August 25, 2025 • 59 mins
This week on the Black Perspective, Esther Dillard spotlights Black Business Month with Falayn Ferrell, one of the founders behind the celebration, and a restaurant owner whose story ties food and culture together in a unique way.
We’ll also preview Vanessa Tyler’s upcoming Black Land podcast and revisit BIN commentator Mo Kelly’s conversation with actresses Wendy Raquel Robinson and Tisha Campbell about their latest film, Operation Aunties.
Doug Davis may be on assignment this week, but we’re replaying two of his standout conversations: one with Tulsa’s first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols, and another featuring Vanessa Tyler’s sit-down with BIN President Tony Coles reflecting on the network’s five-year anniversary.
Plus, we close out with commentary from Mo Kelly, James T. Harris, and Roland S. Martin.
Listen now!
We’ll also preview Vanessa Tyler’s upcoming Black Land podcast and revisit BIN commentator Mo Kelly’s conversation with actresses Wendy Raquel Robinson and Tisha Campbell about their latest film, Operation Aunties.
Doug Davis may be on assignment this week, but we’re replaying two of his standout conversations: one with Tulsa’s first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols, and another featuring Vanessa Tyler’s sit-down with BIN President Tony Coles reflecting on the network’s five-year anniversary.
Plus, we close out with commentary from Mo Kelly, James T. Harris, and Roland S. Martin.
Listen now!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Most people know about Restaurant Week, but not everyone knows
there's a Black Restaurant Week, born in Houston, Texas in
twenty sixteen and is now spreading the cities across the country.
It's more than just menus, it's a movement.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And so we really want to create something that was
more all exclusive to the creative things we were seeing
happening in the food scene.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
That's one of the three founders, Fall and feral.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
As we've grown through the years, we've literally watched businesses
start off as like a pop up food tent and
now having like two or three locations.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
From Soul Food Kitchens to Hidden Gem Caterer's. Black Restaurant
Week shines a light where it's long been missing. It's
helped generate tens of millions of dollars for black owned businesses,
keeping legacies alive and creating new ones, and it's part
of black history still being written every time a diner
takes that first bite. I'm Ester Dillard for the Black
Information Network.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Hi, this is Tammy Eswick with the Black Information Network.
Every year, during and shortly after pregnancy, at a time
that should be filled with some of life's most rewarding
and joyous experiences hundreds of black women die. Join the
Black Information Network as we take a look at the
issue and explore answers to the problem in our special
public awareness campaign, Saving Black Moms a Maternal health Crisis,
(01:26):
because every mom and every life is worth saving. Learn
more at binnews dot com.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
It's Sunday, August twenty fourth, and on today's show, The
Black Information That Works, Ester Dillard spoke with a founder
and restaurant owner who has a unique tasty tie to
the celebration of food and culture of this Black Business Month,
we get a preview of Vanessa Tyler's Blackland podcast. We
replay an interview by BIN News commentator Moe Kelly as
(01:52):
he sat down with actresses Wendy Raquel Robinson and Tisha
Campbell to discuss their latest movie project called Operaties. And
Doug Davis is on assignment this week, so we are
going to replay a conversation with Doug and Tulsa, Oklahoma's
first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols, And we get commentary from
Moe Kelly, James T. Harris, and Roland S.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
Martin.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
These stories and more are coming your way on today's program,
Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Island.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
Welcome to the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program
on the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions.
Speaker 7 (02:29):
On issues important to the Black community.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Good Sunday, everyone, I'm Mike Island and welcome to the
Black Perspective. This is Black Business Month, but all throughout
the summer, cities around the country have celebrated something called
Black Restaurant Week the Black Information Networks. Mister Dillard spoke
with one of the founders, fall and Farrell, and a
restaurant owner who has a unique tasty tie to the
celebration of food and culture.
Speaker 8 (02:55):
Well, it's a Fride shrimp and most people that're the
bomb bag because somebody said, oh, they're the bombing Most.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
People don't know. The Black Restaurant Week is huge. It
started as just a week in Houston, Texas, back in
twenty sixteen. Then it grew to two weeks and just
kept going. The event highlights chefs and restaurants that often
don't get the fanfare of more well known names in
other cities, and at least one restaurant owner tells me
it's an appreciated resource that actually helps grow business.
Speaker 8 (03:27):
I enjoy because they promote sometimes the people on the
hitting gyms, as I call myself, the offbeat past.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
When you think of Chicago and culinary delights, most folks
immediately think of deep dish pizza or a classic Chicago
hot dog. But on the South Side there's a black
owned soul food spot that's turning heads and feeding hearts,
all inspired by Louisiana cooking.
Speaker 8 (03:51):
And we're fresh, never frozen. Where chance the rapper's favorite
shrimp pee label he mentioned us on Access Hollywood is
his favorite go to spot over the shargo hot dog?
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Can you describe what it tastes like?
Speaker 8 (04:03):
We're a lightly breaded crustacean where it's just a little
hintu of spice pepper, but nat it's not like the
seafood boil shrimp, but a nice, flaky, crispy fried shrimp.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
That sounds so good that now iconic Louisiana style recipe
is featured at Hare's Gulf Shrimp in Chicago, Illinois, and
it was created by Ayisha's late mother in law, Frankie Porter.
But those who have never tasted this special recipe of shrimp,
because I understand it's it's unique because it's your husband's
(04:41):
mom's recipe.
Speaker 8 (04:43):
My mother in law.
Speaker 9 (04:44):
I never met her.
Speaker 8 (04:45):
She would have been one hundred same age as Billie Holiday,
so that's like over one hundred and five. My husband
was older than I and so she passed away. But hand,
you know, made sure he the baby boy of ten
at a siblings, said you keep this recipe in the family,
will always make you money.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Birth says. The restaurant was her husband, Finny Hare's creation,
and when he passed in twenty twenty one, she had
to step in during one of the most difficult chapters
in her life. And you had to step up to
the plate. How did you manage I guess learning the
business side of this and then managing your emotional journey
with such a loss.
Speaker 8 (05:19):
Yes, I tell people I went from president made from
secretary to president overnight because, like I said, COVID had
him in twenty twenty one, so it was a very
A lot of things were changing in any way for us.
But I promised him, I said, one of the last
few things. And I was like a lot of people
(05:40):
when you have to say goodbye through the glass doors.
I would have never thought, but I know he wanted
the golf open. And the only day we ever closed
to the day in the separate holidays is when we
held his funeral because the family had to tell everybody
who wanted to go.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
But even in heartbreak, Aisha kept the proma She's been expanding,
innovating and researching markets her husband only dreamed of.
Speaker 8 (06:05):
I just recently did Bloomingdale's for Black History Month because
we were promoting our trade secret recipe will be in
a batter mix to be launched in stores this year
in Bloomingdale's will possibly for their holiday season catalog. But
I let them we were talking about Black History Month,
and I said, it's just Black History. But I'm a
woman also in taking over, and this will be I
(06:28):
have no fit of physical offspring, but I have step
children and step grandchildren, so we're going into the third
generation family ran business.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Her drive is part of what caught the attention of
Black Restaurant Week, an initiatives started in Houston, Texas in
twenty sixteen, and the story of how that movement started
it's just as rooted in love, legacy, and community.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
We created a platform for the caterers and the private
chefs with our culinary showcase, so you know, it really
just showcased there was just all this energy happening in
the black food space, and it really wasn't a platform
for them to shine.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
That's Phelan Ferrell. In twenty sixteen, she joined Warren Luckett
and Derreck Robinson to turn a single idea into a
national movement.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Born Luckett the founder. He had been serving on the
board for the Greater Houston Black Chamber. Derek and I
have been super involved in Houston area Urban league and professionals,
so we were just community driven, I would say, people
looking for a way to just really spotlight something unique
going on in the black food scene.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
That first year, just twenty restaurants signed on. But then
and I.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Remember at the end of the week, Chef Holly, one
of the prominent chefs in Houston, came up to us.
Since that next year, make it two weeks, and so
we kind of just grew. Ever since then, every year
we were adding on new markets.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
The movement gained even more traction in the wake of
the George Floyd protests in twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Our big as gros spurt happened during twenty twenty around
George Floyd and our biggest funding came from that as well,
so you know, it is when things are going on
on a macro level, we as a community, Even now
with D and I, I feel like as a community,
everyone's just like, Okay, let's consolidate back and focus on
(08:20):
black community, black businesses, black economics.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So what's the advice for aspiring entrepreneurs entering this competitive space.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I just think getting connected with other like minded businesses
business owners. People assume that there's this level of competition,
it's really not. When we do our events, you'll see
all the barbecue restaurants networking with each other, so the
soul food restaurants taking photos together, like it's enough money
in the market for everybody to win. So I would
(08:51):
just say, like as we say in our nonprofit, like
don't do business alone, you know, like stop trying to
figure out everything alone. And so connected to our nonprofit,
Black Butt, we always say, once you get in the network,
get on our newsletter Liz, contire our events, and really
build your network of other business owners that could kind
(09:13):
of help share advice and tips on ways to succeed.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
So what do United Airlines African American spaghetti A little
black carry out bag labeled the bomb all have in common.
Speaker 8 (09:23):
We've catered United Airlines and they were like, oh you
get just take the term boom out so we could
get through the security with the shrimp. We've done at
their headquarters and at the actual airport for a Black
History Month, they had our truck actually on the tiremac
next to the planes. That was exciting.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
There's more to the story and so much more. This
week we gave you a taste, but the full meal
that's on the Color Between the Lines podcast. You can
find it on YouTube, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Esther Dillard.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Thanks Esther and Fallon. When it comes to black cinema,
actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and actress Tisha Campbell are household names.
The two ladies have a new film out called Operation Aunties,
and BIN News commentator Moe Kelly had a chance to
talk to them about it.
Speaker 7 (10:14):
Here's Moe's report.
Speaker 10 (10:25):
I'm Mo Kelly for the Black Information Network. Operation Aunties
now available on AMC streaming channel. All Black is an
action packed dramedy which tells the story of a longtime
friendship that is tested when a risk averse cryptocurrency expert
and her retired detective best friend become vigilantes after discovering
a cyber crime syndicate in their city.
Speaker 7 (10:48):
It's about your niece, Amina's a salt case.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
Oh my god, we trace him to this larger operation.
Speaker 11 (10:57):
There are guys who use a new rad share at
try women is a crypto coin.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Would think you we.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Go after and everyone else in this network.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Okay, vigilante, There's some dangerous people that are part of this.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
You owe me a spat day.
Speaker 9 (11:14):
All we need is some sexy outfits. I know that's right.
Speaker 12 (11:19):
By specializing in computer technology, you can.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
Identify everyone involved in this.
Speaker 13 (11:23):
Detective HAA Got your services.
Speaker 10 (11:28):
Directed by Wendy Raquel Robinson, who you know from her
time on the TV show The Game and also opposite
Steve Harvey on The Steve Harvey Show as principal greer.
Ms Robinson A pleasure to speak to you again.
Speaker 7 (11:40):
How are you?
Speaker 8 (11:41):
Oh?
Speaker 9 (11:41):
I am fantastic.
Speaker 11 (11:42):
Thank you for that wonderful under dudge.
Speaker 10 (11:44):
Absolutely and I'm also joined by Venerabull, comedic actress and
co star Tisha Campbell, who you know from the House
Party movie franchise, television classic Martin and opposite Eddie Murphy
in another forty eight hours.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
Miss Campbell is good to have you back on as well.
Speaker 14 (11:59):
Thank you, Teazer.
Speaker 7 (12:00):
Let me start with you.
Speaker 10 (12:01):
I get great joy by watching the evolution and growth
of your career over the years. What's it like to
branch out into action with Operation Aunties.
Speaker 13 (12:11):
I just love that Wendy saw me for this role
and that I get a chance to do any and
everything that I've ever wanted to do. Like during COVID isolation,
I made a pack to myself, because you know, you're
by yourself and all you have is yourself to I
didn't have anybody in my ear telling me what I
could or could not do, and so I made a
(12:31):
pack to myself that I was going to try everything
and make choices for myself, and.
Speaker 12 (12:36):
This was one of them.
Speaker 10 (12:37):
Wendy, my mother, my late father, and my sister are
all Howard University graduates such as yourself, and I would
be cussed out something awful if I didn't shout out Hu.
Speaker 7 (12:48):
You know, did you.
Speaker 10 (12:51):
Have any idea while walking down Georgia Avenue next to
the Wonderbread Factory in Washington, DC, that you'd be one
day in the director's chair.
Speaker 15 (13:00):
Wow?
Speaker 11 (13:00):
Thank you for that, you know what, one thing that
I love about Howard and that theater department. We had
to rotate and do everything, and that goes from lights
to sound to you know, hair, makeup, wardrobe.
Speaker 15 (13:13):
We had to do.
Speaker 11 (13:14):
All of the practic coms and sit in every single
chair as it came to not only theater but all
of the fundamentals from even the admin side of running
a theater. So I do want to say that my
days at Howard prepared me for a little bit of everything.
So as I smell the wonderbread that I now here
is a whole food store.
Speaker 12 (13:36):
And the evolution of it all, it was.
Speaker 11 (13:40):
It was a wonderful time in my life, and I'm
just so grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside
such amazing talents as I walk those halls and Georgia
Avenue as well.
Speaker 10 (13:50):
All right, Wenny, let me stay right there with you.
Let's get into operation Aunties and the Mayhem included. What
are these aunties in for?
Speaker 11 (13:58):
Ooh, these aunties for everything, Just like you said, the mayhem,
the chaos, the comedy. But I also want to say
it's an edutaining experience because we are dealing with some
serious content you know, in terms of the sex trafficking,
which is very, very real. So we had to do
a balancing act. And it's like, well, what do you
(14:20):
do when the FBI or you know, those forces that
are supposed to be handling things are not doing it
in a timely manner. You take things into your own
hand and you become vigilant. And that's where we got
the vigilantes for Operation Aunties. And I think the audience
is in for a ride. You know, it's not often
(14:40):
when you can get the tech world needs a little
bit of comedy, a little bit of action, a little
bit of you know, we got a little bit of everything.
But it's a wonderful, delicate balancing act that is educating
and entertaining for everyone. So I'm really really proud of it.
And it was a ride. It was a ride for
(15:02):
me as a director and just pulling it all together
so seamlessly. But I was surrounded by incredible talents of
Tisha Campbell and Melissa Desosa and it just really made it.
It made it a wonderful experience for me that I'm
gonna cherish.
Speaker 10 (15:18):
TiSER, let me talk more about that balancing act with you,
and I'm always curious to know how much leeway actors
have to improvise on projects like this. Yes there's a
serious undertone, Yes there's comedy. As they said that at
the top, it's a dramedy. So I'm going to ask you,
in front of your director, Wendy Raquel Robinson, how free
were you Tisha Campbell to improvise or have fun with
(15:40):
your character?
Speaker 9 (15:42):
Well?
Speaker 13 (15:42):
You know what, we only had ten days to this
what and so yeah, we had ten days to film
this and tj Ali the writer and Wendy carved out
on wonderful story. So I kind of tried as much
as I I could to stick to that. There were
(16:03):
ad lib moments, but for the most part, I didn't
want to stray too far because this was an intricate
story to tell, and I wanted to make sure that
my contribution wasn't over the top and not going to
take away from the story.
Speaker 10 (16:20):
Wendy that I think that leads me right into my
next question, because if you're under a tight schedule, what
you are with ten days, there are limitations and what
you can do as far as shoots and reshoots. How
did that figure into your calculus as far as directing.
Speaker 11 (16:36):
A piece like this, Well, you know what, it all
starts in the planning. They if you listen, if you
don't plan, you're gonna fail. Because there were no opportunities
to do a reshoot, that's out of the question. We
had to make our days. So I worked very closely
with the DP and Wow, we worked for hours just
(16:56):
getting a solid shot list and just going play by play.
I had a wonderful production and producing team, Letitia Fortune
and Sheena Carter. They came through and just made sure
that every tea was crossed, every eye was dotted. We
had back to back zooms with every department and just
ensuring that.
Speaker 16 (17:17):
The move the looks.
Speaker 11 (17:18):
So when we got to set, everything was just as
we had planned it to be. Yes, there were a
few glitches, you know, there were weather. Oh my god,
it was almost a hurricane. You remember that night we finale.
We were shooting the finale and it was that huge
hurricane in Florida of the backlash of the brain and
(17:41):
everything in Atlanta. But the crew, we all came together.
Nobody wanted to leave, and you know, we all stayed
and we made it happen. So teamwork can make a
dream work. And I really want to say that, not
just because it sounds flowery, but everyone was so invested
(18:02):
and it just all came together because there was no
room for error. There was only room for adjustments. And
I said, for every problem, there's going to be a solution,
and we made it happen. One of the funniest things
was how do we create the brain of this massive computer?
Because Melissa Desosa's character is like a Steve Jobs. How
(18:22):
do you show the expansive world of this woman who
has this crypto and you know, blockchain technology, and how
do we show her world in basically where we were shooting,
it was just a home that we used every single
bedroom to create the world of this movie. And I
(18:44):
got to give a shout out to our GP. He
came up with the concept of creating the brain of
this incredible computer. He frosted two glass doors, and the
brain existed behind these two basically two French doors that
were just glass doors. But you know, we became very
creative and we've tapped into resources that we didn't have
(19:08):
and we made it work. And that's the one thing
I walk away with, you know.
Speaker 10 (19:12):
Most proud of Operation Anties now streaming on the AMC
streaming portion all Black.
Speaker 7 (19:19):
It is available right now.
Speaker 10 (19:20):
I want to thank my guests right now, Wendy, Raquel
Robinson and Tisha Campbell.
Speaker 7 (19:25):
I enjoy you both.
Speaker 10 (19:26):
I loved you both over so many years, and I
hope to speak to you again soon.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
Thank you, Hi, thank you for.
Speaker 7 (19:33):
The Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I'm MO Kelly, Thanks Mo Kelly, Wendy and Tisha. Operation
Aunties is available now on all streaming services. Now we
get commentary from James T.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
Harris.
Speaker 14 (19:46):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of bi N and its founding partners and employees.
Speaker 7 (19:57):
I'm jmc harris, and I have something to say.
Speaker 17 (20:00):
For more than a decade, the media has been running
the same tired playbook, scream racist at Donald Trump until
it sticks. Twelve plus years of progressive race based propaganda,
and yet the receipts don't match the rhetoric. This is
the man who received awards from Jesse Jackson and Al
Sharpton in the nineties for helping the black community. This
is the president who delivered record low black and Hispanic unemployment,
(20:23):
who pushed criminal justice reform and who poured billions into
opportunity zones. But the media doesn't care about results, They
care about labels. They'd spent years trying to morph Trump
into a white supremacist boogeyman because fear and divisions sell
better than facts. It's not about truth, it's about control.
But the narrative is now beginning to change, and social
(20:47):
media influencer Angelus Statten has brought the receipts.
Speaker 18 (20:50):
Donald Trump wasn't accused of being a racist. Prior to
his run for office. Donald Trump was active. Michael Jackson
trial him every single day Donald Trump ran and with
some everybody did he fifty cents? He's on the Wu
Tang Clan album. You know, this is the same Donald
Trump that when Jennifer Hudson's family was murdered, he put
her up for six months, you know in Trump Tower.
(21:12):
This is the same Trump that sent his private jet,
you know, all the way over to get Nelson Mandela
when he was released from prison. This is the same
Trump that released thirty one hundred people from prison, you know,
in one day July nineteen, twenty nineteen. I mean, if
that's the type of racism we have to deal with
I'll take it.
Speaker 17 (21:31):
So ask yourself, if Trump were truly what the left claims,
would black voters be shifting toward him in record numbers today?
The answer is simple, the narrative doesn't match the man.
After twelve years of screaming racists, the media's fist our bloody,
but Trump's still standing and stronger than ever. I'm jmec
Harris for the Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Thanks James, and stay tuned for more commentary in today's show.
Some people do a double take because these black people
really stand out. They had of red hair. The Black
Gingers are the subject of an upcoming documentary The Black
Information Networks. Vanessa Tyler spoke with the creator and producer
on her podcast black Land.
Speaker 12 (22:11):
When some think of a red head, classic TV show
I Love Lucy comes to mind.
Speaker 15 (22:17):
He wants to know if the color of your hair
is natural.
Speaker 8 (22:22):
Oh well, certainly tell them a natural And my father,
my mother bullp had red hair.
Speaker 12 (22:28):
Actress Lucy o'ball may have dyed her hair red reportly
so she would stand out on TV. Real red heads
do stand out, especially if they're black.
Speaker 9 (22:39):
You know, I'm a black woman and I'm a black
woman with red hair.
Speaker 12 (22:42):
Black people with red hair, the subject of an upcoming
documentary we hear from the creator and producer only in
black Land. When we think of red heads, Depending on
your age, maybe Lucy comes to mind, or about Prince Harry.
What about black redheads? One of our most iconic Malcolm X.
Speaker 10 (23:06):
The number one domestic problem in America is the race
problem that it is almost impossible to solve it.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
It's almost impossible to give justice to negroes.
Speaker 12 (23:15):
But there are plenty of others, and Iva Wilson would
love to meet them all. She is a redhead and
the creator of Ginger Noir, the Black Redhead Project. Iva welcome,
Thank you, How are you. I'm great. Let's talk about
black redheads. What have you learned so far about this
(23:37):
unique group of people.
Speaker 9 (23:39):
I'm meeting so many redheads who looked like me as
a young child, my hair was fire red, and I'm
meeting people whose hair has changed over time or is
still fire red.
Speaker 12 (23:55):
Iva Wilson is a born black redhead and she's a twin.
Speaker 9 (24:00):
Have a fraternal twin sister who has black hair. She
and I stood out because we were the twins in
the neighborhood, and then I was alone with the fire
red hair, and everyone would stop and ask my mom
did she dye my hair? My mom would respond, why
would I die of baby's hair? And one and not
(24:20):
the other. Until the neighborhood people, you know, became accustomed
to who we were and knew who we were. Of course,
she was teased maybe a carrot top Annie was the
other thing that people would say. And I associated that
with white characters and I didn't want I didn't feel
comfortable with that. I didn't wear makeup. I was pale,
(24:40):
you know, I was young. So as I got older,
I began to understand how to enhance my beauty and
the features that God gave me. I embraced my freckles,
and I embraced.
Speaker 12 (24:53):
My red hair, embraced it and explored it. Ginger Noir.
The Black Redhead Project is not only an open call
to speak to black redheads, but the mission is to
explore the origins of red hair.
Speaker 9 (25:07):
But in my research, I hope to find out and
you know, find more black redheads on the continent of
Africa and exactly where the gene comes from. The Studies
that I'm reading says that it's a Northern European gene. However,
you know, I wonder how you know that Northern European
(25:29):
gene produces color, you know, the African you know, people
from the diaspora can produce color. So I like to
know more about it and find out how this actually
shows up and where it comes from. And what I've
learned over the years is that, well recently, that there's
(25:49):
a gene that produces the red hair and drives the
balance between the reddish and the dark pigments that show
up in our hair, and is called the melanocurtin one receptor.
And if you have more FEO melanin in your hair,
you have more red highlights. However, you can have more
(26:12):
eu melanin in your hair that over time will allow
your hair to get darker.
Speaker 12 (26:17):
Lately, there has been this odd social media trend.
Speaker 15 (26:21):
When I first realized that there is an intersectionality between
red heads and black people.
Speaker 12 (26:25):
That's the voice of a white redhead. He's speaking along
with many others on social media about the connection between
white red heads and black people.
Speaker 15 (26:35):
From that moment, I have not been able to shake
that realization that to some people another whether it be
a white person with red hair or a black person,
will always be another.
Speaker 12 (26:51):
They say they are sometimes treated differently too.
Speaker 15 (26:54):
But it's undeniable though there are actual overlaps in the
red hite community or as well and a black community.
And I think that's why we're so excited today to
kind of realize that, like, there are populations that have
and will understand very similar life trajectories and experiences.
Speaker 12 (27:15):
So similar even though they're white. They say, the curious
want to touch their hair too.
Speaker 16 (27:21):
In the same way, certain types of white people have
to let you know that they have black friends that
they've interacted with a black person before they do the
same thing with redhead They have to tell me that
their cousin three times removed it was a redhead, there
was someone in their family that was a redhead. They
knew a redhead, they had a redhead brend I knew
a redhead once that I hated, But you've changed my
entire opinion on all redheads.
Speaker 9 (27:38):
That kind of dialogue fascinating.
Speaker 14 (27:40):
Number Two, In the same way.
Speaker 16 (27:41):
White people will reach out and touch your hair without
asking for permission, they do the same thing with redheads.
Speaker 12 (27:47):
I have a Wilson of Ginger Noir. The Black Redhead
Project is aware of the online chatter, but her mission
is on the black people with red hair.
Speaker 9 (27:57):
I didn't jump on the trend simply because what I
want to focus on is that there are black red
heads and that we deserved to be seen and we
are rare. I want to focus on the ambiguity of
our heritage and that every redhead isn't fair skin, and
(28:20):
as I mentioned, sometimes the hair darkens over time, but
nonetheless we are red heads. And I think what people
like is that I'm educating people about the gene and
I am celebrating out us as black people who have
been overlooked.
Speaker 12 (28:39):
Do you have anybody in your family in line with
red hair?
Speaker 9 (28:42):
I do, and my cousin, a few cousins, and they
happen to be on my father's side. And one of
my cousins is brown skin, and her hair was fire
red and as she got older, the eumelanin showed up,
so her hair appears dark. She still has the fiery
the red undertone. What I learned is that both parents
(29:05):
must carry the gene, and you don't know until you
know you have that child with red hair. In my conversation,
so many people walked up to me and said, my
grandmother had red here. My father had red hair and
it got darker. My mother had red hair, and so
that leads me to believe it is a strong gene,
maybe in you know, from Africa. So many people have it.
(29:26):
But as I mentioned, between the two melanated jeens, you know,
we produce more, the hair will become darker. If you
have less, the hair remains lighter. So I do have
a cousin who has red hair, first cousin, and then
also another cousin. A first cousin's child was born with
(29:49):
red with red hair, so you know, that's how it
shows up on my dad's side. So I didn't participate
in the trend. I looked at it just briefly, but
I moved on because again, JINGI noir like black red heads.
We're not a trend. We're going to be here, you
know as I get old and my hair is changing.
(30:10):
But I want our uniqueness to be recognized as you
know power, and I want our presence to be seen.
So my page focuses on black red heads through poetry,
through just you know, uplifting words to remind anyone, any
(30:32):
young black redhead that they are beautiful, that they are unique,
and also to you know people my age who are
tapping in applauding and saying, yes, I wish I had
this representation, thank you. So that is my goal. I
didn't want to jump on the white redheads are black trend?
Speaker 12 (30:56):
Do you know how many? What percentage I should ask of?
Black people have red hair?
Speaker 9 (31:02):
So it is the rarest color in the world, and
so only about two percent globally has naturally red hair,
making black redheads a smaller percentage.
Speaker 12 (31:14):
Now when will this project be out and what can
we expect to see in it?
Speaker 9 (31:19):
The Redhead Project is a series of events that I'm
bringing people together to document our stories in our everyday lives.
So the goal is to document meet new redheads move
from city to city and also incorporate a black geneticist
(31:40):
so that again the facts and the questions about the
gene can be answered with credibility. So I foresee the
project culminating in the next year. I do have some
things that are in line. Our next event will be
(32:00):
our meetup will be in December, which we will take
the New York Holiday Nostalgic Train and participate in the
Holiday train ride.
Speaker 11 (32:10):
There.
Speaker 9 (32:11):
We will continue to spread awareness so as I grow
I'll continue to document. I want to hear from more people.
Someone asked me if I were to create Mount rushmore
of Redheads, who would they be with the top five
or four? B of course Malcolm x red Fox and
(32:32):
I mentioned I'm hip hop, so I'm going to throw
DJ red Alert in there. And I'm still searching for
the last one.
Speaker 12 (32:41):
How can we follow you?
Speaker 15 (32:43):
So?
Speaker 9 (32:43):
Yes, you can follow jingin Noir on my website at
www dot jingin Noir brp dot com. And I'm also
on Instagram at jingin nowar BRP. And those are the
two sites that that I'm visible in right now, and
I'm looking forward to the community growing. There will be
(33:07):
Ginger Noir and Friends events in which you can come
out and meet more Gingers and hear from them yourself
or experience our time together. And as I mentioned, the
next one is in December. The details will be forthcoming
on our social media and the website.
Speaker 12 (33:27):
I'm a Wilson producer of Ginger Noir, the Black Redhead Project.
Thank you for telling us all about the beauty of
our people in all shades.
Speaker 9 (33:37):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 12 (33:39):
I'm Vanessa Tyler, joining for a new episode of Blackland
every week.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
Thanks Vanessa, and make sure you catch Vanessa Tyler's podcast Blackland,
available wherever you listen to your podcasts now. We get
commentary from Roland S.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Martin.
Speaker 14 (33:56):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this sarry are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of B I N. And it's founding partners and employees.
Now it's time to bring the funk with Roland S.
Speaker 19 (34:11):
Martin.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
Do y'all hear that?
Speaker 20 (34:15):
Do y'all hear the whining and the moaning? I do.
That's Red States who are upset up at arms because
they're personal savior who thinks he's in many Jesus Christ.
Donald Trump is destroying their economy. Las Vegas, man, the
(34:38):
economy is tanking, Tourism is down in a massive way.
International visitors they're like, nah, wayne't visiting America long as
a thug in chief is sitting there attacking undocumented workers
and attacking folks from across the world. Canadians they're like, oh,
(34:58):
you want to pick a fight with us, Screw you, Vegas.
We ain't bringing our Canadian dollars Florida. Y'all can go
to hell too. And by the way. Kentucky, you could
keep your damn whiskey. Nebraska, the governor calling Trump, Oh
my god, our gross domestic product g GDP is down
six percent. Can you please stop the raids on our farms.
Speaker 7 (35:21):
Because we're going to go out of business. Y'all?
Speaker 20 (35:24):
See the trend here. Nevada vote for Trump, Kentucky vote
for Trump, Florida vote of Trump, Nebraska vote for Trump.
Speaker 7 (35:37):
Now these people are crying. Oh, look at tariffs.
Speaker 20 (35:41):
John Deere, red blooded American company announcing huge layoffs. Why
tarffs costing the country some three hundred million dollars, y'all,
it's happening. I have consistently said the only way this
thing changes it's when White America starts feeling the massive pain.
(36:04):
They thought all of this stuff was going to hurt
black people and brown people. Now it's hurting them hashtag.
We tried to tell you. I'm Roland Martin on the
Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Thanks Roland. This week, Doug Davis is on assignment, so
we decided to replay a past interview where Doug speaks
with a black mayor who resides over a city that
back in nineteen twenty one, local police and the gang
of white men burned it down a part of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
We know it is black Wall Street.
Speaker 19 (36:33):
Hey, thanks Mike, this is Doug Davis, and this week
we take a pause on our segment entitled Your Black
Business to speak with Tulsa, Oklahoma's first black Mayor, Monroe Nichols.
The native of Waco, Texas, who played football at the
University of Tulsa, has served in a number of different roles,
including working with previous Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor. In twenty sixteen,
Nichols became the first African American elected to represent House
(36:57):
seventy two in the state's House of Representatives. We had
a chance to speak with Mayor Nichols while he attended
the US Conference of Mayor's Winter Session in DC last week.
We're over two hundred and sixty mayors from across the
nation came together to discuss the issues they all face. First,
we talked about the history and the legacy of black
people in Tulsa, the race, massacre and reparations.
Speaker 21 (37:19):
Twenty twenty one was the one hundredth anniversary of the
Tulsa Race Master Grol. Because of that, President Biden was
in Tulsen twenty twenty one, they're becoming like a bunch
broader national recognition of what had happened, not just the
master itself, but what existed before it, which was the
center of black wealth at the time. I mean, this
is you know, Black Wall Street, Greenwood District, and eventually
(37:41):
thirty seven blocks burned down and what I believe to
be the largest single event act of racial violence in
our country's history. And you fast forward now going into
one hundred and four years later and for the first
time ever that same city as a black mayor, which
(38:02):
is you know, I think significant, significant on one end
because it shows that now we as a community have
not only just jumped a important hurdle, but it shows
that there's a lot of attitudes that have shifted in
like what leadership should look like. Because it's also still
only about you know, thirteen fourteen cent black so it's
(38:23):
not like you know, so I mean, this is a
multicultural coalition coming together to say that, you know, you know,
there's certain things that were barriers before there are gonna
be less of barriers now.
Speaker 5 (38:35):
Like so that itself is a good thing.
Speaker 21 (38:37):
It also comes at a time where we have a
commission that's getting ready to deliver recommendations on reparations. It
comes at a time where we have two living survivors
one hundred and ten years old apiece, one of which
Mother Randall was actually at inauguration. And I talked about
(39:00):
this arc of someone who in this city witnessed the
events of nineteen twenty one race master, who also lived
long enough to see the first black mayor elected, and
she witnessed that, right, And so like, you know, I
think for us going into Black History Month, you know,
(39:20):
I you know, you can't ignore the significance of that
and what Tulsa was and everything else what you see
in like Atlanta, Georgia right now that was you know
kind of you know what.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
Tulsa could have been.
Speaker 21 (39:33):
You have all these really things that are instra parts
of our history. And so now I feel like, as mayor,
you think about all that and like, how do you
marshal that to bring back the legacy of Greenwood in
a way that we can create economic opportunity nor Tulsa,
How do we make sure we are a city that
is respectful of travel sovereignty and given that we inhabit
this land that was promised to some folks and then
eventually taken away, and then how do we recreate the
(39:56):
innovation that you know, led us to be in the community,
the power of the world, the world before we lost
live that to Houston. That's what that's what we're headed,
that's what we're working on. That's what I'm excited about.
Speaker 19 (40:04):
We asked Mayor Nichols about his sentiments on the teachings
of the late doctor Martin Luther King Junior and how
he plans to lead the city to greatness.
Speaker 21 (40:12):
And so I think about doctor King's time, and I
think about the kind of political leadership that was there
at the time in the South, Bull Connor, George Wallace,
you know these folks who were there at the time,
and you have these folks who are non violently continue
to advocate to make us better. And so much of
it was was making sure that this country lived up
(40:32):
to just what we said we were. Like, if we
said we were a country of segregation in the you know,
in the Decoration of Independence, well then maybe that's who
we are. But if we said we were for lifelysuit
of happiness for all people, then we have to be
that right. And so that was what Doark King was
saying be true to what you say you are on paper.
And I think if we continue to do that, we
continue to talk about the issues that make us true
(40:53):
to what we say we were on paper, we continue
to advocate because we don't face the kind of headwinds
that Doctor King face with Bull conn with George Wallace.
Now we have some subtlety about people. Now they may
not say those things, and maybe there's some of those
same feelings, but I do think that we can live
knowing that at a time. My mom and my dad
were born in nineteen sixty one, nineteen sixty two, before
(41:14):
the voting right tech for the silver right, Teck, I
am part of the first generation of my family born
with every right that every American is supposed to have.
Speaker 5 (41:21):
And I'm forty one years old, right.
Speaker 21 (41:22):
So things have gotten better, and so we have to
make sure that we're using our voice to continue to
advocate for communities so that we can continue to stay
true to what we are on paper. And I think
that is what's going to resonate with people ultimately, and
not that I you know, I Lyndon Johnson.
Speaker 5 (41:38):
Is one of my favorite presidents.
Speaker 21 (41:39):
He's very complicated man, but Lyndon Johnson spent a lot
of his career coming up gutting every piece of civil
rights legislation that ever was ye and then when he
got the power of the presidency, obviously you know kind
of the rest is history. Now, I'm not suggesting that
Donald Trump's had to change his heart like Lyndon Johnson.
Speaker 5 (41:56):
But what I am.
Speaker 21 (41:57):
Suggesting is is that we have to push leaders no
matter who they are, whether it's Joe Biden, Donald Trump,
Barack Obama, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Lenrode Nichols, g T. Biden,
and my predecessor, Juey Barby's predecessor, It does not matter
whether we vote for somebody or not.
Speaker 5 (42:15):
Part of our system is pushing the system movie.
Speaker 21 (42:17):
So yes, whether somebody is somebody you voted for, you
didn't vote for him, like our job, whether you're elected
or not, as to make sure we're continue to press forward.
Speaker 19 (42:26):
This is Doug Davis, and you're listening to the black perspective.
Last week, we spoke with the first black mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma,
Monroe Nichols, when he attended the US Conference of Mayor's
Winter Meetings, and we of course had to have a
discussion about President Trump at the new administration.
Speaker 21 (42:41):
You know, I think the big thing for me thinking
about you know, we are gonna so much going on
right now, and Tulsa is just one city. As I'm
here at the US Conference of Mayors, you have all
the very dynamic challenges every community's facing, and a lot
of them are similar skills different context is different, but
a lot of the issues remain the same.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
Everybody's dealing with some level, shape or form of an
affordable housing challenge.
Speaker 21 (43:05):
Most of us are dealing with challenges around homelessness, all
of us are dealing with challenges around income inequality, and
you know, education and trying to figure out how do
we best develop our economies. I always say like, if
somebody believes, and I learned this in the legislature, if
somebody believes as much as I believe in something and
something on the opposite side, why know what heart has
(43:26):
moved me off my position. It may be equally it's
hard to move them off their position. I know I
believe in what I believe.
Speaker 5 (43:33):
They may have the.
Speaker 21 (43:33):
Same types of reasons why they believe what they believe,
and so but we've got to figure out how we
stop missing each other, you know, when when we went
from you know, the from you know Gore to George
Bush in an election that was the hanging chads, right,
and that was a time where we a lot of
(43:54):
its very frustrated about how that went. That held in
comparison to what Trump Clinton was like, held in comparison
with Biden.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
Trump is like a parent comparison what Harris Trump was like.
Speaker 21 (44:05):
The level of division that we have in this country
politically speaking, and how we promoted in different ways, Like,
we've got to figure that part out. And I think
if I think there's something how we're missing each other
right now. It does not mean that I'm excited about
how election turns out. But maybe it does mean that
the sight of something shouldn't get me to an emotional
(44:29):
place like it does and and and allows me then
to discount whoever might be might be wearing. And I'm
not talking about the Confederate flag because then we got
problems there by mores talking about to make American a
great again, had I'm not sure I should have a
visual response to that. I may not agree, but that's
what I'm saying, Like it's hard. We have to we
(44:49):
have to figure out how to get over that. So
I say this, there's three people, three kind of people
in this country. That's all I ends with. If we
think that the future of this country will progress standpoint
and what we you know, and this is a great
thing about America, is that even though we keep missing
the mark, we keep trying to get better. Like we're
in this concert pursuit to try to get better, and
it's slow, but we keep trying to get better. Right
(45:09):
And so in my mind, there's these people who are
trying to get better or trying to push this big
boulder up a heel. Right, Well, then there's some people
who are trying to push the boulder back down the
hill against that progress. Right then, that's always part of it.
And we know are those people staying the people have
got to figure it out? Are the people who are
just watching that fight happen to decide which way you want
to push? And I think if we do that, there's
going to always be more people want to push it
(45:30):
up a hill. And so we got to figure out
how to get more people in the game to say, yes,
it is worth it to give for me to give
up myself to be part of the pushing that boulder
up the Hill, irrespective of how they deeply feel politically.
But the question is around social progress or we're going
to make it together.
Speaker 19 (45:46):
That's Monroe Nichols, the new mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This
is Doug Davis, and you're listening to the Black Perspective
on the Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
Thanks Doug and Monroe. Now we get commentary from Moe Kelly.
Speaker 14 (45:58):
The opinions, believe and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of BN and its founding partners and employees.
Speaker 10 (46:10):
I'm Moe Kelly on the bin with your two minute warning.
The US National Park Service announced Monday that it will
reinstall a statue in Washington of the Confederate General Albert
Pike that was torn down amid the racial justice protests
of twenty twenty. You know, George Floyd. And by the
US National Park Service, I mean the Trump administration. In
a statement from the MPs, it said restoring Confederate monuments
(46:34):
serve Trump administration objectives one end quote making the District
of Columbia safe and beautiful close quote, and another on
quote restoring truth and sanity to American history close quote.
The statue, which honors Pike's contributions to Freemasonry, was the
only memorial to a Confederate general in the US Capitol
before it was toppled. The country is still very much
(46:56):
in love with the Confederacy, its leaders, its flag, its monuments,
its symbolism, significance, and enduring politics of quote unquote states rights,
and all that that loaded phrase entails. None of this
should surprise anyone, as Trump said he would do exactly this,
just as the ice rays shouldn't surprise anyone, or the
overt garden variety racial animus which permeates all of his
(47:20):
political or social media proclamations. Confederate monuments have historically served
two primary purposes. One was an understanding with the losers
of the Civil War as a form of concession and
reconciliation with the seceding states to navigate reconstruction, and the
other was a reminder and threat to black people of
what segregation would mean going forward and the horrors to
(47:43):
be faced. The Pike statue is presently undergoing restoration and
is slated to be fully reinstalled by the end of
October of this year. Isn't that nice? But by then
the country should be at peak Confederacy. Congratulations, I'm mo'kelly
at mister mo' kelly on social media, and that's you're
two new warning on the Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (48:02):
Thanks mo Kelly, and be sure to tune in daily
for commentary from Mo Kelly, Rolandess Martin and James T. Harris.
Right here on the Black Information Network. We are marking
five years here at the Black Information Network. We came
on the air at a time America was in a
fight for black lives and we've been covering what's impacting
the black community ever since. We replayed the Black Information
(48:25):
Networks Vanessa Tyler's sit down with the president of the
Black Information networked Tony Coles, to talk about the network's beginning.
Speaker 7 (48:33):
Hello, it is to find a big boy.
Speaker 21 (48:36):
Thank you for tuning into this important announcement.
Speaker 12 (48:39):
Hey y'alldj MV what angela ye.
Speaker 19 (48:42):
Now go by the name of Charlamage the God and
with the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 5 (48:46):
And today right now is the.
Speaker 7 (48:49):
Birth of a completely new network.
Speaker 12 (48:51):
And with that, we were on the air on BION
station's nationwide Hey y'all.
Speaker 19 (48:57):
Listen, Mayor Steve Harvey and this is the launch of
the first and all the all news audio network and
by the black community.
Speaker 12 (49:07):
Well history was made five years ago, a twenty four
to seven news network solely focused on reporting news impacting
the Black community. The president of the Black Information Network,
Tony Coles, welcome, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (49:25):
What fuck.
Speaker 12 (49:28):
Timing is everything? The b N launched at a time
when racial policing could not be ignored. I mean, we
saw a black man die right before our eyes, and
I just wanted to talk about how BIEN launched at
that time but was already in the works.
Speaker 6 (49:46):
Talk about that absolutely. You know, it was tragic what
happened to George Floyd. It's tragic what had happened to
so many Black Americans. But the journey of BIM and
the launch of the Black Information Network started long before
that moment. We had had so many conversations over the
(50:11):
years about how we truly serve the black community. We
own radio stations in black communities throughout America, and when
we look at how as a company we can provide
the best service to our listeners, news and information was
something that was missing, and we had had so many
conversations about the need for this, and as we saw
(50:34):
in our own research, the growing belief in the phrase
fake news. That was deeply concerning, and so in twenty nineteen,
we made a mission to build a network that served
the communities that we lived in, served the communities that
(50:54):
we were a part of for many, many years. And
at the foundation of that was going to be a
network based in truth, in fact based reporting, but more importantly,
having reporters and journalists and writers who reflect those cities,
and we're able to tell the stories of the day's
(51:15):
news from a black perspective.
Speaker 4 (51:18):
I'm Doug Davis, I'm Terry McCready, I'm Mike Island, I'm
Esther Dillon, I'm Kevin Brown.
Speaker 12 (51:24):
With more than a dozen top journalists located throughout the country,
delivering news impacting the black community with fact based reporting.
Bi N is a news voice that stands apart and
lately standing alone.
Speaker 20 (51:39):
This is America's Black Voice, the Black Information Network.
Speaker 12 (51:45):
When we launched, there were also a lot of black
voices on larger national platforms than there are now. And
I'm just thinking about Don Lemon, Joy Reid, even Lester
is gone from the national news and I'm just wondering,
you know, whether that makes our role. I would think
(52:06):
much more important at this point because here we are
with a national platform, in a national voice.
Speaker 6 (52:13):
It's a really good point and a great question. You know,
I am really proud of the collection of black journalists
who call bi home. And as you mentioned, there are
so many incredibly talented and powerful black journalists who are
no longer a part of traditional forms of media, and
(52:37):
they're certainly doing amazing work in new platforms and new venues.
But when it comes to one home dedicated to Black
journalism in America, we stand alone.
Speaker 5 (52:52):
At this point.
Speaker 12 (52:53):
You travel a lot. I'm just wondering the feedback you're
getting from people who listen to the network. It's been
the worried out there on the streets.
Speaker 6 (53:03):
Feedback has been very, very positive and very powerful from
day one. Something that we've done over the past five
years to your point, is getting out into the communities
and making sure that the reporting on BIM and the
work that we do is not limited to what it's
like to be black in Atlanta, or what it's like
(53:25):
to be black in New York City, but really going
into so many of the communities that we serve. Our
vision from the beginning was to not only be in
cities with the largest Black populations in America, but some
of the smaller cities that have the highest concentration of
(53:45):
African Americans, making sure that not only are we serving,
but our news content reflects those communities. And I think
that that's part of the great feedback that we've gotten
is the fact that you and listen to BI in
and not only hear about what's happening in Washington and
how that impacts Black America, but also telling the stories
(54:09):
of a black farmer in the rural South.
Speaker 12 (54:12):
I'm Alexandria Ikeamoni on your Home for twenty four to
seven News Nashville's BI in ninety seven point five. I'm
Amber Payton on your Home for twenty four to seven News,
Norfolks b I in one o five point three.
Speaker 4 (54:24):
I'm Mike Eilan on your Home for twenty four seven
News Memphis is BI in the Black Information Network.
Speaker 6 (54:30):
We've always been rooted, as I said, in telling the
untold stories of our community. But what has been most
exciting to me and what I see evolving and will
continue to is is the depth of our reporting, again
being very intentional of telling the stories of black life
(54:51):
and how it looks in various parts of the country
and seeing that grow and develop. The partnerships and the
collaborations that we've made so that we're uncovering new aspects,
new stories, new perspectives every day, and that has really
changed and evolved, and I'm excited about the growth that
(55:13):
we've had in those areas.
Speaker 12 (55:15):
What is the future for the network? What do you
see some of the big things that are happening.
Speaker 6 (55:20):
Really continuing to scale what we've done over the past
five years. I think that when you look at the
level of talent that we have as a part of
this network today. We started out with some incredible journalists.
We've continued to grow that, but really making sure that
(55:40):
we're making our content available wherever people are consuming news
about Black America. Looking at continuing our platform growth, the
markets that we serve, the way that we are delivering news,
whether it's through our network, which was the foundation, things
(56:00):
like providing news content now for the Breakfast Club, working
with black owned newspapers throughout America, and sharing BION stories there.
Really just continuing to grow and scale and making sure
that wherever someone is in this country, they have access
to bi news.
Speaker 12 (56:22):
Tony Cole's president of the Black Information Network says the
future also holds collaborations.
Speaker 6 (56:29):
We are incredibly excited about the collaboration that we now
have with the Obama Foundation, and this is something that
we've worked on for quite some time, and we want
to do more of these kind of collaborations, specifically as
it pertains to the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential
Center which is opening in twenty twenty six in Chicago.
(56:53):
We are always looking for what are those stories about
work that is being done in the Black community to
help build the next generation of leaders, not just political leaders,
but community leaders, activists, people who are having.
Speaker 5 (57:10):
An impact in the Black community.
Speaker 6 (57:13):
And when you look at organizations and there are a
lot of great organizations doing this work every day, but
the Obama Foundation is doing some of the most advanced work,
some of the most aggressive work. And really it goes
beyond the building of the Presidential Center, which is going
(57:33):
to be incredible. I just can't even tell you how
excited I am to see the work that they are doing,
but the active engagement in communities throughout America, in building
and developing great Black leaders, great leaders in general, but
especially great Black leaders, and being able to collaborate with them.
(57:56):
To bring those stories to light is something that we're
really proud.
Speaker 12 (58:00):
Of, and it certainly gives us a lot more material
to tell those stories. Tony Coles, thank you so much
for stopping by and giving us a chat, and thank
you for your vision for our network.
Speaker 6 (58:12):
Thank you, and thank you for being such an important
part of it, right from the beginning with.
Speaker 12 (58:18):
A twenty four to seven news cycle that never stops.
I'm Vanessa Tyler on the Black Information Network. You're home
for Black news First with the Black perspective. Mike back
to you.
Speaker 4 (58:29):
Thanks Vanessa and Tony, and continue to listen to the
Black Information Network for your number one source of black news.
And that's our program for this week. For more on
these stories, listen to the Black Information Network on the
free iHeartRadio app for log onto Bionnews dot com for
all of the latest news impacting the black community. Also,
(58:51):
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
Information Network and on XM Blue Sky at black Info Net,
and make the Black Information Network First on your car
radio or iHeartRadio app presets. I'm Mike Island, wishing you
a great Sunday. Be sure to tune in next week
at this time for another edition of the Black Perspective
(59:11):
right here on the Black Information Network.
Speaker 14 (59:15):
Hi.
Speaker 22 (59:16):
This is Morgan Wood with the Black Information Network. Every year,
thousands of Black families face the unbearable sorrow of losing
a mom during pregnancy.
Speaker 7 (59:24):
Or after childbirth.
Speaker 22 (59:26):
Learn how you can support them in bion's special public
awareness campaign, Saving Black Moms a Maternal Health Crisis. Black
maternal health is a community issue. Learn more on our
social media platforms and at binnews dot com
Most people know about Restaurant Week, but not everyone knows
there's a Black Restaurant Week, born in Houston, Texas in
twenty sixteen and is now spreading the cities across the country.
It's more than just menus, it's a movement.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And so we really want to create something that was
more all exclusive to the creative things we were seeing
happening in the food scene.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
That's one of the three founders, Fall and feral.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
As we've grown through the years, we've literally watched businesses
start off as like a pop up food tent and
now having like two or three locations.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
From Soul Food Kitchens to Hidden Gem Caterer's. Black Restaurant
Week shines a light where it's long been missing. It's
helped generate tens of millions of dollars for black owned businesses,
keeping legacies alive and creating new ones, and it's part
of black history still being written every time a diner
takes that first bite. I'm Ester Dillard for the Black
Information Network.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Hi, this is Tammy Eswick with the Black Information Network.
Every year, during and shortly after pregnancy, at a time
that should be filled with some of life's most rewarding
and joyous experiences hundreds of black women die. Join the
Black Information Network as we take a look at the
issue and explore answers to the problem in our special
public awareness campaign, Saving Black Moms a Maternal health Crisis,
(01:26):
because every mom and every life is worth saving. Learn
more at binnews dot com.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
It's Sunday, August twenty fourth, and on today's show, The
Black Information That Works, Ester Dillard spoke with a founder
and restaurant owner who has a unique tasty tie to
the celebration of food and culture of this Black Business Month,
we get a preview of Vanessa Tyler's Blackland podcast. We
replay an interview by BIN News commentator Moe Kelly as
(01:52):
he sat down with actresses Wendy Raquel Robinson and Tisha
Campbell to discuss their latest movie project called Operaties. And
Doug Davis is on assignment this week, so we are
going to replay a conversation with Doug and Tulsa, Oklahoma's
first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols, And we get commentary from
Moe Kelly, James T. Harris, and Roland S.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
Martin.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
These stories and more are coming your way on today's program,
Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Island.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
Welcome to the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program
on the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions.
Speaker 7 (02:29):
On issues important to the Black community.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Good Sunday, everyone, I'm Mike Island and welcome to the
Black Perspective. This is Black Business Month, but all throughout
the summer, cities around the country have celebrated something called
Black Restaurant Week the Black Information Networks. Mister Dillard spoke
with one of the founders, fall and Farrell, and a
restaurant owner who has a unique tasty tie to the
celebration of food and culture.
Speaker 8 (02:55):
Well, it's a Fride shrimp and most people that're the
bomb bag because somebody said, oh, they're the bombing Most.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
People don't know. The Black Restaurant Week is huge. It
started as just a week in Houston, Texas, back in
twenty sixteen. Then it grew to two weeks and just
kept going. The event highlights chefs and restaurants that often
don't get the fanfare of more well known names in
other cities, and at least one restaurant owner tells me
it's an appreciated resource that actually helps grow business.
Speaker 8 (03:27):
I enjoy because they promote sometimes the people on the
hitting gyms, as I call myself, the offbeat past.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
When you think of Chicago and culinary delights, most folks
immediately think of deep dish pizza or a classic Chicago
hot dog. But on the South Side there's a black
owned soul food spot that's turning heads and feeding hearts,
all inspired by Louisiana cooking.
Speaker 8 (03:51):
And we're fresh, never frozen. Where chance the rapper's favorite
shrimp pee label he mentioned us on Access Hollywood is
his favorite go to spot over the shargo hot dog?
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Can you describe what it tastes like?
Speaker 8 (04:03):
We're a lightly breaded crustacean where it's just a little
hintu of spice pepper, but nat it's not like the
seafood boil shrimp, but a nice, flaky, crispy fried shrimp.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
That sounds so good that now iconic Louisiana style recipe
is featured at Hare's Gulf Shrimp in Chicago, Illinois, and
it was created by Ayisha's late mother in law, Frankie Porter.
But those who have never tasted this special recipe of shrimp,
because I understand it's it's unique because it's your husband's
(04:41):
mom's recipe.
Speaker 8 (04:43):
My mother in law.
Speaker 9 (04:44):
I never met her.
Speaker 8 (04:45):
She would have been one hundred same age as Billie Holiday,
so that's like over one hundred and five. My husband
was older than I and so she passed away. But hand,
you know, made sure he the baby boy of ten
at a siblings, said you keep this recipe in the family,
will always make you money.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Birth says. The restaurant was her husband, Finny Hare's creation,
and when he passed in twenty twenty one, she had
to step in during one of the most difficult chapters
in her life. And you had to step up to
the plate. How did you manage I guess learning the
business side of this and then managing your emotional journey
with such a loss.
Speaker 8 (05:19):
Yes, I tell people I went from president made from
secretary to president overnight because, like I said, COVID had
him in twenty twenty one, so it was a very
A lot of things were changing in any way for us.
But I promised him, I said, one of the last
few things. And I was like a lot of people
(05:40):
when you have to say goodbye through the glass doors.
I would have never thought, but I know he wanted
the golf open. And the only day we ever closed
to the day in the separate holidays is when we
held his funeral because the family had to tell everybody
who wanted to go.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
But even in heartbreak, Aisha kept the proma She's been expanding,
innovating and researching markets her husband only dreamed of.
Speaker 8 (06:05):
I just recently did Bloomingdale's for Black History Month because
we were promoting our trade secret recipe will be in
a batter mix to be launched in stores this year
in Bloomingdale's will possibly for their holiday season catalog. But
I let them we were talking about Black History Month,
and I said, it's just Black History. But I'm a
woman also in taking over, and this will be I
(06:28):
have no fit of physical offspring, but I have step
children and step grandchildren, so we're going into the third
generation family ran business.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Her drive is part of what caught the attention of
Black Restaurant Week, an initiatives started in Houston, Texas in
twenty sixteen, and the story of how that movement started
it's just as rooted in love, legacy, and community.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
We created a platform for the caterers and the private
chefs with our culinary showcase, so you know, it really
just showcased there was just all this energy happening in
the black food space, and it really wasn't a platform
for them to shine.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
That's Phelan Ferrell. In twenty sixteen, she joined Warren Luckett
and Derreck Robinson to turn a single idea into a
national movement.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Born Luckett the founder. He had been serving on the
board for the Greater Houston Black Chamber. Derek and I
have been super involved in Houston area Urban league and professionals,
so we were just community driven, I would say, people
looking for a way to just really spotlight something unique
going on in the black food scene.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
That first year, just twenty restaurants signed on. But then
and I.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Remember at the end of the week, Chef Holly, one
of the prominent chefs in Houston, came up to us.
Since that next year, make it two weeks, and so
we kind of just grew. Ever since then, every year
we were adding on new markets.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
The movement gained even more traction in the wake of
the George Floyd protests in twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Our big as gros spurt happened during twenty twenty around
George Floyd and our biggest funding came from that as well,
so you know, it is when things are going on
on a macro level, we as a community, Even now
with D and I, I feel like as a community,
everyone's just like, Okay, let's consolidate back and focus on
(08:20):
black community, black businesses, black economics.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So what's the advice for aspiring entrepreneurs entering this competitive space.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I just think getting connected with other like minded businesses
business owners. People assume that there's this level of competition,
it's really not. When we do our events, you'll see
all the barbecue restaurants networking with each other, so the
soul food restaurants taking photos together, like it's enough money
in the market for everybody to win. So I would
(08:51):
just say, like as we say in our nonprofit, like
don't do business alone, you know, like stop trying to
figure out everything alone. And so connected to our nonprofit,
Black Butt, we always say, once you get in the network,
get on our newsletter Liz, contire our events, and really
build your network of other business owners that could kind
(09:13):
of help share advice and tips on ways to succeed.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
So what do United Airlines African American spaghetti A little
black carry out bag labeled the bomb all have in common.
Speaker 8 (09:23):
We've catered United Airlines and they were like, oh you
get just take the term boom out so we could
get through the security with the shrimp. We've done at
their headquarters and at the actual airport for a Black
History Month, they had our truck actually on the tiremac
next to the planes. That was exciting.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
There's more to the story and so much more. This
week we gave you a taste, but the full meal
that's on the Color Between the Lines podcast. You can
find it on YouTube, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Esther Dillard.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Thanks Esther and Fallon. When it comes to black cinema,
actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and actress Tisha Campbell are household names.
The two ladies have a new film out called Operation Aunties,
and BIN News commentator Moe Kelly had a chance to
talk to them about it.
Speaker 7 (10:14):
Here's Moe's report.
Speaker 10 (10:25):
I'm Mo Kelly for the Black Information Network. Operation Aunties
now available on AMC streaming channel. All Black is an
action packed dramedy which tells the story of a longtime
friendship that is tested when a risk averse cryptocurrency expert
and her retired detective best friend become vigilantes after discovering
a cyber crime syndicate in their city.
Speaker 7 (10:48):
It's about your niece, Amina's a salt case.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
Oh my god, we trace him to this larger operation.
Speaker 11 (10:57):
There are guys who use a new rad share at
try women is a crypto coin.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Would think you we.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Go after and everyone else in this network.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Okay, vigilante, There's some dangerous people that are part of this.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
You owe me a spat day.
Speaker 9 (11:14):
All we need is some sexy outfits. I know that's right.
Speaker 12 (11:19):
By specializing in computer technology, you can.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
Identify everyone involved in this.
Speaker 13 (11:23):
Detective HAA Got your services.
Speaker 10 (11:28):
Directed by Wendy Raquel Robinson, who you know from her
time on the TV show The Game and also opposite
Steve Harvey on The Steve Harvey Show as principal greer.
Ms Robinson A pleasure to speak to you again.
Speaker 7 (11:40):
How are you?
Speaker 8 (11:41):
Oh?
Speaker 9 (11:41):
I am fantastic.
Speaker 11 (11:42):
Thank you for that wonderful under dudge.
Speaker 10 (11:44):
Absolutely and I'm also joined by Venerabull, comedic actress and
co star Tisha Campbell, who you know from the House
Party movie franchise, television classic Martin and opposite Eddie Murphy
in another forty eight hours.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
Miss Campbell is good to have you back on as well.
Speaker 14 (11:59):
Thank you, Teazer.
Speaker 7 (12:00):
Let me start with you.
Speaker 10 (12:01):
I get great joy by watching the evolution and growth
of your career over the years. What's it like to
branch out into action with Operation Aunties.
Speaker 13 (12:11):
I just love that Wendy saw me for this role
and that I get a chance to do any and
everything that I've ever wanted to do. Like during COVID isolation,
I made a pack to myself, because you know, you're
by yourself and all you have is yourself to I
didn't have anybody in my ear telling me what I
could or could not do, and so I made a
(12:31):
pack to myself that I was going to try everything
and make choices for myself, and.
Speaker 12 (12:36):
This was one of them.
Speaker 10 (12:37):
Wendy, my mother, my late father, and my sister are
all Howard University graduates such as yourself, and I would
be cussed out something awful if I didn't shout out Hu.
Speaker 7 (12:48):
You know, did you.
Speaker 10 (12:51):
Have any idea while walking down Georgia Avenue next to
the Wonderbread Factory in Washington, DC, that you'd be one
day in the director's chair.
Speaker 15 (13:00):
Wow?
Speaker 11 (13:00):
Thank you for that, you know what, one thing that
I love about Howard and that theater department. We had
to rotate and do everything, and that goes from lights
to sound to you know, hair, makeup, wardrobe.
Speaker 15 (13:13):
We had to do.
Speaker 11 (13:14):
All of the practic coms and sit in every single
chair as it came to not only theater but all
of the fundamentals from even the admin side of running
a theater. So I do want to say that my
days at Howard prepared me for a little bit of everything.
So as I smell the wonderbread that I now here
is a whole food store.
Speaker 12 (13:36):
And the evolution of it all, it was.
Speaker 11 (13:40):
It was a wonderful time in my life, and I'm
just so grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside
such amazing talents as I walk those halls and Georgia
Avenue as well.
Speaker 10 (13:50):
All right, Wenny, let me stay right there with you.
Let's get into operation Aunties and the Mayhem included. What
are these aunties in for?
Speaker 11 (13:58):
Ooh, these aunties for everything, Just like you said, the mayhem,
the chaos, the comedy. But I also want to say
it's an edutaining experience because we are dealing with some
serious content you know, in terms of the sex trafficking,
which is very, very real. So we had to do
a balancing act. And it's like, well, what do you
(14:20):
do when the FBI or you know, those forces that
are supposed to be handling things are not doing it
in a timely manner. You take things into your own
hand and you become vigilant. And that's where we got
the vigilantes for Operation Aunties. And I think the audience
is in for a ride. You know, it's not often
(14:40):
when you can get the tech world needs a little
bit of comedy, a little bit of action, a little
bit of you know, we got a little bit of everything.
But it's a wonderful, delicate balancing act that is educating
and entertaining for everyone. So I'm really really proud of it.
And it was a ride. It was a ride for
(15:02):
me as a director and just pulling it all together
so seamlessly. But I was surrounded by incredible talents of
Tisha Campbell and Melissa Desosa and it just really made it.
It made it a wonderful experience for me that I'm
gonna cherish.
Speaker 10 (15:18):
TiSER, let me talk more about that balancing act with you,
and I'm always curious to know how much leeway actors
have to improvise on projects like this. Yes there's a
serious undertone, Yes there's comedy. As they said that at
the top, it's a dramedy. So I'm going to ask you,
in front of your director, Wendy Raquel Robinson, how free
were you Tisha Campbell to improvise or have fun with
(15:40):
your character?
Speaker 9 (15:42):
Well?
Speaker 13 (15:42):
You know what, we only had ten days to this
what and so yeah, we had ten days to film
this and tj Ali the writer and Wendy carved out
on wonderful story. So I kind of tried as much
as I I could to stick to that. There were
(16:03):
ad lib moments, but for the most part, I didn't
want to stray too far because this was an intricate
story to tell, and I wanted to make sure that
my contribution wasn't over the top and not going to
take away from the story.
Speaker 10 (16:20):
Wendy that I think that leads me right into my
next question, because if you're under a tight schedule, what
you are with ten days, there are limitations and what
you can do as far as shoots and reshoots. How
did that figure into your calculus as far as directing.
Speaker 11 (16:36):
A piece like this, Well, you know what, it all
starts in the planning. They if you listen, if you
don't plan, you're gonna fail. Because there were no opportunities
to do a reshoot, that's out of the question. We
had to make our days. So I worked very closely
with the DP and Wow, we worked for hours just
(16:56):
getting a solid shot list and just going play by play.
I had a wonderful production and producing team, Letitia Fortune
and Sheena Carter. They came through and just made sure
that every tea was crossed, every eye was dotted. We
had back to back zooms with every department and just
ensuring that.
Speaker 16 (17:17):
The move the looks.
Speaker 11 (17:18):
So when we got to set, everything was just as
we had planned it to be. Yes, there were a
few glitches, you know, there were weather. Oh my god,
it was almost a hurricane. You remember that night we finale.
We were shooting the finale and it was that huge
hurricane in Florida of the backlash of the brain and
(17:41):
everything in Atlanta. But the crew, we all came together.
Nobody wanted to leave, and you know, we all stayed
and we made it happen. So teamwork can make a
dream work. And I really want to say that, not
just because it sounds flowery, but everyone was so invested
(18:02):
and it just all came together because there was no
room for error. There was only room for adjustments. And
I said, for every problem, there's going to be a solution,
and we made it happen. One of the funniest things
was how do we create the brain of this massive computer?
Because Melissa Desosa's character is like a Steve Jobs. How
(18:22):
do you show the expansive world of this woman who
has this crypto and you know, blockchain technology, and how
do we show her world in basically where we were shooting,
it was just a home that we used every single
bedroom to create the world of this movie. And I
(18:44):
got to give a shout out to our GP. He
came up with the concept of creating the brain of
this incredible computer. He frosted two glass doors, and the
brain existed behind these two basically two French doors that
were just glass doors. But you know, we became very
creative and we've tapped into resources that we didn't have
(19:08):
and we made it work. And that's the one thing
I walk away with, you know.
Speaker 10 (19:12):
Most proud of Operation Anties now streaming on the AMC
streaming portion all Black.
Speaker 7 (19:19):
It is available right now.
Speaker 10 (19:20):
I want to thank my guests right now, Wendy, Raquel
Robinson and Tisha Campbell.
Speaker 7 (19:25):
I enjoy you both.
Speaker 10 (19:26):
I loved you both over so many years, and I
hope to speak to you again soon.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
Thank you, Hi, thank you for.
Speaker 7 (19:33):
The Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I'm MO Kelly, Thanks Mo Kelly, Wendy and Tisha. Operation
Aunties is available now on all streaming services. Now we
get commentary from James T.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
Harris.
Speaker 14 (19:46):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of bi N and its founding partners and employees.
Speaker 7 (19:57):
I'm jmc harris, and I have something to say.
Speaker 17 (20:00):
For more than a decade, the media has been running
the same tired playbook, scream racist at Donald Trump until
it sticks. Twelve plus years of progressive race based propaganda,
and yet the receipts don't match the rhetoric. This is
the man who received awards from Jesse Jackson and Al
Sharpton in the nineties for helping the black community. This
is the president who delivered record low black and Hispanic unemployment,
(20:23):
who pushed criminal justice reform and who poured billions into
opportunity zones. But the media doesn't care about results, They
care about labels. They'd spent years trying to morph Trump
into a white supremacist boogeyman because fear and divisions sell
better than facts. It's not about truth, it's about control.
But the narrative is now beginning to change, and social
(20:47):
media influencer Angelus Statten has brought the receipts.
Speaker 18 (20:50):
Donald Trump wasn't accused of being a racist. Prior to
his run for office. Donald Trump was active. Michael Jackson
trial him every single day Donald Trump ran and with
some everybody did he fifty cents? He's on the Wu
Tang Clan album. You know, this is the same Donald
Trump that when Jennifer Hudson's family was murdered, he put
her up for six months, you know in Trump Tower.
(21:12):
This is the same Trump that sent his private jet,
you know, all the way over to get Nelson Mandela
when he was released from prison. This is the same
Trump that released thirty one hundred people from prison, you know,
in one day July nineteen, twenty nineteen. I mean, if
that's the type of racism we have to deal with
I'll take it.
Speaker 17 (21:31):
So ask yourself, if Trump were truly what the left claims,
would black voters be shifting toward him in record numbers today?
The answer is simple, the narrative doesn't match the man.
After twelve years of screaming racists, the media's fist our bloody,
but Trump's still standing and stronger than ever. I'm jmec
Harris for the Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Thanks James, and stay tuned for more commentary in today's show.
Some people do a double take because these black people
really stand out. They had of red hair. The Black
Gingers are the subject of an upcoming documentary The Black
Information Networks. Vanessa Tyler spoke with the creator and producer
on her podcast black Land.
Speaker 12 (22:11):
When some think of a red head, classic TV show
I Love Lucy comes to mind.
Speaker 15 (22:17):
He wants to know if the color of your hair
is natural.
Speaker 8 (22:22):
Oh well, certainly tell them a natural And my father,
my mother bullp had red hair.
Speaker 12 (22:28):
Actress Lucy o'ball may have dyed her hair red reportly
so she would stand out on TV. Real red heads
do stand out, especially if they're black.
Speaker 9 (22:39):
You know, I'm a black woman and I'm a black
woman with red hair.
Speaker 12 (22:42):
Black people with red hair, the subject of an upcoming
documentary we hear from the creator and producer only in
black Land. When we think of red heads, Depending on
your age, maybe Lucy comes to mind, or about Prince Harry.
What about black redheads? One of our most iconic Malcolm X.
Speaker 10 (23:06):
The number one domestic problem in America is the race
problem that it is almost impossible to solve it.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
It's almost impossible to give justice to negroes.
Speaker 12 (23:15):
But there are plenty of others, and Iva Wilson would
love to meet them all. She is a redhead and
the creator of Ginger Noir, the Black Redhead Project. Iva welcome,
Thank you, How are you. I'm great. Let's talk about
black redheads. What have you learned so far about this
(23:37):
unique group of people.
Speaker 9 (23:39):
I'm meeting so many redheads who looked like me as
a young child, my hair was fire red, and I'm
meeting people whose hair has changed over time or is
still fire red.
Speaker 12 (23:55):
Iva Wilson is a born black redhead and she's a twin.
Speaker 9 (24:00):
Have a fraternal twin sister who has black hair. She
and I stood out because we were the twins in
the neighborhood, and then I was alone with the fire
red hair, and everyone would stop and ask my mom
did she dye my hair? My mom would respond, why
would I die of baby's hair? And one and not
(24:20):
the other. Until the neighborhood people, you know, became accustomed
to who we were and knew who we were. Of course,
she was teased maybe a carrot top Annie was the
other thing that people would say. And I associated that
with white characters and I didn't want I didn't feel
comfortable with that. I didn't wear makeup. I was pale,
(24:40):
you know, I was young. So as I got older,
I began to understand how to enhance my beauty and
the features that God gave me. I embraced my freckles,
and I embraced.
Speaker 12 (24:53):
My red hair, embraced it and explored it. Ginger Noir.
The Black Redhead Project is not only an open call
to speak to black redheads, but the mission is to
explore the origins of red hair.
Speaker 9 (25:07):
But in my research, I hope to find out and
you know, find more black redheads on the continent of
Africa and exactly where the gene comes from. The Studies
that I'm reading says that it's a Northern European gene. However,
you know, I wonder how you know that Northern European
(25:29):
gene produces color, you know, the African you know, people
from the diaspora can produce color. So I like to
know more about it and find out how this actually
shows up and where it comes from. And what I've
learned over the years is that, well recently, that there's
(25:49):
a gene that produces the red hair and drives the
balance between the reddish and the dark pigments that show
up in our hair, and is called the melanocurtin one receptor.
And if you have more FEO melanin in your hair,
you have more red highlights. However, you can have more
(26:12):
eu melanin in your hair that over time will allow
your hair to get darker.
Speaker 12 (26:17):
Lately, there has been this odd social media trend.
Speaker 15 (26:21):
When I first realized that there is an intersectionality between
red heads and black people.
Speaker 12 (26:25):
That's the voice of a white redhead. He's speaking along
with many others on social media about the connection between
white red heads and black people.
Speaker 15 (26:35):
From that moment, I have not been able to shake
that realization that to some people another whether it be
a white person with red hair or a black person,
will always be another.
Speaker 12 (26:51):
They say they are sometimes treated differently too.
Speaker 15 (26:54):
But it's undeniable though there are actual overlaps in the
red hite community or as well and a black community.
And I think that's why we're so excited today to
kind of realize that, like, there are populations that have
and will understand very similar life trajectories and experiences.
Speaker 12 (27:15):
So similar even though they're white. They say, the curious
want to touch their hair too.
Speaker 16 (27:21):
In the same way, certain types of white people have
to let you know that they have black friends that
they've interacted with a black person before they do the
same thing with redhead They have to tell me that
their cousin three times removed it was a redhead, there
was someone in their family that was a redhead. They
knew a redhead, they had a redhead brend I knew
a redhead once that I hated, But you've changed my
entire opinion on all redheads.
Speaker 9 (27:38):
That kind of dialogue fascinating.
Speaker 14 (27:40):
Number Two, In the same way.
Speaker 16 (27:41):
White people will reach out and touch your hair without
asking for permission, they do the same thing with redheads.
Speaker 12 (27:47):
I have a Wilson of Ginger Noir. The Black Redhead
Project is aware of the online chatter, but her mission
is on the black people with red hair.
Speaker 9 (27:57):
I didn't jump on the trend simply because what I
want to focus on is that there are black red
heads and that we deserved to be seen and we
are rare. I want to focus on the ambiguity of
our heritage and that every redhead isn't fair skin, and
(28:20):
as I mentioned, sometimes the hair darkens over time, but
nonetheless we are red heads. And I think what people
like is that I'm educating people about the gene and
I am celebrating out us as black people who have
been overlooked.
Speaker 12 (28:39):
Do you have anybody in your family in line with
red hair?
Speaker 9 (28:42):
I do, and my cousin, a few cousins, and they
happen to be on my father's side. And one of
my cousins is brown skin, and her hair was fire
red and as she got older, the eumelanin showed up,
so her hair appears dark. She still has the fiery
the red undertone. What I learned is that both parents
(29:05):
must carry the gene, and you don't know until you
know you have that child with red hair. In my conversation,
so many people walked up to me and said, my
grandmother had red here. My father had red hair and
it got darker. My mother had red hair, and so
that leads me to believe it is a strong gene,
maybe in you know, from Africa. So many people have it.
(29:26):
But as I mentioned, between the two melanated jeens, you know,
we produce more, the hair will become darker. If you
have less, the hair remains lighter. So I do have
a cousin who has red hair, first cousin, and then
also another cousin. A first cousin's child was born with
(29:49):
red with red hair, so you know, that's how it
shows up on my dad's side. So I didn't participate
in the trend. I looked at it just briefly, but
I moved on because again, JINGI noir like black red heads.
We're not a trend. We're going to be here, you
know as I get old and my hair is changing.
(30:10):
But I want our uniqueness to be recognized as you
know power, and I want our presence to be seen.
So my page focuses on black red heads through poetry,
through just you know, uplifting words to remind anyone, any
(30:32):
young black redhead that they are beautiful, that they are unique,
and also to you know people my age who are
tapping in applauding and saying, yes, I wish I had
this representation, thank you. So that is my goal. I
didn't want to jump on the white redheads are black trend?
Speaker 12 (30:56):
Do you know how many? What percentage I should ask of?
Black people have red hair?
Speaker 9 (31:02):
So it is the rarest color in the world, and
so only about two percent globally has naturally red hair,
making black redheads a smaller percentage.
Speaker 12 (31:14):
Now when will this project be out and what can
we expect to see in it?
Speaker 9 (31:19):
The Redhead Project is a series of events that I'm
bringing people together to document our stories in our everyday lives.
So the goal is to document meet new redheads move
from city to city and also incorporate a black geneticist
(31:40):
so that again the facts and the questions about the
gene can be answered with credibility. So I foresee the
project culminating in the next year. I do have some
things that are in line. Our next event will be
(32:00):
our meetup will be in December, which we will take
the New York Holiday Nostalgic Train and participate in the
Holiday train ride.
Speaker 11 (32:10):
There.
Speaker 9 (32:11):
We will continue to spread awareness so as I grow
I'll continue to document. I want to hear from more people.
Someone asked me if I were to create Mount rushmore
of Redheads, who would they be with the top five
or four? B of course Malcolm x red Fox and
(32:32):
I mentioned I'm hip hop, so I'm going to throw
DJ red Alert in there. And I'm still searching for
the last one.
Speaker 12 (32:41):
How can we follow you?
Speaker 15 (32:43):
So?
Speaker 9 (32:43):
Yes, you can follow jingin Noir on my website at
www dot jingin Noir brp dot com. And I'm also
on Instagram at jingin nowar BRP. And those are the
two sites that that I'm visible in right now, and
I'm looking forward to the community growing. There will be
(33:07):
Ginger Noir and Friends events in which you can come
out and meet more Gingers and hear from them yourself
or experience our time together. And as I mentioned, the
next one is in December. The details will be forthcoming
on our social media and the website.
Speaker 12 (33:27):
I'm a Wilson producer of Ginger Noir, the Black Redhead Project.
Thank you for telling us all about the beauty of
our people in all shades.
Speaker 9 (33:37):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 12 (33:39):
I'm Vanessa Tyler, joining for a new episode of Blackland
every week.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
Thanks Vanessa, and make sure you catch Vanessa Tyler's podcast Blackland,
available wherever you listen to your podcasts now. We get
commentary from Roland S.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Martin.
Speaker 14 (33:56):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this sarry are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of B I N. And it's founding partners and employees.
Now it's time to bring the funk with Roland S.
Speaker 19 (34:11):
Martin.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
Do y'all hear that?
Speaker 20 (34:15):
Do y'all hear the whining and the moaning? I do.
That's Red States who are upset up at arms because
they're personal savior who thinks he's in many Jesus Christ.
Donald Trump is destroying their economy. Las Vegas, man, the
(34:38):
economy is tanking, Tourism is down in a massive way.
International visitors they're like, nah, wayne't visiting America long as
a thug in chief is sitting there attacking undocumented workers
and attacking folks from across the world. Canadians they're like, oh,
(34:58):
you want to pick a fight with us, Screw you, Vegas.
We ain't bringing our Canadian dollars Florida. Y'all can go
to hell too. And by the way. Kentucky, you could
keep your damn whiskey. Nebraska, the governor calling Trump, Oh
my god, our gross domestic product g GDP is down
six percent. Can you please stop the raids on our farms.
Speaker 7 (35:21):
Because we're going to go out of business. Y'all?
Speaker 20 (35:24):
See the trend here. Nevada vote for Trump, Kentucky vote
for Trump, Florida vote of Trump, Nebraska vote for Trump.
Speaker 7 (35:37):
Now these people are crying. Oh, look at tariffs.
Speaker 20 (35:41):
John Deere, red blooded American company announcing huge layoffs. Why
tarffs costing the country some three hundred million dollars, y'all,
it's happening. I have consistently said the only way this
thing changes it's when White America starts feeling the massive pain.
(36:04):
They thought all of this stuff was going to hurt
black people and brown people. Now it's hurting them hashtag.
We tried to tell you. I'm Roland Martin on the
Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Thanks Roland. This week, Doug Davis is on assignment, so
we decided to replay a past interview where Doug speaks
with a black mayor who resides over a city that
back in nineteen twenty one, local police and the gang
of white men burned it down a part of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
We know it is black Wall Street.
Speaker 19 (36:33):
Hey, thanks Mike, this is Doug Davis, and this week
we take a pause on our segment entitled Your Black
Business to speak with Tulsa, Oklahoma's first black Mayor, Monroe Nichols.
The native of Waco, Texas, who played football at the
University of Tulsa, has served in a number of different roles,
including working with previous Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor. In twenty sixteen,
Nichols became the first African American elected to represent House
(36:57):
seventy two in the state's House of Representatives. We had
a chance to speak with Mayor Nichols while he attended
the US Conference of Mayor's Winter Session in DC last week.
We're over two hundred and sixty mayors from across the
nation came together to discuss the issues they all face. First,
we talked about the history and the legacy of black
people in Tulsa, the race, massacre and reparations.
Speaker 21 (37:19):
Twenty twenty one was the one hundredth anniversary of the
Tulsa Race Master Grol. Because of that, President Biden was
in Tulsen twenty twenty one, they're becoming like a bunch
broader national recognition of what had happened, not just the
master itself, but what existed before it, which was the
center of black wealth at the time. I mean, this
is you know, Black Wall Street, Greenwood District, and eventually
(37:41):
thirty seven blocks burned down and what I believe to
be the largest single event act of racial violence in
our country's history. And you fast forward now going into
one hundred and four years later and for the first
time ever that same city as a black mayor, which
(38:02):
is you know, I think significant, significant on one end
because it shows that now we as a community have
not only just jumped a important hurdle, but it shows
that there's a lot of attitudes that have shifted in
like what leadership should look like. Because it's also still
only about you know, thirteen fourteen cent black so it's
(38:23):
not like you know, so I mean, this is a
multicultural coalition coming together to say that, you know, you know,
there's certain things that were barriers before there are gonna
be less of barriers now.
Speaker 5 (38:35):
Like so that itself is a good thing.
Speaker 21 (38:37):
It also comes at a time where we have a
commission that's getting ready to deliver recommendations on reparations. It
comes at a time where we have two living survivors
one hundred and ten years old apiece, one of which
Mother Randall was actually at inauguration. And I talked about
(39:00):
this arc of someone who in this city witnessed the
events of nineteen twenty one race master, who also lived
long enough to see the first black mayor elected, and
she witnessed that, right, And so like, you know, I
think for us going into Black History Month, you know,
(39:20):
I you know, you can't ignore the significance of that
and what Tulsa was and everything else what you see
in like Atlanta, Georgia right now that was you know
kind of you know what.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
Tulsa could have been.
Speaker 21 (39:33):
You have all these really things that are instra parts
of our history. And so now I feel like, as mayor,
you think about all that and like, how do you
marshal that to bring back the legacy of Greenwood in
a way that we can create economic opportunity nor Tulsa,
How do we make sure we are a city that
is respectful of travel sovereignty and given that we inhabit
this land that was promised to some folks and then
eventually taken away, and then how do we recreate the
(39:56):
innovation that you know, led us to be in the community,
the power of the world, the world before we lost
live that to Houston. That's what that's what we're headed,
that's what we're working on. That's what I'm excited about.
Speaker 19 (40:04):
We asked Mayor Nichols about his sentiments on the teachings
of the late doctor Martin Luther King Junior and how
he plans to lead the city to greatness.
Speaker 21 (40:12):
And so I think about doctor King's time, and I
think about the kind of political leadership that was there
at the time in the South, Bull Connor, George Wallace,
you know these folks who were there at the time,
and you have these folks who are non violently continue
to advocate to make us better. And so much of
it was was making sure that this country lived up
(40:32):
to just what we said we were. Like, if we
said we were a country of segregation in the you know,
in the Decoration of Independence, well then maybe that's who
we are. But if we said we were for lifelysuit
of happiness for all people, then we have to be
that right. And so that was what Doark King was
saying be true to what you say you are on paper.
And I think if we continue to do that, we
continue to talk about the issues that make us true
(40:53):
to what we say we were on paper, we continue
to advocate because we don't face the kind of headwinds
that Doctor King face with Bull conn with George Wallace.
Now we have some subtlety about people. Now they may
not say those things, and maybe there's some of those
same feelings, but I do think that we can live
knowing that at a time. My mom and my dad
were born in nineteen sixty one, nineteen sixty two, before
(41:14):
the voting right tech for the silver right, Teck, I
am part of the first generation of my family born
with every right that every American is supposed to have.
Speaker 5 (41:21):
And I'm forty one years old, right.
Speaker 21 (41:22):
So things have gotten better, and so we have to
make sure that we're using our voice to continue to
advocate for communities so that we can continue to stay
true to what we are on paper. And I think
that is what's going to resonate with people ultimately, and
not that I you know, I Lyndon Johnson.
Speaker 5 (41:38):
Is one of my favorite presidents.
Speaker 21 (41:39):
He's very complicated man, but Lyndon Johnson spent a lot
of his career coming up gutting every piece of civil
rights legislation that ever was ye and then when he
got the power of the presidency, obviously you know kind
of the rest is history. Now, I'm not suggesting that
Donald Trump's had to change his heart like Lyndon Johnson.
Speaker 5 (41:56):
But what I am.
Speaker 21 (41:57):
Suggesting is is that we have to push leaders no
matter who they are, whether it's Joe Biden, Donald Trump,
Barack Obama, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Lenrode Nichols, g T. Biden,
and my predecessor, Juey Barby's predecessor, It does not matter
whether we vote for somebody or not.
Speaker 5 (42:15):
Part of our system is pushing the system movie.
Speaker 21 (42:17):
So yes, whether somebody is somebody you voted for, you
didn't vote for him, like our job, whether you're elected
or not, as to make sure we're continue to press forward.
Speaker 19 (42:26):
This is Doug Davis, and you're listening to the black perspective.
Last week, we spoke with the first black mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma,
Monroe Nichols, when he attended the US Conference of Mayor's
Winter Meetings, and we of course had to have a
discussion about President Trump at the new administration.
Speaker 21 (42:41):
You know, I think the big thing for me thinking
about you know, we are gonna so much going on
right now, and Tulsa is just one city. As I'm
here at the US Conference of Mayors, you have all
the very dynamic challenges every community's facing, and a lot
of them are similar skills different context is different, but
a lot of the issues remain the same.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
Everybody's dealing with some level, shape or form of an
affordable housing challenge.
Speaker 21 (43:05):
Most of us are dealing with challenges around homelessness, all
of us are dealing with challenges around income inequality, and
you know, education and trying to figure out how do
we best develop our economies. I always say like, if
somebody believes, and I learned this in the legislature, if
somebody believes as much as I believe in something and
something on the opposite side, why know what heart has
(43:26):
moved me off my position. It may be equally it's
hard to move them off their position. I know I
believe in what I believe.
Speaker 5 (43:33):
They may have the.
Speaker 21 (43:33):
Same types of reasons why they believe what they believe,
and so but we've got to figure out how we
stop missing each other, you know, when when we went
from you know, the from you know Gore to George
Bush in an election that was the hanging chads, right,
and that was a time where we a lot of
(43:54):
its very frustrated about how that went. That held in
comparison to what Trump Clinton was like, held in comparison
with Biden.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
Trump is like a parent comparison what Harris Trump was like.
Speaker 21 (44:05):
The level of division that we have in this country
politically speaking, and how we promoted in different ways, Like,
we've got to figure that part out. And I think
if I think there's something how we're missing each other
right now. It does not mean that I'm excited about
how election turns out. But maybe it does mean that
the sight of something shouldn't get me to an emotional
(44:29):
place like it does and and and allows me then
to discount whoever might be might be wearing. And I'm
not talking about the Confederate flag because then we got
problems there by mores talking about to make American a
great again, had I'm not sure I should have a
visual response to that. I may not agree, but that's
what I'm saying, Like it's hard. We have to we
(44:49):
have to figure out how to get over that. So
I say this, there's three people, three kind of people
in this country. That's all I ends with. If we
think that the future of this country will progress standpoint
and what we you know, and this is a great
thing about America, is that even though we keep missing
the mark, we keep trying to get better. Like we're
in this concert pursuit to try to get better, and
it's slow, but we keep trying to get better. Right
(45:09):
And so in my mind, there's these people who are
trying to get better or trying to push this big
boulder up a heel. Right, Well, then there's some people
who are trying to push the boulder back down the
hill against that progress. Right then, that's always part of it.
And we know are those people staying the people have
got to figure it out? Are the people who are
just watching that fight happen to decide which way you want
to push? And I think if we do that, there's
going to always be more people want to push it
(45:30):
up a hill. And so we got to figure out
how to get more people in the game to say, yes,
it is worth it to give for me to give
up myself to be part of the pushing that boulder
up the Hill, irrespective of how they deeply feel politically.
But the question is around social progress or we're going
to make it together.
Speaker 19 (45:46):
That's Monroe Nichols, the new mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This
is Doug Davis, and you're listening to the Black Perspective
on the Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
Thanks Doug and Monroe. Now we get commentary from Moe Kelly.
Speaker 14 (45:58):
The opinions, believe and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of BN and its founding partners and employees.
Speaker 10 (46:10):
I'm Moe Kelly on the bin with your two minute warning.
The US National Park Service announced Monday that it will
reinstall a statue in Washington of the Confederate General Albert
Pike that was torn down amid the racial justice protests
of twenty twenty. You know, George Floyd. And by the
US National Park Service, I mean the Trump administration. In
a statement from the MPs, it said restoring Confederate monuments
(46:34):
serve Trump administration objectives one end quote making the District
of Columbia safe and beautiful close quote, and another on
quote restoring truth and sanity to American history close quote.
The statue, which honors Pike's contributions to Freemasonry, was the
only memorial to a Confederate general in the US Capitol
before it was toppled. The country is still very much
(46:56):
in love with the Confederacy, its leaders, its flag, its monuments,
its symbolism, significance, and enduring politics of quote unquote states rights,
and all that that loaded phrase entails. None of this
should surprise anyone, as Trump said he would do exactly this,
just as the ice rays shouldn't surprise anyone, or the
overt garden variety racial animus which permeates all of his
(47:20):
political or social media proclamations. Confederate monuments have historically served
two primary purposes. One was an understanding with the losers
of the Civil War as a form of concession and
reconciliation with the seceding states to navigate reconstruction, and the
other was a reminder and threat to black people of
what segregation would mean going forward and the horrors to
(47:43):
be faced. The Pike statue is presently undergoing restoration and
is slated to be fully reinstalled by the end of
October of this year. Isn't that nice? But by then
the country should be at peak Confederacy. Congratulations, I'm mo'kelly
at mister mo' kelly on social media, and that's you're
two new warning on the Black Information Network.
Speaker 4 (48:02):
Thanks mo Kelly, and be sure to tune in daily
for commentary from Mo Kelly, Rolandess Martin and James T. Harris.
Right here on the Black Information Network. We are marking
five years here at the Black Information Network. We came
on the air at a time America was in a
fight for black lives and we've been covering what's impacting
the black community ever since. We replayed the Black Information
(48:25):
Networks Vanessa Tyler's sit down with the president of the
Black Information networked Tony Coles, to talk about the network's beginning.
Speaker 7 (48:33):
Hello, it is to find a big boy.
Speaker 21 (48:36):
Thank you for tuning into this important announcement.
Speaker 12 (48:39):
Hey y'alldj MV what angela ye.
Speaker 19 (48:42):
Now go by the name of Charlamage the God and
with the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 5 (48:46):
And today right now is the.
Speaker 7 (48:49):
Birth of a completely new network.
Speaker 12 (48:51):
And with that, we were on the air on BION
station's nationwide Hey y'all.
Speaker 19 (48:57):
Listen, Mayor Steve Harvey and this is the launch of
the first and all the all news audio network and
by the black community.
Speaker 12 (49:07):
Well history was made five years ago, a twenty four
to seven news network solely focused on reporting news impacting
the Black community. The president of the Black Information Network,
Tony Coles, welcome, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (49:25):
What fuck.
Speaker 12 (49:28):
Timing is everything? The b N launched at a time
when racial policing could not be ignored. I mean, we
saw a black man die right before our eyes, and
I just wanted to talk about how BIEN launched at
that time but was already in the works.
Speaker 6 (49:46):
Talk about that absolutely. You know, it was tragic what
happened to George Floyd. It's tragic what had happened to
so many Black Americans. But the journey of BIM and
the launch of the Black Information Network started long before
that moment. We had had so many conversations over the
(50:11):
years about how we truly serve the black community. We
own radio stations in black communities throughout America, and when
we look at how as a company we can provide
the best service to our listeners, news and information was
something that was missing, and we had had so many
conversations about the need for this, and as we saw
(50:34):
in our own research, the growing belief in the phrase
fake news. That was deeply concerning, and so in twenty nineteen,
we made a mission to build a network that served
the communities that we lived in, served the communities that
(50:54):
we were a part of for many, many years. And
at the foundation of that was going to be a
network based in truth, in fact based reporting, but more importantly,
having reporters and journalists and writers who reflect those cities,
and we're able to tell the stories of the day's
(51:15):
news from a black perspective.
Speaker 4 (51:18):
I'm Doug Davis, I'm Terry McCready, I'm Mike Island, I'm
Esther Dillon, I'm Kevin Brown.
Speaker 12 (51:24):
With more than a dozen top journalists located throughout the country,
delivering news impacting the black community with fact based reporting.
Bi N is a news voice that stands apart and
lately standing alone.
Speaker 20 (51:39):
This is America's Black Voice, the Black Information Network.
Speaker 12 (51:45):
When we launched, there were also a lot of black
voices on larger national platforms than there are now. And
I'm just thinking about Don Lemon, Joy Reid, even Lester
is gone from the national news and I'm just wondering,
you know, whether that makes our role. I would think
(52:06):
much more important at this point because here we are
with a national platform, in a national voice.
Speaker 6 (52:13):
It's a really good point and a great question. You know,
I am really proud of the collection of black journalists
who call bi home. And as you mentioned, there are
so many incredibly talented and powerful black journalists who are
no longer a part of traditional forms of media, and
(52:37):
they're certainly doing amazing work in new platforms and new venues.
But when it comes to one home dedicated to Black
journalism in America, we stand alone.
Speaker 5 (52:52):
At this point.
Speaker 12 (52:53):
You travel a lot. I'm just wondering the feedback you're
getting from people who listen to the network. It's been
the worried out there on the streets.
Speaker 6 (53:03):
Feedback has been very, very positive and very powerful from
day one. Something that we've done over the past five
years to your point, is getting out into the communities
and making sure that the reporting on BIM and the
work that we do is not limited to what it's
like to be black in Atlanta, or what it's like
(53:25):
to be black in New York City, but really going
into so many of the communities that we serve. Our
vision from the beginning was to not only be in
cities with the largest Black populations in America, but some
of the smaller cities that have the highest concentration of
(53:45):
African Americans, making sure that not only are we serving,
but our news content reflects those communities. And I think
that that's part of the great feedback that we've gotten
is the fact that you and listen to BI in
and not only hear about what's happening in Washington and
how that impacts Black America, but also telling the stories
(54:09):
of a black farmer in the rural South.
Speaker 12 (54:12):
I'm Alexandria Ikeamoni on your Home for twenty four to
seven News Nashville's BI in ninety seven point five. I'm
Amber Payton on your Home for twenty four to seven News,
Norfolks b I in one o five point three.
Speaker 4 (54:24):
I'm Mike Eilan on your Home for twenty four seven
News Memphis is BI in the Black Information Network.
Speaker 6 (54:30):
We've always been rooted, as I said, in telling the
untold stories of our community. But what has been most
exciting to me and what I see evolving and will
continue to is is the depth of our reporting, again
being very intentional of telling the stories of black life
(54:51):
and how it looks in various parts of the country
and seeing that grow and develop. The partnerships and the
collaborations that we've made so that we're uncovering new aspects,
new stories, new perspectives every day, and that has really
changed and evolved, and I'm excited about the growth that
(55:13):
we've had in those areas.
Speaker 12 (55:15):
What is the future for the network? What do you
see some of the big things that are happening.
Speaker 6 (55:20):
Really continuing to scale what we've done over the past
five years. I think that when you look at the
level of talent that we have as a part of
this network today. We started out with some incredible journalists.
We've continued to grow that, but really making sure that
(55:40):
we're making our content available wherever people are consuming news
about Black America. Looking at continuing our platform growth, the
markets that we serve, the way that we are delivering news,
whether it's through our network, which was the foundation, things
(56:00):
like providing news content now for the Breakfast Club, working
with black owned newspapers throughout America, and sharing BION stories there.
Really just continuing to grow and scale and making sure
that wherever someone is in this country, they have access
to bi news.
Speaker 12 (56:22):
Tony Cole's president of the Black Information Network says the
future also holds collaborations.
Speaker 6 (56:29):
We are incredibly excited about the collaboration that we now
have with the Obama Foundation, and this is something that
we've worked on for quite some time, and we want
to do more of these kind of collaborations, specifically as
it pertains to the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential
Center which is opening in twenty twenty six in Chicago.
(56:53):
We are always looking for what are those stories about
work that is being done in the Black community to
help build the next generation of leaders, not just political leaders,
but community leaders, activists, people who are having.
Speaker 5 (57:10):
An impact in the Black community.
Speaker 6 (57:13):
And when you look at organizations and there are a
lot of great organizations doing this work every day, but
the Obama Foundation is doing some of the most advanced work,
some of the most aggressive work. And really it goes
beyond the building of the Presidential Center, which is going
(57:33):
to be incredible. I just can't even tell you how
excited I am to see the work that they are doing,
but the active engagement in communities throughout America, in building
and developing great Black leaders, great leaders in general, but
especially great Black leaders, and being able to collaborate with them.
(57:56):
To bring those stories to light is something that we're
really proud.
Speaker 12 (58:00):
Of, and it certainly gives us a lot more material
to tell those stories. Tony Coles, thank you so much
for stopping by and giving us a chat, and thank
you for your vision for our network.
Speaker 6 (58:12):
Thank you, and thank you for being such an important
part of it, right from the beginning with.
Speaker 12 (58:18):
A twenty four to seven news cycle that never stops.
I'm Vanessa Tyler on the Black Information Network. You're home
for Black news First with the Black perspective. Mike back
to you.
Speaker 4 (58:29):
Thanks Vanessa and Tony, and continue to listen to the
Black Information Network for your number one source of black news.
And that's our program for this week. For more on
these stories, listen to the Black Information Network on the
free iHeartRadio app for log onto Bionnews dot com for
all of the latest news impacting the black community. Also,
(58:51):
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
Information Network and on XM Blue Sky at black Info Net,
and make the Black Information Network First on your car
radio or iHeartRadio app presets. I'm Mike Island, wishing you
a great Sunday. Be sure to tune in next week
at this time for another edition of the Black Perspective
(59:11):
right here on the Black Information Network.
Speaker 14 (59:15):
Hi.
Speaker 22 (59:16):
This is Morgan Wood with the Black Information Network. Every year,
thousands of Black families face the unbearable sorrow of losing
a mom during pregnancy.
Speaker 7 (59:24):
Or after childbirth.
Speaker 22 (59:26):
Learn how you can support them in bion's special public
awareness campaign, Saving Black Moms a Maternal Health Crisis. Black
maternal health is a community issue. Learn more on our
social media platforms and at binnews dot com
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.