The Black Perspective: July 20, 2025

This week on the Black Perspective, BIN Anchor Tammy Estwick kicks off the show with a powerful two-part conversation featuring Dr. Anthony M. Fletcher, President of the Association of Black Cardiologists, and New Orleans’ own Randy “Big Swoll” Thorton. The duo shares life-saving insight into heart health and the urgent fight against heart failure in the Black community.

Andrea Coleman returns with another installment of Saving Black Moms: A Maternal Health Crisis, sitting down with iHeartMedia radio personality Roxanne Romero, who opens up about her personal birthing experience.

BIN’s Alexandria Ikomoni speaks with George Acheampong and Carter Cofield, the co-founders of the nationally recognized financial platform Melanin Money. The two Black millionaires break down what financial literacy really looks like, and how to build wealth with purpose.

Plus, Gracie Award winner Esther Dillard shares a new segment of "A Shade Deeper," and Vanessa Tyler previews her upcoming Blackland podcast.

Listen now!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Sunday, July twentieth, and on today's show, Black Information
Network anchor Tammy Estwick starts to show off with the
President of the Association of Black Cardiologist, doctor Anthony M.
Fletcher in New Orleans own Randy Bixwalthornton, who drops some
gems about heart doctors and heart failure in the black community.
In a two part segment, bi in anchor Andrea Coleman

(00:21):
is back with another segment of Saving Black Moms with
a conversation with iHeartMedia radio personality Roxanne Romero about her
birthing experience. We have the black millionaires and co founders
of Melanin Money, which is a nationally recognized financial education platform.
George ar Jimpong and Carter Colefield have us sit down
with the Black Information Networks Alexandria Ikaimoni about financial literacy

(00:44):
and more. And we hear another segment of a Shade
Deeper from Ester Dillard and a preview from Vanessa Tyler's
Blackland podcast. These stories and more are coming your way
on today's program. Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host,
Mike Island.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Welcome to the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program
on the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions on
issues important to the Black community.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Good Sunday, everyone, and welcome to the Black Perspective. June
was Men's Health Month, but here at the Black Information Network,
we know this is a year round issue, and we're
focusing on two problems. Only three percent of the heart
doctors in America are black. What's even more troubling is
that black men have a seventy percent higher risk of
developing heart failure than white men.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
We're focusing on two problems. Only three percent of the
heart doctors in America are black. What's even more troubling
is that black men have a seventy percent higher risk
of developing heart failure than white men.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Well, this is a big one.

Speaker 5 (01:45):
I'm done, Elizabeth.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
I'm coming to join.

Speaker 5 (01:49):
You, honey.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Fret Sandford used to comically act like he had a
heart attack coming on. Whenever something wasn't going right, he
would put his hand on his heart and say, it's
the big one coming, Elizabeth. I'm coming to join you, honey.
A black man joking about a heart attack may be funny,
but it's more of a real life scenario than most
people think. Meet New Orleans own Randy big Swoll Thornton,

(02:13):
a man with just as big of a personality as
a smile. Randy is a former linebacker for the Denver
Broncos until he hurt his knee in nineteen ninety. A
career change put him in the ring, wrestling for the WCW,
and then yet another profession came, calling rap artist. He
teamed up with the New Orleans No Limit Soldiers under

(02:33):
Master P, but soon Randy left the limelight for a
smaller one. Today you'll find him advocating for black men
and talking about health issues on social media, including his own.

Speaker 5 (02:44):
I have heart failure and heart failures when the hart
stop pumping blood.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Randy is part of a devastating statistic, researchers say. A
twenty twenty five study from the American Heart Association shows
black men have a seventy percent higher ry of developing
heart failure than white men. It was a shock to Randy,
who says he was feeling great. Randy reflected back on
the moment he had his first episode that led to
his heart failure. It was at his local New Orleans

(03:13):
East gym.

Speaker 5 (03:13):
Four years ago. Here I am I'm three hundred and
ten pounds, six percent body fat, full of muscles, jogging,
doing just I'm working torn, you know, going around America speaking,
you know, you know, with Nike and everything. And I
go to the gym one day and I had hawk

(03:34):
burned real bad, and I mean this terrible bad. And
so I'm now working out and it felt like my
it felt like my heart to comfory my chest, you know.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
Randy went home, but later that same night, falling asleep
on the couch watching TV, he woke up to a
heavy tightening sensation.

Speaker 5 (03:57):
You know how it is when we swim and somebody
holds your head underneath the water in the pool, you know,
and you're trying to gasp for air. That's how I felt.
It felt like I was drowning. And I started punching
myself in the chest. I'm talking about heart and I
started punching and punching, and I got you know, I
crawled up the stairs and I told my wife, I said, Jassy,

(04:20):
I said, I'm panic, but I I think I may
have heart attacked.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
Randy and his wife made it to the hospital, but
Randy says the staff ended up sending him home.

Speaker 5 (04:28):
They said, what I had was stress, something said I had.
So they sent me home and thirty minutes later I
had another heart failure. They rushed me back to the
hospital again. Saint Amblam's drive came thing up the second
first time, probably like the second time.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
During his second trip to the hospital, he says, doctors
discovered something life changing.

Speaker 5 (04:51):
So the doctor ran a test and he comes back
there running. He said, take him to the third floor.
He said, huh, They said, mister Thornton, heart failure. You
have two heart failures. He said, your heart is so
big from working out that you have so much fluid
around your heart. That's why I felt like he was

(05:12):
drowning it.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Randy says he was in the hospital for three months.
He says doctors eventually performed open heart surgery on him,
placing a machine in his chest. He's still walking around
with it today, even as he works out in the
same gym where his heart failure first happened. Looking back
on his amazing career, I had to ask this still
smiling black man who lights up a room when he

(05:34):
walks in, is generous with his time when it comes
to others, and loves his wife and family so deeply.
What took so long to get checked out. Is there
any reason why you didn't get checked out sooner? Do
you feel like you could have prevented anything from happening.

Speaker 5 (05:51):
That is a question, That is a great question. I've
been afterly my whole life, playing football at NORD since
I was five years old.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
NOWORD stands for the New Orleans Recreation Department. It's the
name of the local entity that keeps the city's pools,
playgrounds and gym's running.

Speaker 5 (06:11):
I played sports in high school, college, junior high, professional
level in the NFL, Canada Martial arts boxing, and I've
always taken physical examinations and not one time in my
sixty years that any doctor ever told me I had

(06:32):
heard issues.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Randy's lack of an early diagnosis reminds me of why
some black people say they don't trust the medical community.

Speaker 5 (06:39):
We've been programming our whole life because you know, don't
trust the doctors. Don't trust the doctors. But when you
see so many people like I've seen that just fall
apart and that's falling down, and you got to remember this,
you know, like in my situation, you know, when you know,
here I am big swoll, I'm working out Jo eating

(07:01):
healthy and ask your head, heart fail you.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Some studies show racial bias and pain assessment and treatment.
According to a study by the University of Virginia Charlottesville,
researchers found evidence that false beliefs about biological differences between
blacks and whites are still shaping the way some doctors
perceive and treat black people. The study says these issues
are associated with racial disparities in both pain assessment and

(07:27):
treatment recommendations. That's why some doctors believe to combat the
issue between the medical community and black patients, black doctors
need to be added to the mix.

Speaker 1 (07:37):
Thanks Tammy, and we will hear part two of her
interview next week. We have black millionaires and co founders
of Melanin Money, which is a nationally recognized financial education platform.
George Archenpong and Carter Colefield share gems to achieve wealth
and talk about ways to close the wealth gap in
the black community. Black Information Network news anchor Alexandria Ecimoni

(07:58):
sat down with the two here with part one of
their conversation.

Speaker 6 (08:02):
But I have the co founders here, George and Chiampong.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
Yes, how are you doing? I'm doing better than amazing.
How are you.

Speaker 6 (08:08):
I am doing well. Happy to have you back. By
the way, hapy to be back perfect. I also have
Carter Cofield.

Speaker 7 (08:12):
How are you amazing? Happy to be here again.

Speaker 6 (08:15):
Happy to be here. We did this same time last
year and now we're back again.

Speaker 8 (08:19):
Let's back it up though, for those who do not know,
how did Melon in Money get started?

Speaker 6 (08:24):
And why did it get started?

Speaker 9 (08:26):
Yeah, yeah, so I'm trying to give you the quick version.
But so twenty seventeen or I actually think twenty sixteen
really had. I had a spinal fusion surgery earlier that year,
couldn't sleep was one of those restless nights, and it
kind of sparked for me. I was like, how can
this movement? How can would I care about live on
even if I couldn't do it right?

Speaker 4 (08:45):
And so I was.

Speaker 9 (08:47):
Ide eating, I was like, I'm a black man, I'm
a financial advisor, and I was like, and I want
to help them with money black melon the money right
Google domain was ail Will said thank you, got for
su late later got the trademark, didn't get that immediately
and ultimately fast forward, you know that's happening behind the scenes.
Started as an e commerce brand, right, we just wanted
to spread the word right of what we were doing.

(09:07):
And in twenty nineteen I went to a financial advisor
conference and at the time, and even still like on
the advisory side for people actually have licenses, there's not
a lot of people that look like us, right, So
me and Carter were both at that event and we
stuck out like sore thumbs, you know, two black men
facial hair in a conference with.

Speaker 4 (09:22):
You know, it's like, okay, well that's interesting.

Speaker 9 (09:24):
So we connected and then just stay connected from that
event and met every other Monday for two years, just
ideas share. At the time, he was a one man
shop with his business. I was a one man shop,
and so you know, we didn't have a team, right,
So Monday I was CEO, Tuesday I was a sales guy,
and same thing in his business.

Speaker 4 (09:41):
So we just collaborated and shared ideas for a couple
of years. That went well.

Speaker 9 (09:45):
To say, we said, hey, people should hear these conversations
out loud, started a podcast, and to say that's going well,
we should just combine businesses. Right, you're helping people save
a lot of money on taxes, and my people are
looking to invest the money that they have. How can
we collaborate in a meaningful way, and then Melon the
Money as a firm right as an entity, was born.
And then we just continue to do all the amazing

(10:06):
things that we did before expanded the podcast and then
also decided to do in person events. We do some
for o clients internally that are just for our clients,
and wealth we can is an event.

Speaker 4 (10:16):
That's available to everybody.

Speaker 9 (10:17):
And so that is the quickest version I could possibly
give of what has happened in the last three to
five years. But we're just excited and we're just honored
to be stewarding this mission that God has given us.

Speaker 7 (10:28):
Anything else to add to that, Again, he didn't leave
me much, but Nah, it's been an amazing journey because
entrepreneurship could be lonely, especially two black men. It's usually
they have a lot of ego, right, because this is
my thing, this is your thing. But how can we
make something that's bigger than both of our.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
Names could ever be?

Speaker 10 (10:46):
Right?

Speaker 7 (10:47):
And so Melon the Money is on the trajectory to
being bigger than anything that we could have done individually.
And the mission is so big that people can find
their own mission within our mission, right, which is why
we have so many great strategic partners that are helping
us really close that wealth gap of one hundred million dollars,
which is a mission.

Speaker 4 (11:03):
Yep, exactly.

Speaker 9 (11:05):
So, yeah, we want to help one hundred thousand people
of color achieve their first or next one million in networks.

Speaker 4 (11:09):
Some of you already got it.

Speaker 9 (11:10):
I need to get another one r Yeah, yeah, yeah,
But that's that's the mission, and it's so big that
it gives it wakes us up every single day pushing
towards it. Last year we announced that our clients and
proved then that worked by one hundred million dollars in
the first five months of last year, and we will
release the new numbers for this year at Wealth Wekend.
So you got to be there to hear it.

Speaker 8 (11:27):
Absolutely. Okay, so let's talk about it because you mentioned
the mission. So what would you guys say, is another
goal that you have for melon in money? What do
you what else do you want to see come from
this business?

Speaker 4 (11:38):
Yeah? I think so. For me, it's actually impacting the
advisory industry.

Speaker 9 (11:43):
So the reason is so that we can help even
more people, right because for us, it's not about like
do one hundred thousand people have to be underneath the
melon of money and bro that doesn't matter to us.
We just kept that the mission gets fulfilled. So for me,
it's like, how do we show the world that you
can be authentic?

Speaker 4 (11:56):
Right?

Speaker 9 (11:57):
Like I just got this guy to start wearing suits
again like two weeks ago, right, because you know, we
came from an industry where it's just like you had
to wear a suit, right, and then when you break
out and do your own things like I don't want
to wear a suit, right, and so like showing people
you can be your authentic self and still win at
the highest level.

Speaker 4 (12:13):
How many more people could we help if they could
see themselves in you? Right?

Speaker 9 (12:17):
Like, it wasn't until we took off the proverbial suit
or the mask and said, we're going to still be
in this industry that's not designed for us to move
this way, move how we want to move, and that's.

Speaker 4 (12:27):
Why we're impacting more people than they ever could.

Speaker 11 (12:29):
Right.

Speaker 9 (12:29):
So being able to show our counterparts and our peers like, look,
you know, does it have to be stuffy? Does it
have to be boring? Listening to saving money on taxi
doesn't have to sound like paint drying. It can be fun,
It can be cool, and the most importantly, you can
be you. You don't have to put on like we
left Corporate America to not have to code switch, to
not be put in the box, and so being able
to show more people that A's possible, you don't have
to play that game and you can play your game.

Speaker 4 (12:51):
I think that's what's next for us, because I think
people are starting to pick up on it.

Speaker 9 (12:53):
So the way that we're going to do that is
by showing people like, I hope you didn't think we
weren't still helping.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
All these people behind the scenes.

Speaker 9 (12:59):
We still have an advisory firm, We helpen hundreds on
the way that thousands of clients achieve their financial goals,
and we're doing all this other cool stuff on top
of it. Right, So you're gonna see a lot more
from us, just bringing the credibility back to the forefront
so it doesn't get lost in translation. In doing so,
we help we believe that our industry peers in the
industry at large will start to take a better look
at like, oh, well, let's see what they're doing. Because

(13:20):
they're helping lots of people, they're doing it in a
way that it's unconventional.

Speaker 4 (13:24):
Maybe we should pay attention to that.

Speaker 6 (13:26):
Absolutely. Absolutely.

Speaker 8 (13:27):
Now I do want to ask a question, because we
are talking about helping a bunch of people, let's talk
about the wealth gap that is present within the black community.
What are your thoughts both of you guys on that
and what can be done to close that gap?

Speaker 7 (13:39):
Yeah, I think it all starts with conversations, right, because
one of the reasons I think the wealth gap is
so large is because our people don't think that's possible
for them. And one thing that we both believe in
is that you cannot be what you cannot see. So
the reason I can't fathom a million dollars, I don't
know a millionaire yet, you know what I'm saying. So
the more we can normalize black wealth one of our shirts,

(14:01):
the more that we can believe that it's possible. So
I think it starts with one leading from the forefront,
us being the one for our family, the legends that's
going to leave the legacy for our family and let
them know that not only can you become that millionaire,
but you can set at foundation. So just because you
got out of the mud, your family doesn't have to
get out of the mud either. Right, there's nothing wrong with
being a trust fund, baby, you have to create the

(14:22):
trust trust fund. So I just think that it starts
with giving them someone to look at it, and then
having those conversations, and then giving them the education to
execute on so they know what to do. First, you
have to believe that you can do it. Then you
have to know how to do it. And that's why
we tease some much.

Speaker 9 (14:38):
And that's why we you know, we were so close
to like not like just being the talking heads online. Right,
there's nothing wrong with it, right, Providing massive amounts of
education for free is great, right. But the gap that
we continue to see is like, once you get to
a certain point, you need help or you need a
money team, you need somebody who can help do it.
And we were so close to being like, let's just
do that, but realizing that if we if us, and

(15:00):
who who's going to help people implement the trust who's
going to help people secure the lack insurance, who's going
to help people open up the investment account, who's going
to help people implement the tax strategy? And so even
though it would have been an easier path to just educate,
we knew that we still had to help people execute,
and I think that's I think that's what makes us unique,
right and in this space that we're able to play
in both worlds of having a relatability of your favorite

(15:21):
financial influencer, but the credibility of the middle aged white
guy who has all the creditions behind his name, right.
And so we're really excited to just continue to do
that work and let that part be more known because
I think we've done such a great job of amplifying
our voice that maybe people don't realize that we still
do the work.

Speaker 8 (15:38):
And you do such a great job ad really giving
tips and information to the masses.

Speaker 6 (15:43):
So I do have to ask what has.

Speaker 8 (15:45):
Been the best advice you guys have each received, only one, each.

Speaker 4 (15:52):
One each about I'll let you go first. I'll made
you a first a couple of seconds an answer, So I.

Speaker 7 (16:02):
Guess I will take this one. The best piece of
money advice right now. It's not business finances. I would
have to say that you can't save yourself to wealth,
right and because both weekends come, I think it's on
par if you if you if you save, and I

(16:26):
want to do the math because I don't have it
written down, but you cannot save yourself to wealth. Do
you put money in save's account, it will not grow.
And so if you don't find ways to make money
while you sleep, you will work until you die, right,
the famous words of Warren buff And I think our
people because our parents didn't understand investing, they were scared
to invest, like put your money under a matress like
my aunt. Still, I'm like, you gotta let that go, right.

Speaker 4 (16:49):
We have to let those We have to let go
of the laws.

Speaker 12 (16:51):
Right.

Speaker 7 (16:52):
So I believe that you can't save yourself to wealth.
So how do we do that? We it's a must
that we invest. We invest everything that we have. We
need to invest our time, entertaining skills, we need to
invest our money and attaining assets.

Speaker 12 (17:03):
Right.

Speaker 7 (17:03):
And if we do those things, that is how you
build true wealth. And that's one thing I want people
to understand more.

Speaker 13 (17:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (17:08):
Yeah, I would say that wealth is made through concentration,
is preserved through diversification. I think there's this idea of like,
you know, I want to.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
Invest and diversify and do all those things.

Speaker 9 (17:20):
But I think the first thing you have to do
is you gotta come become world class at something, right,
Because then when you do.

Speaker 4 (17:24):
That right, you're gonna get paid well for it.

Speaker 9 (17:26):
And then once you do that, you can take those profits,
take that income, and then buy investments. So we look
at the richest people in the world, you know, the
Elon Musk, whether you like them or not, Like, we
can still pay attention to successfully these clues and most
of their network is tied up into.

Speaker 4 (17:38):
The thing that they built. Right.

Speaker 9 (17:40):
I think we've been told this live about seven streams
of income and all the things. It's like, No, you
have to build something great first, take the profits and
then invest in. Right, Sometimes you have to give up
a stream to create a waterfall. I think some people
miss that mark. It's just thinking I'm gonna do hair,
I'm gonna sell bean pods, I'm gonna do all the
things because I need all the streams. But no, you
need become world class at one thing and then use

(18:02):
your money to buy income.

Speaker 4 (18:04):
So that's the best advice I got.

Speaker 6 (18:05):
That's a real gem.

Speaker 8 (18:06):
Actually I haven't heard that heard it that way, you know,
give up a stream for the waterfall, Like that makes
a huge difference.

Speaker 6 (18:12):
So that's the best advice. One piece.

Speaker 8 (18:14):
If you can put into words that you guys have received,
how you guys have both started financial advisor and also
a tax expert. So what is one piece of advice
you want to give two people that you want to
make sure they know and understand from your backgrounds.

Speaker 4 (18:27):
Sure that one for the last time, bro, you know
better look at me. Yes, you knew that would Okay.

Speaker 9 (18:35):
So for me, it's getting multiple uses out of the
same dollar.

Speaker 4 (18:39):
Yeah. Right.

Speaker 9 (18:40):
So most people they might invest their money into a
brokerage account or a retirement account and they let that
money sit and.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
Hopefully grow over the course in the next twenty thirty years.

Speaker 9 (18:48):
Right, Well, most people don't realize is you can invest
the money in a retirement account or brokerage account and
you can actually leverage that account to buy more investments. Right, So,
if your brokerage account is growing at ten percent a year,
you borrow twenty thirty to fifty percent of that money
to then go acquire real estate real estate, buy some
real estate, and then the real gem there that.

Speaker 4 (19:08):
Real estate is going to produce cash flow.

Speaker 9 (19:09):
Right, you could take that cash flow reinvest it into
the portfolio, all while never having a taxable event because
the IRS does not view borrow money as income. So
that's a quintessential part of our strategy that allows our
clients to pay less taxes and build more wealth at
an accelerated rate.

Speaker 4 (19:25):
So that's one thing that we tell every single client
that we come across.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
Thanks Alexandri and our guests from melanin Money. Tune in
next week for part two of their conversation. iHeartMedia. Radio
personality Roxanne Romero is determined to help mothers to be
understand the risks of childbirth. After experiencing complications during two pregnancies,
maternal health is now an issue that's near and dear
to her heart.

Speaker 4 (19:48):
In this Saving Black.

Speaker 1 (19:49):
Mom's feature, Romero shares details of her heart wrenching experiences
and the changes they are prompting her to work toward.
Here's the Black Information Networks Andrea Coleman, So I've really.

Speaker 14 (20:00):
Been trying to do a lot more, you know in
that lane.

Speaker 15 (20:04):
Nationally recognized radio personality Roxanne Romero, known as Roxy for short,
is passionate about maternal health.

Speaker 14 (20:10):
I've gotten involved in a number of maternal health organizations. Here,
March of Dimes, Once upon a Premie. Today's a good day.
I do what I can. I use my platform however
I can, But I've heard some extremely heart wrenching stories
from other women and the things that they've gone through,
you know, them losing their children. I can't even imagine.

Speaker 15 (20:33):
Her connection to the issue is born out of two painful,
traumatic maternal experiences that she recalls vividly. The first happened
after she delivered her first child, a beautiful, healthy baby boy.

Speaker 14 (20:44):
My son was born full term. I had an amazing
pregnancy with him, and my water broke and I was
in labor for about thirty something hours. Active labor for
maybe one hour, but it was after I I, you know,
I delivered him, you know, vaginally, and that was when
I kind of knew in the back of my mind

(21:06):
that something was off because I only got to hold
him about five minutes. Because even after he came out
and after I was holding him, they were still down
there doing stuff, and I knew something was wrong. And
within five minutes they were like, we need to wheel
you into the operating room because I suffered what was
called the retained placenta. My placenta broke apart in a

(21:27):
million pieces inside of me. It didn't come out when
he came out, and so if they were they did
not get those pieces of my placenta out. I could
have bled to death. So they had to wheel me
into the operating room and you know, use an ultrastown
and take out each piece of the placenta that was
still there. And because he was inside of me for

(21:49):
so long, we both ended up having an infection and
had to stay in the hospital for a few days
more until it cleared up. So, you know, at the
time that that happened, I was was traumatic for me.
I was crying. I think it happens to a lot
of people. It's like when something happens, after you get
over it, you just move on and it's not that
serious anymore.

Speaker 15 (22:09):
But the trauma returned two years later when Walkxi was
pregnant a second time. This time the issue was a
premature birth in the twenty sixth week of her pregnancy.

Speaker 14 (22:19):
So I was freaking out. Mikey, my co host, he
drove me to the hospital and I got admitted. They
checked and they were like, yeah, you're you know, your
water broke and at that time, I was twenty five
weeks pregnant, so you know, the nurse is telling me,
so we're going to try to keep the baby inside
of you until You're thirty four weeks, so I'm thinking

(22:41):
I'm gonna be able to leave. I'm like, okay, so
do I need to check in every week? Are you
going to give me medication?

Speaker 11 (22:46):
Like?

Speaker 14 (22:47):
How is this going to work? And she's like, no, sweet,
are you you have to stay here? I broke down.
I said, you want me to stay in this hospital
for two months? So she said, yeah, you have to stay.
So it was just a very over experience, you know,
especially that first day, because they you know, admitted me
to the labor ward and I had a number of

(23:07):
doctors come in to talk to me, you know, about
expectations and what they're hoping for and you know, my body,
and it was just so much. You know, one of
the doctors who I'm still actually close with, Trish, She's
not only a doctor, but she's also a lactation specialist,
so she was, you know, talking to me about, you know,

(23:28):
the difference between a baby coming out of twenty five
weeks versus twenty six weeks versus twenty seven, and every
day that the baby stays in there, it is a
better chance that the baby will develop, you know, naturally better.
So I kind of had no option. I was in
the labor ward and I lasted about six days. I
bounced back and forth between the labor ward and the

(23:50):
postpartum ward. The last day I was in the postpartum war,
they don't monitor you twenty four to seven. In the
postpartu war, they only monitor you like twice a day,
And so that last time I was getting monitored and
they were like, there's some concern, we want to send
you back to the labor ward, which I had already
done like three times, so I didn't even think anything

(24:12):
of it. So I went back to the labor ward.
But this time I felt like there was something different
because there were doctors in and out, in and out
of my room, which didn't normally happen. And I was
so blessed because one of my obgyns, who only worked
at that hospital one Sunday out of every three months,
happened to be there that day. So she came to

(24:34):
me and she was like, you know, Roxanne, I don't
I can't tell you one hundred percent because I would
have to do an exam, but I think that your
umbilical cord is protruding through your cervix and that is
cutting off the circulation to the baby. So she basically said,
you know, my professional opinion is you need to have
an emergency C section because she, you know, she's not

(24:56):
getting oxygen properly. And I I'm not gonna, you know,
argue with the doctor. I'm like, you don't need to
do it an exam. If this is your professional opinion,
I trust you, so let's go. I of course, was
an emotional wreck, and within minutes they had me in
the operating room. You know, they gave me the anesthesia,

(25:17):
pulled up the curtain, and they, you know, gave me
an emergency C section.

Speaker 15 (25:23):
Any child born before the thirty seventh week of pregnancy
is considered premature. According to the National Institutes of Health,
more than four hundred thousand babies are born prematurely each year.
More than fourteen seven percent of them are black. Fortunate
for Roxy, while not the ideal situation, her baby was
strong enough to survive.

Speaker 14 (25:43):
So my daughter was in the nick you for ninety
three days, and it was hard. You know, I was
still in the hospital. My husband obviously did not make
it to the hospital when she by the time she
was born, because it was just so so he actually
got to see her in the nic cub before I did,
because I was, you know, bedridden for at least twelve

(26:06):
hours after the c section. But I ended up being
able to walk over there after the twelve hours to
see her, and it was hard, you know, never having
to having experienced something like this before. I don't think
there's any parent that that is easy for. You know,
my daughter was born two pounds six point seven ounces,

(26:28):
which you know, being born at twenty six weeks is
actually big. So it ended up being a blessing because
most babies that are born at twenty six weeks are
not two pounds, so it was a blessing that she
was actually heavier. And but you know, for me, she's
still so tiny and being in this incubator hooked up

(26:49):
to all of these ivs and these wires, it was
extremely hard seeing her that way. And I think it
took at least a month, if not more, for me
to see her without crying.

Speaker 15 (27:00):
Doctors never told roxy what caused her placenta to splinter
and her first pregnancy reasons for premature birth very but
knowing your body and checking in with your health care
provider whenever something seems out of order are critical to
moms safeguarding their health and the health of their child.
According to Roxy, it also helps to have attentive doctors

(27:21):
and support at home. What do you feel were you're
saving graces where the complications you were experiencing were handled
and treated in a way that not only saved your
life but your child's as well.

Speaker 14 (27:33):
So in regards to my son with the retained placentza,
I mean, it really was the fact that I was
in the hospital and you know, obviously, when you give
vaginal birth, your plasenta supposed to come out, and it didn't.
So these doctors know that that is a big problem.
And it was one two quick like they took me
into the operating room, and so being in the hospital

(27:54):
and then being right there obviously was definitely the saving grace.
In regards to my daughter, you know, I think that
me not waiting to go to the obgian appointment and
actually calling the day before was a little bit of
a saving grace because had I not called and I
waited until the next day, I don't know what could

(28:16):
have happened in between that time. I don't know if
I would have gone into pre term labor that day,
you know, I just don't know. So I think that
that was one of my saving graces. And you know,
once I was in the hospital, I felt very safe.
You know, it was where I had my daughter, was
the same hospital I had my son. So shout out

(28:37):
to tumble University Hospital. You know, I love the staff there.
I can say for me personally, and I know that
may not be the case for everybody, but I can't
say anything bad about them. I had great experiences. And
the reality is is my nurses were women of color.
They were black women, So I don't know if that
is what it was, but I'm just thankful because they

(28:59):
cared about me, me as a person, as a mother
and what I was going through, and they cared about
my daughter and my son, and I could see it.
So I mean, I think it's really that humanity that
exists in these medical professionals. That was my saving grace. Wow,
that's so beautiful.

Speaker 15 (29:15):
I love how you remember their names and yes, this
day and stage of it all. What is your message
to other mothers of color, especially those who are engaging
a maternal journey where they are, you know, either looking
to conceive or are pregnant. What message do you have
for them as far as what to look out for

(29:35):
or anything, just to ensure their health and their child's health.

Speaker 14 (29:39):
I just want them to know that they are not alone.
Being pregnant. Having a child is scary, right, You're risking
your life. It doesn't matter what color you are. Child's
birth having a child is scary and you are risking
your life. But we do it right because we want children,
we want a family. And there are people, There are organizations,

(29:59):
There are resources that exists to help you along the way,
to meet you where you are, to help you get
to your appointments. There are places that will provide childcare
for free. It exists. So don't think that you are alone.
Don't think that you can't do this. Don't think that
you can't make your prenatal appointments. You can make all
of them. It's just the fact that the problem is

(30:19):
getting the information out there for them to know that
it exists. But it is there.

Speaker 16 (30:24):
I mean.

Speaker 14 (30:24):
And something else that I dealt with with my son
that I know a lot of women go through. I
had very bad postpartum after I came home with him.
I never once had a conversation with anybody about postpartum
when I was pregnant with my son. I had every
other conversation under the sun, from feeding to diapers, to

(30:45):
school to sleep to everything you could think of, but
postpartum was never one conversation. So when it happened, I
had no idea what it was until I figured it out,
you know. And again that's one of those other things
that it needs to be talked about more because so
many women deal with postpartum and they don't know it's postpartum.
They don't know how to deal with postpartum, they don't

(31:06):
know what to do. The husbands, the boyfriends, you know,
the significant others, think it's something that they're just overreacting from,
you know, and no, this is a real thing. Our
home hormones are all over the place. That's why, like
I have really been trying to use my platform to
get the information out there to as many people that
will listen to me that us women, us moms like

(31:29):
there are things that need to be taken seriously and
it needs to be a priority. And I just don't
think that on the grand scheme of things, especially when
it comes to legislation, it's not being given the priority
in respect that it should.

Speaker 15 (31:43):
That's very good, And Kenny, ask what were your symptoms
for postpartum depression.

Speaker 14 (31:48):
For me, it was a lot of crying. I mean
I think I cried every day. I cried, and the
postpartum was really bad the first like I would say,
six to eight months after my son was born, I
cried every day. If he was crying, I was crying.
If he wasn't crying, I was crying. And I'm thankful
that I had enough in me to take care of

(32:10):
my son, you know, and shout out to my husband,
because I definitely didn't do it alone. Of course he
was there. He took a lot of the burden, but
I was I had enough in me to take care
of him as much as I could. But I had
nothing left in me for myself. I wouldn't brush my hair,
I wouldn't take showers, I wouldn't brush my teeth. Like
I just didn't have anything left in me, and I

(32:33):
just ugh, it was just empty, really really empty. What
was the answer? What was the key to coming out?
You know what? It was time for me. It was
time because like I said in the beginning, and for
a while in the beginning, I didn't even know it
was postpartum. I think I was having a conversation with.

(32:53):
I don't know if it was my cousin or a
mom friend of mine, and I just happened to be
talking about how I felt and they were like, oh, oh, you.

Speaker 6 (33:00):
Sounds like you're you may have postpart of me.

Speaker 14 (33:02):
Should go talk to somebody. And this was already three
months in, and I'm like, is what this is? So
you know it? But it was time. It was you
know again shout out to my husband. It was you know,
him giving me a little bit of time to myself
sometimes when I needed it, because as much as I
love my son and and and and wanted to be

(33:24):
there from sometimes it was so hard. It was so
hard hearing him cry, and babies cry, especially when they're newborns. Right,
he cried a lot. He cried, you know, when he
was sleeping, he cried when he was hungry, he cried
for everything. And sometimes it was painful, like physically painful
to hear him cry. Wow.

Speaker 15 (33:42):
That is so interesting and good for you though, that
you knew enough to know that it was not your normal.

Speaker 14 (33:47):
Oh yeah, something was going on that. That's really good.

Speaker 15 (33:50):
What are some of the changes that you like to
see regarding maternal health for women of color?

Speaker 14 (33:55):
Well, I definitely think that more funding needs to be
provided by the government. I'm just kind of learning the numbers,
but I know that in Pennsylvania, the funding that was
just approved was something like two point five billion dollars
for maternal health and that is versus New Jersey, which

(34:16):
is like sixty million. And I'm like, this is utterly
insane that that's where we're at, two point five versus
sixty million in New Jersey. I don't know, you know
the figures in other states, but for there to be
that big of a gap at least in the state
of Pennsylvania, things need to change. And I'm sure that
it's not only the state of Pennsylvania. So I mean,
the reality is that you need money. You need money

(34:37):
to create programs, you need money to pay the people
that are going to run the programs. You need money
to do a lot of things. So I think funding
definitely needs to be increased. There needs to be a
way that moms can get the information easier, you know,
whether it's I don't know it the pharmacy when they

(34:57):
go to the pharmacy that there's information available there if
they go to get a pregnancy test, you know, or
if they go to their first prenatal apployment. More information
just needs to be readily available to women, especially as
there's just so many layers to this. Again, I was healthy,
you know, and I went to all my prenatal appointments
and this happened to me. There are women that don't

(35:20):
go to one prenatal appointment. On the first time they
see a doctor is when they give birth, and that
is crazy, absolutely insane. So many things that can happen
prior to that. So there has to be a way
to reach these women who don't trust doctors to reach
these women who don't have internet access, to reach these

(35:40):
women that don't have transportation, to reach these women that
don't know where to go. We got to find a
way to get the information to them instead of forcing
them to find it themselves.

Speaker 15 (35:50):
That's a push that could help a lot of moms
and their children. I'm Andrea Coleman with the Saving Black
Mom special report on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
Thanks Andrea and Roxanne for your support and this important issue,
Saving Black Moms as a bi in public awareness campaign.
Learn more about the campaign and the risks associated with
maternal health at binnews dot com. Last week, Republicans in
Congress celebrated the signing of the President's so called Big
Beautiful Bill, but now many are bracing for the impact,

(36:21):
especially as deep cuts to Medicaid loom, while Democrats warn
of consequences for nursing homes and rural hospitals, Parents of
special needs children could also feel the effects.

Speaker 4 (36:32):
In this week's edition of A Shade.

Speaker 1 (36:33):
Deeper, we share a conversation from the Color between the
Lines podcast with the Black Information Networks Esther Dillard. She
speaks with special needs advocate Lola Green about her concerns
and her advice for fellow parents.

Speaker 17 (36:49):
In this edition of The Color Between the Lines.

Speaker 18 (36:51):
The speech therapy that my son receives in school, the
occupational therapy that he receives in school. With budget cuts,
I don't know how that's going to affect it.

Speaker 17 (37:01):
I speak with Lola Green. She's an advocate and leader
for parents who have kids with special needs and disabilities.
She has some resources and advice for parents who are
concerned about the Trump administration so called Big Beautiful Bill
that was signed into law, and she shares why this
conversation is very personal to her. I'm Esther Dillard chatting
with writers, authors and experts who offer an added perspective

(37:24):
for listeners.

Speaker 14 (37:25):
This is the color between the lines.

Speaker 17 (37:28):
Thank you so much, Lola Green for joining us on
the color between the lines. We really want to know
a little bit more about your organization. I know a
lot about your organization, but others who may be listening
may not, So tell us about it and what kind
of work you do in Atlanta, Georgia to help families
with kids with special needs and disabilities.

Speaker 18 (37:48):
Yes, so thank you for having me back. I really
do appreciate it. We appreciate it. So at Urban Indigo,
we service families that have children with special needs, but
you know, we do it in a unique way. So
we make sure that we include all, because that's what
inclusivity is, including all. So we look at not just
you know, families that may have neurotypical children or a

(38:11):
child that may need physical supports. We look into foster care.
So we have a wonderful foster care specialist because she's
our go to. Our name is Pamela Bruce. She's been
really amazing on this journey and letting us know, educating
the organization and others about the challenges within the foster

(38:34):
care system. She is a foster care parent and she
receives the children that other people give up on. So
just a child being in foster care we consider a
special need. And outside of that, we also have children
that do have special needs inside of foster care, so
we want to make sure that we bring them in
and support them as well as the families that are

(38:57):
facing housing insecurities. And with housing and securities, we have
a lot of families that are in motel situations, the
extended stays, and they have children that have special needs,
that have IEPs, that have five O four's, and being
in that situation is a special need. So we try
to make sure that we are able to support everybody.

(39:21):
We can't do everything, we know that, but we want
to make sure that we bring people into community and
teach them what community is and make sure that as
we are giving out and pouring into them, that they
are pouring into the organization just by you know, showing up,
giving words of advice and lending their story to others.

(39:47):
Us we help elevate, help elevate those voices.

Speaker 4 (39:52):
Well, I'm sorry to cut you off.

Speaker 17 (39:53):
I know that your organization Urban Indigo has also done
a special parking with other parents to create a special
needs parent teacher organization in Georgia.

Speaker 14 (40:05):
I think this is the first one, right.

Speaker 18 (40:07):
The first and only. So PTA just celebrated one hundred
and twenty five years yay, and the first PTA was
bought up in Georgia. I found that out. We had
training in June and yeah, so it's the special education
it's Georgia Special Education PTSA, and that's Parent Teacher Student

(40:30):
Association because we want to make sure that the students are,
you know, sharing their stories. We so many times advocate
for our experience with our children, but our children that
have the ability to communicate however they're able to communicate,
need to you know, have their stories heard.

Speaker 17 (40:52):
We've seen that the Trump administration is proposed budget cuts
with this big beautiful bill that they supposedly signed up,
that's what they call it, and this is going to
affect many families with children with disabilities. What specific concerns
that do you have personally about these cuts and which
may reflect what other parents are also worried about.

Speaker 18 (41:17):
Personally. It's community because for me to sit here and
tell you my personal story after being in this field
for three years, just walking alongside of everybody, it's like
their concerns have been became my concerns, what's going to
happen with people that are on Medicaid, whether they're receiving

(41:40):
Katie Beckett waiver which exempts them from having to pay
for so many different things, to the parents that are
in CMOS. I had the pleasure of speaking to somebody
from Peach State on Monday, and they said that from
what they have from their higher ups, that nothing's going

(42:01):
to change. But as far as I know, that's only
because they have a contract right now, but we don't know.
So it was good to hear that nothing's going to
change for right now. But we're just bracing for impact.
We're trying to read up on everything, talk to different

(42:23):
organizations and see what they're saying, and keep up. It's
so much stuff to keep up with. We have like
four different organizations that we're working alongside with. But when
it comes to my household and my family, the speech
therapy that my son receives in school, the occupational therapy

(42:44):
that he receives in school. With budget cuts, I don't
know how that's going to affect it. Here in Georgia,
we've seen a wave of cuts throughout our schools already
and certain people aren't coming back here Fulton County. I
know that their Transition Services office that they cut them,

(43:07):
and that was maybe about three months ago, so it
was somewhere every twenty seventeen to twenty people cut And
it's like, how are you going to support those families,
those children that need transitional support services? We still haven't
heard anything yet.

Speaker 17 (43:25):
And for those who have children on the spectrum or
maybe other have other disabilities, are from what I understand,
they've been told that they won't be affected if they
need the help, and that they have this new provision
where you have to check in every six months or
something like this. Is this something that is a relief

(43:48):
or is it kind of a question what do you
make of that?

Speaker 18 (43:54):
It's like that dumb dumb the mystery pop. You don't
know what you're gonna get because you can say, oh,
you know it, just check in every six months. We
miss things all the time. And if you are truly
in support of a person, families, communities that have special needs,

(44:16):
people not even just children, talking about people, we know
that lifestyle is different. The average person's lifestyle is here, here, there, there,
people are everywhere, and so to say every six months,
there is going to be not just a check in.
It's from what we're hearing, you have to requalify. What

(44:41):
are you going to do if you miss it? We're human,
I miss things, you know. I mean we can say yes, everybody,
come hither and sink your calendars. Things happen. Technology is technology,
and there are so many gaps. What are you going
to do if somebody missed that six months? Are you
going to say, hey, sorry, we can't support you. There's

(45:04):
no clarity on that, and it's egregious to even say, oh,
you know what, you'll be fine. Every six months, just
check in.

Speaker 17 (45:14):
If you'd like to hear the rest of that conversation,
head on over to the Color Between the Lines podcast
on iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 14 (45:22):
I'm Esther Dillard.

Speaker 1 (45:24):
Thanks Esther and Lola. The mysterious deaths of black teen
twins in Georgia has a family not at all believing
the official cause of the tragedy, something Bin News anchor
Vanessa Tyler explores in her podcast black Land.

Speaker 2 (45:40):
Too Handsome, Everything to Live for Twins nineteen year olds
found dead in the strangest way.

Speaker 14 (45:48):
Their arms were out their heads are facing.

Speaker 2 (45:51):
Upward with the brown faces of Kadir and Nazir Lewis
pointing toward heaven.

Speaker 19 (45:58):
You know when when you see this how they how
the bodysul positions, you know that it was execution.

Speaker 11 (46:07):
And staged.

Speaker 2 (46:10):
Those who know about these things say, it sure looks
like a good old Georgia lynching.

Speaker 20 (46:15):
So in the one hundred and sixteen years that the
NAACP has responded to lynching's, we know what a lynching
looks like, we know what it smells like.

Speaker 2 (46:24):
And this one, they say, really stinks in black Land.

Speaker 4 (46:30):
And now as a.

Speaker 2 (46:30):
Brown person, you just feel so invisible.

Speaker 17 (46:33):
It's not And where.

Speaker 3 (46:35):
We're from, brothers and sisters, A welcome you to this joyful.

Speaker 4 (46:40):
Day we celebrate freedom. Where we are.

Speaker 19 (46:44):
Get the crowd, I know someone's heard something.

Speaker 14 (46:47):
And where we're going.

Speaker 2 (46:48):
We the people means all the people. The black information
that work presents Blackland. With your host, Vanessa Tyler, Kadir
and Nazir Lewis were in circle, twins in the wound
together from birth to death together. The initial report from GBI,
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation murder suicide then double suicide

(47:13):
like they both committed suicide in a pact. Those who
knew and loved them say, no, way, never, That just
didn't happen.

Speaker 21 (47:21):
They were found as if it was, they were sacrificed.

Speaker 2 (47:26):
The twins' uncle, known as Uncle Tiger, strongly believes despite
what the GBI says, he's certain his nephews were murdered.

Speaker 21 (47:35):
Thank you so much, Vanessa. I appreciate you and your timing,
your interest, and I appreciate your audience to listen.

Speaker 2 (47:42):
Let's start with where they were found.

Speaker 21 (47:45):
Yes, so they were found at Bell Mountain and Charles County,
which is located in the hiawassee Georgia.

Speaker 2 (47:56):
How were they found?

Speaker 21 (47:58):
They were found as if it was, they were sacrificed
and hats faced up, bodies spread out, legs together and arms.

Speaker 11 (48:11):
Outs, laying on top of the mountain.

Speaker 21 (48:15):
On the very top of the mountain, both boys together
formed a almost a be.

Speaker 2 (48:24):
So let's get that picture again. Their face up, arms
spread out, feet together in the formation of like a V.

Speaker 21 (48:33):
That's correct.

Speaker 11 (48:35):
The heads were straight up, well facing straight up. There
was no slat there was, it was straight up.

Speaker 2 (48:43):
That in itself is bizarre, very much even more bizarre,
where Bell Mountain located in hyawassee Georgia up a narrow
steep road leading to the summit Bell Mountain in Towns County,
is about two hours away from the boys home in
Gwinnett County. About ten pm the night of March seventh,

(49:05):
the nineteen year old twins who lived with their father,
stepmother and two younger brothers, went to get gas and
vanished gone until they were found dead on the top
of the mountain by hikers the next day, Saturday morning.
Now this is ninety miles away in a place family
says they've never gone, but the old head say they

(49:25):
know a thing or two about hiawassee.

Speaker 11 (49:28):
That area is known to historically be a sundown town.
And not only that, and even as a recently there's
been a whole bunch of KKK activity there.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
That alone is enough they say to demand a deeper dive.
Uncle Tiger says instead, the family was told nine hours
after the twins were found and was quickly ruled double suicide.

Speaker 11 (49:55):
Read want to put pressure on getting you know, wherever
that evidence needs.

Speaker 21 (50:02):
Let's go ahead and prosecute whether or not it is
law enforcement that we that were involved, because who else
could have opened up the gates.

Speaker 2 (50:14):
The gates the area where the twins were found and
that sacrificial pose was normally locked. Yet no broken locks,
as if someone had a key.

Speaker 11 (50:24):
In an area known for not the tourist part, but
known for extreme hikers. That people who know that mountain,
who always hike that mountain, will always go through those
walking trails, that's not on the tourist path.

Speaker 2 (50:47):
To put pressure on the GBI in Georgia Governor Brian
Kemp to do something, the family is holding a news conference.

Speaker 13 (50:56):
I say thanks you.

Speaker 2 (51:01):
That's Tyres Lewis, the father of Nazir and Kadir. If
he sounds a little odd, he recently had a stroke
and the stress of losing two sons is not helping
his recovery at all. But he's here and beside him
the support of the community, including the NAACP.

Speaker 4 (51:20):
Now let us be clee. There could be no real
justice in this case.

Speaker 11 (51:26):
These young men cannot be brought back.

Speaker 22 (51:29):
However, what we can and must pursue is the truth
and accountability.

Speaker 4 (51:36):
We must understand exactly.

Speaker 22 (51:38):
What happened to them and how to ended up in
a place they had no known reason to be there.

Speaker 2 (51:44):
Edward Paul, President of the Grenette County branch of the
NAACP says, what really gets him. If the GBI is
saying the case is closed to the family, meaning double suicide,
that's it, then release the report, let them see it.
If it's still open, then the family wants to know
what's going on.

Speaker 11 (52:03):
The GBI and Towns County law enforcement have demonstrated time
and time again that they cannot be trusted and handling
cases of mysterious death of young black men.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
Attorney Gerald Griggs, president of the State Chapter of the NAACP, says,
we've been here before way too many times.

Speaker 20 (52:22):
So in one hundred and sixteen years that the naac
he has responded to lynching's we know what the lynching
looks like, we know what it smells like, we know
where it cover up starts outline.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
And this case has a very familiar smell.

Speaker 13 (52:37):
Because if you recall the Ahmad Arbury case, it was
ruled that there was no criminality by at least two
district attorneys after the police department turned it over, so
it's very similar.

Speaker 4 (52:51):
They gave a.

Speaker 16 (52:52):
Similar story that he was burglarizing a house and necessitated
the response by the three armed vigilantes and so as
somebody who worked on that particular case, the same thing
that I'm hearing right now gives me calls. And that's
why we need an independent investigation. If the case is

(53:13):
not in fact closed, then the GBI's next question should
be have you.

Speaker 13 (53:19):
Turned it over to the district attorney of that circuit?

Speaker 16 (53:22):
And then the family needs to meet with the district
attorney that circuit.

Speaker 10 (53:25):
And so we're going to put the same amount of
resources behind this.

Speaker 11 (53:30):
Case that we did that case, and we.

Speaker 20 (53:33):
Hope that it does not take ninety some odd days
and the release of a.

Speaker 14 (53:39):
Tape to show what actually happened.

Speaker 10 (53:42):
So why I made the connection is because many times
in Georgia, the initial story does not hold up to
scrutiny of independent eyes and independent investigators looking at it
and turning over every stomach.

Speaker 2 (54:00):
Could we ever forget ahmud arbery, the black jogger trapped
and shot when three white men, father, son, and their
neighbor claimed they thought he was a thief. The case
almost went away, but truth came to light. Those three
white men are sitting in prison and will be for

(54:22):
a while.

Speaker 19 (54:23):
If he looks like a doctor walks and I get done,
and uh, quatcha head done.

Speaker 4 (54:32):
It has to be what.

Speaker 19 (54:33):
There has to be a doctor these investigations, Charlie looks
like a come up.

Speaker 4 (54:41):
Yes, I'm not.

Speaker 19 (54:45):
Tucking down on law enforcements to do a great job.
And the human be sometimes in cases may not be
easy to quick. They quick theirselves and the shoes up
this family when I visited them and him, that is
trump hunting. But I also knew it that they have

(55:05):
been grew up in it. Who wouldn't you? Here's a
time rant you how much more too.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
Also attending the news conference, Georgia State Representative Gabe Okoya,
the twins lived in his district. He pleads with the
GBI to take a look at it from the family's perspective.
How none of it makes any sense.

Speaker 19 (55:29):
Howme on, you want to permit suicide? Why do you
have to travel three hours, say away from your hands?
What stops you? You have your bedroom, you have your backyard.

Speaker 14 (55:42):
It just makes no sense.

Speaker 19 (55:45):
And hey, you're gonna tell USLF no make it believable.

Speaker 12 (55:49):
I stand in solidarity demanding on behalf of all the
greeting mothers all over this country than the ge I
release the information on Wader and nizer's investigation.

Speaker 2 (56:08):
Sister Betty Maddox Battle Muhammad, founded the organization Grieve after
her son was murdered thirty five years ago. It's a
support group for those who lost loved ones to murder.
She says, the family deserves complete answers. And if it
is a double suicide, how come the gunshots eerily match?

Speaker 22 (56:29):
They were identical headshot shot wounds to the head, headshot wounds,
gunshot wounds to the head.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
Something else about this case the crime scene photos. A
volunteer firefighter is accused of taking pictures of the teens bodies.
Scott Curlin of Hiawassee Georgia was charged with misdemeanor obstruction.
The GBI says he publicly shared the death scene photos.

Speaker 22 (56:57):
Scott Curlin and others took so much pleasure and the
system of white supremacist tradition.

Speaker 4 (57:04):
They shared Scott's murder.

Speaker 22 (57:06):
Scene photos with their children in order to desensitize them
and encourage those termistic behaviors.

Speaker 2 (57:13):
For its part, the GBI reports the cases still being investigated,
and the bureau has not said much else. Reportedly, GPI's
findings include information about Nazir buying ammunition three days before
their depths and a computer showing searches on suicide rates.
Uncle Tiger tells me his nephews were smart and would

(57:35):
not do it too much to live for. Both teens
had girlfriends, He says, Nazir's is the long distance. The
day he disappeared, he missed a flight to see her
and was going to go stand by on the day
he was found dead. Both twins had interests in engineering,
Nazir studying mechanical engineering, Kadeer aviation engineering. He wants you

(57:57):
to remember their names.

Speaker 4 (57:58):
Every time we speak the names.

Speaker 22 (58:00):
We defied the silence that lynching, demanding the fight is sacred.
Stand with us. This is not just our fight, as
a test of whether black lives truly matter in this country.

Speaker 4 (58:17):
We will not rest and say justice.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
Asserts justice and answers whichever way the truth falls. The
family has a GoFundMe titled Justice for Nazir and Kadeer.
It will help the family. The father is in poor
health and they want to pay for their own second
opinion investigation.

Speaker 21 (58:37):
And we want the governor Governor camp to find another
agency to investigate this.

Speaker 2 (58:46):
Tiger, thank you stay strong as your family gets to
the bottom of this tragedy.

Speaker 21 (58:51):
I appreciate you, I appreciate your listeners. I appreciate all
those who have been in constant prayer and the constant
you know and support in this family.

Speaker 2 (59:02):
I'm Vanessa Tyler. A new episode of Blackland drops every week.

Speaker 1 (59:11):
And that's our program for this week. For more on
these stories, listen to the Black Information Network on the
free iHeartRadio app or log onto binnews dot com for
all of the latest news impacting the black community. Also,
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
Information Network and on X and blue Sky at black
info Net, and make the Black Information Network first on

(59:31):
your car radio or iHeartRadio app presets. I'm Mike Island,
wishing everyone a great Sunday, and be sure to tune
in next week at this time for another edition of
the Black Perspective right here on the Black Information Network