The Black Perspective: April 20, 2025

This week on the Black Perspective, BIN Anchor Amber Payton speaks with award-winning journalist and political analyst Joy-Ann Reid as she prepares for "Journalism Under Fire: Guarding Against Threats to Our Democracy," taking place April 24 at Howard University. 

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, Morgyn Wood sits down with Sheena Edwards— autism advocate and author of Along Came Autism — to discuss her personal journey and mission.

2025 Gracie Award-winning anchor Esther Dillard talks with CEO Vicky Wright Hamilton about breaking barriers in tech and how she's empowering single mothers.

Alexandria Ikomoni connects with the director of the National Black Arts Festival ahead of a major cultural event in Atlanta. And Mimi Brown shares a preview of the fifth and final episode of her powerful podcast To Altadena with Love, highlighting the real stories of Black victims of the Altadena wildfires. 

Listen now!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thousands of Black women die every year during pregnancy.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
We have to do better, and it starts with knowledge.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
The Black Information Network brings you that knowledge.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
With a summer long campaign at saving Black Moms on
Maternal Health Crisis.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
And next Wednesday night at five Eastern, Andrea Coleman will
take you on a deep dive of the problem within
our long special assessing the Crisis.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Find out more at bionnews dot com.

Speaker 4 (00:27):
It's Sunday, April twentieth, and on today's show, Bin anchor
Amber Payton spoke with award winning journalist, political analyst, and
cultural commentator joy Anne Reid as she prepares for Journalism
under Fire, guarding against threats to our democracy, which is
happening April twenty fourth at Howard University. April is Autism
Awareness Month and the Black Information That Works. Morgan Woods

(00:48):
speaks with Sheena Edwards, an autism advocate and author of
Along Came Autism twenty twenty five. Gracie Award winning anchor
Esther Dillard talks to CEO Vicky Wright Hamilton about tech
and how she helped single moms. Alexander Ichimoni speaks with
the director of the National Black Arts Festival Ahead of
a highly anticipated event in Atlanta. Mimi Brown gives us

(01:08):
a preview of the final episode of To Altadena with Love,
her new podcast, episode five, as she retells real stories
from black victims of the Altadena wildfires. These stories and
more are coming your way on today's program, Welcome to
the Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Island. Welcome to
the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program on the

(01:29):
Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions on issues important
to the Black community. Good Sunday, everyone, and Welcome to
the Black Perspective. Black Information Network news anchor Amber Payton
spoke with award winning journalists, political analyst, and cultural commentator
Joy Ann Read, a powerhouse voice in American media who
continues to speak truth to power. She says, to take

(01:50):
the stage at Journalism under Fire, Guarding against threats to
our Democracy, which is happening April twenty fourth, hosted by
the Center for Journalism and Democracy at Howard Universe. Ahead
of that important conversation, the two discussed the current attacks
on press freedom, the role of journalists and defending democracy,
and why walking in truth has never been more necessary.

Speaker 5 (02:10):
Such an honor to have you on. And let me
just start by saying, black women to black women, you know,
seeing you lead political discourse with so much fire and
so much grace, it gives not just black women and media,
and I know that's what we're going to talk about today,
but it gives women, black women period permission to show

(02:31):
up boldly in any and so we thank you.

Speaker 6 (02:35):
Well, that's very kind, Thank you.

Speaker 5 (02:38):
You are very welcome. And I know that you are
set to take the stage at Journalism under Fire Guarding
against threats to our democracy that's happening at Howard University
this month, and I want to dive a little bit
into you and your career and then we'll talk a
little bit about journalism and democracy. But you've covered some
of the most pivotal and painful race justice stories of

(03:01):
our time, from Trayvon Martin to Breonna Taylor, very heavy
stories in our black community. What does that meant to you,
both personally and professionally, just to be a voice for
those stories.

Speaker 6 (03:12):
Well, you know it's interesting that when I you know,
when I left local news because I opposed the Iraq War,
I kind of went on this journey and I did
politics for a while, worked on an four campaign where
we did not win to try to defeat George W.
Bush because I was against the war. But I found
myself in talk radio and in two thousand and six

(03:34):
after we lost that election in two thousand and four,
and one of the first stories that we focused on
and wound up really fixating on at News Talk ten
eighty WTPS, which was a Radio one station. It was
a part of the Radio One network, was a case
called Martin of a young kid called Martin Lee Anderson
who was a fourteen year old boy who died who

(03:58):
was killed beaten in a boot camp because he had
taken his grandmother's car on a joy ride and she
just wanted to teach him a lesson and thought that,
you know, if he was put in this boot camp,
it would straighten him out. But instead he ended up
debt and it was a fourteen year old boy. This
is actually how I met Benkromp because Ben Cromp took
up that case and so I had had that experience

(04:20):
of being on the radio and dealing with the anguish
of a community over this fourteen year old Black Lives
Matter case. Right that was before Black Lives Matter, And
then fast forward to my winding up at the Grio
dot com and we covered Trayvon. It was equally personal
for me because I have three black children, and in
the case of Trayvon, our middle son, Jamar, is Trayvon's

(04:45):
exact age.

Speaker 7 (04:46):
So covering that case.

Speaker 6 (04:48):
And you know, going to Sanford and staying in a
little hotel and covering this case and meeting a family
and sitting in the service in Florida where he was memorialized,
it's hard for not to be personal, just as a
black mom, as a black person, and as a part
of this community.

Speaker 7 (05:05):
And I think what it.

Speaker 6 (05:06):
Shows is that because we cannot not take it personally,
we just have different insight into the deaths of these
young people. We care more and we bring that to
the table. And I bring that up to say that
that is the diversity, equity and inclusion piece that a
lot of the white press despises because they think it

(05:28):
means we're not objective.

Speaker 7 (05:29):
It's not that we're not objective.

Speaker 6 (05:31):
We still do journalism, but we actually understand the humanity
of the subjects. And so for me, covering these really
painful cases while my kids are asking me how this
can be happening was really hard. But I think it
was really important and it helped me bring something to
the story that needed to be there.

Speaker 5 (05:51):
How do you relay those stories when you are when
you take that journalism hat off, and then you do
have to go talk to your kids about conversation is
that I didn't think that I would have to have
with my younger brother and sister in twenty twenty five. Right,
how are you relaying that message to them while still
maintaining their innocence?

Speaker 6 (06:10):
Right? I mean, we wanted our kids, my husband and
I wanted our kids to be able to be kids
and enjoy their lives. But I mean I was the
mom who had to inspect them before they went to
school every morning because I needed to know what they
were wearing. And they thought I was just annoying, But
it was because I had this fear that some police
officer would pull up on them, they would get hurt,

(06:31):
and or there would be some school shooting, and if
authorities asked me what they were wearing, I wouldn't know.
And so I've always kind of walked around with that fear,
and it's hard not to convey that to your kids.
You know, We've had to warn our children about the police.
We've had to have that talk with our sons and
our daughter. You know, we've had to warn them about
racism and racists that could hurt them and get away

(06:53):
with it, like what happened to Treymont. That was not
a cop, that was a civilian. And so we've had
to have a different relationship with our kids in terms
of the realism we had to bring to the table
in raising them. And that's just the way it is
being black in America. So while you know, I've really
gone out of my way to make my children's lives fun,
you know, and to give them adventure and to give

(07:14):
them a not a fear, but it's a victorious spirit
as young black kids, there's no way to get around it.
It doesn't matter if you are privileged or not rich
or poor, suburban or urban rural, if you're black, this
is reality.

Speaker 5 (07:31):
That's a harsh truth. This is reality. What does it
cost you emotionally and mentally to just be so publicly
honest in a country that punishes the truth tellers, especially
black women.

Speaker 6 (07:43):
Yeah, And I mean the thing is is that it's
one of those trains that you see coming. You know
it's coming, but you also feel an obligation to stay
on the tracks and fight, you know what I mean,
Like I mean, Melissa Harris Perry is like a mentor
and friend to me. So I saw what happened to her.
You know, I mentored and you know, you know Champion

(08:04):
Tiffany Cross, I saw what happened to her. So you
kind of know, you know that there's a certain kind
of presentation of of of yourself as a black woman
in media that's acceptable, and there's a kind that's not.
You know, there's a kind that's rewarded, and there's a
kind that's punished, and we all know what that is.
And so you know what the third rails are. But

(08:25):
you also, you know, I had this conversation I always
recount this conversation I have with tanahasse Coats. We just
ran into each other at an event and we were
just talking about our mutual third rail walkathon that we've
been doing on Palestine. That we knew it was a
third rail in the American press. We just knew it

(08:45):
was something that is unacceptable and unaccepted to view Palestinians
with humanity. It's just not allowed for some strange reason
I've never really understood.

Speaker 7 (08:57):
But we both.

Speaker 6 (08:58):
You know, he said to me, but why have the
platform if you're not going to use it? And I've
always repeated that is that, you know, it's so hard
to fight to get these platforms. There's such there's such
precious platforms. I mean, for a while, I had five
hours a week of primetime television at my disposal.

Speaker 7 (09:14):
So the choice is what are you going to use
it for?

Speaker 6 (09:16):
You know, you can use it in a traditional way
that saves, that protects your position, or you can use
it to try to do something you know about what
you think is are the injustice in the world. I
just chose the latter, and I knew the risks of it,
and I understand that no one is owed a TV show,
So I know that you know, those things are at

(09:36):
the they are at the whim and largess of the company,
so they have a choice. They don't have to keep you.
And so I knew I was taking those risks.

Speaker 5 (09:48):
And you bring up a good point because you have
you spent years calling out misinformation and political spend on air.
So in this current media climate, what does it mean
to you to guard democracy through journalism?

Speaker 6 (10:01):
Yeah, I think one of the most one of the
most important fights that we're facing right now is whether
there'll be any guardians left of this democracy. This democracy
is two hundred and forty nine years old. There's no
guarantee it will get to two fifty. And black people
have always been the strongest guardians of democracy, even when
we were literally written out of it and written in

(10:22):
as chattel, we've still fought harder, in my view than
anybody else.

Speaker 7 (10:30):
You know, whether it was I to b Wells, you.

Speaker 6 (10:32):
Know, getting her printing press bombed because she called out
lynchers as criminals, you know, or whether it's Jet magazine
that put Emma Till's picture and the real gore of
his lynching on in its pages and forced people to see,
you know what racism and white supremacist violence looks like.

Speaker 7 (10:55):
You name it, right.

Speaker 6 (10:56):
We have been the ones who have said, have called
democracy and call this constitutional republic to the carpet to
be what it says it is going to be or
play or what it claims to be. So in this era,
we really count on the press. We're supposed to count
on the press to be guardians of democracy. And it's
not to say to take aside and be partisan, but

(11:16):
to be honest but we know the press has failed
at that over and over again. I mean, in the
New York Times in the nineteen thirties was an abomination
of Hitler appeasement.

Speaker 7 (11:26):
You know.

Speaker 6 (11:27):
They treated Hitler like a cultural story and an interesting
and in some cases story about the design of his
country house, you know, and it's not a threat. And
I think the American media written largest treated Trump that
way as not a threat, as an interesting story, as
somebody who gives access, as somebody fund to cover, somebody's

(11:49):
not boring like the Democrats, who's not ordinary, who's a showman.
And there's been an appeasement of him in the press,
but not the black press. And the Black press I
think has been the most honest about Trump from the
beer beginning, because we we saw them for what he was.

Speaker 7 (12:03):
But again, that doesn't mean.

Speaker 6 (12:04):
People are gonna listen, you know, and I like vote,
whether we're in the black press or whether we're black
people in the mainstream press. We keep saying, hey, guys,
this guy has fascist tendencies, because we know what those
look like more than anybody, because we've seen them in
our own communities and states where we live. It's unfortunate
that the media isn't fighting harder that they're not collectively

(12:25):
fighting for the Associated press. You know, the administration is
literally defying a Supreme Court order and not letting the
Associated Press do a job. There's no collective media outcry
about that. You know. Amber Ruffin was supposed to address
the White House Correspondence dinner. She was cashiered out because
the leadership of that organization that's supposed to generate that
protect the press back down because they didn't want to

(12:46):
hurt Trump's feelings. And there's no guarantees even going to attend.
So the press is not winning, is not doing what
it could do. And so I think those of us
in the press, and I think there are some great
journalists who are doing fantastic stick work. We just all
have to support them, support each other, and just keep
doing it. We'd have to put our heads down and
keep doing it because if we don't speak up, we're

(13:08):
just this democracy won't survive.

Speaker 5 (13:12):
Yes, well, we're going to wrap up, But I do
want to ask one more question, and that is, if
we looked ten years into the future, what role do
you hope the black journalists or journalists in general are
playing in shaping and saving American democracy.

Speaker 6 (13:30):
I hope ten years from now we still have access
to the public spaces in order to do journalism. If
I'm being honest, I hope that we still, you know,
I hope that they haven't removed our access to things
like YouTube and TikTok and Instagram and to the public
forums where we can still do journalism. I hope and

(13:52):
pray we're not in a position like Hungary is where
the media is fully suppressed, or like my father's country
in the Congo, where there came a point where you
couldn't even do journalism. It was unless you left the
country and did it in exile. Right, we are speeding
back to an earlier era when you had to be
I to be welled and risk your life to do journalism.

(14:15):
And I hope we don't get to the point where
we're like Russia or like Hungary, or like El Salvador,
or like Argentina or like Venezuela, all of which or China.
You know, none of those countries, in none of those
countries can you freely do journalism. And if Americans don't
think we can beat Venezuela or China or Russia or Hungary,

(14:38):
they're kidding themselves. I think Americans need to spend some
time reading about foreign countries and thinking about what it
would be like to have to live like people in
Russia live, or like people in the Congo, still a
war torn country that's been destroyed by colonialism live, because
that's where we're going.

Speaker 7 (15:00):
To me the country. The two countries is probably the
most like us.

Speaker 6 (15:03):
Because they're in our hemisphere right now, are Venezuela and
El Salvador, and so maybe people might want to google
those countries because.

Speaker 7 (15:11):
That's the way it's going. I don't see right now.

Speaker 6 (15:15):
Again, I need we need a collective will to prevent that,
and not passivity.

Speaker 7 (15:20):
You know.

Speaker 6 (15:21):
I've been to Cuba and those people have given in,
you know, and if we give in, we'll be them.

Speaker 5 (15:28):
Yes, Joe, thank you so much for just being everything
that the culture needs. You are incredibly intelligent and unapologetic
and real. And I know that this conversation is going
to it's going to feed some souls, but hopefully not
too much because they have to get the full meal.
It's a month on the twenty fourth, but I am
wishing you nothing but continued success and peace as you

(15:50):
continue on this journey.

Speaker 6 (15:51):
I wish you the same, Amber, Thank you so much.

Speaker 4 (15:53):
Thanks again, Amber and Joy. Journalism under Fire Guarding against
Threats to our Democracy is happening twenty fourth at six
pm at Howard University. For more information, go to events
dot Howard dot edu. Black trailblazers in the fashion and
arts space are being honored while many black people can
enjoy and appreciate what it takes to be in the

(16:15):
fashion and arts world. Black Information Network news anchor Alexandria
Icimoni spoke with the director of the National Black Arts
Festival ahead of a highly anticipated event.

Speaker 8 (16:24):
This is Alexandria Acimoni with the Black Information Network and
we have Stephanie Owens, National Black Arts.

Speaker 9 (16:30):
Festival, executive director on the line. How are you today.

Speaker 3 (16:33):
I'm well, so glad to be here.

Speaker 8 (16:35):
Yeah, so glad to have you and great things that
we have to talk about today. National Black Arts Festival,
it's happening. It's the annual fine arts and fashion benefit.
We're all excited about it. So I do want to
start with you just telling us more for those who
don't know what it is, tell us more about the event.

Speaker 3 (16:52):
Yes, So NBAF We're a nonprofit been around for thirty
eight years, and we're excited because this year is our
ninth teenth annual fine art and fashion event. It takes
place April thirtieth at the Atlanta History Center, and we're
really excited because we get to honor some great visual artists,
some fashion designers, and we get to highlight some of
the students that we've worked with in our youth programs.

Speaker 8 (17:15):
A lot of great highlights, especially within the black community,
and we're going to talk more about that, but for
those who are planning to attend the event, what can
people expect?

Speaker 3 (17:24):
So it's always a beautiful vent out on the terrace,
so great ambiance and vibes, and in addition, you get
to mingle with a lot of the community and art supporters.
And then we feature an exhibitions that we highlight the
youth programs and the students that we support throughout the year.
It's called the Next Gen Visionary Art Competition, So in

(17:46):
the gazebo area there will be visual art from twelve
different students that will be displayed. You'll also get to
hear from some of the different honorees. So this year
we are highlighting Lakwan Smith as well as Jay Bolan
and and Amanda Williams, so you'll get to hear from
them and some videos and things like that, and then
we close out the show. Nieman Marcus has been our

(18:07):
partner for the past fifteen years and they present the
Art of Fashion and that's their runway show that takes
place at the end of the evening. So you'll get
a little mix of visual art as well as fashion
of course, and so we're really excited to bring it
to life again this year.

Speaker 9 (18:23):
Yes, a beautiful blend.

Speaker 8 (18:25):
Like you said, visual arts, the fashion show, everything is
going to be spectacular. And you touched on this a
little bit, but I want to dive in just a
little bit more if we can about who exactly is
being honored. You have some people who really do amazing
work in their respective fields. Tell us more about what
each honor re focuses on and the contributions to society.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
Sure so I mentioned Lakwan Smith. He is the recipient
of the Fashion Designer Extraordinary Award. Obviously, he is all
over the runways and red carpets and so it'll be
really exciting to see some of his designs walk down
the runway and just to give him an opportunity to

(19:07):
be highlighted and presented in the Atlanta community for all
of his contributions in the ways that he makes people
just look amazing and gorgeous. And then Ja Boland will
receive the Style Architect Award, and so he obviously has
been doing amazing things in the fashion industry as well
with his own label and obviously styling and dressing all

(19:27):
of the who's who. And then finally, Amanda Williams will
be the recipient of the Radcliffe Bailey Award for Excellence
and Visual Arts, and so I'm really excited to highlight
her work as well. She has an exhibition at the
Spellman Museum right now, and so just really opportunity to
expose more people to her and her work and what
she does.

Speaker 8 (19:48):
Great stuff that they are all doing, so can't wait
to see them being honored. You guys mentioned that you
are partnering with Nieman Marcus. How exactly are they involved
with what NBAF does.

Speaker 3 (19:59):
So they I've been the title sponsor for this particular
event for the past fifteen years, but they also really
support arts initiatives, and so that's really how we came
to partner on this event because the benefit goes directly
towards the youth programs that we support, and so based
off of our mutual love of arts and education is

(20:20):
how we came to collaborate. And so again they will
really own the fashion and the runway portion of the
event that night, and they'll present a Kwan Smith with
his award as well. They'll be featuring his work. They
had a pop up shop in Neiman Marcus and then
there'll be one that takes place the Thursday after the
event on May first as well, and the Neem and
Market stores.

Speaker 8 (20:40):
Absolutely, I can't wait to see, you know how it
all ties together, especially when we have big names behind
it as well to really propel the purpose of what
this is for. And speaking of that, let's talk about
the focus. It's to highlight black people in this space, right,
So tell us more about the importance of that.

Speaker 10 (20:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
So nbaf's mission is to expose, educate, engage and entertain
audiences as we present and support the art and artists
of African descent. So really we just like to celebrate
and amplify and uplift the work of black artists that
have been making an impact throughout the years. And so
this is really just a stage to present not only

(21:19):
the established artists like La Kwan, but also the emerging artists.
So we have a portion of our event it's called
Fashion Forward. It's college students that participate. They apply, they
submit their fashion designs, and then they get judged by
a room of industry experts. So they get some really
great feedback from folks like Limon Marcus and really just

(21:39):
helping them to hone their craft. And so this opportunity
is for us to highlight both the established and the
emerging artists and giving them all a stage to be
celebrated on April thirtieth.

Speaker 9 (21:49):
Which is amazing.

Speaker 8 (21:50):
And you mentioned a few times talking about the youth,
you know, and their involvement, and they're being able to
come into the spotlight a little bit more in this
space to tell me more about what this really can
do for the young ones, the young Black kids who
are really trying to express themselves and have vision and goals.
How does this really benefit them.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Yeah, So we have an NBF two youth programs, So
one is Moved Dance, it's all about dance and health
and wellness, and then the other is Next Gen and
that's really just exposing students to the different careers in
the arts, and so our teams go into Atlanta Public
school system and work with the students through residency programs
throughout the year, and so we're really pouring into them,

(22:34):
challenging them to you know, really be their best, do
their best, and put their best foot forward. And so
then we train them to also present themselves in their
portfolio and in interview settings. And so that's what really
happens through this Next Gen Visionary Competition. They bring their
work that they've been working on all year and they

(22:54):
present it to judges so that they get that experience
of what it's like to work as an artist, and
then they get to display their winning artwork at the
event itself. So I think for the students, it builds confidence,
their leadership skills, It helps them to empower them so
that they can see themselves as artists in the world
world one.

Speaker 8 (23:12):
Day, and we cannot wait to see the next generation
jas a lot of talent and people here in Atlanta
for sure, So that's really exciting stuff. I do have
to ask, though this is year nineteen, have we thought
about what we wanted to do for twenty years? Because
that's a monumental moment.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
It is.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
It's interesting you said that because we have been you know,
we're always like, well, let's hold that for the twenty.
It's just because we know it's needs to be a
big year. We've got some great supporters that have been
with us, that have already committed to come in and
really just want to amplify the work that we've been
doing for the past twenty years. So I can't really
give any secrets out, but it will be an amazing event,

(23:48):
the biggest of all of the twenty.

Speaker 9 (23:50):
Okay, we have to wait for those details.

Speaker 8 (23:52):
No problem, we'll get you back here in twelve months
to discuss it.

Speaker 9 (23:55):
So not a problem at all.

Speaker 8 (23:56):
But for your nineteen when and how can people get tickets?

Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yes, so if you go to NBAF dot org. I'm
right on our homepage, you'll see a link that will
take you to purchase tickets and you can also check
us out on social media at NBAF as well. And
so really just excited to highlight the work that we've
been doing, but to host the community and really empower
all of these artists.

Speaker 2 (24:19):
So we're very excited.

Speaker 9 (24:21):
We are super excited as well.

Speaker 8 (24:22):
On our end, any last words you want to leave
with those listening.

Speaker 3 (24:26):
We appreciate the support. As I mentioned at the beginning,
NBAF is a nonprofit organization, so even if you can attend,
it's always great to donate and always good to just
follow us and keep in the loop. We have a
lot of free events that we do for the public,
so just come out and support.

Speaker 9 (24:40):
We look forward to it absolutely.

Speaker 8 (24:42):
Once again, Stephanie Owens with the National Black Arts Festival,
thank you so much for talking with me.

Speaker 3 (24:47):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 4 (24:48):
Thanks Alexandria. The NBAF Fine Arts and Fashion event is
April thirtieth at the Atlanta History Museum. For more information,
go to Fine Arts plus Fashion dot com. Brown is
back to take us inside the heart of a California
community forever changed by the Eton Fire. Here's a preview
from her final episode in her new five part docu series,

(25:10):
to Altadena with Love.

Speaker 10 (25:12):
When I evacuated January seventh, it never occurred to me
that I would not be back in the house in April.
I truly thought, I'll be back tomorrow. We'll be back tomorrow,

(25:33):
because it never it never occurred to me that I
would be involved in a wildfire in that way, Because
in my mind, the wildfire would happen up in the
mountain and that you know, it would have to burn
through the whole town.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
This time it did.

Speaker 10 (25:54):
As a person who has what they call structure still standing,
we were slow to I think, get recognition, and I
think we're really kind of I think we're still kind
of waiting for recognition. In a way. We've been slow
to get information. And it's not that, you know, we

(26:16):
felt like we were well, let me put it this way,
given the fact that so many people lost their homes,
you know, we know they were the people who were
the most in need, right, they really needed to have.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
Attention.

Speaker 10 (26:39):
They needed to have that attention because they were in need.
They needed help, they needed resources, and they needed it immediately.

Speaker 7 (26:49):
At the same.

Speaker 10 (26:50):
Time, we have homes, we don't have access to that
or anything that's in that, so we also only have
of what we evacuated.

Speaker 2 (27:03):
The house with the goats is still here.

Speaker 10 (27:09):
It took some time, I think for people to recognize
that piece of it, and eventually people just started kind
of banding together so that we could get information and

(27:31):
share information and also advocate for our homes. It's been
kind of it's just it's been like a learning process
because it took time to come to the realization that,
you know, we're going to have to lean on each

(27:53):
other for a while until the officials can get the
information that we need to be comfortable. And when I
say comfortable, I mean, you know, is it is it
even safe to be here? You know, when will it
be safe to be here? You know, how do we

(28:16):
you know, deal with our insurance companies who are not
really wanting to deal with us. There were just there's
just been a lot of issues that have come up
that people have had questions, and it's it's you know,
it's taken a little while to get some answers. One

(28:37):
of the things that people are concerned about is soil contamination.
You know, can I dig a garden in my backyard?
Is it safe to do that? So, you know, we're
slowly getting some answers to that. You know, it took
a little time to to you know, be able to
raise my hand and say, well, I'm one of the
people affected by the fire and I would like some

(29:01):
help too. Why can't you just be grateful that your
house didn't burn down? Well, I am grateful. I am grateful.
I'm also spending a lot of money on gas that
I wouldn't normally spend. I also have to go get
something to wear because the all of my clothes are
in my house and I can't get into my house,
So this is about two blocks up.

Speaker 6 (29:21):
The hill from me.

Speaker 10 (29:22):
I remember being alerted that there was a fire in
Eaton Canyon and that there were crews un scene, and
we were in a restaurant at the time, and I
didn't think too much of it because they said the
cruise were on scene. And a very short time later,
a girlfriend called me to ask if I had evacuated,

(29:42):
and I thought, Okay, the fire just started, why are
we being evacuated. But we finished up our meal and
left the restaurant and we stepped out into the parking
lot and looked up at the mountain and it looked
like a volcano. So we knew we had to get

(30:03):
you back to the house so that I, you know,
we could gather things together to evacuate. And it was
kind of surreal driving back up to the house because
it was smoky and power was out, so it was
dark and the only lights we had were headlights and
smoke and we could see flashing lights from emergency vehicles.

(30:26):
We went back and forth with whether or not we
really needed to evacuate because I don't live all that
close to Eaton Canyon.

Speaker 4 (30:35):
That was just a glimpse of to Altadina with Love,
a powerful new podcast from Black Information Network anchor Mimi Brown.
The final episode is available tomorrow This week The Black
Information That Works. Esther Dillard speaks to a woman in
tech who is helping black single mothers in a unique
and special way.

Speaker 11 (30:56):
On this edition of The Color between the Lines.

Speaker 12 (30:59):
And I also had people to tell me to my face,
you know you're only there for affirmative action. You know
that you're not qualified to be here.

Speaker 11 (31:06):
We hear from a black CEO who built an organization
that supports single mothers like she wanted to be supported
when her marriage ended in divorce. I'm Esther Dillard chatting
with writers, authors and experts who offer an added perspective
for listeners. This is the Color between the Lines.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
As you know.

Speaker 11 (31:33):
Here on The Color between the Lines, I try to
elevate authors. But this next guest is more than just
an author. She's a former CEO and boss that built
a business that supports Black women that are single mothers
that are interested in STEM but She's really more than that.
She has an incredible story that includes marriage, divorce, and
dying during childbirth. Here's part of my interview with Vicky

(31:54):
Wright Hamilton for your book Game Face. It explores really
a journey as a black woman in a very male
dominated industry of tech. I always admire people that are
in tech because it was it is a challenge getting
in that game and staying in it. What inspired you
to write this memoir which is extremely personal? How did

(32:15):
you and how did your experiences shape the themes that
are inside you?

Speaker 2 (32:20):
Know?

Speaker 12 (32:21):
I will tell you that I was not going to
write the book. My mother is the one who My
mother and my brother were the ones that were really
a spot and that inspired me to do so. I
had gone through so many challenges and one of the
things I used to always say is everybody sees the glory,
but they don't know the story. And my brother used
to say, well, if that's the case, why don't you
tell it? And I said, nobody cares what I have

(32:41):
to say. Everybody's got a story, so why should I
write the book?

Speaker 1 (32:45):
Long story short.

Speaker 12 (32:46):
I ended up putting the book together and I was
able to get it written and the e copy made
before my mother died. She actually wanted to see the
hard copy, but the hard copy came.

Speaker 1 (32:57):
Out the week she passed.

Speaker 12 (32:58):
But anyway, as I wrote the book, I started thinking about,
you know, as a black woman in technology at.

Speaker 1 (33:06):
The time, I was going through all of.

Speaker 12 (33:08):
My learnings and lessons. There are so many things that
people didn't know. Here's the blessing. I got promoted every
two years my entire career. But here was some of
the curse was realizing that I didn't necessarily get promoted
because of my skill sets or competency. I got promoted
so that I could looked like they had diversity. Now
how did I know that? Because every time I came

(33:29):
to talk about diversity, who do they have in the forefront?

Speaker 13 (33:31):
Me?

Speaker 9 (33:32):
Only me?

Speaker 1 (33:33):
Because I was the only one.

Speaker 12 (33:34):
And I also had people to tell me to my face,
you know you're only there for affirmative action.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
You know that you're not qualified to be here.

Speaker 12 (33:42):
So as I began to navigate some of these waters,
I said, you know what, as black women, we face
so much. Who's going to be the person that's going
to be authentic and real, Who's going to let them
know what these challenges are? But more importantly, what are
strategies to overcome them? And not just professionally personally, because
we'll walk in the door, we're a total person. So

(34:03):
I took these strategies that I learned the hard way
and figured out how I could make it work for
me for my emotional, mental, and physical well being. And
in terms of making that happen, I wanted to share
the news. I wanted to help other women that are
facing these same challenges. Wait a minute, if I can overcome,

(34:25):
you can too. So that's how these strategies have shaped
me to move forward, to lean back on when recognizing that,
you know, these are things that are going to have
you that are out of your control, but you can survive,
you can make it, and you can turn things around.

Speaker 11 (34:42):
Now I understand from one, I understand your strategy. Part
of that is the name of this book, game Face.
And you explain in the book what game face is.
Explain to our audience what that means to you, and
how it just kind of guided you throughout your career.

Speaker 12 (34:59):
Yes, so for me, you know, when people first hear
a game face, they think that you don't want to
be authentic. I'm talking about just the opposite I'm talking
about being authentic, but being able to be seen, letting
yourself understand even the things that are around you that
you can't see. Everything is a game. Life is a game.
Everything we do is a game. So when you go

(35:21):
into this environment, you're trying to figure out how do
I play this game to win?

Speaker 1 (35:26):
What do I need to do?

Speaker 12 (35:27):
How do I need to present myself so that they
know that I'm just as successful.

Speaker 1 (35:32):
So it's about being authentic.

Speaker 12 (35:34):
It's about being able to learn how things work and
read the tea leaves, the story that nobody ever tells you,
the things that are not painted, the things that are
not told, but you're expected to know. So I wanted
to give my audience something to relate to because guess
what we all have to go in to figure out
how am I going to survive today? But more importantly,

(35:57):
how am I going to thrive?

Speaker 11 (35:59):
And for you highlight in the book that back in
college you dealt with a particular professor who will remain
unnamed that kind of helped you develop that game phased
strategy and how you said you used that as fuel
to kind of navigate challenges in the corporate world. If

(36:20):
you could talk a little bit about what that was.

Speaker 9 (36:22):
And how that changed things absolutely.

Speaker 12 (36:26):
So when I went to college, I ended up going
transferring going to a college to my father was a
professor in the finance department and my chairman of the
computer science and in MAS department was around the corner
from him, and I had taken a test and he
loved to go around to my dad and tell him

(36:47):
what I could and could not do. So he came
and told my father that I failed this test and
that maybe I needed to change my major. I won't
go into what happened at the household around Dentate. Let's
just say my mama didn't put up with that and
to stand for that, and she was like, you don't
listen to what they say.

Speaker 1 (37:02):
Let's go, we're gonna fix this.

Speaker 12 (37:05):
Needless to say, as he told me that I would
not be successful and that I really needed to think
about changing my major because I failed his test, I said, okay.
So I worked hard. I ended up getting a B
out of this class. After I graduated, I got ready
to go to work. I got my first job, and
my salary of my first job was more than his.

(37:27):
So I waited about three or four months and I
wrote him a letter and I said, how how are you?
I just wanted to let you know what a failing
person and mis looks like, this is where I am,
and my salary and what I'm doing and the things
that I'm navigating and moving forward to hope things are great.

Speaker 1 (37:44):
And I put a copy of my first check in it.

Speaker 12 (37:46):
Now, I got to tell you that felt good, but
I wasn't quite satisfied yet. A couple of years go
by and I get promoted again, and I said this
letter and I said, hey, I just got I check in.
Not only am I not successful, but I just got
promoted after two years of working, And I want you
to know here's my new title, here's what I'm doing,

(38:08):
and guess what this is my raise. And I sent
him a copy of my check, not that it was
forty percent more than he.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
Was making and he was the chairman of a department.

Speaker 11 (38:18):
Oh my goodness, What did that do for your.

Speaker 12 (38:21):
Your What it did for me was to let me
know that they don't know the end, they don't know
what you're capable of doing.

Speaker 1 (38:28):
And don't let anybody limit you.

Speaker 12 (38:30):
If you listen to that noise and let it get
in your head, you won't move forward.

Speaker 1 (38:35):
I was bound and determined.

Speaker 12 (38:36):
I come from a mother that was an advocate of
a father who was an advocate, who fought to their
rights through civil rights and all the rest of it.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
And they just did not allow me to hear the
noise that you can't.

Speaker 12 (38:48):
So I just use that negativity for positivity and say, Okay,
I'm gonna show you. Tell me what I can't do,
let me show you. And that's what I did.

Speaker 11 (38:56):
I know that one of the most I think impactful
chapters of this book was when you shared a personal
moment about when your husband decided to leave you when
you had just had a baby, and I was just
devastated after reading that. I had to kind of put
the book down and kind of walk away for a
little bit. How did that experience shape who you are

(39:21):
today and how you handle things when it comes to you, know,
your professional relationship with other women who are single moms.

Speaker 12 (39:31):
Well, I will tell you that it was heartbreaking for
me as well. I had known my husband fifteen years
before we married. We were best friends. And when I
learned from that experience is some best friends need to
stay best friends and have some husbands. Number one, but
number two. What I didn't recognize was the jealousy that existed.
I didn't recognize how much he looked at it's his
male role as what he should do, and recognizing that

(39:54):
even though he came to Minnesota where I was and
I was able to help him find a job, he
felt like he needed to stay where he was and
make his career go forward. I had asked him about
getting a promotion, told him that, you know, when I
was pregnant, I had an opportunity.

Speaker 1 (40:10):
Should I go for it? He said yes.

Speaker 12 (40:12):
The problem is he didn't expect me to get it,
but I got it, and so it meant a relocation,
but we were going to be closer to home to our families,
and his mother had a lot of implications of being
able to tell him that she got yours, you got
to get your you got to keep yours. So that
made me really sit down and evaluate what was important
to me.

Speaker 1 (40:31):
Needless to say, we divorce.

Speaker 12 (40:33):
That experience from a personal level also resonated for me
professionally to understand that everybody doesn't want you to succeed.
Everybody is not in a position to accept that. It
may not be like tradition was. It's not like the
man is making all the money and the woman isn't,
And it's not like you should have to apologize for that.

Speaker 11 (40:56):
You have some really great insights in this book. For
those of you who are just joining us, I'm Dillard
with the Color Between the Lines on the Black Information
Network and we are speaking with executive coach and author
Vicky Wright Hamilton. The book is called Game Phase Corporate
Success Strategies of a Trailblazing Tech Warrior. What is the
last one lesson that you'd like those who are readers
of your book Game Phase to take away and what

(41:18):
would that be?

Speaker 1 (41:20):
When you read this book?

Speaker 12 (41:22):
The one thing I want you to look at is
not just the professional and the professional strategies, but I
want you to think about individually, even personally. Yes, I'm
vulnerable in this book, but I think it's important for
us to help each other to understand how do you
deal with personal trials and tribulations and still continue to succeed.

(41:43):
Whether it's divorce, whether it's rape, whether somebody leaves you
after a baby, whether it's there's lots of things that
can occur. We can't change it, but all you can
do is be more prepared for so I would encourage
you to really look at the personal strategy that are
in here of things from lessons that I learned, that

(42:03):
hopefully you won't have to step in the staying hole,
that you can succeed going forward.

Speaker 11 (42:09):
Vicki's story is also highlighted in a documentary called The
Diary of Successful Black Single Mothers. The film shares the
stories of other black single mothers with their extended families.
It's a network that supports women and they share principles
Vicki uses in her own life. Here's a short clip
from the film.

Speaker 2 (42:26):
Dear, my relationship with my parents influenced my relationship with
my kids drastically.

Speaker 10 (42:34):
I have parents that have been together for years and
whened something similar to that.

Speaker 5 (42:38):
The way my mom talked to me wasn't normal, it
wasn't right, and I just wanted to get.

Speaker 7 (42:43):
Away from them.

Speaker 10 (42:45):
In the process of me getting the application to get married,
I found out who I was actually getting married.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
To, a known drug dealer in and out of Tail.

Speaker 3 (42:53):
He was getting ready to go to Afghanistan.

Speaker 9 (42:55):
We tried the relationship thing, it just didn't work out.

Speaker 11 (42:58):
It was my colleague sweetheart, and we went through quite
a few ups and downs.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
He kind of like disappeared. He just wasn't the person
for me.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
He's I'll give me the money for the abortion. I said, no,
you won't.

Speaker 2 (43:09):
I'm having my baby. He left me. He became a
good dad right before he got killed.

Speaker 11 (43:16):
Where can listeners now find your book and connect with
you to learn more about all the services and the
great things that you're you're doing these days.

Speaker 12 (43:23):
Well, thank you so much for asking Esther. They can
contact me on my website at www. Vickywrighthamilton dot com.
You can get the book there. You can set up
a discovery call with me, give me a ring. I
would love to have a conversation with you and see
how we might be able to partner together.

Speaker 11 (43:41):
And that's v I C K I W R I
G H T H A M I L t O
N dot com. If you'd like what you heard, be
sure to subscribe to The Color between the Lines on
iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Esther Dinnard
and this is the Color between the Lines.

Speaker 4 (43:59):
Thanks Esther. April is Autism Awareness Month. The CDC reports
one and thirty six children are diagnosed before the age
of eight with black and brown children impacted at disparaging
rates compared to white children. The Black Information Networks. Morgan
Woods spoke with Sheena Edwards of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is
an autism advocate, the author of Along Came Autism and

(44:20):
a Mom to a Child on the Spectrum. Edwards aims
to raise awareness about the importance of fair treatment and
equal rights for people living with autism.

Speaker 13 (44:28):
Joining me on the Black Information Network is Sheena Edwards
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is an autism advocate, the author
of Along Came Autism and a Mother to a Child
on the Spectrum. She aims to raise awareness about the
importance of fair treatment and equal rights for people living
with autism. Thanks for speaking with me today.

Speaker 2 (44:49):
Hi, how are you? I'm doing that well for having me,
of course.

Speaker 13 (44:52):
So, your book Along Came Autism shares a personal journey.
What inspired you to write that book and what message
do you hope your readers to away from it?

Speaker 2 (45:01):
Well? I wrote Along Came Autism during the first two
hundred weeks of my daughter's diagnosis. Basically I wrote it
in real time. What inspired me was just the lack
of support I had in the moment. I felt like
I didn't know anybody with children with autism. At the time,
I didn't have anybody to relate to, so it was
kind of like therapeutic one. I needed to release those

(45:23):
emotions and I really just wanted to tell our story
because I felt so alone and I felt like it
was something that needed to be shared more so like
with the world, with the community, especially in the black community.
I felt like we were more so ignorant to what
autism was, how it affects the family, and because she's
a girl is not really it wasn't really as prevalent

(45:43):
in girls and the way it presented itself in our life.
I just felt like people needed to know and I
really just wanted to not fell alone. So that was
my biggest reason for writing it.

Speaker 13 (45:55):
So kudos to you for that, because then I'm sure
that created the community that you were looking for in
terms of support or did.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
It it did? I think especially in my family because
i work primarily, like in the beauty industry, and I'm
used to being so surrounded by people, and I think
when you are an extrovert, like I'm not an introverted person,
I'm always out, I'm always being social, and when you
are going through things something as hard as a diagnosis

(46:23):
like autism. You people don't expect that you need help,
or they don't expect that you are hurting or you
are in a position where you need So I think
that for my my family personally, it was like, well,
we didn't even know you was going through this, Like
you put on a smile so much like you you look,
you still look the same while you was battering such

(46:43):
a hard thing. So I think for that reason, and
then again just the basic the awareness factor of it,
just letting people know that you never know what people
are going through and you have to be kind to
other people because it's such a hard transition from what
you expect as a mother having a child, especially for us,

(47:04):
because my daughter didn't show any signs of delay or anything.
It just happened all of a sudden. So it was
like we had a pre planned focus for our life
and what I wanted to do with a daughter. I
was so excited to have a daughter from being a
boy mom for so long, and so it was like
a disappointment a little bit. So it was that, you know,

(47:25):
I needed people to understand what I was going through
because as a parent, you go through a creeving process
as well.

Speaker 13 (47:31):
Absolutely, and that speaks to the resilience of just yourself
and black people alone, that your own family was like Dad,
we didn't even know. So talk to me about your
advocacy work. What are some of the biggest challenges families
face when navigating a child on the spectrum when it
comes to education, healthcare, and just everyday life.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
I think getting a diagnosis. My daughter's thirteen now, so
I wrote Along Came Autism a little while ago, but
I think it is such an important tool to teach
parents how to first get the diagnosis. We can be
again in a black community, we are so used to
one back in the day, our parents saying, you don't
let a doctor tell you something is wrong with your child.

(48:13):
But in this case, you do let a doctor tell
you that there could be a delay with your child.
You do pick up on things that might be embarrassing.
You know, it might be a little embarrassing, It might
it might come with a little guilt or shame, and
it's okay to feel that way. But you do your
child a disservice by not speaking up, by not saying
the things that may be slightly embarrassing or hurtful to

(48:35):
you as a parent, but we have to pit those
feelings aside to get their early intervention. That's so important.
I think education is lacking in especially in a public
school setting. There's a lot of things that are not happening,
especially with black children, minority children. There are a lot
of lacks, you know. I used to do a lot
of advocacy in the Philadelphia community. I don't no longer

(48:57):
live exactly in the city, but i do a lot
of advocacy in the city because I'm from West Philadelphia
and I'm the type of person like I'm a reach
back type of person, so i always go back to
my hometown, to my community and try to do things
for the community. So education, the early intervention is important
and that community support. And one important thing I'll always
try to make a point is is it might sound

(49:19):
harsh to some parents, but parents that have children that
are not autistic, you have to teach your children how
to interact and how to be kind to children with
special needs because it makes a big difference on how
our children feel about themselves and how parents like me
feel about even bringing our children out and having our
children be a part of the community. Because the village

(49:41):
that raised us, We need that same village to help
raise these children because the prevalence of autism has grown
tremendously unfortunately over the last ten years.

Speaker 13 (49:51):
Absolutely talk more about that, the gap between awareness and
real inclusion. What do you think what else do you think?
Excuse me, I mean you mentioned a parents working with
their children in a way so that they know how
to interact with a child on the spectrum. What else
do you think society needs to change to support individuals

(50:11):
with autism and of course the families.

Speaker 2 (50:14):
Well, me and my daughter actually wrote another book. It's
called Gets to the One Row. It's a children's book
that's really geared towards children ages five to maybe ten
years old, that explains what autism is and how it
presents itself in a visual way to non alsistic children
so that they understand why she may be looking at
you that way, or why she may be or he

(50:35):
or she may be behaving in that way. So that
it's like a tool to teach children how to engage
or if they are engaging, why they child may not
be responding in a way. When my daughter was around
like maybe six or seven, after she became verbal, we
were like at like a pool one day, and she
was like, why why are those kids being mean to me?
And I'm like, they're not being mean to you, they

(50:56):
just don't understand how to interact with you. So as
parents of non children, it's very important that you have
those hard conversations. Unfortunately, it's probably a child in your
family at this point, or a close friend or relative
or an associate that has a child well autism. So
maybe say like, do you want to have a play date?
You know, like let's get these kids together so that
they can see it in real time. And there are

(51:17):
a lot of places, at least in most urban cities
where there are inclusion like they play different like play
centers and stuff like that. They might have the autism
Awareness particular day or Autism Center play time, So maybe
just take your kids on that day so that they understand,
like these kids are a part of the community. Every
public school has an autistic support classroom. Maybe on like

(51:41):
a certain day of the week, asks the special needs teacher,
can my kids volunteer in that classroom just so that
they can understand what these children need with supports they
need in real time. Because it's one thing to say
like be nice. But if all your other all the
kids friends aren't being nice, you know, kids are gonna
behave like their peers, is what it is. So if
you can do it in real time, I think any

(52:03):
change that you want to see, you kind of have
to just like be the change and push the change.
And it's okay to do that. Like I always tell
my kids, you don't have to be of the world
to be in the world. You kind of got to
just like, you know, break the mold a little.

Speaker 7 (52:15):
Bit well said.

Speaker 13 (52:16):
I'm speaking to Sheena Edward's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is an
autism advocate, the author of Along Came Autism, and a
mother to a child on the spectrum. Now, what are
some specific policy changes that you'd like to see or
initiatives that you're passionate about that could improve the lives
of those on the spectrum and of course those surrounding them,
the families.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
I would love to see more funding again, of course
in underprivileged communities, more funding for education, after school activities,
things for the children to do because they don't have
a lot of programs have been cut. I would love
to see the teachers, the special education teachers have more support.

(53:00):
Since COVID, there's been so many budget cuts in public
schools for just supplies therapies. If you can't a lot
of parents can't afford private school. So the public schools
need help. They need funding. They need to be able
to give these children what they need on a day
to day basis. Our kids are in school more than

(53:22):
they are at home. I would love to see that
that really they need help. I talk to a lot
of teachers every day. They need the tools and the
class from the technology. These kids need the technology to
learn on a higher level, especially with math science, and
they're really good at coding and things like that in SEM.
So some things in SEM to help these kids realize

(53:43):
that they can be sciences, they can be chefs, they
can be sometimes some of them want to be firefighters
and police officers, regular you know careers. That it's the
career training is there in the public schools. A lot
of private schools have those things in place, but public
schools don't have that. And if a parents mental health

(54:04):
mental health funding because again, like I said, it takes
an emotional toll on parents, especially single parents that don't
have a partner there to support them. So a lot
of mental health advocacy is needed and the funding there
to do that, because we need a safe place to
land after you're dealing with a child that may be nonverbal,
a new diagnosis, and again you might not have family

(54:24):
or friends that you can relate to. So I would
love to see some outreach in loud outreach like let
people know is there there are programs? Well, why do
we have to dig so deep to find them?

Speaker 6 (54:34):
Right?

Speaker 2 (54:35):
You know, like they should be ready and able and
there for people to get. I think there will be
a huge health especially in minority communities. We definitely need
that the mental health component and job training for our
children so that they know that they can be excellent
adults and thrive in the community after the age of
twenty one after they get out of school. Absolutely.

Speaker 13 (54:52):
You know, one thing I've noticed on a personal note
that you know, my interaction with people on the spectrum
is that they just it just seems like they maneuver
just a little bit differently. It's it's certainly not a
lack like you said, it's just it's they take a
different route to get there, and it's so fascinating with it.
At the same time, they're they're so smart, and they're
so intrigued by whatever the topics are, you know, and

(55:15):
it is a matter of just having that support probably
and honing those skills, because I have seen autistic people
do amazing things when they do have the support.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
And and to.

Speaker 13 (55:28):
Your point as well, with the families, having support with
the families, because you're no good as a mom or
as a sister or you know, a friend if you're
you're not in a good mental space to handle someone
with those those special needs. So well said, before I
let you go, h is there anything else that you'd
like to share that we didn't touch on? Because you

(55:49):
don't know what you don't know, and I.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
Don't know what I don't know.

Speaker 13 (55:51):
But if there's anything that you would like to share
that I didn't touch on.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
I mean, my biggest thing is my daughter gets older.
But I'm realizing again is is like so redundant for me.
But it's just like whoever's listening again that doesn't have
a child on a spectrum. My biggest thing every birthday,
my daughter always say she's thirteen now, so she always says, like, Mom,
I want friends, and like when we and them all
and she see, you know, typical teenagers. She like, see,

(56:16):
those are the kind of friends I want, Like, you know,
like it's just like the kindest component. Like this past
Halloween we were out and she tried to like approach
you know, like a group of girls. It's just like
you can tell when somebody has like a little difference
to them, a little quirk or whatever. But it's just
like teach your kids to be kind. It really really
breaks my heart to like know that my daughter, she

(56:37):
knows that she's autistic, she knows how to self advocate
for herself, and she's an amazing, remarkable young lady. And
it's other kids like her who are just they just
want friends. They just want people not to treat them different.
Because once you get to know her, you have a
conversation with her, you are so surprised at what you
have in common and so surprised that the things that
she can teach you. And it's like teach your children

(56:59):
to be kind. Kindness goes a long way. It's not
gonna hurt you. It add a bounty of blessings to
your life. And we don't know when autism could come
rere it's ugly here unfortunately, and be a part of
your family, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I'm
not there kind a mom. It came out of nowhere

(57:20):
for me, and it's changed my life. It has made
some of my dreams come true. I always wanted to write.
I've always been a writer, but I always wanted to
write a book too. It was like my daughter came
and now, okay, I'm an author. Now, thank you for that.
But it's a hard place to be in. Sometimes some
days are some days are bad. But be kind, teach
your children to be kind, and you know, we're here.

(57:41):
I've always here to talk. I always tell other moms
like you can slide in my DM. I'm always there
to vent and talk and hear the stories because there's
so many stories and our children are remarkable. Never forget that.
And you know, don't let people tell you what your
child can't do. They can do. All things is just
about resources. It's just about owning your child and fighting
for your child and being their biggest advocate. And you know,

(58:04):
getting in the community and finding like mothers like us
and fathers too, because I'm not gonna just the autism dads.
Some great autism dans I know in the world, but
you know, let's stick together and let's need the change.

Speaker 13 (58:16):
Sena Edward's a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania autism advocate and author of
Along Came Autism and a Mom to a child on
the Spectrum. How can we continue to follow the work
you do and purchase you and your daughters?

Speaker 2 (58:26):
But okay, Along Came Autism and getting no moro or
on Amazon, I think barnestondobles dot com as well. My
website is i Amshenae dot com and I am on
Instagram at I am Sheenae and you can find me there.
Be on the lookout for some really cool things. I
had took a step back from really really doing things,
but we are back. My daughter is ready to get

(58:48):
back in the game, so we are back outside and
you could catch us on social media. And again, like
I said, I'm always available to talk chat Vince, you
can come in my DM. I talk to a lot
of moms every day and I wish all the best.

Speaker 13 (59:01):
Yes, thank you Sheena for joining us, Thank you for
having me. I'm Morgan would on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 4 (59:06):
Thanks Morgan and Sheena. For more information about Sheena, go
to Iamshenae dot com. That's our program for this week
For more on these stories, Listen to the Black Information
Network on the free iHeartRadio app or log onto Vinnews
dot com for all of the latest news impacting the
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media at Black Information Network and on X and blue

(59:28):
Sky at black info Net, and make the Black Information
Network first on your car radio and iHeartRadio app pre sets.
I'm Mike Island, wishing everyone a great Sunday. Be sure
to tune in next week at this time for another
edition of the Black Perspective right here on the Black
Information Network