be
competitive in the marketplace. And he made sure that we
were competitive in all the business disciplines that were offered
at the business school. But he was jolly. He taught
lessons and life lessons during in the classroom, you know,
so he could give a life lesson before he started
(22:41):
his class. And he had a great sense of humor.
I mean, students described him in many different ways as tough.
He said, he wasn't tough, but he was determined, and
he was determined to make us good students, to make
us professional, and to make us very knowledgeable of our
subject matter.
Speaker 11 (23:02):
And what was the political or just social climate at
that time. Being in North Carolina and being in his classes,
what was it like to leave his classes and go
out into the world and be students at that time.
Speaker 12 (23:16):
Well, it was a wonderful time, you know, one of
the beauties of going to an HBCU. And during this
time it was the HBCU's public colleges in the South
were desegregating. So but that was something we were somewhat
sheltered from. Well, of course, we had student government who
participated in a and t was known for getting involved
(23:38):
in marches and and and and political issues as it
related to the school.
Speaker 5 (23:47):
So we had that going on.
Speaker 12 (23:49):
But the undercurrent for me personally was I was there
for purpose to get a Korea, and I didn't know
what but to get a Korea. And even though I
was studying accounting, you know, there was a dearth of accountants,
African American accountants, and so we weren't exposed to people
who were accountants. I didn't know any CPAs. But Dan
(24:11):
Craig introduced me to the profession and inspired me to
pursue the highest credential in the profession. Uh So, you know,
we had a lot of political stuff going on, but
you know, it was for people who were in it.
Speaker 5 (24:26):
I was, I was.
Speaker 12 (24:27):
I mean, it was a beautiful time to be on
a HBCU campus. Uh we developed, I developed friendships that
I have fifty years later. I love the institution. I
almost go to all my homecomings. I continue to make
new friends from classes, you know, younger people, older people,
(24:50):
and it's just a joyful experience to to, you know,
be a part of an HBCU. I pledged Delta Sigma Theta.
You know, get in a serrito or fraternity, you know,
makes you popular in the campus.
Speaker 5 (25:04):
So we had that going.
Speaker 12 (25:05):
For us, and it was just a lovely time, you know.
I remember my freshman year, coming to campus for the
very first time and living for the love of You
by the Osley Brothers were singing in the air everywhere
you went. So, you know, years, almost fifty years later,
when I hear that song, it puts me back into
(25:25):
that wonderful feeling of fresh air and warmth and just
new people and just excitement.
Speaker 11 (25:33):
That's amazing, that's amazing. That HBCU effect is something else.
So Telly, you talk with me more about your HBCU
experience at North Carolina A and T State University and
how does that impact you as an alum today, but
not just as an alum, as a business woman out
here in the field.
Speaker 12 (25:55):
Well, you know, as I mentioned, as a student social
lif you know, attendant attending a and he provided a
valuable opportunity to connect with fellow African American students who
shared similar goals and academic achievement, personal development, and self discovery.
So it was a wonderful time. We were young, we
(26:16):
were free. I had a group of friends who played
hard and we worked hard, and so it was an
appropriate balance for me. And then academically, as I mentioned,
I was cared for, uh challenged to be my personal
best mentor introduced to the CPA credential and CPA profession
(26:38):
uh and and Dean Craig really saw his job as
getting us out into the marketplace, not just to be there,
but to be competitive in the marketplace. So being empowered
that way. Uh, he believed, UH, preparation, preparation of produced
(26:58):
confidence and sending us out confident in who we were
as people, confident that we could compete with anyone we came,
you know, we had to compete against. So, you know,
I left, you know, I was there. I felt wonderful
being there, and I left feeling even more wonderful, especially
after he introduced me to the profession, and I did
(27:20):
an internship this summer before my senior year. I was
you know, I came back to school and I was
almost floating every day, you know, waiting for the senior
year to be over, to you know, go into.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
This new world I had discovered. It was wonderful.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
That's amazing.
Speaker 11 (27:36):
You spoke about not knowing any CPAs any people accounting
prior to going to this university. So now that you're
out in the real world and you're into your career,
how did that feel?
Speaker 6 (27:48):
I mean, it sounds like you felt well equipped.
Speaker 11 (27:52):
But when you got out into the field, how did
that feel too? I don't know, did you run into
more people like yourself or did you feel like you
were more of a I hate to say token, but
you know you were one of many or one where
you stood out well.
Speaker 12 (28:07):
Definitely not a token, you know, we were. I came
through at a very ideal time, and the CPA profession
made a very conscious decision to integrate.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
I talk about that in the book.
Speaker 12 (28:22):
And they also helped HBCUs develop their accounting programs. They
provided funding for scholarships, and they provided the internships. And
I came to the New York office and there was
a large There was a number of African Americans in
the office because they were employing them. That was a
(28:45):
profession that started in the late eighteen hundreds, and we
were as a result of Title seven and we started
being employed in the in the profession. So yeah, I felt,
you know, it was interesting. It was a different a
different environment. Definitely being Craig prepared us for it. He
(29:08):
thought we should know what to expect, and he exposed
us to it and prepped us for it.
Speaker 11 (29:15):
Would you speak more on the importance of HBCUs And
what would your charge or message be to the next
generation of HBCU students.
Speaker 12 (29:24):
Well, HBCUs have historical significance. I think, you know, we
should all understand that they were given the job to
educate the emancipated slaves who endure hundreds of years of illiteracy,
laws that made it illegal to teach them how.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
To read and write.
Speaker 12 (29:46):
And you know, HBCUs accomplished that. And the stats show
that today the statistics, twenty five percent of African American
graduates with STEM degrees come from HBCUs. Seventeen percent of
all bachelor degrees earned by black students nationwide are because
(30:08):
of HBCUs graduates. HBCUs represent seven of the top eight
institutions that graduate in the highest number of black undergraduate
students who eventually earn science and engineering doctorates, and ANTI
is a leading producer of African American engineers. Black students
(30:32):
who enroll at HBCUs are only likely to graduate than
their peers. They're more likely to graduate than their peers
who attend nine HBCUs. That's an intangible.
Speaker 5 (30:47):
Based on the culture.
Speaker 12 (30:49):
At high percent of African Americans, eighty percent are black
judges in the US, seventy percent black doctors and dentists,
fifty percent of black lawyers, they're all graduates from HBCUs.
When it comes to business school education, which is more
(31:09):
than a Dana is about, HBCUs also play a pivotal
role in diversifying the corporate sector. Absolutely, twenty five percent
of all business degrees earned by black students are from HBCUs,
and more African American CPAs graduate from HBCUs than any
(31:31):
other institution. And during Dean Craig's tenure, A and T's
Business School was a major producer of CPAs, of which.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
I am one.
Speaker 12 (31:41):
So you know there are a lot of HBCUs graduates
represented on Wall Street. So the intangible cultural quality, which
was explained in the various letters that I received from
the Letters of Gratitude project, validate.
Speaker 11 (31:59):
That it's amazing. That's amazing, and I wanted to share
with you. I also recently did a report health report
that was published in JOm A network open found that
Black Americans who attended historically black colleges and universities showed
better memorates, memory, and cognitive function later in life compared
to those who didn't.
Speaker 6 (32:18):
So it's also healthy for you. So it's in an HBAC.
Speaker 12 (32:22):
That's a great thing. And you know, for me personally,
you know, Dean Craig got me my start. He introduced
me to a profession that I did not know existed.
And from there, I, you know, had increasingly responsible positions
in financial management at some of America's best companies, City
(32:44):
City Bank, American Express, Prudential Financial, and I rose to
the rank of CFO, moved over to the nonprofit sector
as well, and I am now retiring.
Speaker 11 (32:58):
That's amazing you've had and you've been able to have
a great success. So what message would you leave for
the next generation.
Speaker 12 (33:06):
Hey, take serious, Take your school work serious. It's a
serious matter. You know you need to. You need to
be equipped when you go into the workplace. You know,
you may not get the promotion, but no one can
take away the knowledge. So I think that you know,
(33:27):
when you're in school, Like I said, we worked hard,
we played hard. We didn't sacrifice one for the other.
And you know, I'm a proud magna cum law graduate
and accountant, which was not easy to do. Under Dean
Craig's leadership, it was not an easy thing to do.
But you know, I like I said, we had the
(33:48):
equal balance and school. School is a very important time.
It's a very important time. And as he said, preparation
yield's confidence and going into the corporate sector, you need
to have confidence in yourself. So I would say take
(34:09):
your education very seriously.
Speaker 6 (34:11):
Thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 11 (34:13):
Author and quite decorated businesswoman now retired Atalia Mitchell, whose
book More Than a Dean chwist Craig's journey from humble
roots to reshaping business school education and advancing equity at
HPCUS and beyond. Before I let you go, you have
to let me know and our audience know how we
(34:35):
can continue to keep in touch with you and where
we can get the book.
Speaker 12 (34:38):
Well, the book is available on Amazon and you can
also get it on info at more than a Dean
dot com.
Speaker 11 (34:46):
Thank you so much for joining us on the Black
Information Network. I'm Morgan would.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Thank you Morgan, Aggie Bride.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Thank you Morgan and Tanya. More than a Dean is
available wherever you get your books. Now we get commentary
from Roland S.
Speaker 9 (35:01):
Martin.
Speaker 13 (35:01):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of b I N and its founding partners and employees.
Speaker 6 (35:13):
Now it's time to bring the funk with Roland S. Martin.
Speaker 14 (35:16):
If you want to understand how shameful and despicable Republicans
are in Virginia, they have been mailing various flyers and
running TV commercials using the images of the KKK and
saying that blacks are going to lose their right to
(35:37):
vote if Virginia votes yes in the April twenty first election. Now,
this election would change the congressional map in Virginia to
a ten to one map favoring the Democrats. So what
the republic What the white Republicans in Virginia have done,
is they have put they have paid for. They have
paid for a black front group to run these commercials
(36:00):
and to run these mailers. It's all about confusing black people. Yes,
they're literally using KKK images. In fact, they're also using
images of former President Barack Obama and one of his
quotes who support their cause, even though he is telling
people to vote yes. This is how desperate Republicans are,
(36:24):
where they will lie and will try to convict black
people and convince them. And the referendum is about race
when it is not. It is literally about Jerry manderin
which the Supreme Court has said is legal. But this
(36:45):
is how they want to confuse black people. Black folks
in Virginia do not fall for.
Speaker 9 (36:51):
The Oki dok.
Speaker 14 (36:52):
Ignore what they are doing, and that is vote yes,
because what that will do is that would make it
a lot. It's easier for Democrats to win the House
in November, make Hai King Jefferies the first black Speaker
of the House and put black folks in charge and
to stop the Maga agenda. And that's priorty number one.
I'm Roland Martin the Black Information Network.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Thanks Roland, and tune in for daily commentary from Roland
Martin and James T.
Speaker 14 (37:18):
Harris.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Right here on the Black Information Network, a black community
activist in Los Angeles has a message for black churches
and black pastors and she's not holding anything back. The
Black Information Networks Mike Stevens shares her concerns.
Speaker 15 (37:32):
All right, thank you, Mike. Joining us now as doctor
Rosie Milligan, she calls herself the self appointed mayor of
South Central Los Angeles in California. She's also the host
of a weekly live internet talk show called Express Yourself.
Hour and the founder director of Black Writers on Tour.
She's an author and businesswoman with a message to black
(37:54):
pastors and the Black church, and that's what brought her
to our attention. She has an open letter to pastors
in the church. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 9 (38:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 15 (38:02):
So what is your message to pastors in the church.
Speaker 9 (38:05):
My message to pastors is that it is time that
we moved to a new dimension. It's time that we
go back and do what we already know how to do.
I'm not asking pastor to do anything new. I'm asking
them to return to what we used to do as
the Black church. And it was more than just having service.
(38:26):
In fact, you go back, there was only having service
maybe once a month because there were many ministers who
had three or four churches. But now it's all about
the spiritual side and nothing about the economic side. I
am tired of Black people being the sickest in the
nation and the poorest in the nation. I believe, truly
(38:46):
that the Black church can solve the economic problem of
Black America if they were just actually returned to what
we used to do when doors was closing our faces,
when there was no schools. The church house was the
school My father talked about how they had classrooms in
the schools. My sisters, older sisters, they started school in
(39:08):
the church house. The church house was there for the community.
Churches and communities built hospitals, they built colleges. They have
done so much and it has been e raged, But
who erased it? We did not continue to tell that story.
That's why I believe so much in writing. So who
(39:28):
will tell our story? You can ask properly, even your
strong leaders in the ministry about what the Black church
have done in the past. I doubt it they could
tell you how they were involved in education, with schools,
with building hospitals. That we own hospitals in this country.
(39:49):
Most Black people don't even realize that we own multiple
hospitals in the United States, and schools.
Speaker 15 (39:56):
I think back to doctor King, Reverend doctor Martin luther Ing,
Ctvivian Joseph Lowery, many of the black pastors and ministers
of the civil rights movement, and your point is well taken.
They were in the forefront of advancing the cause for
civil rights, for voting rights, for economic growth. Why do
(40:17):
you think things have changed these days?
Speaker 9 (40:21):
I think, you know, I think we've given our power
away to social service to Red Cross, to governmental services,
and that has really crippin our people. To mean, politics
and religion has paralyzed Black America because we are totally
dependent on the church what they are going to tell us,
(40:43):
and we're depending on the politician to make life for us.
But how do we make it years past when there
were no black politicians? How do we make it in
the past, when there were no banks that was given
us money and we were opening up schools. How did
we make it when there was no SBA. All we
(41:04):
have to do is look back, And a lot of
Black people don't want to look back. They tell me
that you're always talking about what happened in the past,
But if you wipe out the past, that's why our
people crippled today, because they don't know what went ahead
before them. I consider myself some of my success it's
because I read about women black folks. I've read about
(41:27):
Madam C. J. Walker, how she started her business with
a dollar fifty cent there was no banks, there was
no SBA. I read about Mary mcclowm Thum, how she
started her school. That helped me to know what I
could do when I see people look like me, when
I study history, and I see what we have done.
You can't tell me what black folks cannot accomplish. So
(41:50):
a lot of our people are not there because they
have not seen people who look like us doing certain
things other than being in the poor pit, a drivening
ball down the court are entertainment. They need to see
that there's more to us.
Speaker 15 (42:06):
In your article, you said there was a time when
the Black church was not just a place we went
to on Sunday. It was the very heartbeat of our survival.
And it was there we learned to read when it
was illegal to teach us. It was there we organized
when the world tried to scatter us. It was their
movements were born that changed the course of history. But
my question to you is, now that history has been changed,
(42:28):
what practically can the black pastors and the church do.
Speaker 9 (42:34):
Well. They need to start. I call a Black church
economic revival. That's what we need. We need a Black
church economic revival. The children that's coming along now would
not want the God that we serve. You know why,
because we teach them that God owns the counts on
(42:56):
a thousand hills. And they want to know why. I
can't get a sect when we tell them that He
will open doors for you. They want to know why
is every door in America closed in their face when
you tell them that God will provide And when they
see you being evicted and they see people looking like
(43:17):
you laying on the side walking intents all across this country,
why would they want the God that you serve? Is
it God's fault. No, it's the fact that we have
not learned to execute the power that's within us because
we have we languished our power to social service, to
(43:37):
what a politician is gonna do for us, and then
we subscribe to the scripture that other people take to
empower them, we take it to empower us. I talk
a lot about relationship and finance, and I've had people
say to me, doctor, you're always talking about money. You
know the Bible say that poor you will have what
(43:59):
you always I said, yes, it does say that, but
it did not say poor Rosie. My name was not there.
And they tell you what you know, you worry too
much about the future. The Bible said, take no thoughts
for tomorrow. Yes, take no thought for tomorrow. Take it
out of contact of the biblical scription. Take no thought
(44:20):
and see where you would be and your children will
be in the future to come the passage of one person.
My natural letter is going to be to the flock,
because what about the people sitting in the audience. What
are you doing? You should know better. You might be
able to bring a great idea to the pastor and
he will accept it and begin to execute it. So
(44:43):
we have to make sense out of this. You know,
it's hard for children who are sitting in homes where
they have seen their parents pay time, to give them money,
do all of this, and then come to a day
that now they're being evicted. They can't go to the
church and ask for help. Where is this God that
you've been telling them about? Where is this? If you
(45:05):
pay times, it's going to be running over, shaking down.
You won't have room. Black folks need to examine the
scripture and try to ask God to give them an
understanding as to how it really works. Now, I know
I'll get a lot of feedback about this, but I
don't care. I'm eighty years old and I want to
(45:26):
see a chain and I'm going to speak it. If
the long has God allow me to be here because
something is wrong. We need an economic revival.
Speaker 15 (45:37):
Well, I'm wondering is it the pastors and churches or
is it parents of young people who they're raising up
these days? And there was a time when I was
growing up that the parents brought their children to church,
and then in years after that they sent the children
to church. Now the children not going. A lot of
the parents are not going.
Speaker 7 (45:56):
Well.
Speaker 9 (45:57):
We're finding some in many instances you see churches are
packing out with young people when that parents are not
going because they're into music. They like the music, they
like to dance, they like their entertainment because church has
become really many of them in the entertainment center. You know,
how you dress, how you look, who can sing, who
(46:17):
can do this? But I think it's the flock and
the ministry. I think some of these ministers know that
they should do better. Let me explain to you. The
system understands the power of the black church. That's why
they send their political people running for election. They pack
up black churches on Sunday morning. Every nationality are there
(46:42):
and they allow them to stand before their people and speak,
and you don't see them anymore after the election. The
power is truly in a poor pit and the destruction
of black folks is in a poor pit.
Speaker 15 (46:56):
Also, in summary, it sounds like you're saying we can
move forward by taking a step back.
Speaker 9 (47:02):
In a sense.
Speaker 15 (47:03):
Absolutely well, there is so much more that you have
to say that we can't put it all in this
short timeframe. But doctor Rosie Milligan has written an open
letter to pastors in the church and you can contact
her on social media to find out more of what
her thoughts are. I do want to mention that you
have a big event coming up. I believe it's called
(47:26):
the thirtieth annual Black Writers on Tour plus Business plus AIXPO.
Tell us about that.
Speaker 9 (47:34):
Yes, this is the thirtieth annual. I started out with
Black Writers on Tour because I know literacy is everybody
business and when people are not able to read and
to write, it really handicapped them in business. We're in
an age now, well, you don't get a chance to
be in people's face. If you have a grievance, they
would say to you, will write it, we'll email it,
(47:57):
and the book stop there. I've seen it with blacks
who could not express themselves. Then they'll just say forget
it and go on about their business. And also how
you write and how you speak people tend to judge
your intellect. So you if you are a poor writer,
they tend to take your stuff and there throw it
in the trash can. When you cannot read, you may
(48:18):
do bad contract. It is unpacking us. And then I
realize the thing that's holding us back today. We need
to make sure that we're literate. We need to make
sure that we are pushing to on our own businesses.
Cause folks, there's no airplane coming for us, there's no
bus coming for us. There's no training, no bicycle. We're
(48:40):
gonna have to walk this economic journey by ourselves. So
we have to focus more on business literacy and technology.
I watch black folks who cannot get that PPP loans,
couldn't even apply to get their unemployment. During COVID, my
office did seventy five percent that work helping people just
(49:02):
uploading and downloading. So if we don't get with this,
I'm asking churches across this country to open up a
Saturday school and everybody who has skill bring it. I
do a town hall meeting here and I ask people,
if you're a mechanic, bring what you have. If you're nurse,
if you're a doctor, bring with what you have and
(49:24):
help teach the people. So we're going to have to
do it well.
Speaker 15 (49:27):
The event that you're having is April twenty fifth in Carson, California, and.
Speaker 9 (49:33):
Admission is free and parking is free. Multiple seminar. We're
going to bring out the AI magic. We're going to
teach people how to do business, and we're going to
talk about all the things that you need to know,
even how to age fantastically for body and finance. It's
for everybody. We'll celebrate three authors who are ninety plus
(49:56):
who will written their books called Let the Elder Speak.
We have two youngwas seventeen years old. One has a
cleaning business, he does airbnbs and maintenance, and the young
lady she does all veget cakes and pies.
Speaker 15 (50:12):
Sounds like something that people should not miss. Doctor Rosie Milligan,
thank you so much for coming on with us.
Speaker 9 (50:18):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
Thank you, Mike and Rosie. Coming up next, Doug Davis
returns with his conversation with Pissupia Towery. As we continue
to honor black women who have made a difference, tower
opens up about why she believes her historic victory has
been left out of too many conversations.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Doug Hey Thanks Mike. My name is Doug Davis and
Happy Black Women's Month. My conversation with Vessepia Towery, the
first black woman ever to win on the TV reality
show Survivor, returns from our prior conversation this past Thursday
on BIA News This Hour after her historic win more
than two decades ago. She feels that, you know, there
could be some discrimination going on, being that she's never
(50:57):
been invited back to any of the main reunion and
there's been plenty of them, and she's here to talk
more about how black women are celebrated or too often ignored.
Welcome back, sister, Vessepia. So some fans say that your
historic win somehow got lost.
Speaker 15 (51:13):
In the shuffle.
Speaker 2 (51:13):
I don't quite believe that. But why do you think
certain black women get overlooked after a great accomplishment like yours.
Speaker 9 (51:21):
You know, when I.
Speaker 16 (51:23):
Step back and I look at SAVIVR, you know they've
had their share of African American women that they did
bring back, you know, me being the only And I
say that, I emphasize that the only African American female
to win the show. Now, they did have an African
Canadian when a couple of years back, but I'm currently
(51:44):
still the only African American to win. But with that
being said, they've had African American women that they have
brought back, like Alicia was one of the first African Americans.
She was on, Like Survivor Australia, she was brought back
for the first All Star Siri has been I think
five times to play and still has not one. And
then Tiffany is on right now, who is an African
(52:07):
American that was on a couple of seasons back, did
not win, but she's back out there. So they have
brought African American women back, but for whatever reason, they
don't bring a bunch of us back. A couple of
the African American men back, they brought like two and
three of them on one season back, but still not
bringing a lot of African American women at the same
(52:28):
time that so.
Speaker 2 (52:28):
Do you feel that the industry, you know, the media industry,
you know, Hollywood still struggles with how it frames and
honors black women's successes without.
Speaker 16 (52:39):
A doubt, you know, because when Survivor first came out,
there was this stigma, stigma behind the black woman, and
the stigma that we started seeing and the way that
it became a stigma because you're reading it in the
you know, on the internet feeds. Oh, they brought back
another angry black woman. Here's another angry black woman, and
(53:00):
kept following until I came on and they were like, oh,
finally they did not get an angry black woman. And
so part of me was like, okay, was the expectation
that they wanted me to be yet another one of
those that they labeled and I did not fit that bill.
So you know, they didn't have me to move forward
because I did not fit that stigma. I'm not saying
(53:20):
that that was a case, but that's what the email
the internet feeds were saying that they did not have those. Now,
a couple of seasons later, there were a couple more
angry were they labeled as angry black women came back out,
but again you didn't see them come out as much anymore.
So to your to answer your question, I do feel
(53:41):
that there is this stigma with us that they just
don't know how to either portray us in our true
like and they just choose to either not tray not
portray us, or portray us in this stigma of this
angry black woman.
Speaker 2 (53:57):
Let's talk about a few other things quickly, though, when
it comes to young black women, some who may feel unseen,
undervalued in their careers or creative spaces, what kind of
message do you tell, you know, these younger sisters man
about what's ahead.
Speaker 16 (54:17):
Here's the beautiful thing about especially our young sisters growing
up now. And you know, because I'm sixty years old,
and so a lot of.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
The women that hold on, wait a minute, wait a minute,
stop that.
Speaker 9 (54:29):
Yes, truly I am.
Speaker 6 (54:31):
Sixty years old.
Speaker 2 (54:32):
I guess you're right. I mean, do the math. What girl,
you do not look sixty?
Speaker 9 (54:36):
I'm like, thank you black?
Speaker 16 (54:37):
Don't I always say black on cracktice?
Speaker 9 (54:39):
You know that that is so true.
Speaker 16 (54:41):
But when I think about the women who were my age,
we were strong in who we were.
Speaker 9 (54:46):
We were strong not.
Speaker 16 (54:47):
Only strong in who we are, but we were also
we presented ourselves in a very regal way. And in
some sense that's very intimidating. I mean, it's intimidating to
some of our black men sometimes, you know, and and
it can be, but there's a strength behind us that
we portray ourselves that way. And I have to say,
these young women, these young black women coming up now,
(55:10):
are carrying that mantle and continuing to carry that mantle.
Speaker 9 (55:15):
They are not.
Speaker 16 (55:15):
Afraid of that glass ceiling that we used to talk
about all the time that when us as African American, proud,
beautiful African American women got to that pinnacle, that for
some reason our head was hitting this glass ceiling, but
many of us were able.
Speaker 3 (55:31):
To break through that ceiling.
Speaker 16 (55:32):
I was able to break through that ceiling, and I've
been very successful.
Speaker 9 (55:36):
In my career.
Speaker 16 (55:37):
And then now I see these young young women. Every
time I go to a different meeting or healthcare or
even on things like LinkedIn, you see these young black
women really making it. And I think, because now our
voice is not being suffocated anymore, that our voices really
being out there, and their voice is being really are
out there. And I'm so proud of them because this
(56:00):
is what we need now.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
Yeah, I mean we have. You know, what social media
and technology has done is it's it's giving us, like
you said, a voice to tell stories that we're muffled
from mainstream media, you know. So we can get on Instagram,
we can get on LinkedIn, and we can share our successes,
whereas behind the scenes, mainstream media, you know, very rarely
(56:25):
told our successful stories, particularly when it came.
Speaker 9 (56:27):
To black women.
Speaker 16 (56:28):
We could share those stories freely and openly, and you
don't have to have somebody kind of putting, you know,
putting their heel on you. And that's the thing that
I appreciate is that. I mean I go on Instagram
not all the time, but I love, you know, just
showcasing and seeing all these young, phenomenal Black women doing
their thing. I mean, I have a twin step daughter,
(56:49):
and she has a designing business, and I just love
watching her and her partner, you know, on Instagram showcasing
their work and and it really defines who they are,
and it does my hard good to know that she's
just one of many African American women who are making
(57:10):
their names for themselves, you know, non traditionally, right. You know,
not only do they have like their nine to five job,
but they also have their side hustles, and their side
hustles is making them out to be who they really
and truly are.
Speaker 9 (57:24):
That's right.
Speaker 15 (57:24):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (57:25):
So double question here as we wrap up what's next
for you? And then how can people find you on
social media if they wanted to reach out?
Speaker 16 (57:33):
Absolutely so right now, I just recently started joining the
National Storytelling Network, and so I want to share my
stories and I want to go out and speak to
as many people that I would like to and love
to want to hear my story because not only am
I a two time breast cancer survivor, was in the
(57:54):
Air Force. You know, of course I want the million dollars.
I have so many things that I want to share.
You know, I'm a two time divorced woman that's still
moving forward. I found love again at the age of
fifty seven. So if people want to find me, just
look at Vesepia Leonard or Vessepia Robinson on Instagram, on Facebook.
(58:15):
If you'd love for me to come out and share
my story at your events, I am happy to do that.
So that's what I'm working on now. I've also got
I'm starting up my podcast soon. It's going to be
called It's Vessepia Live Positive. Really focused on positive affirmations
for this world because there's so much negativity out there
(58:36):
that I want to be one of those that continues
to spread positivity.
Speaker 2 (58:39):
Eucepia Towi the first black woman ever to win on
the TV reality show Survivor. We appreciate you sharing your
stories with us here on the Black Perspective and we
wish you the best of luck. Don't be a stranger
to the show. Okay, this is Doug Davis and you're
listening to the Black Information Network.
Speaker 1 (58:56):
Thanks Doug and Vesepia, and that's our show for today.
For more of these stories, listen to the Black Information
Network on the free iHeartRadio app or log onto binnews
dot com for all of the latest news impacting the
black community. We'd love to hear from you about the
Black Perspective. Log onto the Black Information Networks Talkback Live
feature on the iHeartRadio app as well as the new
(59:18):
feature on binnews dot com to share your feedback. Also,
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
Information Network and on the X and Blue Sky at
black Info neet, and make the Black Information Network first
on your car radio and iHeartRadio app presets. I'm Mike Island.
Have a great Sunday and we'll see you next week
with a new episode of The Black Perspective with stories
(59:39):
from our illustrious Bion anchors right here on the Black
Information Network
It's April twelfth, the second Sunday of the month, and
on today's show, news anchor Terry McCready speaks with Nicole
Johnson during the Autism Acceptance Month about the successes and
challenges of black people living on the spectrum. B Iron
anchor Esther Dillard is back with part two of the
series called Unhoused and Unheard, as she takes a closer
(00:20):
look at how housing instability is impacting black communities. Mike
Stevens talks to Rosie Mulligan, a black community activist in
Los Angeles who has a message for black churches and
black pastors. Morganwood talks to Tanya Y Mitchell. She's an
NCA and T alumni Aggie and the author of More
Than a Dean. Doug Davis returns with his conversation with
(00:42):
Vesseppia Towery as we continue to honor Black women who
have made a difference, and we get commentary from Roland
Martin and James T. Harris. These stories are coming your way.
On today's program, Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host,
Mike Island.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Welcome to the Black Perspective weekly community affairs program on
the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions on issues
important to the Black community.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Good Sunday and Welcome to the Black Perspective. April is
Autism Acceptance Month, and today bi in News anchor Terry
McCready talks with a special guest about autism in the
Black community.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I'm Terry McCready with the Black Information Network its Autism
Acceptance Month, and the Black Information Network is taking time
to examine the successes and challenges for those specifically Black
individuals on the autism spectrum and the special role of
parents and other family members, schools, businesses, and the community
(01:39):
to foster inclusivity, understanding, and awareness. Here to discuss the
social aspects of the young Neurodivergent is multi sensorial artist
and founder of The Harriet Tubman Effect Nicole Johnson. She
talks about the goals and objectives of her organization.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
So Harriet Tuban Effect is a research institute and human
resource center that focuses on dismantling systemic oppression through storytelling
and reparations related work. So our work in our mission
supports a variety of people predominantly at work across lots
of different industries. K through twelve higher education, theater, houses
(02:21):
of worship, corporate space, and we support them with tools
for dismantling systemic oppression in their workspaces.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Johnson says she's encouraged by the level of budgetary commitments
that many institutions are making on the road to diversity, equity, inclusion,
and accessibility training. She says organizations should begin with having
a lead or consultant in place to facilitate an effective strategy.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
I really suggest that organizations take on customized programming for
professional development around their staff, specifically around their middle managers,
because I think middle managers are supposed to be able
to communicate to everyone within the organization. If they're a
department head, they're supposed to be able to really pass
on the narrative of why the team is made up
(03:05):
in the way that it is, what people's work styles are,
how they might continue to contribute to the team, you know,
what performance evaluations are. Those middle managers are really important
in communication, and they think they're really important for in particular,
black neurodivergent employees as a means of like recognizing the
needs that they have with professional development and then being
(03:26):
able to communicate to everyone on the team about one
another's needs.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
It is vital for children and young adults to be
able to establish and maintain social connections, which is often
difficult for a multitude of reasons. Johnson calls it the
third space.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
They started building third spaces pretty early in my nonprofit
career and then continue to do that with Harriet Tevin effect.
Harry Tevin effect focuses on literally maintaining what you're describing,
this additional social network that functions as a system, so
it's not an unsustainable kind of method of making sure
that people's social capital rises, but it also focuses on
(04:05):
their financial wealth, their health wealth, their time wealth, their
knowledge wealth, in addition to their social wealth, and building
this particular one that I'm a part of right now
as a collective member, but one that I also designed.
It's actually been probably the strongest model that I've been
able to kind of orchestrate thus far.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
She describes the initiative as a values led, egalitarian style community.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Where people have specific touch points, whether it is a
quarterly training, our yearly week long intensive and then our
one on one coachings and zooms, and everyone in the
community shares their skill set as a part of the
values of reallocating wealth to one another, so it.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
Has depend it.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
Essentially, we depend.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
On one another, and the more people who participate in
the ecosystem, the stronger it becomes. And specifically for black
nerdivergent people, I find that it's just that additional family unit.
Inviting parents into this third space has also been a
really youthful kind of step for a lot of my clients.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Nicole Johnson with the Harriet Tubman Effect. Colleges, universities, and
institutions of higher learning often present challenges for young adults
with add ADHD, autism, and other spectrum disorders. Johnson says
external advocacy, including parental intervention, is imperative.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Whether it's racism or ableism that we're experiencing in the space,
I find it necessary to tap people who know the
client that I'm working with best, especially even in an
outside meeting. Doesn't mean that the parent needs to come
all the way into the university, as you mentioned, but
(05:47):
at least this being conversation so that then I, as
an advocate, am a bit more informed about ways that
I can support in ways that because family unions, specifically
in the neurodiverson community, I think many of us maintain
our relationship way beyond our thirties and forties. Right, there's
still like family advocacy that I see in a lot
(06:10):
of Black families who have kids who are on the spectrum.
So I always will ask my client like, hey, I'm
seeing that we're in a situation now where you're experiencing
direct racism or ableism. It might be a threat to
your job. I want to be able to bring in
as much help as we can. And that's what Harriet
Tevin Effect's value says is that historically, you know, all
(06:32):
of us would get together to navigate a journey towards
freedom right despite any kind of especially when things were
like egregious. It's like all of us have to have
hands on deck.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Black children in the US are generally diagnosed with spectrum
disorders at about five and a half years old, which
is later than the national average. It regularly occurs over
three years after the parent initially raised developmental concerns. Johnson says,
it is a systemic.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Issue, shocking that we are not finding our diagnosing resources,
that we're not understanding what resources that we have to
actually navigate, whether it is therapeutic resources to navigate mental
health in addition to our neurodivergent experience. Right, there's so
many things that we don't know about, but they're so
(07:20):
necessary for thriving literally, And it can even be like
granular information like clarity of contracts or clarity of class schedule,
or clarity of communicating changes that you need because your
access needs aren't being met, or that your access needs
are conflicting with someone else's access needs. And therefore, how
(07:41):
do we navigate moments of that kind when no one
is just as a kind of like casual way of
saying in your corner, especially if you're in a predominantly
white institution that's not really interested in understanding black neurodivergence.
You're kind of without an advocate, You're kind of deeply
on your own, and then can be isolated in a
(08:04):
very dangerous way that I think leads to so many
other mental health challenges beyond that. So the idea of
us kind of being like, well, this is kinship, this
is family.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
We need to make.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Sure that we're I find it necessary for me to
do that as much as I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Nicole Johnson with the Harriet Tubman Effect, a human resource
center and Institute for Justice advocacy research. A new survey
has found that a lack of awareness about autism research
could be slowing scientific progress. Very few Americans realize the
most critical tool for researchers, the human brain, is in
short supply. A survey by Autism brain Net found that
(08:45):
seventy percent of those surveyed had never heard of brain donation.
I'm Terry McCready with the Black Information Network.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Thanks Terry and Nicole for that special report on autism
in the Black community. As we recognize autism acceptance mouth.
What would you do if the system you worked and
paid into your entire life simply failed you. Donald Gardner
found out. He's sixty eight years old, and on this
week's The Color Between the Lines, the Black Information That Works,
(09:13):
Ester Dillard sits down with Donald and the National Coalition
for the Homeless for a conversation that will make you
think twice about everyone you pass on the street. This
is part two of a series called Unhoused and Unheard.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
To Live on the Streets is very frightened.
Speaker 8 (09:30):
That's Don Gardner. He's sixty eight years old. He worked
his whole life a cobbler, a caretaker, and a hut contractor,
and then the pandemic hit and everything he built disappeared.
I'm mister Dillard. This is part two of Unhoused and Unheard,
the Black experience of homelessness, and this is Donald's story.
(09:55):
Before homelessness, Donald Gardner had built something real. He says
he ran a shoe pair of business, working with hut
on the side and serving as a full time caretaker
for his godfather for eleven years. Then the pandemic hit.
His business shut down, his godfather passed, and the family
showed up to take the house.
Speaker 7 (10:14):
Right before the pandemic hit. I was doing pretty good.
My work ethic was great. I had the only footwear.
I'm a Footbritar specialist. I fixed it, repair and shine
shoes of Macawber. I learned that my dad's bobs and
when I was seven years old.
Speaker 8 (10:28):
His mother was eighty eight and he couldn't stay with
her at the time. So Donald did what millions of
Americans do every year when the system fails them. He
found a way to keep moving.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
I had worked the job, was working at TGI Fridays
and sleeping outside.
Speaker 9 (10:43):
I wor go to work.
Speaker 7 (10:44):
Nobody know I was homeless, and so when I could
afford to go do this particular shelter here in DC.
It was called Gospel Rescue Ministry, and you pay ten
dollars a day and you get your regular bit. It's
on like forty bids and you get it in a
lockerm for sixty dollars a month. But you get the
same bed. You don't have to line about side and
that type of thing. But anyway, the process was good,
(11:07):
but people didn't recognize people as human beings. So with
that I became homest. She kick me out. I move
all my things in my mother's base. My mother's on
the fixing this company. She's eighty eight this year October fifteenth,
and I said to one of my bodies who works
for PG County Homeless Hotline, and I was telling him,
(11:27):
I got stressed out.
Speaker 9 (11:29):
Man, I'm stressing my mom out. You know, I'm a
grown man and I don't want to live.
Speaker 8 (11:32):
With mom working homeless. At the same time, Donald Gardner
is not who most people picture when they hear the
word homeless, and that's exactly the problem. According to the
latest federal data, one in five people experiencing homelessness in
America is fifty five or older, and seniors are now
(11:52):
the fastest growing group without a home, with numbers projected
to triple by twenty thirty. Donald Whitehead leads the new
Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, d c.
Speaker 10 (12:03):
And people see that as a moral failure, but really
it's a structural failure. It is a failure of our
system to provide for the needs of people with mental
health and substance abuse issues. Now, the whole population is
much broader than that. We have an estimated one point
five million children in families that were counted by the
(12:26):
Department of Education as people being homeless in America.
Speaker 8 (12:30):
And Donald Gardner, who worked for HUD who fixed shoes
and who cared for a dying veteran, says the system
was not built for people like him, in mind that
a lot of.
Speaker 7 (12:39):
Them are worse off. This system is not set up
to help our seniors or I'll disabled. There's so much
and you know as well as I know, I don't
have to sugarcoat it. To have people homeless, to have
veterans that have people wanting for government assistance is systemic.
Speaker 8 (12:56):
Whitehead says the access to affordable housing is a single
biggest factor and the single biggest failure.
Speaker 10 (13:02):
So the absolute key to ending homelessness is a dramatic
production of affordable housing. You have an affordable housing crisis
in this country. If you look at the number of
people who are rent burdened paying more than thirty percent
of their rent thirty percent of their income for housing,
which is what the federal government says you should be paying.
(13:24):
We have over seven million people that are in that position.
They're paying upwards of seventy percent of their income for
housing alone, which doesn't leave a lot of room for
other things that are necessities of life. We have a
living wage that is not available in any portion of
the country. Our minimum wage hasn't been raised in decades.
Speaker 8 (13:49):
Donald says he spent fourteen months in a hotel shelter.
Then on Martin Luther King Junior's birthday, there was a
knock on his door. You can hear the rest of
that story on the Color between the Lines, on iHeart Radio,
on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Ester Dillard.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
This is part two of a series called Unhoused and Unheard,
and to learn more about the National Coalition for the
Homeless in Washington, DC, visit Nationalhomeless dot org. You can
hear part three of the series next week. Tanya y
Mitchell is an NCA and t alumni Aggie and the
author of More Than a Dean, a powerful look at
the real life experiences, challenges, and impact of being a dean,
(14:28):
especially within the HBCU community. Through her story, she highlights mentorship, resilience,
and the responsibility of shaping the next generation of Black professionals.
The Black Information Networks Morgan Wood spoke with her about
the inspiration behind the book and what students and alumni
can take away from her HBCU experience.
Speaker 11 (14:47):
I'm joined by author Tanya y Mitchell, whose book More
Than a Dean Kwister Craig's journey from humble roots to
reshaping business school education and advancing equity at hb US
and beyond, tells the powerful story of one man's life
and leadership. The book highlights how Dean Kwister Craig helped
transform business education at historically black colleges and universities, expanding
(15:12):
access and opening doors for generations of black professionals, especially
in the decades after Title seven, helped pave the way
for greater inclusion, or at least that's what we are hoping,
right Tanya, thank you so much for joining us on
the Black Information Network.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
Thank you, Morgan.
Speaker 11 (15:30):
So what inspired Let's just jump right into your book.
What inspired you to write this book More than a
Dean Qwister Craig's journey from humble roots to reshaping business
school education and advancing equity at HBCUs and beyond.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
That is quite the title.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Yes it is.
Speaker 12 (15:47):
It is a long title, but I didn't want to
leave lose the essence of what Dan Craig did. The
book was developed in two stages. I initially informally produced
a book of letters from Dane Craig's students, colleagues, faculty,
administrative staff, and special friends. It was titled Letters of
Gratitude to Doctor Q and the letters were all written
(16:09):
in the theme of gratitude. I started that project as
a result of the illness of my son, Omar, who
was also a graduate of A and T's Business School.
He took you three days before I was to attend
Dan Craig's retirement celebration honoring his forty one years of
service at A and T's Business School. I really wanted
(16:32):
to celebrate his legacy with the one thousand or so
people who attended that evening, but once I realized I
couldn't attend, I had a thought, and the thought was
to write Dan Craig a letter to express my gratitude
for everything he did for me when I was a
student at A and T. But that thought went dormant
(16:53):
as my son struggled for fifteen months and kidney disease.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Took his life.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
I'm so sorry to hear that.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 12 (17:03):
It's amazing what can come out of tragedy. I fast
forward to October twenty fifteen. I went to homecoming, you know,
trying to return normalcy to my life.
Speaker 11 (17:14):
Yes, and homecoming can kind of do that to you
a little bit, Yes, it can.
Speaker 12 (17:18):
And I ended up in a conversation with the fellow
Aggie and he asked me, telling you, why weren't you
at Dean Craig's retirement celebration. And I explained what kept
me away With emotion, of course, and the thought of
writing Dean Craig that letter resurfaced. Dean Craig when I
(17:41):
was a student, he mentored me he rewarded people who
met his academic standards and I was one of those,
and he put me on scholarship, so I had, you know,
I got the relief of having to, you know, finance
my education. He put me on scholarship and got me
(18:03):
my internship, my first internship. He helped me secure it
with Arthur Anderson, one of the biggest CPA firms of
that time, And for that I always held gratitude for
him for all this time in my heart. And that's
how the gratitude came about. It was sincere. But when
(18:26):
I got back home, the ideas expanded. It was like,
not only should you write your letter, but you should
compel a book of letters from his students. So in
October twenty sixteen, the next homecoming, I delivered one hundred
and thirteen letters from Dean Craig's students, colleagues, friends, faculty,
(18:51):
administrative staff, and special friends. And they all had unique stories.
Each one conveyed how Dean Craig had impacted their life lives.
Speaker 9 (19:01):
And so.
Speaker 12 (19:03):
Also during that process I learned a lot about him
and his significant achievements. As you know, the first African
American and HBCU representative to be the president of the
accreditation body the AACSB for business schools internationally, and he
(19:26):
served a term as a term as president also of
the National Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma. And so he
had national impact through the PhD Project, helping to diversify
business school faculty and nationwide business school faculty nationwide, and
(19:51):
also you know, he helped diversify the accounting profession and
corporate America. So, you know, I looked at the letters
and I looked at Dean Craig's work, and I knew
that together they made a powerful story, and alone his
work wouldn't be understood. I thought people would say, well,
(20:13):
that's what a business school dean is supposed to do.
But it was the power of the letters and the
impact he had on his students and colleagues and faculty.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
And then I.
Speaker 12 (20:27):
Put the history with the history also to make people
understand why, how what he did mattered, you know, and
it's taught to a history of education of African Americans
in this country.
Speaker 11 (20:43):
Absolutely. Do you mind taking me back and setting the
scene for me. What was it like going to his class,
What was the overall political climate like at that time?
Speaker 6 (20:57):
What was he? Was he a jolly man? Was he
a stern man?
Speaker 11 (21:02):
I know you said that he rewarded those students who
met his academic standard, which sounds like he is a
little bit strict, but at the same time it also
gave you some incentive to do what it was that
he was saying.
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Can you take me into the classroom with Dean Craig.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Oh, Dean Craig was all of that. He was strict.
Speaker 12 (21:23):
He was a man for purpose, you know, he was
purpose driven in the classroom.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
He didn't fool around.
Speaker 11 (21:32):
You know.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
I write about some of the.
Speaker 12 (21:34):
Letters explain different students experiences, and one of them was
that he would give a pop quiz every day in
the class and he and you know, and students would
ultimately drop out of accounting. For example, he used to
teach accounting even though he was a dean. He also
taught accounting and also for a time ran the accounting
(21:54):
department because of you know, the limited funding at HB
Public colleges HBCUs, so he had multiple jobs. And oh
the students. He not only taught the course work, and
he taught it in a very firm way, hoping that
one would understand it. He had a belief that the
(22:18):
business school shouldn't exist if we weren't prepared to be
competitive in the marketplace. And he made sure that we
were competitive in all the business disciplines that were offered
at the business school. But he was jolly. He taught
lessons and life lessons during in the classroom, you know,
so he could give a life lesson before he started
(22:41):
his class. And he had a great sense of humor.
I mean, students described him in many different ways as tough.
He said, he wasn't tough, but he was determined, and
he was determined to make us good students, to make
us professional, and to make us very knowledgeable of our
subject matter.
Speaker 11 (23:02):
And what was the political or just social climate at
that time. Being in North Carolina and being in his classes,
what was it like to leave his classes and go
out into the world and be students at that time.
Speaker 12 (23:16):
Well, it was a wonderful time, you know, one of
the beauties of going to an HBCU. And during this
time it was the HBCU's public colleges in the South
were desegregating. So but that was something we were somewhat
sheltered from. Well, of course, we had student government who
participated in a and t was known for getting involved
(23:38):
in marches and and and and political issues as it
related to the school.
Speaker 5 (23:47):
So we had that going on.
Speaker 12 (23:49):
But the undercurrent for me personally was I was there
for purpose to get a Korea, and I didn't know
what but to get a Korea. And even though I
was studying accounting, you know, there was a dearth of accountants,
African American accountants, and so we weren't exposed to people
who were accountants. I didn't know any CPAs. But Dan
(24:11):
Craig introduced me to the profession and inspired me to
pursue the highest credential in the profession. Uh So, you know,
we had a lot of political stuff going on, but
you know, it was for people who were in it.
Speaker 5 (24:26):
I was, I was.
Speaker 12 (24:27):
I mean, it was a beautiful time to be on
a HBCU campus. Uh we developed, I developed friendships that
I have fifty years later. I love the institution. I
almost go to all my homecomings. I continue to make
new friends from classes, you know, younger people, older people,
(24:50):
and it's just a joyful experience to to, you know,
be a part of an HBCU. I pledged Delta Sigma Theta.
You know, get in a serrito or fraternity, you know,
makes you popular in the campus.
Speaker 5 (25:04):
So we had that going.
Speaker 12 (25:05):
For us, and it was just a lovely time, you know.
I remember my freshman year, coming to campus for the
very first time and living for the love of You
by the Osley Brothers were singing in the air everywhere
you went. So, you know, years, almost fifty years later,
when I hear that song, it puts me back into
(25:25):
that wonderful feeling of fresh air and warmth and just
new people and just excitement.
Speaker 11 (25:33):
That's amazing, that's amazing. That HBCU effect is something else.
So Telly, you talk with me more about your HBCU
experience at North Carolina A and T State University and
how does that impact you as an alum today, but
not just as an alum, as a business woman out
here in the field.
Speaker 12 (25:55):
Well, you know, as I mentioned, as a student social
lif you know, attendant attending a and he provided a
valuable opportunity to connect with fellow African American students who
shared similar goals and academic achievement, personal development, and self discovery.
So it was a wonderful time. We were young, we
(26:16):
were free. I had a group of friends who played
hard and we worked hard, and so it was an
appropriate balance for me. And then academically, as I mentioned,
I was cared for, uh challenged to be my personal
best mentor introduced to the CPA credential and CPA profession
(26:38):
uh and and Dean Craig really saw his job as
getting us out into the marketplace, not just to be there,
but to be competitive in the marketplace. So being empowered
that way. Uh, he believed, UH, preparation, preparation of produced
(26:58):
confidence and sending us out confident in who we were
as people, confident that we could compete with anyone we came,
you know, we had to compete against. So, you know,
I left, you know, I was there. I felt wonderful
being there, and I left feeling even more wonderful, especially
after he introduced me to the profession, and I did
(27:20):
an internship this summer before my senior year. I was
you know, I came back to school and I was
almost floating every day, you know, waiting for the senior
year to be over, to you know, go into.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
This new world I had discovered. It was wonderful.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
That's amazing.
Speaker 11 (27:36):
You spoke about not knowing any CPAs any people accounting
prior to going to this university. So now that you're
out in the real world and you're into your career,
how did that feel?
Speaker 6 (27:48):
I mean, it sounds like you felt well equipped.
Speaker 11 (27:52):
But when you got out into the field, how did
that feel too? I don't know, did you run into
more people like yourself or did you feel like you
were more of a I hate to say token, but
you know you were one of many or one where
you stood out well.
Speaker 12 (28:07):
Definitely not a token, you know, we were. I came
through at a very ideal time, and the CPA profession
made a very conscious decision to integrate.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
I talk about that in the book.
Speaker 12 (28:22):
And they also helped HBCUs develop their accounting programs. They
provided funding for scholarships, and they provided the internships. And
I came to the New York office and there was
a large There was a number of African Americans in
the office because they were employing them. That was a
(28:45):
profession that started in the late eighteen hundreds, and we
were as a result of Title seven and we started
being employed in the in the profession. So yeah, I felt,
you know, it was interesting. It was a different a
different environment. Definitely being Craig prepared us for it. He
(29:08):
thought we should know what to expect, and he exposed
us to it and prepped us for it.
Speaker 11 (29:15):
Would you speak more on the importance of HBCUs And
what would your charge or message be to the next
generation of HBCU students.
Speaker 12 (29:24):
Well, HBCUs have historical significance. I think, you know, we
should all understand that they were given the job to
educate the emancipated slaves who endure hundreds of years of illiteracy,
laws that made it illegal to teach them how.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
To read and write.
Speaker 12 (29:46):
And you know, HBCUs accomplished that. And the stats show
that today the statistics, twenty five percent of African American
graduates with STEM degrees come from HBCUs. Seventeen percent of
all bachelor degrees earned by black students nationwide are because
(30:08):
of HBCUs graduates. HBCUs represent seven of the top eight
institutions that graduate in the highest number of black undergraduate
students who eventually earn science and engineering doctorates, and ANTI
is a leading producer of African American engineers. Black students
(30:32):
who enroll at HBCUs are only likely to graduate than
their peers. They're more likely to graduate than their peers
who attend nine HBCUs. That's an intangible.
Speaker 5 (30:47):
Based on the culture.
Speaker 12 (30:49):
At high percent of African Americans, eighty percent are black
judges in the US, seventy percent black doctors and dentists,
fifty percent of black lawyers, they're all graduates from HBCUs.
When it comes to business school education, which is more
(31:09):
than a Dana is about, HBCUs also play a pivotal
role in diversifying the corporate sector. Absolutely, twenty five percent
of all business degrees earned by black students are from HBCUs,
and more African American CPAs graduate from HBCUs than any
(31:31):
other institution. And during Dean Craig's tenure, A and T's
Business School was a major producer of CPAs, of which.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
I am one.
Speaker 12 (31:41):
So you know there are a lot of HBCUs graduates
represented on Wall Street. So the intangible cultural quality, which
was explained in the various letters that I received from
the Letters of Gratitude project, validate.
Speaker 11 (31:59):
That it's amazing. That's amazing, and I wanted to share
with you. I also recently did a report health report
that was published in JOm A network open found that
Black Americans who attended historically black colleges and universities showed
better memorates, memory, and cognitive function later in life compared
to those who didn't.
Speaker 6 (32:18):
So it's also healthy for you. So it's in an HBAC.
Speaker 12 (32:22):
That's a great thing. And you know, for me personally,
you know, Dean Craig got me my start. He introduced
me to a profession that I did not know existed.
And from there, I, you know, had increasingly responsible positions
in financial management at some of America's best companies, City
(32:44):
City Bank, American Express, Prudential Financial, and I rose to
the rank of CFO, moved over to the nonprofit sector
as well, and I am now retiring.
Speaker 11 (32:58):
That's amazing you've had and you've been able to have
a great success. So what message would you leave for
the next generation.
Speaker 12 (33:06):
Hey, take serious, Take your school work serious. It's a
serious matter. You know you need to. You need to
be equipped when you go into the workplace. You know,
you may not get the promotion, but no one can
take away the knowledge. So I think that you know,
(33:27):
when you're in school, Like I said, we worked hard,
we played hard. We didn't sacrifice one for the other.
And you know, I'm a proud magna cum law graduate
and accountant, which was not easy to do. Under Dean
Craig's leadership, it was not an easy thing to do.
But you know, I like I said, we had the
(33:48):
equal balance and school. School is a very important time.
It's a very important time. And as he said, preparation
yield's confidence and going into the corporate sector, you need
to have confidence in yourself. So I would say take
(34:09):
your education very seriously.
Speaker 6 (34:11):
Thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 11 (34:13):
Author and quite decorated businesswoman now retired Atalia Mitchell, whose
book More Than a Dean chwist Craig's journey from humble
roots to reshaping business school education and advancing equity at
HPCUS and beyond. Before I let you go, you have
to let me know and our audience know how we
(34:35):
can continue to keep in touch with you and where
we can get the book.
Speaker 12 (34:38):
Well, the book is available on Amazon and you can
also get it on info at more than a Dean
dot com.
Speaker 11 (34:46):
Thank you so much for joining us on the Black
Information Network. I'm Morgan would.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Thank you Morgan, Aggie Bride.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Thank you Morgan and Tanya. More than a Dean is
available wherever you get your books. Now we get commentary
from Roland S.
Speaker 9 (35:01):
Martin.
Speaker 13 (35:01):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of b I N and its founding partners and employees.
Speaker 6 (35:13):
Now it's time to bring the funk with Roland S. Martin.
Speaker 14 (35:16):
If you want to understand how shameful and despicable Republicans
are in Virginia, they have been mailing various flyers and
running TV commercials using the images of the KKK and
saying that blacks are going to lose their right to
(35:37):
vote if Virginia votes yes in the April twenty first election. Now,
this election would change the congressional map in Virginia to
a ten to one map favoring the Democrats. So what
the republic What the white Republicans in Virginia have done,
is they have put they have paid for. They have
paid for a black front group to run these commercials
(36:00):
and to run these mailers. It's all about confusing black people. Yes,
they're literally using KKK images. In fact, they're also using
images of former President Barack Obama and one of his
quotes who support their cause, even though he is telling
people to vote yes. This is how desperate Republicans are,
(36:24):
where they will lie and will try to convict black
people and convince them. And the referendum is about race
when it is not. It is literally about Jerry manderin
which the Supreme Court has said is legal. But this
(36:45):
is how they want to confuse black people. Black folks
in Virginia do not fall for.
Speaker 9 (36:51):
The Oki dok.
Speaker 14 (36:52):
Ignore what they are doing, and that is vote yes,
because what that will do is that would make it
a lot. It's easier for Democrats to win the House
in November, make Hai King Jefferies the first black Speaker
of the House and put black folks in charge and
to stop the Maga agenda. And that's priorty number one.
I'm Roland Martin the Black Information Network.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Thanks Roland, and tune in for daily commentary from Roland
Martin and James T.
Speaker 14 (37:18):
Harris.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Right here on the Black Information Network, a black community
activist in Los Angeles has a message for black churches
and black pastors and she's not holding anything back. The
Black Information Networks Mike Stevens shares her concerns.
Speaker 15 (37:32):
All right, thank you, Mike. Joining us now as doctor
Rosie Milligan, she calls herself the self appointed mayor of
South Central Los Angeles in California. She's also the host
of a weekly live internet talk show called Express Yourself.
Hour and the founder director of Black Writers on Tour.
She's an author and businesswoman with a message to black
(37:54):
pastors and the Black church, and that's what brought her
to our attention. She has an open letter to pastors
in the church. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 9 (38:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 15 (38:02):
So what is your message to pastors in the church.
Speaker 9 (38:05):
My message to pastors is that it is time that
we moved to a new dimension. It's time that we
go back and do what we already know how to do.
I'm not asking pastor to do anything new. I'm asking
them to return to what we used to do as
the Black church. And it was more than just having service.
(38:26):
In fact, you go back, there was only having service
maybe once a month because there were many ministers who
had three or four churches. But now it's all about
the spiritual side and nothing about the economic side. I
am tired of Black people being the sickest in the
nation and the poorest in the nation. I believe, truly
(38:46):
that the Black church can solve the economic problem of
Black America if they were just actually returned to what
we used to do when doors was closing our faces,
when there was no schools. The church house was the
school My father talked about how they had classrooms in
the schools. My sisters, older sisters, they started school in
(39:08):
the church house. The church house was there for the community.
Churches and communities built hospitals, they built colleges. They have
done so much and it has been e raged, But
who erased it? We did not continue to tell that story.
That's why I believe so much in writing. So who
(39:28):
will tell our story? You can ask properly, even your
strong leaders in the ministry about what the Black church
have done in the past. I doubt it they could
tell you how they were involved in education, with schools,
with building hospitals. That we own hospitals in this country.
(39:49):
Most Black people don't even realize that we own multiple
hospitals in the United States, and schools.
Speaker 15 (39:56):
I think back to doctor King, Reverend doctor Martin luther Ing,
Ctvivian Joseph Lowery, many of the black pastors and ministers
of the civil rights movement, and your point is well taken.
They were in the forefront of advancing the cause for
civil rights, for voting rights, for economic growth. Why do
(40:17):
you think things have changed these days?
Speaker 9 (40:21):
I think, you know, I think we've given our power
away to social service to Red Cross, to governmental services,
and that has really crippin our people. To mean, politics
and religion has paralyzed Black America because we are totally
dependent on the church what they are going to tell us,
(40:43):
and we're depending on the politician to make life for us.
But how do we make it years past when there
were no black politicians? How do we make it in
the past, when there were no banks that was given
us money and we were opening up schools. How did
we make it when there was no SBA. All we
(41:04):
have to do is look back, And a lot of
Black people don't want to look back. They tell me
that you're always talking about what happened in the past,
But if you wipe out the past, that's why our
people crippled today, because they don't know what went ahead
before them. I consider myself some of my success it's
because I read about women black folks. I've read about
(41:27):
Madam C. J. Walker, how she started her business with
a dollar fifty cent there was no banks, there was
no SBA. I read about Mary mcclowm Thum, how she
started her school. That helped me to know what I
could do when I see people look like me, when
I study history, and I see what we have done.
You can't tell me what black folks cannot accomplish. So
(41:50):
a lot of our people are not there because they
have not seen people who look like us doing certain
things other than being in the poor pit, a drivening
ball down the court are entertainment. They need to see
that there's more to us.
Speaker 15 (42:06):
In your article, you said there was a time when
the Black church was not just a place we went
to on Sunday. It was the very heartbeat of our survival.
And it was there we learned to read when it
was illegal to teach us. It was there we organized
when the world tried to scatter us. It was their
movements were born that changed the course of history. But
my question to you is, now that history has been changed,
(42:28):
what practically can the black pastors and the church do.
Speaker 9 (42:34):
Well. They need to start. I call a Black church
economic revival. That's what we need. We need a Black
church economic revival. The children that's coming along now would
not want the God that we serve. You know why,
because we teach them that God owns the counts on
(42:56):
a thousand hills. And they want to know why. I
can't get a sect when we tell them that He
will open doors for you. They want to know why
is every door in America closed in their face when
you tell them that God will provide And when they
see you being evicted and they see people looking like
(43:17):
you laying on the side walking intents all across this country,
why would they want the God that you serve? Is
it God's fault. No, it's the fact that we have
not learned to execute the power that's within us because
we have we languished our power to social service, to
(43:37):
what a politician is gonna do for us, and then
we subscribe to the scripture that other people take to
empower them, we take it to empower us. I talk
a lot about relationship and finance, and I've had people
say to me, doctor, you're always talking about money. You
know the Bible say that poor you will have what
(43:59):
you always I said, yes, it does say that, but
it did not say poor Rosie. My name was not there.
And they tell you what you know, you worry too
much about the future. The Bible said, take no thoughts
for tomorrow. Yes, take no thought for tomorrow. Take it
out of contact of the biblical scription. Take no thought
(44:20):
and see where you would be and your children will
be in the future to come the passage of one person.
My natural letter is going to be to the flock,
because what about the people sitting in the audience. What
are you doing? You should know better. You might be
able to bring a great idea to the pastor and
he will accept it and begin to execute it. So
(44:43):
we have to make sense out of this. You know,
it's hard for children who are sitting in homes where
they have seen their parents pay time, to give them money,
do all of this, and then come to a day
that now they're being evicted. They can't go to the
church and ask for help. Where is this God that
you've been telling them about? Where is this? If you
(45:05):
pay times, it's going to be running over, shaking down.
You won't have room. Black folks need to examine the
scripture and try to ask God to give them an
understanding as to how it really works. Now, I know
I'll get a lot of feedback about this, but I
don't care. I'm eighty years old and I want to
(45:26):
see a chain and I'm going to speak it. If
the long has God allow me to be here because
something is wrong. We need an economic revival.
Speaker 15 (45:37):
Well, I'm wondering is it the pastors and churches or
is it parents of young people who they're raising up
these days? And there was a time when I was
growing up that the parents brought their children to church,
and then in years after that they sent the children
to church. Now the children not going. A lot of
the parents are not going.
Speaker 7 (45:56):
Well.
Speaker 9 (45:57):
We're finding some in many instances you see churches are
packing out with young people when that parents are not
going because they're into music. They like the music, they
like to dance, they like their entertainment because church has
become really many of them in the entertainment center. You know,
how you dress, how you look, who can sing, who
(46:17):
can do this? But I think it's the flock and
the ministry. I think some of these ministers know that
they should do better. Let me explain to you. The
system understands the power of the black church. That's why
they send their political people running for election. They pack
up black churches on Sunday morning. Every nationality are there
(46:42):
and they allow them to stand before their people and speak,
and you don't see them anymore after the election. The
power is truly in a poor pit and the destruction
of black folks is in a poor pit.
Speaker 15 (46:56):
Also, in summary, it sounds like you're saying we can
move forward by taking a step back.
Speaker 9 (47:02):
In a sense.
Speaker 15 (47:03):
Absolutely well, there is so much more that you have
to say that we can't put it all in this
short timeframe. But doctor Rosie Milligan has written an open
letter to pastors in the church and you can contact
her on social media to find out more of what
her thoughts are. I do want to mention that you
have a big event coming up. I believe it's called
(47:26):
the thirtieth annual Black Writers on Tour plus Business plus AIXPO.
Tell us about that.
Speaker 9 (47:34):
Yes, this is the thirtieth annual. I started out with
Black Writers on Tour because I know literacy is everybody
business and when people are not able to read and
to write, it really handicapped them in business. We're in
an age now, well, you don't get a chance to
be in people's face. If you have a grievance, they
would say to you, will write it, we'll email it,
(47:57):
and the book stop there. I've seen it with blacks
who could not express themselves. Then they'll just say forget
it and go on about their business. And also how
you write and how you speak people tend to judge
your intellect. So you if you are a poor writer,
they tend to take your stuff and there throw it
in the trash can. When you cannot read, you may
(48:18):
do bad contract. It is unpacking us. And then I
realize the thing that's holding us back today. We need
to make sure that we're literate. We need to make
sure that we are pushing to on our own businesses.
Cause folks, there's no airplane coming for us, there's no
bus coming for us. There's no training, no bicycle. We're
(48:40):
gonna have to walk this economic journey by ourselves. So
we have to focus more on business literacy and technology.
I watch black folks who cannot get that PPP loans,
couldn't even apply to get their unemployment. During COVID, my
office did seventy five percent that work helping people just
(49:02):
uploading and downloading. So if we don't get with this,
I'm asking churches across this country to open up a
Saturday school and everybody who has skill bring it. I
do a town hall meeting here and I ask people,
if you're a mechanic, bring what you have. If you're nurse,
if you're a doctor, bring with what you have and
(49:24):
help teach the people. So we're going to have to
do it well.
Speaker 15 (49:27):
The event that you're having is April twenty fifth in Carson, California, and.
Speaker 9 (49:33):
Admission is free and parking is free. Multiple seminar. We're
going to bring out the AI magic. We're going to
teach people how to do business, and we're going to
talk about all the things that you need to know,
even how to age fantastically for body and finance. It's
for everybody. We'll celebrate three authors who are ninety plus
(49:56):
who will written their books called Let the Elder Speak.
We have two youngwas seventeen years old. One has a
cleaning business, he does airbnbs and maintenance, and the young
lady she does all veget cakes and pies.
Speaker 15 (50:12):
Sounds like something that people should not miss. Doctor Rosie Milligan,
thank you so much for coming on with us.
Speaker 9 (50:18):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
Thank you, Mike and Rosie. Coming up next, Doug Davis
returns with his conversation with Pissupia Towery. As we continue
to honor black women who have made a difference, tower
opens up about why she believes her historic victory has
been left out of too many conversations.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Doug Hey Thanks Mike. My name is Doug Davis and
Happy Black Women's Month. My conversation with Vessepia Towery, the
first black woman ever to win on the TV reality
show Survivor, returns from our prior conversation this past Thursday
on BIA News This Hour after her historic win more
than two decades ago. She feels that, you know, there
could be some discrimination going on, being that she's never
(50:57):
been invited back to any of the main reunion and
there's been plenty of them, and she's here to talk
more about how black women are celebrated or too often ignored.
Welcome back, sister, Vessepia. So some fans say that your
historic win somehow got lost.
Speaker 15 (51:13):
In the shuffle.
Speaker 2 (51:13):
I don't quite believe that. But why do you think
certain black women get overlooked after a great accomplishment like yours.
Speaker 9 (51:21):
You know, when I.
Speaker 16 (51:23):
Step back and I look at SAVIVR, you know they've
had their share of African American women that they did
bring back, you know, me being the only And I
say that, I emphasize that the only African American female
to win the show. Now, they did have an African
Canadian when a couple of years back, but I'm currently
(51:44):
still the only African American to win. But with that
being said, they've had African American women that they have
brought back, like Alicia was one of the first African Americans.
She was on, Like Survivor Australia, she was brought back
for the first All Star Siri has been I think
five times to play and still has not one. And
then Tiffany is on right now, who is an African
(52:07):
American that was on a couple of seasons back, did
not win, but she's back out there. So they have
brought African American women back, but for whatever reason, they
don't bring a bunch of us back. A couple of
the African American men back, they brought like two and
three of them on one season back, but still not
bringing a lot of African American women at the same
(52:28):
time that so.
Speaker 2 (52:28):
Do you feel that the industry, you know, the media industry,
you know, Hollywood still struggles with how it frames and
honors black women's successes without.
Speaker 16 (52:39):
A doubt, you know, because when Survivor first came out,
there was this stigma, stigma behind the black woman, and
the stigma that we started seeing and the way that
it became a stigma because you're reading it in the
you know, on the internet feeds. Oh, they brought back
another angry black woman. Here's another angry black woman, and
(53:00):
kept following until I came on and they were like, oh,
finally they did not get an angry black woman. And
so part of me was like, okay, was the expectation
that they wanted me to be yet another one of
those that they labeled and I did not fit that bill.
So you know, they didn't have me to move forward
because I did not fit that stigma. I'm not saying
(53:20):
that that was a case, but that's what the email
the internet feeds were saying that they did not have those. Now,
a couple of seasons later, there were a couple more
angry were they labeled as angry black women came back out,
but again you didn't see them come out as much anymore.
So to your to answer your question, I do feel
(53:41):
that there is this stigma with us that they just
don't know how to either portray us in our true
like and they just choose to either not tray not
portray us, or portray us in this stigma of this
angry black woman.
Speaker 2 (53:57):
Let's talk about a few other things quickly, though, when
it comes to young black women, some who may feel unseen,
undervalued in their careers or creative spaces, what kind of
message do you tell, you know, these younger sisters man
about what's ahead.
Speaker 16 (54:17):
Here's the beautiful thing about especially our young sisters growing
up now. And you know, because I'm sixty years old,
and so a lot of.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
The women that hold on, wait a minute, wait a minute,
stop that.
Speaker 9 (54:29):
Yes, truly I am.
Speaker 6 (54:31):
Sixty years old.
Speaker 2 (54:32):
I guess you're right. I mean, do the math. What girl,
you do not look sixty?
Speaker 9 (54:36):
I'm like, thank you black?
Speaker 16 (54:37):
Don't I always say black on cracktice?
Speaker 9 (54:39):
You know that that is so true.
Speaker 16 (54:41):
But when I think about the women who were my age,
we were strong in who we were.
Speaker 9 (54:46):
We were strong not.
Speaker 16 (54:47):
Only strong in who we are, but we were also
we presented ourselves in a very regal way. And in
some sense that's very intimidating. I mean, it's intimidating to
some of our black men sometimes, you know, and and
it can be, but there's a strength behind us that
we portray ourselves that way. And I have to say,
these young women, these young black women coming up now,
(55:10):
are carrying that mantle and continuing to carry that mantle.
Speaker 9 (55:15):
They are not.
Speaker 16 (55:15):
Afraid of that glass ceiling that we used to talk
about all the time that when us as African American, proud,
beautiful African American women got to that pinnacle, that for
some reason our head was hitting this glass ceiling, but
many of us were able.
Speaker 3 (55:31):
To break through that ceiling.
Speaker 16 (55:32):
I was able to break through that ceiling, and I've
been very successful.
Speaker 9 (55:36):
In my career.
Speaker 16 (55:37):
And then now I see these young young women. Every
time I go to a different meeting or healthcare or
even on things like LinkedIn, you see these young black
women really making it. And I think, because now our
voice is not being suffocated anymore, that our voices really
being out there, and their voice is being really are
out there. And I'm so proud of them because this
(56:00):
is what we need now.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
Yeah, I mean we have. You know, what social media
and technology has done is it's it's giving us, like
you said, a voice to tell stories that we're muffled
from mainstream media, you know. So we can get on Instagram,
we can get on LinkedIn, and we can share our successes,
whereas behind the scenes, mainstream media, you know, very rarely
(56:25):
told our successful stories, particularly when it came.
Speaker 9 (56:27):
To black women.
Speaker 16 (56:28):
We could share those stories freely and openly, and you
don't have to have somebody kind of putting, you know,
putting their heel on you. And that's the thing that
I appreciate is that. I mean I go on Instagram
not all the time, but I love, you know, just
showcasing and seeing all these young, phenomenal Black women doing
their thing. I mean, I have a twin step daughter,
(56:49):
and she has a designing business, and I just love
watching her and her partner, you know, on Instagram showcasing
their work and and it really defines who they are,
and it does my hard good to know that she's
just one of many African American women who are making
(57:10):
their names for themselves, you know, non traditionally, right. You know,
not only do they have like their nine to five job,
but they also have their side hustles, and their side
hustles is making them out to be who they really
and truly are.
Speaker 9 (57:24):
That's right.
Speaker 15 (57:24):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (57:25):
So double question here as we wrap up what's next
for you? And then how can people find you on
social media if they wanted to reach out?
Speaker 16 (57:33):
Absolutely so right now, I just recently started joining the
National Storytelling Network, and so I want to share my
stories and I want to go out and speak to
as many people that I would like to and love
to want to hear my story because not only am
I a two time breast cancer survivor, was in the
(57:54):
Air Force. You know, of course I want the million dollars.
I have so many things that I want to share.
You know, I'm a two time divorced woman that's still
moving forward. I found love again at the age of
fifty seven. So if people want to find me, just
look at Vesepia Leonard or Vessepia Robinson on Instagram, on Facebook.
(58:15):
If you'd love for me to come out and share
my story at your events, I am happy to do that.
So that's what I'm working on now. I've also got
I'm starting up my podcast soon. It's going to be
called It's Vessepia Live Positive. Really focused on positive affirmations
for this world because there's so much negativity out there
(58:36):
that I want to be one of those that continues
to spread positivity.
Speaker 2 (58:39):
Eucepia Towi the first black woman ever to win on
the TV reality show Survivor. We appreciate you sharing your
stories with us here on the Black Perspective and we
wish you the best of luck. Don't be a stranger
to the show. Okay, this is Doug Davis and you're
listening to the Black Information Network.
Speaker 1 (58:56):
Thanks Doug and Vesepia, and that's our show for today.
For more of these stories, listen to the Black Information
Network on the free iHeartRadio app or log onto binnews
dot com for all of the latest news impacting the
black community. We'd love to hear from you about the
Black Perspective. Log onto the Black Information Networks Talkback Live
feature on the iHeartRadio app as well as the new
(59:18):
feature on binnews dot com to share your feedback. Also,
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
Information Network and on the X and Blue Sky at
black Info neet, and make the Black Information Network first
on your car radio and iHeartRadio app presets. I'm Mike Island.
Have a great Sunday and we'll see you next week
with a new episode of The Black Perspective with stories
(59:39):
from our illustrious Bion anchors right here on the Black
Information Network
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