Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're often influenced by what we see and hear online.
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(00:22):
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(00:44):
with your followers. Together we can stay informed and empowered.
This public service announcement is from the National Black Cultural
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Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's Sunday, December first, the first Sunday of the month,
and on today's show, Bree Wood talks to Tiffany Brown
about her organization developing despite distance and assisting kids with
incarcerated parents. Vanessa Tyler talks about Black Friday and shopping
Black Gracie Award winner Esther Dillard talks with Stephanie Brown
(01:21):
about her new book Sipping Sense. Mimi Brown talks about
the upcoming and Your Year's Strong Empowerment Summit with doctor
Cindy Trim and Doug Davis talks with public relations icon
Angelo Lerb. These stories and more are coming your way
on today's program. Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host,
(01:41):
Mike Island.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
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 2 (01:51):
Good Sunday to everyone, and welcome to another edition of
the Black Perspective on the Black Information Network. The Black
Information Networks, Bree Wood is speaking with Tiffany Brown, founder
and executive director of Developing Despite Distance. They'll be discussing
how her organization assists kids with incarcerated parents, helping them
to adjust community involvement and fundraising to help keep them connected.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
I'm Bree Wood with the Black Information Network, and today
I have the pleasure of speaking with Tiffany Brown, who
is the founder and executive director of an incredible organization
called Developing Despite Distance. Inspired by her own experience of
having an incarcerated parent, Tiffany has dedicated her life to
supporting children who face similar challenges. Tiffany, thank you so
(02:35):
much for joining me today.
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Oh, thank you so much, brit I'm so happy to
be here with you.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So let's start with how the organization came to be.
Where are you based and how did you get started?
Speaker 5 (02:44):
Yes, so we're based in Detroit, Michigan, and was founded
in twenty sixteen. I'll be honest with you, Brie. I've
been in community work in Detroit for over ten years.
I have my masters and counseling. I'm a licensed counselor
and just care deeply about my city. But it wasn't
until the My My Brother's Keeper initiative from the Obama
Foundation came to Detrade that I even had an idea
(03:05):
to start a nonprofit for children of incarcerated parents. So
I was standing in my kitchen one evening God just
put it on my heart that we could start a
program that will be part pen Pal program, part letter plating,
where we could write letters to incarcerated parents and then
facilitate group counseling sessions to process that. I threw my
name in a hat of over almost five hundred applicants
(03:25):
and I was awarded sixty thousand dollars to scale my
idea of selected one of five people in organizations that
was selected, and I only tell that story because it
speaks to the real need for programs for children of
incarcerated parents. Is really unique in a niche in a
population of historically invisible young people that we don't think
about often enough.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Speaking of that, can you share more about your personal journey?
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Absolutely so.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
When I was a teen growing up in Detraite, my
mother was incarcerated federally, So as I was graduating from
high school and going away to college, she was going
away to federal prison, and her incarceration time.
Speaker 6 (04:00):
Really aligns with my college career.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
I went away in two thousand and two and so
did she, and I graduated in two thousand and six
and she came home then. But I always felt alone
in my experience, Brie. I never talked about it. It
wasn't anything that I was trying to hide. It was
just a thing that I didn't realize was impacting me
or that was it was really a thing. So many
times we normalized trauma and adverse experiences, and it was
(04:25):
the first time that my family had ever experienced anyone
being incarcerated. So the adults didn't know how to navigate it. Therefore,
of course the young people, we didn't get the support
we needed. So yeah, it was just kind of my
life and lived experiences leading to that. And I really
look at it like pain turned into purpose. And I
never understood, you know, why I went through some of
(04:45):
the things that I went through as a young person,
But I understand now that it's, you know, to inspire
me to be able to do this work and to
show up more relatable even though I don't currently have
an incarcerated parent, so you know, I make sure that
we're centering the voice of our young people always and
surveying them and developing programs based on what they really need.
But it is very true that I probably would never
(05:06):
have thought about this population of young people had I
not had the experience and not for that funding opportunity.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
And it's so easy to forget about what the children
are going through when you're dealing with something as big
as that, you know, with this program, can you describe
a particularly memorable success story that you've had with one
of your kids?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Wow, yes, of course, And that's why I do this
work really because of the successes and because of all
of the aspirations that I know these young people have,
and they're capable of achieving everything with the right support
and with the right resources and love and community. I
really want to highlight the very first young man that
ever came into our program. He at the time was
(05:46):
in the sixth grade going to a Detroit school, and
at the time his father had been incarcerated maybe for
about four years, and his father is still incarcerated. But
this young man consistently stayed a part of our Saturday
program and our parent Connection program all through high school.
He graduated two years ago and immediately enrolled into the military.
(06:06):
He's now in the Marines. Lance Corporal is his title.
And one of the things that really stuck out to
me is this young man is a third so he
has his grandfather and his father's name, and both of
them were incarcerated, his grandfather previously and then his father currently.
And now I remember him telling me when he was
a young person, like literally still in middle school, that
(06:28):
he would change the legacy of that name. And I
think that's what we do this work for right to
break generational cycles, to really empower and inspire a generation
of young people who we know are capable of doing
all the things, and I'm just so so proud of
that young man. He has a younger brother that has
also followed in his footsteps. So his younger brother graduated
this past year and also joined the military and is
(06:49):
also stationed out in California with him. So they are
absolutely making themselves proud, their famili's proud our organization. And
they represent absolutely what we do with that wrap around
of community and resources and support as they matriculate through
school and then continuing to be that positive resource for
them even post high school.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Yeah, so support does make the difference. How has the
community responded to the initiatives of three D.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
I will say that our community supporters have sustained us
over the years. When I first started this organization, I
was holding a full time job, and I continue to
hold full time jobs working in nonprofit big leadership roles too,
all the way up until last August, and so I
resigned because I couldn't keep doing this work after work
(07:34):
and on the weekends. And I just want to be
totally transparent that I took a huge pay cut tens
of thousands of dollars to step back and be able
to build this organization, you know, full time. Finally, I
really only say that to speak to the dedication and
my commitment because of our young people and our families
and all of the people in the community who support us.
So I'm a part of you know, some community advisory
(07:57):
boards and some membership based organizations in Detroit that keep
me inspired in this work. But ultimately, it is the
messages that we get on social media, and the high
fives that I get when I'm out at community events,
and the little notes and text messages that I receive
from young people thanking me for the programs that we've
designed in the ways that we've supported either them or
they're young people. So I would say that that's probably
(08:20):
one of the most inspiring and critical parts of our
work is the community because probably another reason for that
is because there are adults who have had this lived
experience and we're not even acknowledging that they've had this experience,
so they're still carrying that, and many adults come back
in our program and mentor our young people show up
as carrying adults as a way for them to start
(08:41):
to heal from their journey. It's just one of those
things that you kind of are holding that across all ages.
We don't make enough space to talk about this experience,
and there is not a monolithic experience, right, It's a
variety of ways that young people are impacted by printal incarceration.
I know people who've had their parents incarcerated on life sentences,
(09:03):
whose parents are still incarcerated on life senses, or like me,
three years incarcerated. Right, being incarcerated in a state facility
is different from being federally incarcerated. In a state, you're
more logistically close to your family. Federally, you could be
in Michigan and my mother was station. Excuse me, my
mother also was in the military incarcerated in Illinois and
(09:26):
in Connecticut, so it created proximity challenge. So during her
over three years of incarceration, I only visited her once.
So I just do want to speak to our Parent
Connection program, which I'm really proud about, and we provide
resources for our young people to stay connected to their
incarcerated parents. So we pay for telephone calls, emails, letter writing,
virtual chats, but we also pay for their visits in
(09:49):
person because we understand how much that physical connection matters
will pay for gas, their food, their hotels so that
they can stay the night and most times our families
go back a second day for other visit before they
come home.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
And you know, I was actually going to get right
into that because we previously spoke off air about the
financial needs of three D because of all of the
work that you are doing, which is so rewarding I
can only imagine, especially when you have those success stories
like you mentioned. But you currently have a fundraising campaign
that's running through December third tell the people what you
are raising money for and how they can donate.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Yes, we do.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
So we are raising money for our end of the
year coordinated trip for our youth and families to visit
their incarcerated moms at Women's here On Valley Correctional Facility.
So we have a partnership with an organization that partners
with the Michigan Department of Corrections, and so we're going
to be coordinating to transport our youth and families to
that facility for the holidays. And you know, your girl
(10:46):
is turning forty next week, and so I connected it
to like just made it kind of cute and cool,
and we called it the forty forty Club. So we're
looking for forty beautiful humans and individuals who care about
our mission to join the forty forty Club to help
us meet this fundraising goal. And there are two ways
that you can join. You can decide that you want
to help us to raise two hundred and fifty dollars
(11:07):
from your network, meaning so list it in donations from
your friends, your families, your coworkers. You could ask a
couple people to give you ten dollars donations or twenty
five dollars to help you get to that two hundred
and fifty dollars mark. Or the second option is to
sign up to be an annual donor at twenty dollars
a month, which is two hundred and forty dollars, and
you could set that up as a recurring payment or
(11:28):
as a one time donation, and if we have forty
humans sign up for that, we will meet our goal
of ten thousand dollars.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
We are about.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Thirty percent towards the goal and so we have some
work to do. But absolutely, if this mission and organization
speaks to your heart, we would love for you to
reach out to us, and I know we'll discuss the
ways that they can find us. But even if people
are not in a position to financially donate if they
have resources, connections to other funding opportunities, to community partners,
(11:57):
to program resources.
Speaker 6 (12:00):
We are open to.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
All the things.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
How can people reach out to you on social media?
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (12:06):
Social media is on Instagram and primarily Instagram. We do
have a Facebook, we don't use it as often. Okay,
direct everyone on our Instagram. Which is our organization name,
which is the longest name that I could have developed, right,
Developing despite Distance and that just straight is our Instagram name.
It's also our website dot org. It's also the way
(12:28):
that you can email me at gmail dot com. And
my board president is probably someword cringing because we've been
working and get my professional email up. Yeah, but you
can still find me at Developing despite Distance at gmail
dot com.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Okay, perfect. And the way that people donate, is there
a way through your website or do they need to
contact you directly?
Speaker 5 (12:46):
There is a donation link on our website. You can
donate through PayPal, but if that doesn't work for you,
we accept checks our Detroit office. Will you know we
can provide an address for that. If your local in
Detray and want to provide cash, an option for that
and also digitally through our business account on zeal. All right,
so let's get the website one more time for people
interested in learning more about your program and also donating
(13:09):
so that we can get more funds to this very
very important work that you do. Yes, Developing despite Distance
dot org. But also if you go to three the
number three, the letter D as in dog Detroit dot org,
three D detrait dot org, that will also take you
to our website.
Speaker 7 (13:27):
Cool.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
So you got the shorter version and the long version.
Let's make this happen for the youth. Tiffany, once again,
thank you so much for your time and the work
that you are doing with our youth is very important
and I just wish you continued success and longevity and
everything that you are doing. Tiffany Brown, the founder and
executive director of Developing Despite Distance, thank you for your
(13:48):
time today.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Thank you, Bree, Thanks Brie, and don't forget giving Tuesday
is December third, and donations along with information resources are needed.
For ways to donate to Developing despite Distance or share
resource information, please visit three D dot org. Didn't get
everything you needed on Black Friday, well good because there's
another Black Shopping Black and the Black Information Networks. Vanessa
(14:11):
Tyler talks the importance of shopping black, especially now with
the founder of a shopping experience that is all black.
Speaker 8 (14:19):
Can you hear that sounds like jingle bells signifying the
season is upon us and here to remind us to
buy black? Is Renee Blewett, the founder of She Did
That Holiday Bizarre? Renee? Welcome, Hi. How are you talk
about that? She did that Holiday Bizarre?
Speaker 7 (14:41):
Yes?
Speaker 9 (14:42):
So she did that Holiday Bizarre? I can confidently say
is the shopping event of this season. We've been doing
this event every year since twenty seventeen, and I honestly
I like to call it like the holiday shopping event
you don't ever want to miss.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
Every year.
Speaker 9 (15:04):
We have over fifty black women own brands in the room,
and these are elevated brands. These are brands that I
have personally curated to be in the space. And we
have you know, representation from every product category from fashion, accessories, literature, jewelry,
(15:28):
home goods, you know, food, beverage, pretty much everything you
can think of, children's items, dolls, books, really everything is
in that room, whether it's your shopping for yourself, which
is always you know, something people do, or shopping for
your loved ones. Everything you need is there and it's
(15:50):
all black women owned. And there's something special happening this year.
But we'll get into that later in the conversation. Why
is buying black more important now than ever? Oh my gosh,
that is such a loaded question, Vanessa. It has always
been important, let's be clear, But I would definitely say
(16:11):
that now in this time and space we are in.
If we even look at, you know, the recent election
and some of the promises that were made by candidates
about you know, programs and initiatives for small businesses that
will now obviously not be a priority because of our
(16:33):
upcoming president, we really have to be intentional about creating
opportunities for ourselves in our community and not leaning on
the promises of corporate America. Right Like, think back to
twenty twenty, you know, I call it black box twenty twenty,
when all of these corporations and brands were making promises
(16:56):
to invest in black owned businesses. A lot of thosees
have been broken, forgotten, you know, walked away from. And
so because of that, it is critical that we are
creating our own ecosystems that we are intentional about where
we're investing our money because these businesses, these small businesses
(17:19):
are creating jobs in our community. Right, Like your child
goes away to college and comes back home and there
are black businesses in the community, like this is where
they can start their career. And it just also just
makes us a little more self sufficient, you know, Like
if you think about the time that a dollar spends
(17:42):
in our community, that time is significantly shorter than in
other communities, which is unfortunate because we really need to
pour back into, you know, the spaces where we live
and we do business. Talk about the conscious effort it
takes to do that, meaning to seek out and to
buy black It's not necessarily always easy, but obviously it's necessary.
(18:07):
So what must one do to really get their heads
around that this is what they're going to do. Yeah,
so intentionality is key. I would say that in twenty
twenty four, going into twenty twenty five, it's a lot
easier to find black owned brands. I don't think people
have the excuse of saying like, oh, I don't know,
you know, I don't know where to find these people.
(18:29):
There are so many different platforms from you know she
did that to there's a platform called Shop Black. There
is the fifteen percent Pledge, there's you know, all black everything.
There are so many different online platforms that are introducing
(18:51):
their communities to black owned brands and constantly pushing out
content that is sharing like this brand creates you know,
lotions and skincare and shoes, like really if you want,
if you wanted to, and this is something that I
do quite a bit. It's a lifestyle, but you know,
(19:11):
you could just make this a part of your every
day if you think about our everyday needs, especially when
it comes to CpG brands, consumer package goods. Pretty much
everything you want there is a version of it that
was created by a black person.
Speaker 8 (19:27):
Suppose you like to touch, see hands on what you're
buying black. Renee Blewett of She did that Holiday Bazaar says,
seek out black at brick and mortar too.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
If you're not an online shopper.
Speaker 9 (19:40):
There are some mass retailers who have really done a
great job of making sure that they have black owned
businesses on their shelves. Target would be first and foremost.
You know, they have initiatives throughout the year, whether it's
Women's History Month or Black History Month, where they're highlighting
black owned brands. You know, they have aisles and aisles
(20:01):
of black owned beauty products. It's really not that hard, honestly, Vanessa.
I think you just have to want to do it
and be intentional about it.
Speaker 8 (20:11):
Now, the She Did That Holiday Bizarre is December first
after Friday, and it is in the New York City area.
But for those not in the Tri State, how can
they take part?
Speaker 9 (20:27):
So if you're not in the Tri State area, we
just released the twenty twenty four She did that Holiday
Gift guide that you can find on She did That
dot co. And in that gift guide, I've curated a
list of seventy five black owned brands that people can
shop not just during the holidays, but all year round.
(20:50):
One thing I want to stress is it is very
common for like they're further to be a spike in
sales around the holidays, around Black Business Month or Black
History Month as well. And then also there's a spike
when things happen in this country that you know that
(21:11):
kind of remind us and kind of like wake us
up a bit and remind us that, oh my gosh,
we need to take care of our community. Think about
George Floyd. You know, if you think about even the
conversation that's happening after this election. A lot of people
in response to situations like this, they start to say, like,
(21:33):
we need to be buying black. But I encourage us
and would really like to see us have this state
of mind all throughout the year, not just in reaction
to what's happening in America, but just as a lifestyle.
Speaker 8 (21:49):
Now this year, you mentioned that there's something a little
extra with the bizarre. Yes, yes, we're super excited this year.
Speaker 9 (21:58):
Our presenting sponsor is Shame Moisture, and as part of
their partnership, we are going to be launching that He
Did That marketplace. As you know she did that has
always centered black women founders. But with He Did That,
we're going to be introducing almost twenty black men own
(22:19):
businesses that were a part of Shame Moisture's Trailblazer's program
in partnership with Georgetown University and the gathering Spot. So
that is going to be a different and very fun
element to the event. It is going to be like
a family affair, and I am just super excited to
see and experience the magic in the room when we
(22:41):
bring all of these black owned businesses together because in total,
with the men's brands and the women's brands, we almost
have seventy businesses, which is a pretty robust offering for
shopping and just having a good time.
Speaker 8 (22:57):
It sounds fantastic. Give us that website again if we
want to learn more.
Speaker 9 (23:01):
Yes, she did that dot co and on social it's
she did that dot Co Underscore.
Speaker 8 (23:09):
Renee Blewett, founder of she did that Holiday Bizarre, thank
you and let's go shopping.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Thank you, Thank you, Vanessa. The holiday season is here
and that means a lot of get togethers if you're
new to planning large gatherings, and that can be a
bit intimidating, especially with things like selecting the right wine
for your guests. In this week's edition of The Color
Between the Lines, we have an expert who breaks it
down for us with our own Esther Dillard.
Speaker 10 (23:41):
I'm Esther Dillard on the Black Information Network, chatting with
writers and authors who offer an added perspective for our listeners.
This is the Color between the Lines. In this edition
of The Color Between the Lines, we're speaking with author
by the name of Stephanie Brown. She has a new
(24:02):
book called Sipping Sense, Unquirking The Flavors of Wine, Entertaining
and Healthy Cooking. Welcome Stephanie Brown to the BIM.
Speaker 11 (24:12):
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm really excited to
be here.
Speaker 10 (24:16):
Well, this book is not necessarily for the person who
knows wine and drinks it, because honestly, I do not
drink wine. My husband he drinks wine, and I feel
like the whole wine thing is intimidating it, especially at
holiday dinners and such. Have you run into a lot
of people who feel like me, that just wine is
just intimidating.
Speaker 8 (24:34):
Of course I do.
Speaker 11 (24:36):
Actually that was me at some point throughout my life
journey around wine. I think trying to demystify it and
put the fun into it and actually have it the
non snobby was my whole intent throughout my whole career
teaching people about wine, and it was really how I
(24:57):
thought about the book. You know, somebody who was a
novice can pick it up, and somebody who is really
into wine and done studying a wine can pick it
up and get something out of it. Yeah.
Speaker 10 (25:09):
I often felt like that. It's like you have to
have so much of an understanding and be so sophisticated.
And I really appreciate this kind of book because it
kind of breaks it down. You even have diagrams where
people get interesting tidbits on what part of your tongue
should taste, how it should hit certain palettes of your tongue.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
On the end.
Speaker 10 (25:32):
Also, you know, you also have recipes in this book.
It's not just a book about wine.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
Right, No.
Speaker 11 (25:38):
I actually call it a lifestyle book because wine actually
is a lifestyle for me, and it's a lifestyle for
many other folks as well. But I call it a
lifestyle book primarily because it hits multiple fastest of how
you actually entertain and just enjoy community with people. It
(25:58):
has the education around wine, and has the education around
how you serve and how you you know, do a
table setting. It has education around how do you pair
your wines with your foods? And you talked about the
palette a little bit. The palette is really all about
how what you experience when you eat, and it's not
(26:18):
just about the drinking of wine. So if you understand
your palate overall, then as you start to think about
pairing wine with food, it becomes something of a synergy
and there's an education around that. And so I try
to give people information enough information about the flavors that
you should be expecting both on food and wine, so
(26:39):
that you can achieve what I call old mommy or
just plain old yummy. So you know, mommy is a
Japanese term that is all about having everything come together
in one place and it's just delicious, and so I
call that that yummy. And so when I'm pairing wine
with food, that's what I'm all trying to achieve.
Speaker 10 (27:02):
What attracted you to the world of wine and entertaining.
You've put a little bit of your history in this
book as well.
Speaker 11 (27:10):
So I actually probably didn't connect it all together until
probably just recently, over the last couple of years, when
I wasn't thinking about why do I love entertaining so much?
Why do I love food and wine so much? Obviously
I didn't grow up with wine. I grew up with
my mother and all of my family.
Speaker 7 (27:28):
They drank spirits.
Speaker 12 (27:29):
You know.
Speaker 11 (27:29):
It wasn't something that was necessarily marketed to people of
color back in the day. And so I learned more
about spirits early, and I when I started the Wine Club,
I thought about I really just wanted to learn more.
And I was having a dinner out with a bunch
of friends. We were in a restaurant here in Boston
(27:52):
and they had flights of wine on the menu. This
was early, you know, early ninety and it was a
French bistro restaurant out of Canada. And I said, I
never actually takes to half of the wines that are
on this flight, you know, I do SHARINAE Merlow and
(28:13):
pretty much that was in white zipadel.
Speaker 7 (28:15):
That was pretty much it.
Speaker 11 (28:17):
So it interested me, and I said, well, why don't
we start a.
Speaker 7 (28:23):
Wine club instead of a book club.
Speaker 11 (28:26):
I see you're a big book person, so I'm sure
you're in a bunch of book clubs. So I said,
let's start a wine club. And a bunch of us
got together and started to learn together, and I realized
that there was a lot I didn't know, but it
was very enjoyable. And so because that was the beginning
of how I really started to think about wanting to
(28:47):
learn more about wine, and that wine club turned into
a national wine club, I ended up just taking my
whole journey through wine. I call it a hobby gone
a muck because it was.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Started out as a hobby.
Speaker 11 (29:06):
And here I am sitting talking to you, or I
heard about a book I wrote about why so it's gone.
You know, it's really taken a lot of twist and
turns in my life. But it's a history lesson for me,
and it's community for me, and I've learned a lot
about it over the years. And I've actually met one
lot of wonderful people over the years through wine.
Speaker 10 (29:29):
I know that a lot of people, you know, they
get intimidated about wine, and especially with this holiday season,
what will be your best advice for those who have
no clue as to what to select as far as
wine wine? Get together with wine. You know, a thirty
bottle of wine versus one hundred dollars bottle of wine
is the more expensive better? How do I pick? So?
Speaker 7 (29:53):
I think.
Speaker 11 (29:55):
The best way to pick is to use the stores
and your you know, there used to be you would
walk into a wine a liquor store and you know,
ask about wine and there were very many people in
the store that actually knew anything about it. Now it's
very easy because there are so many wonderful stores all
across the country that you can walk in and actually
(30:16):
tell some what you're going to have, what you're going
to fix, and ask them for about a couple bottles
of wine. I always suggest you buy a red and
a white, and I you know, if you stay in
the fifty to twenty dollars range, you can find some
really you know, nice bottles of wine for your guests.
Speaker 10 (30:37):
I like that for those who are just joining us.
I'm Esther Dillard from the Black Information Network and I'm
speaking with the author Stephanie Brown about her new book
Sipping Scents on Corking, the Flavors of Wine, Entertaining and
Healthy Cooking. And you mentioned in your book that you
need to taste that wine before you serve it because
it might not be good. How does a person determine,
(30:59):
if you've never really been a wine drinker, what's good
and what's bad.
Speaker 11 (31:05):
Well, you know when food tastes bad, so you'll know
when wine tastes bad. So usually when you taste it,
I always say taste it first, because you don't want
to serve your guests, just like you won't serve your
guess anything that's not good from a food perspective, same
same same thing applies with wine. And when you taste
(31:25):
wine and it either tastes very vinegary or it will
taste I call raisiny where it really just tastes like
it's just overdone, overdone raisin grape juice that or you
have you get an extremely high content alcohol, meaning it's
(31:46):
just over over burden your palette with alcohol. Those are
usually three indications that there is something wrong with the wine.
Speaker 7 (31:56):
It's not not any good.
Speaker 11 (31:59):
Many people serve their red wines too hot and their
white wines too cold, and I always say rule of
thumb is just go straight down the middle. Serve them
all shield because red wine's going to heat up as
soon as it comes out of the bottle. And you know,
white wine, if it's too cold, you're really masking the
wonderful flavors that the winemaker intended. So chill both of them.
(32:24):
Make sure it tastes good before you serve it to someone.
And I think the other piece that is really important
is don't don't serve your wine and fill the glass
all the way up to the top, you know, about
a third of the way up, because you can always
go get more because sometimes people won't like the wine
and you want to you don't want to waste it,
but they can always go get more. But it also
(32:44):
gives it an opportunity to breathe and so that you
get the best palate experience out of it.
Speaker 10 (32:52):
Well, I know that this book contains a lot of
recipes and other advice on top wine. What I guess,
how did you determine what you wanted to put in
this book? Because there's a lot of you in this book,
not a history, your family history. What means you determine
what you wanted to put in, what you wanted to
tick out.
Speaker 11 (33:11):
So I think we talked a little bit about it earlier,
and I probably didn't answer the question all the way
about like, you know, legacy. Legacy mattered to me when
I was thinking about this book. My mother and my
grandmother and my grandmother, grandmother, great grandmother were amazing entertainers.
They were amazing cooks, and so a lot of the
recipes in the book were passed down to me, and
(33:32):
I really wanted people to get the impression that it
just didn't come out of nowhere. It actually means a
lot to me for me to actually share my grandmother
and my granda and my mother's recipes with I call everybody.
And at the same time, I wanted people to actually
think about their own legacies. And you know, sometimes we
(33:55):
throw away wonderful heirlooms and we then don't have anything
to pass down to our next generation. So I want
people to really think about their heirlooms. Is to be
recipes were heirlooms, so I wanted to share some of
those recipes with my audience. And then I also I
married a pescatarian, and I think vegetarian and pescatarian menus
(34:21):
are the hardest thing to pair wines with because there
in many cases sometimes bland, and so I wanted to
think about how do create wine pairings that go with
fish and vegetarian dishes, and how do I enhance those
(34:41):
flavors with herbs and spices so that then I can
actually then pair wine with them. And I wanted to
be able to give everybody a red choice and a
white choice. So I had to really think about what
are the things that I've made or have remade from
other people over the years that really work well with wine.
And that's how I chose the recipes. And I know
(35:03):
there are a lot of people that sometimes turn their
nose up in vegetarian dishes, and I wanted to show
a lot of folks that vegetarian dishes can taste good
and they can go with wine. You know, yeah, but
we're not. We're not the I'll call there are a
lot of people who don't think that or you know,
you know, especially when it comes to you know, people
(35:24):
who just really always want to have a piece of meat.
You have to really uh sometimes you have to work
at it to make something really taste really good by
using you know, the spices and the sauces that will
make it have that flavor that you're trying to accomplish
both just if you want to have a wonderful meal,
but also if you want to pair wine with it.
(35:46):
I get everybody so everybody so weight conscious, so I
wanted to add the nutrition facts so that people, you know,
everything's not low calorie in the book, but at least
you'll know what you're taking into your body from the
nutrition effects.
Speaker 10 (36:02):
I love it. I love the entire book. It's a
great I think that it probably would be a great
book for somebody for the holiday who wants to give
it as a gift. Any particular advice you want to
give before we close.
Speaker 11 (36:17):
Just make wine and food fun. It's all about what
you like. It's not about what they tell you you're
supposed to like. I think experimenting is the best way
to learn what you like. You know, don't just keep
buying the same variety every time you go to the store,
you know, try different ones and just have fun with
(36:38):
the wine, the food, and the entertaining and the community
that you can gather from it.
Speaker 10 (36:44):
Well, thank you so much Stephanie Brown for joining us on.
Speaker 11 (36:46):
The bi N.
Speaker 6 (36:48):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 11 (36:50):
Well.
Speaker 10 (36:50):
The book is called Sipping Sense, Uncorking the Flavors of Wine,
Entertaining and Healthy Cooking. I'm Aster Dillard with the Blank
Information Network.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Thanks esther. In Your Year Strong, that's the empowering message
from doctor Cindy Trim. Doctor Trim sat down with BIN
News anchor Mimi Brown to share insights about her upcoming
in Your Year Strong Empowerment Summit, along with practical tips
to help you close out twenty twenty four with purpose
and step into twenty twenty five with a new mindset.
(37:29):
Here's their conversation Doctor Trimp.
Speaker 12 (37:31):
For those who might be unfamiliar, what is in Your
Year Strong Empowerment Summit and how did the idea for
this transformative event first come about?
Speaker 6 (37:42):
I wanted people to know, Look, you may be exhausted,
you may be suffering from compassion, fatigue. You may be
going through a loss and tense laws of maybe health
or family members, or even loss of a job, but
no matter what happens in between, you could still end
(38:04):
strong because how a thing ends is how something begins.
So we can get people and taking a deep breath, exhaling,
be empowered, being able to face forward and have a
moment of uplifting and coming together with like minded people
and helping them to reframe the realities in their world.
(38:29):
Then I felt that we would have done something extraordinary
to help people not only to overcome the challenges, but
to face forward.
Speaker 12 (38:40):
And you've said it's important to in your year strong
or rather than waiting until January, elaborate on why this
is a crucial mindset for personal and professional growth.
Speaker 6 (38:52):
Yeah, we lose a lot of time when we wait
for January, because you know, people usually typically do a
twenty one day fast or a twenty one day consecration
and then sometime during January you see a lot of
vision parties and people vision boarding. But every day that
(39:12):
you delay, you actually are losing and you're wasting. So
what if we can hit a hard reset in December,
face forward with vision so that you do not lose
a day or an opportunity, because every minute of every
(39:33):
day is pregnant with an opportunity, and every day of
preparation is one day less of performing. So you want
to start your year in performance mode. You want to
not just have resolutions, but you want to have a
vision and a strategy that you put in place, because
(39:53):
that's the only way that I've discovered that you're going
to be able to connect the dots.
Speaker 12 (40:00):
The theme for this year's conference is Culture Shift Augumenting
Kingdom Reality. What inspired this theme and how does that
reflect the times we're living in?
Speaker 6 (40:10):
Wow, very powerful question. We're living in challenging times and
everyone knows that, especially in the United States of America,
we have what I think it was psychology today called
post election blues, and we're experiencing a whole spectrum of
(40:31):
emotions compassion, fatigue, empathy, overload, possibility, blindness, uncertainty, fear of
the future, grief, and I can go on, you know,
with the kinds of emotions that we are experiencing. And
then you know, you have the polarized viewpoints and people
(40:53):
trying to figure out, okay, what is going to happen
and It's not just about how lelly that drives outcome.
It's about the psychology that drives change. And so there
were things that we cannot control. It's outside of us,
but we can control the things that are going on
(41:15):
on the inside of us. And the Scripture says, as
a man thinking in his heart, so is he? How
should you be thinking about your life? How should you
be thinking about your rule that you play in the
unfolding of the plan that God has for humanity? How
should you be thinking about your finances? And what is
(41:38):
the future of work? And this is causing a lot
of people consternation, a lot of people fear, a lot
of people anxiety. But you know, I read Scripture. I
studied individuals that pushed humanity forward, and it was always
in the midst of personal challenge and political who upheaval
(42:01):
and things were just not optimum. And so if you're
looking for the ideal optimum environment, there will never be.
But you can succeed in the middle of any upheaval
that happens, any challenge, any adversity, any crisis. You have
(42:24):
the inborn power to succeed greater see that is in
you than he that is in the world. And you
will make it through this because that's how we're purpose built.
And when you connect with your identity, you connect with
your purpose, your assignment. You know who you are, you
(42:46):
know why you are. You can defy all odds, and
it's all about your mind. We call it mindset mastering.
Speaker 12 (42:55):
You know, many people they struggle with the feeling of
feeling stuck in a cycle of unfulfilled goals year after
year after year.
Speaker 5 (43:04):
What advice would.
Speaker 12 (43:05):
You give those attending the summit who want to break
free from that pattern.
Speaker 6 (43:10):
We're going to give them. We're going to give everyone
some strategies when they come. We have the leadership. It's
called leadership redefined. Leadership is just about influence, and all
of us are influencers. But we're going to talk about,
you know, how to disconnect from an anti God, antichrist,
(43:33):
anti purpose, anti joy, anti happiness culture and engage in
the cultural shift that God has given us. Be not
conformed to this world, be transformed by the renewing of
your mind.
Speaker 12 (43:48):
In addition to the spiritual development, your summit also emphasizes entrepreneurship, leadership,
and financial freedom. Why was it important or why is
it important to address the these areas in tandem with
personal growth.
Speaker 6 (44:03):
Great question, that's where we are personal development. You know,
most of us are a part all of us are
part of a workforce, and we can't tap out of life.
There's no bleachers to sit on. And so helping people
(44:23):
to understand, Okay, this is where the world is. We're
in the new normal. We're in what is slated as
ruka environment, and we all want to succeed. And we
wanted to let individuals know that this is still spiritual
because we talk about our professional career and the word
(44:45):
profession is a biblical term that you know, when a
person was called into ministry, they went into the city
center and they professed it. So it was all tied.
Profession was always tied to something that is spiritual. And
a lot of times we disconnect our spirituality with our entrepreneurship,
(45:10):
our leadership, our professionalism. We you know, see a diconomy
when in fact there is no dichotomy, you know.
Speaker 12 (45:20):
And as we get ready to wrap up, doctor Trump,
I know last year the conference drew attendees from all
over the world, both in person and virtually. How has
the global reach of in your Year Strong evolved over
the years and what does that mean for this year's event.
Speaker 6 (45:36):
Well, I think you know, the whole world is trying
to figure out the way forward. And this is not
just for foreign countries, for the United States of America
as well, and I wanted to weigh in on the
whole big subject where do we go from here? So
we have the state of our union address where we
deal with We just place the prophetic, the apostolic right
(46:01):
in the middle of day to day living, right in
the middle of industry shiftings and professional shiftings and economics
and politics and social and we place it and cultural
and replace it right there so that people can have
an opportunity to have perspective, to see God's perspective and
(46:26):
to not just feel as if there are a victim
of things that are going on outside of them, but
they're contritruting to it as well. And then to be
able to walk away with structure. And you know, the
Bible set thou shall know the truth, and the truth
shall set you free. So that means ignorance, ignorance of
(46:48):
something imprisons you. And the world offers us comfort, steady jobs,
good salaries, entertainment at our fingertip endless distraction, just to
keep us pacified and complacent, and it dulls our senses,
it numbs our ambitions, and we willingly put our dreams
(47:12):
on lay away, and it just keeps us tethered to
a cycle of dependency and submission. But what if you
could break away? What if you could be empowered to
really live life on your terms, to really succeed and
to really prosper. What if you don't have to be
ignorant any longer? What if you don't have to be
(47:35):
socialized that way and educated that way? You know, and
I believe that that ignorance is destroyed through.
Speaker 8 (47:48):
Knowledge, and doctor Trenby, now I know.
Speaker 12 (47:50):
The question on everyone's mind is how can they register?
Where can they find more information?
Speaker 6 (47:57):
Yes, thank you for asking and your yearstrong dot com
and I want them to register also when they get
on there. There's general registration, but then there's the leadership lunch,
and definitely register for the leadership lunch.
Speaker 12 (48:14):
And can you share the gates with us for the compact.
Speaker 6 (48:16):
The sixth and seventh next weekend.
Speaker 12 (48:19):
December sixth and seventh. Okay, we will definitely note that,
doctor Trim, thank you so much for sharing your vision,
your wisdom with us today. Remember that registration is open
now at inyour yearstrong dot com. Whether you attend in
person or virtually, this is an opportunity to finish twenty
twenty four strong and help boldly step into twenty twenty five.
(48:43):
Thank you again, doctor Trim, It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (48:46):
Thanks Mimi. Doug Davis is back with another segment of
Your Black Business Today pr Icon Angelo Elderby responsible for
building likely the most prominent public relations firm in the
entertainment industry, and he just released his new book that
details working with some of music's biggest stars.
Speaker 3 (49:04):
Doug, thanks Mike. Welcome to Your Black Business, where we
feature and highlight success stories of black owned businesses and entrepreneurs.
Happy holidays, and with us today is Angelo Lerb, founder
and President of Doubled Exposure Media, a highly successful marketing
and public relations firm. Lerb is a distinguished publicist and
author known for his transformative impact on the entertainment industry.
(49:27):
Over his prolific career, he shaped the narratives of iconic artists,
including Michael Jackson and DMX, just to name a few,
With his unique blend of strategic insight and compassionate guidance.
His latest book, Before I Let Go, offers a compelling
glimpse into his journey and the wisdom that he has
garnered along the way. Lerb continues to leave an indelible
(49:48):
mark on the world of music and beyond. Welcome to
the bi in brother, It's an honor to have you here.
What are some of the key themes and life lessons
that you cover in your book Before I Let You Go?
Speaker 7 (50:02):
Oh, Dug Davis. Man, First of all, let me say
thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts and
ideas and suggestions about life and my new book. It's
a pleasure to be with you. It's a pleasure to
have your listening audience to be with us today. I'm
happy about sharing God's working words.
Speaker 3 (50:20):
Amen, dude.
Speaker 7 (50:21):
That's what my book is about, man, It's really about that.
Why we talk about celebrities and we talk about my
staple or my plate, because that's what this book is,
a plate of my life. I'm not trying to use
the celebrities, and I'm not trying to use the things
that I have done to sell this book. This book
is not about no celebrities, and it's really not about me.
(50:44):
It's about that lay person.
Speaker 11 (50:45):
Man.
Speaker 7 (50:46):
It's about that homeless. It's about the shutout. It's about
the physically handicapped, it's about the mentally target. It's about
the HIV AIDS victim. It's about the in prison and incarcerated.
It's about the domestic violence. It's about the lay people.
And I think that a lot of times, as we
(51:07):
are elders and human beings, we become so judgmental about
other people's life or lifestyles and the things that they
go through the challenges. And I'm just one of God's
children who so are so very hard not to lay
judgment on anyone. I know that God has given me
so many chances in my life to get it together.
(51:28):
He's given me so many chances in my life to
wake up and to see clearly and to appreciate the
gift of life, because that's what life is, is a gift.
It's not a given. And so when I wanted to
sit down and write this book, I thought about all
of the childs and tribulations of the lay people out
(51:49):
here and how people have given up on them, and
I wanted to inspire people. And that's what this book
is about. Before I let you go, It's really about me.
It's really about me wanting to give a message. Wanted
to aid and assists and encourage people of all assortments
(52:11):
to fall romantically in love with themselves, to begin to
love themselves. And it may sound like a little egotistical,
but it's not because I really believe, and I tell
people every single day, I'm romantically in love with Angela Ellerby.
I love me so that I can love you. You
love me before you can love someone else. That's the
missing pieces of life.
Speaker 3 (52:31):
What led you to share your life with the world?
And how did you come up with the title? And
I know it all kind of you know funny.
Speaker 7 (52:40):
Everybody thought that I was because I represented Frankie Bubbly
for about two years, and everybody thought it was a
dedication to Frankie. But you know why. I love Frankie
Deally and may he rest in peace. Know the book
was named before I Let You Go because there was
a message that I wanted to convey. There was a
(53:01):
message that I want people to know about. I wanted
people to begin to understand that life is really a
gift and you can mess up a hundred thousand times.
The man above is going to still allow you to
live life. He's going to give you chances at the
chances and I want people to know that. And I
was about maybe maybe three weeks before the book. I
(53:24):
was finishing up with the book. So I was in
New York City, just left the bank, and the guy
that works along with me and drives me around and
takes me to where I need to go. I saw
these three brothers on forty second Street and eighth and
ninth Avenue, and one was in the garbage can, and
one was sitting laying in a box, and then one
was just sitting up on the back of a fence.
(53:46):
And so I actually got to pull the car over.
And he's Spanish, so it took a little minute for
him to get where I was saying what I was
saying to him because I don't speak Spanish. And I said,
to the guys, come to the car. Well, I had
maybe thirty forty dollars in singles, and I took ten
of them and I gave it ten singles to one guy.
(54:06):
And this guy looked at me, he says, why are
you doing that? He said, for no reason, I just
wanted to do it. The other guy said, are you serious?
So yeah, I'm very serious. The other guy said, oh man,
thank you. So the guy that drives me says, why
are you doing that? All they're going to do is
go buy drugs. That ain't my business, man, and neither
is it your business as to what they do with
(54:28):
the money. I don't care what they do with the money.
It's not my business. My business was to see three
brothers eating out of the garbage can, living in a box,
and sitting up on a fence. Why so if ten
dollars going to help them look for a right of future,
give them some optimistic ways of just living and doing better,
(54:52):
allow that to app.
Speaker 3 (54:54):
I tell you, Angelo, I've never met anyone or interviewed
anyone like you before. You are truly a unique, special person.
I'm honored to have here on the show. You share
a story in your book about how your relationship with
Michael Jackson came about. Of course you represented him. Can
(55:16):
you share that story with us?
Speaker 7 (55:18):
So my reception is, it went to the lady's room,
and I think that the accountant was in at her office,
So I answered the phone. So they said, the person said, Hi,
this is Michael Jackson to speak with Angelo Ellerbe, And
I go do do do do?
Speaker 9 (55:34):
Do?
Speaker 7 (55:35):
This? Ain't no time for me to messing around with
me on this phone. What do you want to speak to?
He said, I would like to speak to Angela Ellerbee.
The voice had totally changed. It was a very masculine voice.
It was not the voice that we know Michael Jackson bought.
So I hung up on him. About five minutes later,
Bob Jones, which was as vice president of media at
that time, he said, Angelo, did you just answer the phone.
(55:58):
I said yeah. He said, well, Michael just call Then
he said you hung up on him. I said, oh
my god, and he said and so when Michael got
on the phone, he busted out laughing. I said, Sir,
I do apologize. He said, first, you're not gonna call me, sir?
Are you gonna call me? Michael? And I just wanted
to meet you over this phone. I wanted to meet
you and tell you about the strategy that you came
(56:20):
up with. So it was going through a very complex
time in his career. And I always tell people who
come to me for damage control, can we go back
to the scene of the accident. And I remember Bob
Jones said to me and Tower, what that all? Are
you talking about I said, this was all involving children, right,
He said, yeah him. I said, so what we need
to do is go back to the scene of the accident,
(56:41):
and I want you to understand and convey over to me,
knowing that the truth is not on strike, tell me everything.
And so Michael said to me, He says, do you
mind if I give you a call? About three hours later,
and I said, do you mind if I share with
you my home phone number? And I gave it my
own phone number. He said, good time. He called me
and we had a long time conversation and I said, Michael,
(57:01):
but I think that needs to happen here. I want
to create something that's going to be very special, something
that's going to toward children to you. I want the
world to see the love that the children all over
this world asks for you. And I come up with
something called the Children's Choice Award. And he goes the
Children's Choice Award. I said, yes, I'm creating the Children's
(57:23):
Choice Award. But I like to try to do is
do it at City Center And I told him, I said,
it's directly around the corner from my office. It's where
everyone goes to as an extraordinary theater. But I want
to invite nothing but children. I want to do free
tickets and invite nothing like three thousand children. But I
don't want it to be so obvious, is that this
(57:46):
organization is honoring you and then not honoring anyone else.
So we came together and we came up with a
committee of people that we wanted to honor. Then I
got a call the day of the event, and this
was the funny part, and it was from Bob Jones again.
And Bob says to me, he says, Angelo, calling to
let you know that Michael's on his way. Could you
(58:06):
go to the back of the theater. I said, sure,
I'll go back to the theater. He says, but I
want you to open your eyes. You're going to see
a garbage truck. I said, a garbage truck. He said,
a garbage truck. Just stand there, don't leave. So I
go back and I saw this garbage truck pull up,
and I saw this guy with this white jump suit
on and this mask come from the back of the
(58:28):
garbage truck. And the mask comes off, the jumpsuit comes off.
He says, are you Angelo, And I said, oh, I said,
oh my, But I said yes, sir, he said, I
said you were That's how it began. Man, that's going
back to the scene of the accident. Children loved him.
Speaker 3 (58:49):
Wow, I am speechless. What an amazing story. You can
hear more of these amazing stories from pr Icon Angelo Ellerb.
Thank you so much for sharing parts of your amazing
life with us here at the BI in your book
Before I'll Let You Go is available everywhere Again, Happy Holidays.
I'm Doug Davis. This is the Black Perspective on the
(59:09):
Black Information Network.
Speaker 2 (59:11):
Thanks Doug, 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 Bionnews 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 blue Sky at black Info Net.
(59:32):
I'm Mike Island, wishing everyone a great Sunday and a
great start to the month of December. Be sure to
tune in next week at this time for another edition
of the Black Perspective right here on the Black Information Network.