Community Connection - Mat 6 2026 - Tina Cosby with James Patterson, Rev. Clyde Posley Jr, Alicia Murray, Carlo Castro Martin and Dr Tyra Seldon - Community Connection With Tina Cosby

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cons me. Today is Wednesday, May the sixth, the day
after the day after the May primary elections held yesterday
across the state of Indiana. We're gonna look at, uh,
some of the local races shortly. Also today, a well
known local pastor will soon be hosting a workshop not
just for writers, but for those looking to write about

(00:22):
their fate. Apparently, yeah, apparently there's another another step there. Anyway,
We're gonna have more on that, uh, and more about
that in our second hour. Right now, though, let's turn
to our contributing analyst James Patterson. Sounds like the chair
just turned.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
He's turned into the microphones.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Turned into the microphone. Okay, James, Okay.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Say well I missed all that. What's going on over there?

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Tell you Mary?

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Well, well, we.

Speaker 4 (00:51):
We came to hear this and it's like, that's the chair.
He's turning to the microphone.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
I said, let's turn to our contributing out with James Patterson,
and all of a sudden we heard the.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Microphone.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah, is that is that mere talking about my furniture? What?

Speaker 1 (01:12):
No, no, no.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Just somebody else. Okay, okay, cool, I'm doing fine, excellent,
well blessed. Oh I just can't give you enough adjectives.
I'm doing well, good, good, thank you.

Speaker 5 (01:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
So, did you watch any of the coverage last night
of the elections or primaries?

Speaker 3 (01:39):
A little bit, a little bit naturally, and they were
talking about us. I didn't see much locally, but I read.
I read what happened, and uh, you know, I got
my own opinions on that. I know what the kind
of the the standard line is regarding what happened yesterday,
But I have my own thoughts.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Yeah. Well, well I did too, and I have a
little bit of a different take on that. Five five
out of seven senators state senators who were backed by Trump,
you know, unseated the incumbents. I have a little bit
different take on that. So, but for the most part,
things went pretty much as as we're expected.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
You know, Cark they did.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, Andre Carson one again, although not by his traditional
and usual eighty five percent margin. He did not win
by eighty five percent. I think it was something like
sixty four points something. But anyway, he's still over. You know.
It was just overwhelming, Yeah, just not as overwhelming as

(02:44):
it is it could have been, it should have been.
We have a new sheriff in the Democratic Party until
or unless the Republicans decided to put someone else up there.
Kelvis Williams, that was a tighter race. Looking you're looking
at the numbers with the challenger, Gregory Patrick. Both are okay,

(03:05):
go ahead.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
Well Patrick did used to comment on that race. He
did better than I thought he he he got he
got closer than I thought he would because, uh, mister
Williams was endorsed by all the party mean rainfall, and

(03:27):
you know, but still he so he's to be committed to.
If I were him, I wouldn't quit. I would I
would continue to look at other opportunities for elected office
in the law enforcement area.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Yeah, yeah, the you know, he was the what do
you call it, the administered, not administrative, uh the oh
what was the uh whatever? By his own admission, the
adminis you know, the regular, the choice of the powers
that be. I guess so to speak, it's not administrative. Boy,

(04:02):
my words are not coming out there. Establishment establishment, the
establishment choice. He owned that and and you know, embraced
that he was Kelvis Williams. That is, he was the
establishment choice, going all the way back to former Sheriff
Frank Anderson, so who he said in the studio here

(04:25):
that he was finally fulfilling a wish of former Sheriff
Anderson and perhaps a promise. I can't remember how he
put it. I don't know if he promised, but he
said Frank Anderson had always wanted him to run, and
so he felt like he was honoring Frank's memory by
going ahead and running. So, but congratulations to everyone out there.

(04:51):
I think in Lawrence Township there was a bit of
a surprise with the was it constable?

Speaker 3 (04:58):
Yeah, wasn't it trustee?

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Was that the trustee? I thought that was the constable's race.

Speaker 3 (05:04):
It might have been both, because who was the trustee.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Out there Lawrence Township? Uh, let me look and to
see I know Steve Tally. Uh, well, he.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
Wasn't accountable because he got me mm hmm.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
So the constable the Lawrence Township got me. I mean
you're saying the trustee.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
In Lawrence I said he was account.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Oh okay, yeah, yeah, and uh Tracy Cantrill, Tracy Cantrell.
Tracy used to run the security when I was at
wish TV UH and he was an officer with the
Lawrence Police Department. He ran security, the security, uh detail
over the entire building. In our campus over there at

(05:52):
WISH TV. So I know Tracy from just seeing him
every day. But apparently he he topped up to Steve
town Yeah you got it. Uh, but that was constable.
That was for township constable, small claims court count constable.
I am looking for. I've got every other race here, James,

(06:14):
you ask about I've got every other race here. Hold on,
but are you saying there was an upset out there
or you don't know?

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Hello, I'm looking looking, looking looking, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
I'm looking to I didn't hear of an upset of
their township trustees' office.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
But listen, you're saying that the consul's race was the
constable yeahs and Lawrence Okay.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
Yeah, that's what I was, yes, yeah, and he tally
was expected to win in Tracy Cantrell uh from yeah.
One and the Senate Indiana's Senate district being vacated by J. D.

Speaker 5 (06:57):
Ford.

Speaker 1 (06:59):
I know there were two that we had. It was
Reverend Green and Demetrius Hicks. And they were bested by Morehead.
They were bested by I think of Kathleen Morehead. Yeah,
they of them, both of them lost, both of them lost.
She came and she surged at the last minute and

(07:22):
overtook it. So anyway, the big story though, and we
can all, you know, we can look at the individual races.
Like I said, there weren't too too many surprises. Although
I do want to get back to that five out
of seven Trump endorsed state Senate candidates because I have
some information on that I want to share. But the
bigger story was the turnout. The Marion County turnout, which

(07:45):
county officials are reporting at fourteen point nine percent if
you want to round it up, fifteen percent. That is
much bigger over previous voter turnouts during primaries here in
Marion County, which have and can register in the single digits.
I mean, one particularly low number was eight point six

(08:11):
four in twenty nineteen, and you know, not a whole
lot of improvement over that. You know, might have gotten
close to ten percent or just over or just under.
But the long and the short of it that there
seemed to be more interest because we had almost fifteen percent,
roughly fifteen percent voter participation. The you know, that's a

(08:32):
I guess that's a silver lining. Yes, voter participation was
was better, but we are still not reaching even twenty
percent of the electorate in the primary.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, I don't think that it's because, I mean, in
a lot of instances, I think it's still that notion
in people's heads that the primary is not as important
as the general election. But also you're right about the
turn of almost double Most of that happened with early vote. Yeah, yeah,

(09:11):
and that was great because yesterday we haven't done the
weather yet, but yesterday it rained all day day. Yeah,
it rained all day and so you know, I think
that really hindered some people are dissuaded them from going out.
It would have been bigger yesterday, but the early vote

(09:33):
was the story in this primary election, and the story
was that it topped. I mean with at least the
last two elections twenty twenty before and twenty twenty two,
they were in the single digits, and you know, they
were nowhere, you know, near what happened in the early
vote this time. So that's that's people are fired up.

(09:57):
So yeah, you're right, even fourteen percent not good, but
looking at election well, particularly special elections all over the country,
people are showing up and I don't care Democrat, Independent, Republican.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
You know. Another particular item of note was in the
Marion County Clerk's race where you had the incumbent Kate
Sweeney Bell squeaking out a close one over challenger Carlo
Lopez Owens. That was thirty seven, two hundred and twenty
votes to thirty five one hundred and five votes. But

(10:32):
the most interesting thing in that particular race for Marion
County Clerk was the number of votes that Bob Kern,
who was also a candidate, received four five hundred and
seventy six votes. Bob Kern, who passed away from a
massive stroke the first of April, around April third, I
do believe was you know, is no longer with us

(10:54):
and still managed to get four thousand, five hundred and
seventy six votes. And you got to wonder had those
votes been just you know, what may have happened between
Kate Sweeney Bell and Carlo Lopez Owens, had Bob's votes
gone in a different direction. I mean, this is how

(11:15):
this is a man who's no longer with us, passed
away and he still got forty five hundred votes. Over
forty five hundred votes.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
Yeah, I was thinking about that, and you're right, would
she have gotten Speaking of the comic case with me,
Bell's gotten those four thousand votes or yeah, even if
she got one out of four one thousand and Carlo
Lopez Owens got three thousand, it would have been minds tighter.

(11:44):
And that's another one. I said that about the sheriff's candidate,
mister Patrick, and I'm saying about this race, the comic
clerks race. Miss Lopez Owens did well. And when you
do that, well, don't quit because you know you just
about got it. You're you're almost there. You would you know,

(12:05):
a few votes going your way. And because they didn't,
she won by that many votes. But if half those
votes had went to the caladier, yeah, you know, so that.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
That yeah, and there's no way of knowing where those
four and seventy six votes that Bob Kern gathered or
received on election day, there's no way of knowing where
they may have gone. Where would he you know, where
might his support have fallen. It's it's just hard to tell.
But I tell you what, Yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 3 (12:34):
No no, no, no no no, I've tooken up my half
of time.

Speaker 6 (12:38):
Go ahead, go ahead.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
Well, I'm just gonna say that along with that Tina,
that tells you people are not paying attention to the news.
That's why we're so grateful for our our listeners and
our audience, because they voted for a man who is dead, right, Okay, yeah,
so you couldn't have been playing for paying attention to

(13:02):
the news. You couldn't have been prognizant of what is
happening in the news, in our city, in our leadership,
in our election if you're voting for a dead person.
So you know that that just kind of hand in
since tells you you need to pay attention. If not,

(13:22):
you know, if you're totally blocking it out, fine, I
understand it, but at least do enough research before you
vote to know that the person is alive that you're
voting for.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
But yeah, yeah, and you know what, in all fairness,
and I'm going to say this just generally because I
don't have the exact figures in front of me, but
I think that's about the best Bob has ever done
in an election in which he has run. And he
has run in a number of elections where he's gotten
one percent orer point seventy five. You know, he's not

(13:54):
always gotten I mean, it looks like he got five,
which is basically six percent of those who voted in
that race voted for him, So he got six percent
of the vote and over forty five hundred votes to
boot when he wasn't there. And this may have been
his best showing yet in any race that he's ever
run in.

Speaker 3 (14:13):
So you know, what does that mean? Was it like
a if he never got any you know, and plus
like a bigger race too that that quote race.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
But I think his name too, He's got name recognition
because his name has been on somebody's ballot for the
last twenty to twenty five years, if not longer. His
name has been out there. So it may have been
a situation where they just knew the name, saw familiar name,
wanted you know, an alternative, and decided without knowing that again,
he is deceased, and so he is deceased. I don't

(14:45):
know what they will do with these numbers, but again
I've seen Bob's numbers in races past, and this is
probably about the best I think he's done.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
Hey, I believe Utina, And again, you know, uh, my
man is passed away. You know, hopefully you know, rest
his soul, but you know, he you know, he's done better.

(15:20):
You're not trying to be funny or anything. Dead than
a lot, you know, one did.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Or a lot that I probably could summarize what I
was saying with that he has he did better, he
did the best he's ever done when he's no longer
here than he did when he was here in twenty
five years of being here. I don't I know, Bob
hasn't gathered numbers like that. So, uh, let's we have
a couple of folks that want to talk about the elections,
and we're certainly happy to talk to our listeners as such.

(15:44):
Three one seven four eight zero thirteen ten three one
seven four eight zero thirteen ten. Marvin, go ahead. Do
you have a couple of thoughts on the election?

Speaker 7 (15:54):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (15:54):
Yes, Uh, Pena, of course, I've voted ever since I
was eighteen. I never missed an election. But you know
you're talking about I saw that too.

Speaker 8 (16:03):
And when I looked at when I went.

Speaker 6 (16:05):
And voted, I'm like, why is Bob Kerns on this?

Speaker 8 (16:08):
He's been dead for a while.

Speaker 1 (16:10):
Well, yeah, and when you look at the people going
to because I voted for Lopez, uh owen and.

Speaker 6 (16:19):
It well, and if you feel about it, Tina, And
the reason I voted for her is because I want
to send a message to the establishment, prass because I
think they think that people who are upset with things
that are going on in this city are a small
roup of people, and it's not. And I think that
both shows it and I think that puts the establishment

(16:40):
on notice, because I definitely believe that Andrea Hunley is
going to pull out and be the next mayor of
and that I believe that was my whole heart, because
she's going to run a campaign power by the people,
because the Democrats. We still want to stick with the Democrats,
but we're upset with the what we call establishment, and
I would even call a leaders Democrats who are disconnected

(17:02):
from their base on education, who apparently are disconnected with
their base on these data centers and a lot of
this crime and our streets and people are upset and
they're not listening. And so that's one reason I did.
I voted for Lopez Owens because I thought that was
the best race, and I was turned out to be
right that we could send a message and put them

(17:23):
on notice that we want to be taken serious, that
are there is discontent in the city. And I saw
somebody posted Tina and James that there's a tale of
two cities, and I think it there is. It's one
where these politicians, some of them, and some of the
elite and African Americans in the city are living in

(17:45):
versus what you know, just regular folks are living in
and it's a disconnect and if they don't keep listening.
I think that's why, Natalie, sometimes Democrats have lost races
they should.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
Win because I don't know when it switched.

Speaker 6 (17:57):
Tina and James and y'all can correct me, but you know,
the Democrats used to be the party of the people.
Somehow the Republican high jack then and they lost a
lot of people that used to vote Democrats. And some
of them are just not racist. They really felt like
the Democrats had left them behind and that they weren't
listening anymore.

Speaker 8 (18:15):
A lot of them work don't get what I'm saying.

Speaker 9 (18:17):
Wrong.

Speaker 2 (18:18):
I don't believe that's.

Speaker 6 (18:19):
Why Vice President Harris lost, but I think that was
a part of it. They want to be listened to,
and if the Democrats don't get and I've been to
some meetings Tina and James, They've got some people playing
to take on some powerful people in the city. And
I think if it's a people power campaign. If it's
about your schools are next, you know, I think if

(18:40):
they can market that right, I think we're going to
see some upsets in twenty twenty seven because if they don't,
if the Democrats don't get it right, realize that there's
a significant part of their base who are not happy
about what's going on in the city, they're going to
be asleep at the wheel next year. And especially I
call it eight. We need a blue waves, and I

(19:01):
say in tween twenty seven here locally, we need a
new wave. And then the last thing and I'll get
off the phone and listen with Trump. We knew that
would happened. The only thing that concerns me, especially with
the Supreme Court ruling. I'm hoping, in praying this is
not Andre's last term.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
But I saw a.

Speaker 6 (19:21):
Report that I watched the wine it out, remember who
it was. They were saying that even with the when
they Jerry mat and they said, if we get out
and vote, we can overpower. That's all in the power
of getting out and vote. But we have to vote
in numbers like that, we're not voting him. So thanks
for taking my call, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:42):
Marvin, Before you hang up, Marvin, I want to say
kudos to what you said, because it mirrors and you've
been saying this a while. But we had a call
a few days ago from a caller by the name
of Dana, and I mean and Tina, I kind of,
you know, put back on her a little bit, which

(20:02):
was you know, which is which is fine too. That's
who said, you know, don't just vote for the established
cand don't just vote for the prom you know, pick
somebody else. And then we kind of you know, correct
or say, you know, pick the best person. But still
I think that feeling is out there. Is my point
that people are just tired of the same old, same old,

(20:25):
and they want you know, they want new blood. And
so yeah, I hear, young man, that's all I.

Speaker 9 (20:29):
Want to do.

Speaker 6 (20:30):
Yeah, that's what I said, Jane, I meaning now, and
I'm gonna give Andrea hunting because I'm going to her
event on Friday. I said, that's what you need. And
we need a new wave of leadership, and I think
it needs to be a democratic leadership. Don't get what
I'm staying wrong, but I think we need a new
wave of leaders because the ones we have a lot
of them, even some that I like, Unfortunately, I just

(20:50):
don't think they're listening to the people. I think they're
listening to the people with the money, but they're not
listening to the people. That I think, and I tell people,
power without the people people is that you.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
Came home without the people.

Speaker 6 (21:05):
No matter how hard you think you look at Trump
looks was happening. He had a really realized it or not.
He had a people power campaign that went out voted
hard for him if.

Speaker 2 (21:14):
The election was real.

Speaker 6 (21:16):
But at the end of the day, once you lose
the people, you're going to lose the power.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
Thank you, Marvin, I appreciate it. And uh but yeah, hey,
my my primary position is if if somebody is in
office not doing what they need to do, they need
to go. I mean, well, I mean I I do,
but I mean I just don't think they need to
go just for going sake, just because well we need somebody.
If they had been.

Speaker 3 (21:42):
Trying to say, yeah, you know, we've got to have
a little discretion here.

Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yeah, if they had been productive and what have you,
we can't just draw a line. But the one thing
I wanted to say about the Trump Okay, as we know,
he was furious that the Indiana Republican legislators did not
approve his request to redistrict, redraw the maps so that
Indiana would have all you know, all to all Republican

(22:08):
congressional districts. Right, and he vowed to get back in primary.
All of the senators who that he could, who voted
against his request, he did, He did. He vowed that
he also according to I think there's one race is
still too close to call. I think it's been separated,
but speak by three votes, but five out of the

(22:30):
seven that have been decided. Okay, he won. But I
think Axios the Axios news letter, news magazine, online, news
newsletter put it in perspective, and that's exactly was That
was exactly my thought. And it says and again this
is according to axiof the Axios, not axi off of

(22:50):
oxy off or whatelse a cleaning product, but Axios. The
thirteen point five million dollars spent in state Senate primary
marry campaigns was a nearly five thousand percent jump. Let
me say that again, thirteen point five million dollars spent

(23:10):
in the state senate primary campaigns. For Trump to make
good on his val to to primary those who came
against him, he went deep thirteen point five million dollars
to do so was nearly a five thousand percent jump
from the roughly Now get this, two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars spent on the same number of races in

(23:33):
twenty twenty four. A quarter of a million to thirteen
point five million. That's going to get you a lot.
I don't know if we can just deduce that Trump
is that strong here. I think we can deduce that
he has a lot of money that he can throw,
and a lot of money can get him a lot
of influence. But when we get to the general election,

(23:55):
is he going to be that strong? Because Democrats, independent,
whoever is going to be running, they're gonna, you know,
they're gonna know how much money is in everybody's war chest,
and they're gonna realize what happened here, and if they're smart,
they'll match it dollar for dollar, maybe even exceed I
don't know. Mss Cordelia Lewis Burke's who was with us
on Monday, has always said campaign donations, money donations, donations

(24:20):
to your particular candidate, your particular party of choice, is
the mother's milk of politics. And again that's her words,
not mine. That is the mother's milk of politics. That's
what makes this engine go like it, hate it, whatever
it is, what it is. And so therefore did Trump

(24:40):
win because of loyalty and Indiana is so entrenched and
there's such a firm base here that nobody wants to
go against them. There's probably a certain aspect to that,
but you cannot deny that thirteen point five million dollars
is going to buy you a whole lot more than
a quarter of a million dollars. You're going to be

(25:01):
able to influence a whole lot more than if you
spend a quarter of a million dollars. So pay attention
again to our sage, Miss Cordelia's advice and knowledge that
she wants to share with us campaign contributions, these these packs,
these super packs, whatever that is the money, that's where

(25:22):
a lot of the power and influence is. Now, will
the will the Republicans have that kind of money to
spend in the general, I don't know. I don't know.
All I'm saying is I see how firmly entrenched his
base is in Indiana in certain races. But I also
see when I look at thirteen point five million versus

(25:43):
two hundred and fifty thousand. Got you gotta factor that
in there somewhere. How he was that willing to invest
to win. He spent that much money to win. How
much longer can they keep that up? And again this
is this is axios figure is not mine.

Speaker 3 (26:02):
No, no, I mean they're correct. The Indy Star says
comes after thirteen million was but Axios has got it
drilled down harder and more accurate to thirteen point five million.
And I just did the mask here that works out
a team at one one point nine two eight five seven,

(26:22):
one million, one point nine million and off two million
per race. There were seven races they were targeting. They
won five of them, and one of them is like
within a few handful of votes. Yeah, they got to
have there. They've got to count the absentee ballots, so
that could.

Speaker 9 (26:41):
Go either way.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
He could win six but one point regardless of the
seven races, one point nine million was spent. And it
goes back to what you were saying. If people are
not paying enough attention to know that one of the
candidates for Marion County Clerk was dead and that person

(27:04):
four thousands votes, I'm just saying this money can persuade them.
These ads about in Jim Buff's case, and I'm no
fan of their politics up there and what they do.
I think, to continue to subjugate people and take from
the poor. I am no fan of that at all.
That's all, as they say in Great Britain. But not

(27:26):
that they spent almost two million dollars per race shows
you that, you know, that's what they are, ye how
that's what they are, just just you know, get back
at people. But hey, and another thing, real quick, we're
going off to a commercial, but there were over twenty
Republican senators who joined the Democrats for that they targeted.

(27:49):
There were only seven races on them, so they're still
enough people. If they hold firm and are not afraid,
even if they bring that back in January, they won't
be able to pass that regientcy.

Speaker 1 (27:59):
That's a really really really good point. If they hold
firm and if they understand it and can break it
down for what it really is and really was. I
suspect they may hold firm. I don't know, but yeah,
but that's how desperately they want to win, and they
will spend whatever they can find money they can find
to win. So good point. Good point. They still don't
have the numbers. What you're saying, still don't have the numbers.

Speaker 3 (28:21):
Maybe they still don't have the numbers. Over twenty people,
twenty Republicans voted with the Democrats to not redistrict, so
they're only targeted seven and races because that's seven races
work this time.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
Yeah, right, Well, will they have the money to go
to to go to the other thirteen they've got they've got.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
I heard a lady commenter this morning and she said
one of the packs has banked eight hundred million dollars.
So your point in this, Cordelia's point is correct. You know,
it's gonna take money. It's gonna take, you know, money
to to overturned. But I think the people are upset
about the cost of living and really they're in a

(29:00):
tough spot, which is why they're desperate.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
Indeed, all right, we got a lot of lot of calls,
and you know what, we'll get to you. Let us
get this break in and we will come back and
take your phone calls. Right after this, let's get back
to the conversation.

Speaker 10 (29:19):
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Speaker 1 (29:34):
We are back, and we are back, and we are
back with Community Connection. Got several calls and we're going
to get to them momentarily, So stay right there momentarily.
Just had a couple of quick things Eric the Cruz
and yes, I saw Gino yesterday.

Speaker 4 (29:49):
Yeah, Luxury meets Legacy, Tina, it's one boy, It's twenty
twenty six. Don't miss a non stop entertainment Nasau Festive
Festival performances and the Beach Club Party in Bemini. And
also every moment helps fuel education for HBCU students. You
can secure your cabin right now at one voyage Cruise
dot com. That's one Voyage Cruise dot com.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
Wonderful. We got to get those kids, keep them in school, Oh,
absolutely in school. So indeed, indeed ran into Gino yesterday
and I said, hey, Geno, and he said, you know what,
I asked him, Yeah, I know, yeah, And he said sure.
He said sure, he said I'll let you I'll let
you know when they're available. So guess what do you guys?
Keep listening because Geno is making an Encore offering. Oh yeah,

(30:34):
tickets tickets to his celebration acquires at Clues Hall coming
up on May thirty. First, so stay tuned for the
details from that. But you heard it from here first.
You heard it from me. Gino told me, yes, yes, yes,
I will do that. So we'll just find out. And James,
I understand you have a big announcement.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, but.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
How many you got? How many callers you got there?

Speaker 1 (30:57):
Tina, I got a few, but.

Speaker 3 (31:00):
I might take a minute, as long as we get
it in before too.

Speaker 11 (31:03):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (31:04):
Okay, well, let's go to the callers in. We'll okay,
we'll go to the color Linda. Go ahead, how are you, Linda?
Are you there? I'm here, Okay, go ahead, go ahead,
how are you?

Speaker 3 (31:15):
Okay?

Speaker 9 (31:16):
I worked early voting and I just wanted to call
in because there were issues that I saw, and that's
what I wanted to say. You all can discuss solutions
if you wish one. So for those people who actually
did in person early voting, if you made that error,
the machine itself would catch you. But for those who

(31:39):
did the mail in ballot, oh my god, I know.
And because like on election Day, I don't work the
polls I work in the warehouse. I work with counting
the actual early voting ballots, all of them. Normally there
are you know, we always have those that we have
to reject so their votes don't count. This what I

(31:59):
know this yesterday there was a large percentage that I've
never seen in the past years. I don't know what's
going on, but I just wanted people to understand that
when you make an error on your mail in ballot,
you have the possibility of your vote not counting. Now,
let me explain what I'm saying. We had people who

(32:21):
actually filled in all the circles. If it says you
can only have one person per that position, trust me,
you can only vote for one person because if you
vote for two, you know, a void your vote. We had.
We had we had people who you know, who came

(32:43):
in and didn't know any the people who were running.
I don't people need to know who to choose because
I wanted to say, oh my god, no you don't
want to choose that person, But we can't do that.
So you know, they maybe just vote in to vote
for one person. Whatever they want to do is find
but people need to know who they're voting for.

Speaker 1 (33:05):
Yeah, educat know that. Yeah, that's important, and follow the directions,
read them two or three times. What's that they say?
Measure twice, cut once. You know, always, just as you
learned in school, check your work, you know, always check
your work before you turn it in. And that's a
really really good advice, Linda, especially uh with the the

(33:26):
general election coming up in UH in November. So thank
you for that. And uh, you know, with.

Speaker 9 (33:31):
One just one other thing, okay, people know like when
you use that the ballot itself, either in person or
from home, when you sign your name, please add the date.
Do you know that not adding the date rejects your ballot?

Speaker 1 (33:47):
Does it say that on the ballot?

Speaker 9 (33:49):
That was something new in our training and.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
I was just but does is that? Is that indicated
on the ballot, on the mail in ballot that if
you do not date it, this ballot will not be counted.

Speaker 9 (34:00):
I now that I don't know. I just know that
we were taught that.

Speaker 1 (34:03):
Okay, okay, okay, okay, Well you know what, we got
a lot of time to get that information out there
to folks for the general So thank you Linda forgiving
us that. Yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah, that's that's that's
good information, great information, especially with mail in ballance, which
can be problematic in a way. Perre go ahead, how
are you?

Speaker 8 (34:23):
Oh, good afternoon, Tina, James and Eric. Go to w
t HR's website. Uh, they have got an excellent election results.
But that you can just find everything now. Earlier, you
guys were talking about the Laurence Township possible and Lawrence

(34:46):
Township trustee and you guys were mixing some Next up,
Lisa chaev Us actually won the Lawrence Township trustees race
beaten up and see Tally.

Speaker 1 (35:01):
Oh okay, okay, okay, so that was the trustee. Tally
was in the trustee. Yeah, Steve was I was right, Okay,
I was right again, Okay, okay, okay.

Speaker 8 (35:20):
Yeah, well, uh yeah, I kind of got confused on
what you were saying on that, James. So that's why
I called in. Uh but she actually beats Steve Kelly,
now Steve long time trustee.

Speaker 11 (35:34):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (35:34):
But I just didn't see a great effort put out
by Steve Tally. I didn't know if he was just
oh but.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
So long. Maybe he was just you know, kind of
tread and water.

Speaker 1 (35:48):
So who did so? Then who did Tracy Tracy Cantrell
upset someone though, didn't he.

Speaker 8 (35:53):
He'd beat uh? He beat out. I don't know who
the I'm looking at the Lawrence Township common.

Speaker 3 (36:03):
You had, Okay, okay, you know, I just thought, see Telly,
he's I didn't think he was comfortable because you know,
why've known him, had lunch with him.

Speaker 1 (36:12):
Not a problem, not a problem. I'm looking now, I apologize.

Speaker 5 (36:17):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
Eighty papers here. So but okay, all right, thank you Peter,
thank you, James.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
Well.

Speaker 8 (36:24):
And then the other thing was ant Rill. He did,
he did pretty good, especially against Forestall, who was That's.

Speaker 1 (36:34):
Who it was, Okay, that's who he upset. Yeah, because
it's Forestall, the former sheriff's son who was expected to
win that position.

Speaker 8 (36:43):
Yeah, okay, now we got the other surprise was out
there in Warren Township, had Vernon Brown, who was the
incumbent trustee out there he lost to a guy named
James Taylor. And I'm trying to think, and you know,

(37:04):
it wasn't that. It wasn't big of a lot, like
a couple of hundred votes mm hm, and like about
two hundred votes.

Speaker 3 (37:17):
Every vote counts.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
Everything, every one of them does, especially in primal mm hm.

Speaker 8 (37:24):
Was running in that one, but they all that was
a close race out there in Warren County that wash.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (37:37):
So I mean, you know, all of these, all of
these uh the now. The other thing I want to
say about the Marion County Clerk's office, I think at
Ryan Deers endorsed uh low pez Owen's earlier. If we'd
have found out about it earlier, Uh, she might have

(38:00):
been Katie.

Speaker 2 (38:02):
And there's.

Speaker 8 (38:05):
Dead person off of the ballot. Yeah, that's got to
be I mean, they've got to come up with a way,
pass a law, do something to get dead people off
of the ballot, or come up with a way to
rediscribant their vote something.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
It's just it's just it's just it does seem it
does seem rather odd. And I know that this is
not the first time something like that has happened.

Speaker 7 (38:33):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (38:34):
And what what happens is that they play it out,
you know, it plays out through the whole process, plays out,
because I don't think there is a process or something
in place to allow for a candidate passing away prior
to election day. So I think they just keep it. Yeah, yeah,
that close. So I don't know, I don't know what

(38:54):
the solution would be or the answer would be because
uh it was early. No, early voting hadn't started when
he passed away, because I think early voting started on it.
Uh yeah, yeah early. The deadline was April sixth, and
early voting started on April seventh, if I'm not mistaken.

(39:16):
And had he passed away on April third, yeah, you know, so.

Speaker 8 (39:24):
Their dank everything. You couldn't block it or anything like that.

Speaker 1 (39:30):
Well, and and you know what, maybe it's it's for
the record, and and like like James said, uh, you know,
or I think it was you, James. But if if
someone is uh, you know, the numbers matter whether you
win or not, you know, in a lot of in
a lot of ways, because if you get close enough
to unseat someone just right by the hair of their

(39:52):
chinny chin chin, then that sends a message as well.
So you see what I'm saying.

Speaker 8 (39:56):
So yeah, uh, the uh the challengers against Andre, but
I thought they were going to get absolutely passing. And
the other thing is this uh uh Hunley Andrea.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
Hunley, that's twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 8 (40:16):
Yeah, may or why her?

Speaker 1 (40:21):
I mean, I you know, why what do you mean?
Why her? Are you talking about? Why is she running
or no?

Speaker 3 (40:28):
No.

Speaker 8 (40:28):
I mean it's like everybody, you know, she's getting all
of this publicity and this play and everything, and it's.

Speaker 9 (40:35):
Like, you know she was.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
Yeah, well you know yeah. The only thing, the only
thing I can say to that is that everyone has
a right to run. I can't really, I can't explain
why one person gets more traction than another or more
attention than the other. But that, I mean, that's the
democratic process. I can say. I don't you know, I

(41:02):
don't know why is she I don't know, but she,
like every other candidate that qualifies and puts in the work,
has a right to run for that office. Unless I'm
missing something, Jeff go ahead, How are you.

Speaker 8 (41:17):
Hey, jam James?

Speaker 1 (41:18):
Eric, how you doing doing good?

Speaker 8 (41:20):
Thank you, joh And I promise to be brief.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
You know.

Speaker 12 (41:24):
Thomas Jefferson once said it over you to have a
function in democracy, you better have an educated populace. Well,
that remains to be seen anyway. One of the reasons
why Republicans do so well is because they're masters at
the culture wars. Well, you know what, I'm against gay marriage. Okay,
you're against gay marrier? Well, what about the price of

(41:45):
gas and the price of grocery. Okay, I may not
like abortion, but who's far a giving tax breaks the millionaires?
And you know what, and that is why we end
up when we all grew up, because because we got
the low information folks out there who constantly vote against
their best interest. I heard some kind of crazy not

(42:08):
too long ago. Well I didn't vote for Comma because
she wasn't black enough. Say what, Well, okay, well you
know she got a Jamaican father and the Indian mother.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
Well they probably said Kamala too. You talk about low information,
and it just fascinates me how people can hear her name,
see her name, know that, and come out with Kamala.
I mean, because who do you hear calling her on
any function here? Maybe calling her Kamala or Kamala you

(42:43):
just don't and that that just floors me. But anyway,
go ahead, I'm sorry.

Speaker 12 (42:46):
But you go back to But it is like a
Barack Obama, he was by Ratio, had a white mother
and a black father. Well yeah, as far as born
in Nigeria, Kamala's father was born in Jamaica.

Speaker 8 (42:58):
Yeah, I don't even want.

Speaker 12 (42:59):
African America, but they're still black. So it was it
because Obama was a man and Kamala was a woman.

Speaker 8 (43:06):
So which one is it?

Speaker 3 (43:08):
So? You know, uh, I'm just saying is that, Uh,
you know, we got a.

Speaker 12 (43:14):
Situation where people constantly vote against their own best interests
in this country. All right, why are union members voted
for union busters, the teamsters by the union as you get,
but they endorsed Trump and now was Trump's doing everything?

Speaker 2 (43:30):
He came to bust up unions?

Speaker 9 (43:32):
So you know what I tell you.

Speaker 12 (43:34):
You know, people talk about this guy that was dead. Well, maybe,
in fairness, did me that did a good job untill everybody, Hey,
the guy has passed away or did he get voted
before he passed away? I don't know early voting. But
what I'm saying is your average Americans don't do their homework,
and that's what we end up in these places.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
Well better, we just have to make No.

Speaker 12 (43:56):
Now, we're not gonna never do better. No, We're never
gonna do better because we would rather watch the NBA,
the NFL, and uh we would rather watch Replayboy magazine
got to do research. That is why the Chinese is
gonna rush are laughing at us because well we will
listen to some of these rappers and we would Sea

(44:17):
CODs or James or James or Eric.

Speaker 1 (44:20):
All right, so well I'm talking no, no, I understand, Jeff,
I I do understand what you're saying. And I think
I think we need to learn to balance. We need
to learn how to strike a balance. It doesn't have
to be either or we should be able to enjoy
our entertainment, but we should all I mean our entertainments,
our entertainers are informed and involved as well. So they're

(44:41):
not just totally you know a number of them are
not all. But so that you know two things you
can do two things you can walk, talk and chew
gum or do whatever you can do. Well, I don't
even know what the what the saying is, but you
can do all those at the same time, so you know.
But thank you, Thanks Jeff. I appreciate that, and and
and admonition as always, please and I say a lot

(45:02):
of times before if I can get it in, stay informed,
you know, stay informed. So there we absolutely, Tina, So James,
what you got?

Speaker 3 (45:12):
Okay, I'm just checking and I'm glad you know, the
callers were kind of long winded. That gave me a
chance to check to make sure all my ducks are
in a row here that I've got an announcement here
that you will not hear on any other news station
wt HR w RTV Piano fifty nine and fours the

(45:36):
Fox and the CBS affiliates, w ib C, no radio
station in the Urban one network except right here on
Tina Community Connection excuse me with Tina Cosby.

Speaker 5 (45:48):
And that is this.

Speaker 3 (45:50):
The reason it's big is because this story turns national
at one point when a city county councilman's poem was
fired into you know who who is supported against the
will of a vast majority of his constituents, putting a
data center in Martindale Brightwood. That data center has been

(46:11):
approved through the city County Council because he did not
call it down. So here's the breaking news. And lawsuit
has been filed. It was filed Friday, certified on Monday
and Marion Circuit Court Superior Court by the Hoosier Environmental

(46:32):
Council and six excuse me five five residents of Martindale Brightwood,
Joyce Mcreynold's of AKA Joyce Redeemer, Ce, Era Johnson, Carrie Harris,
Nathan Harris, and Vernon R. Compton are the plaintiffs along

(46:52):
with the Hoo's Your Environmental Council, and the defendants are
the Indianapolis Metropolitans Development Commission and Metro Block, which is
the company that wants to put the data center in
historic second Olist Black, a neighborhood in Indianapolis, Historic Martindale,
Brightwood that was filed on Friday, and they're a religious

(47:14):
real quick several quick points that they made in the lawsuit.
I haven't got a chance to go through all sixteen
pages of it, but the petitioners our interests interested in
the property values, environmental health, physical health, quality of life,
peaceful enjoyment of property safety, enforcement of zoning laws, and

(47:35):
the Quality of Life Implementation Plan along with other interests
have established their standing. And also petitioners and other remonstrators
raised concerns throughout the Metropolitan Development Corporation process proceedings regarding
noise solution, air quality impacts, water uses, brownfield condamination, brownfield contamination,

(48:00):
commutative environmental projects, environmental justice, and inadequate environmental review. And finally,
the IWM Consulting Group completed a limited face to environmental
site assessment report on the properties on April fourteen, twenty
three that showed groundwater and lead exceedances in all five

(48:25):
boording locations at the properties, as well as other contamination.
So the properties are in Indy Brownfield's program site, which
which I have said on this program many times, as
they have a history of industrial contamination, used to be
a railroad site, a gas station, a drive in with
all of those vehicles, among other things. So that's the news.

(48:48):
You heard it here. You won't find it on thhr's
website or WRTV or any of the rest of them.
You heard it here on Community Connections with the law
seters and files in the Martindale Brightwood Data Center controversy.

Speaker 1 (49:02):
Wow wow uh And no one else has reported on that.

Speaker 3 (49:06):
Huh none. You can check them r right now. I
just checked them.

Speaker 1 (49:10):
So what would this this lawsuit? Who who was it?
It was filed in what court?

Speaker 3 (49:15):
And what is it?

Speaker 1 (49:16):
Is it seeking an injunction or I mean, what is it.

Speaker 3 (49:18):
Doing the Marions? Oh yes, they're seeking an injunction. They're
seeking a Hey, they're seeking an injunction to stop the
data center from being built until uh, you know, the
the brown Field UH site can be examined and tested fully,
which they claim was not done prior to the UH

(49:40):
in the Napolis Metropolitan Development Commission approval as is required
by law. According to the lawsuits Marion County, it's it's
the Marion Circuit Superior Court is where it is, It's
Marion Superior Court six. And again, who's your environmental Council?
Including the five point if I just named Joyce Redeemar,

(50:04):
Sierra Johnson, Kerry Harris and Nathan Harris. I think that's
a couple r Compton against Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission and
Metro blocks. So uh, stay tuned.

Speaker 1 (50:17):
Mmm, well that is and thank you James for bringing
that and for releasing that, uh exclusively here that that
lawsuit has indeed been filed. Wow wow So this uh
you know, the the the story is not over over

(50:38):
there in Martindale, Brightwood and they on it was it
Tuesday after the council meeting on Monday, the president and
two of her fellow two of her colleagues failer counselors
were there and Maggie Lewis. President Lewis went to great
links to explain why she as the president could not

(51:01):
impact any change in terms of stopping or halting or
putting an end or what have you, because of the
way the council votes, I mean, because of the way
the council rules are structured. Yeah, law and the law.
Yeah yeah, and that that lied exclusively with with Ron Gibson,
and I guess she, well she more or less it,

(51:23):
you know, had told us that she's been getting a
lot of uh, you know a lot of pushback like
why can't you do something? What you know, what can
you do?

Speaker 8 (51:31):
What can you do?

Speaker 1 (51:32):
And she basically was saying her hands were tied.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
So well, that's part of a suit too. The hope
is to also shed light, you know, on the corrupt
approval process, is what the student is calling it, the
corrupt approval process, because there was no redress, no chance
for the public's weigh in on this, besides that Metropolitan
Development hearing.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
So it would have to be so the Metropolitan Development
Commission is included as well.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
Oh yeah, Yeahsage Development, which is a first.

Speaker 1 (52:02):
Name first name there, Yeah yeah, yeah. Interesting. Wow wow
wow wow wow wow wow. Big stuff, good stuff. Yeah.
These these data centers are kicking up a lot of dirt,
a lot of dust, A lot of dust being kicked
up around here. Everybody wants to wants to get get
them regulated or get something done about them. So this

(52:24):
is this is good to hear and good to know. James,
thank you for staying on top of that for us.
We really appreciate.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
I think, uh the Decatur Center too, they filed the lawsuits.
But oh yeah, so that's I've got the copies of
this which I will send you and Eric.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
Now, yeah, news sound, Yeah, Well we'll get.

Speaker 3 (52:44):
Well, I'm gonna tell you to that weather thing.

Speaker 1 (52:48):
Yeah, we'll get that. Well, well, we'll do weather right
off the top after we get back, and then we'll
go into our next segment. Right after this, let's.

Speaker 10 (53:00):
Get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with Tita Cosby,
brought to you by Child Advocates, a champion for justice,
opportunity and well being for children, on Praise Am thirteen
ten ninety five point one FM.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
James Patterson our contributing analysts with us today on this Wednesday,
and James, has started out as an absolutely gorgeous day.
We're gonna let you do the weather because that's what
you usually do for us. It started out really nice,
and all of a sudden we got cloud cover. What's
going on?

Speaker 3 (53:39):
Well, what's going on. Is You're absolutely right. It started
out with you there, we go, started out with beautiful.
When we got cloud cover, the clouds, I just want
to stick around. But my prediction is by the end
of the day they'll they'll move on and we'll get
some sunshine. Early May is turning off to be just

(54:00):
what it is on the calendar springtime here in central Indiana,
because during the springtime it goes up and down, and
that's what we're gonna happen the next couple of days
or so before we get some warm air back in here.
We'll have a mixture of clouds and sun today with
a flight chance of a light or spotty showers or

(54:22):
some sprinkles here.

Speaker 1 (54:24):
Here and there.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
It was fifty four degrees as we came on the
air at one pm Eastern Standard times this afternoon, and
we should end up in the upper fifties. If that
sun pushes those clouds away the high pressure, we'll get
close to the sixty degree mark, or we might not
make it all at all. We will see typical up
and down spring weather over the next few days. Nights

(54:48):
will be cool, particularly tomorrow morning. We may get in
the upper thirty and I haven't seen a cross advisory yet,
but I'll keep my eyes open for that and plenty
of chances for rain throughout the next several days.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
Okay, okay, I heard that word. Didn't you hear the
word frost in some of the forecasts?

Speaker 3 (55:07):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (55:07):
Yeah, come on, James, are you serious about that?

Speaker 3 (55:10):
Really? I think maybe maybe I'm thinking upper thirties in
the morning. So typically when it gets down around thirty six,
particularly the outer lying areas from Marion County, we can
get some frost on the windshields and people have to
scrape them a little bit in the morning. But usually
the city, because of all the concrete and buildings, is
a little bit warmer, so we'll see to get rid of.

Speaker 2 (55:33):
The mosquitoes the frost. I'm all for it because they're
out there. I've seen them already.

Speaker 1 (55:37):
You know, they got a new mosquito machine on. I've
seen online on Instagram. Have y'all seen it? It looks
like a wind tunnel, I think I have. Yeah, it's
a do nothing probably. I mean everything that you see
on on Instagram and online, they're all hopes.

Speaker 2 (55:54):
You know a lot of it that's true, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:57):
Yeah, a lot of it?

Speaker 1 (55:58):
Is It looks like a big old wind tunnels as
you can sit outside and it's going to capture all yours. Sure, well, yeah,
get out of that little wind tunnel and get you indeed, indeed,
well moving on. As we were saying earlier, a week
from this Saturday, there will be a unique writers workshop

(56:18):
being offered to the community. It's a workshop dealing specifically
with writing writing about faith. Here with us now to
explain more is the host and good friend of the show,
the Reverend doctor Clyde Posley, Junior Senior Pastor the Antiocountain
of Greece Church and the host of the Writing about
Faith event again coming up a week from Saturday, Doctor Poseley,

(56:43):
welcome back.

Speaker 2 (56:43):
Hello, I'm glad to be here, always, always glad to
be in your presence. You're a treasure for the city,
so pleased to be.

Speaker 1 (56:51):
Here, your treasure, I defer to you. And before we
get to the workshop again, I want to say and
the community can appreciate how much work was done just
this past primary and how much work ahead that you
and others are going to be doing regarding souls to
the polls and others about the upcoming general election. Thank you,

(57:15):
thank you, thank you.

Speaker 7 (57:16):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (57:17):
Even though voter participation was what fourteen point nine percent
rounded off to fifteen percent, It wasn't even thirty percent,
But it wasn't seven or eight percent.

Speaker 2 (57:28):
Better than it was the previous two years. Yeah, yeah,
fifty better. Yeah, but that's still equates out to about
eight out of every ten voters registering and not going
to vote.

Speaker 1 (57:41):
Yeah, yeah, you know how many times. As Dion Livingstone said,
we here in Indianapolis and Marion County, probably throughout the
state of India. I think the state that we do
not have a voter registration problem. We have a voter participation.

Speaker 2 (57:55):
Prom absolutely absolutely, and I'm thrust leading toward the November
midterms is this is within this slogan, participation equals power.
If you do not participate, accept accept being powerless except
having no voice. Accept what is done to you. And

(58:16):
I'm here with a panel of academicians and ladies who
are expressing their right to express voice. No one wants
life lived upon them. What's special about these ladies is
there is they're sharing their stories. Uh, They've chosen to

(58:38):
take what they've experienced and release it and let it
out to make that full circle. And reason I jumped
into that. When you don't vote, you shet your mouth
and you let life live on you, fall on you,
and you decide I'm just going to take it. Strong
people don't do that. Smart people don't do that. People

(59:01):
who care about something outside of the nucleus of who
they are do not allow that they speak up. Your
experiences are to give you something to say to better
the world. That's why you have experiences. So I'm excited.
I'm excited about Miss Martin, I'm e sorited about Miss Murray.
I'm excited about doctor Sheldon because they've decided my experiences

(59:23):
have given me something to say, and while people may
not vote, we're going to say.

Speaker 1 (59:28):
We're going to say, okay, well, well that without further ado,
Doctor Posley, can you please introduce the panel of the
illustrious panel that you have graced us with today.

Speaker 2 (59:39):
Well, I am going to hear what I'm going to do.
I'm going to elect because I'm a host in the
regard that i'm housing the event. But it's born. It's
an offspring from this young lady to my left and
her cohort. And so this is doctor Tyrus Seldon. She
She is a renowned educator, editor, author, and she is

(01:00:02):
the president CEO of the Syrah Selden Writing Group. And
you know, I want her to introduce uh, miss Murray
and miss Martin because I want the city to understand
in her voice and just listen, uh, and so that
they can resonate with so many people, pastors, hurting men,

(01:00:24):
hurting women that her ability to help you articulate your
experiences in book form have blessed our city with So
I want her to introduce herself further and so some
people can hear her voice about her comrades here and
what with what I'm helping them do on next next month,
next Saturday.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
Next Saturday. Okay, Doctor Selton, thank you, Yeah, that's fine.

Speaker 13 (01:00:49):
Thank you very much. Miss Cobbs, you for having us.
We appreciate you for using your platform. And Doctor Postley b,
thank you for hosting us. My name is doctor Tyrs Selden.
I am the founder of Sultan Writer Group ELSEE was
founded in twenty eleven. My formal training is as an
English professor. My background is in language and literature, specifically
as a linguist, and I realized many years ago that

(01:01:12):
so often when it comes to access to knowledge, we
have what are called gatekeepers, people who decide who gets
access who does not. And one of the things that
was placed upon my heart was to create a way
to give people access that did not deny them of
their right. I want to come back to something that
doctor Postley said that's so incredibly powerful.

Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
We have power.

Speaker 5 (01:01:32):
We have had power.

Speaker 13 (01:01:33):
And one of the ways, as people of color, that
we've expressed our power is through the pen. And so
part of what Souden Writing Group sets out to do
is to empower people to find and use their voices.
And so I want to introduce two women who are
very dear to my heart because they have both written books.
At the end, we have color. Come excuse me, Carla
Castro Martin, who's written three books. The one that she'll

(01:01:54):
be focusing on during their workshop is Rest and Pause.
And then next to me is Alisia Murray and she
is the co author of the Family of Miracles. And
I use the word co author because she literally wrote
it with her entire family, her husband and her three daughters.
And that's a very unique experience.

Speaker 1 (01:02:10):
Is what it is getting together in the same run
absolutely absolutely these days? Yes, So what is it?

Speaker 9 (01:02:18):
I mean?

Speaker 1 (01:02:19):
This is called writing about faith, writing about faith? And
what is it about writing about faith that makes writing
just in general different? Okay, great question.

Speaker 13 (01:02:34):
I'll take it from a global perspective and then ask
one of the ladies to also come into the conversation
with us. When you think about writing writing as process oriented,
oftentimes people will see the finished product, They'll see the book,
but there isn't that much consideration in terms of what
were the steps that were needed in order to get
to that final product. So part of what writing of
faith is about is acknowledging that for some of us,

(01:02:57):
our faith is a cornerstone of our identity. I personally
attribute all of my success to my faith, and so
for me, when I write, even if I'm writing about
a secular topic, my faith is going to be infused
into that. And so part of what writing about faith
is is for those people who are like you know,
I have an idea, I have a story, I have
a poem, I have a short story of a book,

(01:03:19):
And how do I allow those parts of myself that
are anchored in my faith to become a cornerstone of
the writing process. And so the difference between writing about
a general topic or writing about something that will say
is more secular in nature is that there isn't.

Speaker 5 (01:03:33):
That level of specificity.

Speaker 13 (01:03:35):
So let's say someone wants to write a novel and
they want their characters to be you know, Christian based,
or you want to write Christian themes.

Speaker 5 (01:03:41):
What does that look like?

Speaker 13 (01:03:42):
Because at the end of the day, when you're writing
a book, you're not just writing for yourself. You're writing
it for an audience. So they are very particular things
you have the factor in in terms of you know,
when I'm carving out a character and I'm thinking in
terms of like dialogue or choices that the character is making,
you know, how does their faith dictate the choices they're making?
Or if I'm writing a memoir or if I'm writing
a personal development book, you know, to what extent do

(01:04:04):
I want people to understand that.

Speaker 5 (01:04:06):
Your faith is a critical part of who you are?

Speaker 13 (01:04:10):
And so the writing piece of it really is about
learning how we wet these things together, not seeing them
as being either or but both.

Speaker 1 (01:04:18):
And wow wow, So James, before I ask her, because
this is fascinating, you have a question.

Speaker 7 (01:04:27):
Yeah, I do.

Speaker 3 (01:04:29):
Yeah, doctor Sheldon. She intrigues me because I really like
to read the product of writers being a writer myself.

Speaker 1 (01:04:40):
I was going to say, you're a writer, contributed to
several books.

Speaker 3 (01:04:43):
I'm sure, absolutely, But the point is that I'm so
glad that she's taking on this this Oh I wouldn't
call it a ministry, but kind of a project. So
how do you attract people who do you say think
would make a good writer? When you look at a person,

(01:05:03):
doctor Sheldon, who you mentioned their faith, but what if
they their faith is minimal? What if they you know,
they they may be a Christian, uh, you know, a
believer but have minimal faith. You know, maybe they go
to church sometimes. How would you help them to develop it?
Or would you start by developing their faith?

Speaker 1 (01:05:23):
Okay, because we I want to want to make sure
everyone can hear his question is who would make a
good person to cultivate in this space, including someone whose
faith may not necessarily be as much of a driving
force in their lives as others. If I understand you correctly, James,
that correct, You're right, You're right on yeah, okay, I

(01:05:46):
just wanted to make sure everyone could hear here in
the studio.

Speaker 13 (01:05:48):
That is an excellent question, So thank you. One of
the things that I will say is that we may
not all be writers, but we all have a story
to tell. If you're on this earth, you're still with us,
if you're hearing my voice, you have a story to tell.
And so I think, whether your faith is that the
size of a mustard seed or the size of a mountain,
that is your story to tell. And so I don't

(01:06:10):
make a difference in terms of measurement of faith in
terms of if someone comes to me and says, hey,
I want to write about my faith or I want
to integrate my faith into this project, I look at
it and instead and say and say, what is your story?
And that is the starting point.

Speaker 5 (01:06:23):
What is your story?

Speaker 1 (01:06:24):
Because one of.

Speaker 13 (01:06:25):
The things I think that, and I'll speak for my
Christian faith, one of the things that I firmly believe
is God will use you where you are.

Speaker 5 (01:06:32):
God will use you where you are.

Speaker 13 (01:06:34):
And so when we start being the judge and jury
in terms of determining whether someone's a Christian or whether
they're faithful, I think.

Speaker 1 (01:06:41):
That's where we get in the weeds.

Speaker 13 (01:06:43):
And that's not where God wants us. He wants us
pouring into other people, planning seeds and helping them the harvest.
So my simplistic answer would be anyone regardless of where
you are in your faith during your faith walk. If
you feel like it's been placed upon your heart to
tell your story, this workshop is for you.

Speaker 1 (01:07:00):
So faith in and of itself is not necessarily a
carve out at all, and said, yeah, go ahead, please
feel free to weigh in.

Speaker 14 (01:07:10):
I am Karla Martin and I know for myself when
I met Tyra, and you know, I had a story
on my heart for years.

Speaker 5 (01:07:20):
I just didn't know how to put it together.

Speaker 1 (01:07:22):
And the books that I write.

Speaker 14 (01:07:26):
God is with me and so everything that I do
is infused through God, and I want people to see
God's power through the book. So I want to get
out of the way because it's really not about me.
It's about who God can help through the book. And
so for me, it's it's I want people to relate.

Speaker 5 (01:07:47):
You know, not everyone is.

Speaker 14 (01:07:48):
Going to resonate with my story, and so that's why
I love that there are many authors and as Tyra said,
everyone has a story and so someone will identify a
reson with that story.

Speaker 3 (01:08:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (01:08:02):
Mss Murray, Hi, this is Alicia Murray and the title
of our book is The Family of Miracles. Where's your
faith When God interrupts the pattern. And it's based upon
my family's trials and tribulations, multiple health issues that we
have all my husband, my daughter, well my three daughters,

(01:08:24):
and myself unusual circumstances, but in every time God has
carried us through. So I started my process twenty nineteen
and I thought I was just going to write, you know,
about our life. I had a completely different title. But
when COVID hit, it hit my family very early. We
were all affected by God literally gave us the name.

(01:08:47):
He gave me the title and everything very early during
the COVID process, and it kept weighing on me, and
I realized that this was bigger than me.

Speaker 5 (01:08:54):
Why am I just writing the stories about the hardships
we have gone through?

Speaker 11 (01:08:59):
But when I look back at every situation, God was
right there in the midst of every situation. And I
always tell people, remember his track record, Remember his track record.

Speaker 5 (01:09:09):
I have multiple in our book. I talk about so
many stories and several of them are miracles. And I
am right now.

Speaker 11 (01:09:16):
We're in the midst of my husband going through some
serious health challenges. We are in the middle of a miracle,
and I feel like, almost like I envisioned a rainbow,
and we're climbing over that rainbow. But we're going to
get to the pot of gold when he gets his healing.
So for me, this process was to answer that the

(01:09:37):
gentleman's question, James.

Speaker 1 (01:09:40):
James, you're still there?

Speaker 5 (01:09:42):
Yeah, okay, go ahead.

Speaker 11 (01:09:43):
I thought about when he said, at least in our story,
I want people to read it and be encouraged, because
sometimes I can look at somebody else's situation, but if
I could do it for them over and over and
over again, that might just reading our story might just
be a nu for them to say, Okay, maybe it'll
happen to me just enough to be encouragement to others.

(01:10:06):
Just know that God is no respect your person. If
he can do with somebody else, he can do it
for you. So that is my hope and my desire,
just to show that God has done and perform multiple
miracles and he can do it for anyone else.

Speaker 5 (01:10:18):
Just a little bit of encouragement and hope.

Speaker 2 (01:10:21):
Yeah, Tina, see why these these are brilliant. And of
course I'm the pastor. I always bring stuff full So
to the Bible, you know. Second Corinthians, chapter three, verses
two through four set the apostle Paul tells the most
gifted and talented church in the New Testament, the Church
at Corinth, you are living epistles, he says that to them,

(01:10:43):
he says that you are literally a life to be
read in so many words, and and and beyond that,
along with what what what these sisters have said, you
are always writing. Your life is an epistle, and sometimes, unfortunately,
sometimes we choose to make it a tragic epistle by

(01:11:05):
the choices that we make, which means we can choose
to make it magnificent. We can choose to make and
in a very simple way, lemonate. We can choose to
make lemonade out of our lemons. And and and that's
what these these Todays are saying. That's why I'm participating,
not just because we've been knowing each other for almost

(01:11:26):
twenty years, but it's it's a good thing because everything,
everything powerful in our lives has come from something someone wrote.
We really only know God, whether a person is a Muslim, Hindu,
whatever the case, there is a holy writ that one
that group that faith considers to be consequential or the

(01:11:48):
precedence for what is right. It is written. And now
I'm a Christian, I believe the Bible, but Hindus don't,
and and and they're not even necessary. Really evil people
Muslims don't. They believe something else. Others believe other things.
But we are supposed to gather the information from our

(01:12:11):
experiences and share it. And Christ, who God just so
happens to call the word, is the epitome of something
to be read. If if sister Mary takes that and
excuse this point pointed statement, but if she takes all
of this experience and their family just takes it to

(01:12:32):
the grave, what of their next generation? What of their
next generation? But if if if system market, if they
take that away, if if if, if doctor Selden does
not bring us all together, then because we're gonna leave
here one day, what about my daughter? Uh? What about

(01:12:52):
my grandchildren? And so we I think we have to
we have to frame some powerful writing because you are writing,
and what every breath you take?

Speaker 1 (01:13:04):
How do we marry that with us? And I'm just
going to take a segment because you're talking biblical, which
is well, Uh, we as African Americans, who were brought
to this country against our will, had to depend solely
on our oral we are tradition and so many when

(01:13:24):
you were saying how can things be passed down? I
know probably in everybody's family it's it's the spoken word.
We heard it and that's how we learned our history
or whatever. So how do we we marry this commission
so to speak, well, to write it down with our
oral uh, you know, the oral tradition that we were

(01:13:45):
forced into, you know, working in the fields and giving
directions and going you know all oral oral oral.

Speaker 5 (01:13:52):
Well, yeah, as a people, that.

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
Is kind of what Nikki Giovanni was talking about when
she wrote so heavily within the genre of black performance
stuff and how we need to graduate, not abandoned or tradition,
but we need to graduate so that we have a
physical legacy. Before and she was prophetic before some powers

(01:14:16):
that be try to take it away. Yes, she had
no idea that very very soon after she said that
there would be a project thirteen thrust to do away
with that which is written about our history. So we
weaken ourselves to answer your question if we only stay
focused on the oral transmission and don't create a type

(01:14:40):
of library legacy that puts on pen and paper what
the Mary family has for us.

Speaker 1 (01:14:48):
You know, I've also heard from historians that we do
have a written history, we just don't know about it.
And it's in the attics, it's in.

Speaker 15 (01:14:58):
The basements, it's in aunt so and So's shed or
what happened A yeah and so learning and getting a
RECOGNI I guess realization about how very rich we do
have A yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:15:14):
Maybe the richest. That's a different because that's a different show.

Speaker 13 (01:15:26):
I just want to piggyback on something that doctor Postley said.
We come from a very literate people, and I think
what has happened over time if we allowed other people
to to find for us what literacy means, and it
often connotates the ability to write. And I would make
the argument that the person who can tell the story
holds the power. But what has happened historically is who

(01:15:49):
has recorded the story. And so I just want to
share this because I think this is important to know.
My dissertation was on nineteenth century African American women writers,
and then argument that I made is that when they
were raised in the political, historical, cultural infrastructure, they took
to their writings. And so when we talk about the
importance of legacy, when we talk about oral histories, I

(01:16:11):
will often tell people even if you have no desire
to publish a book, go get grandma's or history. Go
get papa's oral history. Go talk to Auntie. If nothing else,
interview them, transcribe their interview before exactly mind one readily accessible,
and then make sure that is passed down. I have

(01:16:33):
a nephew who never met my father, and my father
passed away in twenty fifteen.

Speaker 5 (01:16:37):
He knows everything.

Speaker 7 (01:16:37):
About my dad.

Speaker 13 (01:16:39):
Why because we tell a story, Margaret at what once
said at the end, we all become stories, and that's powerful.
The problem becomes when we stop telling those stories because
some whe to said, oh, that's not important. And I
think oftentimes too, sometimes we carry shame or teh or
stigma around certain things.

Speaker 5 (01:16:58):
And so we just don't tell people.

Speaker 1 (01:17:00):
Yes, let's tell people that's a part of who we are.
And whether faith is in the title of whatever the
publication is, whatever the written thing is, the faith is
what you're saying, and if I understand you correctly, it's
gonna come through regardless of whether it's labeled or not,
because it's your cornerstones. So that's gonna I think about
so legacy.

Speaker 14 (01:17:20):
I have two boys, and so the writings that I
publish their geared to women, you know, women being well
and healthy. But I know that women are mothers, women,
our wives, and so as a woman, you know, we

(01:17:40):
are in everything, you know. And so for my boys,
though I don't write to them, you know, to men,
you know, I think it's helpful to everyone. I want
them to know what a healthy woman looks like. I
want them to know what burnout looks like, to recognize it,
you know, because a lot of us we come from

(01:18:02):
generations that say you have to.

Speaker 1 (01:18:04):
Be strong, superwoman, you exactly.

Speaker 14 (01:18:07):
And superwoman doesn't you know, it's not real. You know,
no one ever comes to the aid of superwoman. And
so I want my boys to look at me to
understand what does wellness look like. And not only for them,
I want them to know how to treat their wives
should they become a husband, but also want to for

(01:18:28):
them to know how their wives are to treat them.
That we it's a partnership. And so yeah, legacy is.

Speaker 1 (01:18:36):
Very indeed indeed, So James, you jump in here anytime
you want before I get to the next question. But
did you did you want to yeah?

Speaker 8 (01:18:45):
Follow up on Okay, Oh I can't.

Speaker 3 (01:18:48):
I was trying to figure out their voices. I can't
tell who said there's a couple a.

Speaker 1 (01:18:52):
Couple of well, the person that just spoke was Carla
Castro Martins Martin and before her, but I think its Selvin.

Speaker 3 (01:19:02):
Yes, doctor Shelby. I thought, yeah, that's what I thought,
because I was gonna mention that she was so correct.
It depends on who's writing the history. And it made
me think of when I've said this Bet fourteen on
the show.

Speaker 8 (01:19:15):
Gail Buckley, the daughter.

Speaker 3 (01:19:16):
Of Lena Horne, who's now passed away, grow American Patriots,
and you would be just if you were to read
that book American Patriots. I think it's down to like
six books or something right now, because you know it
came out quite a while ago. Yeah, she took for
her five years to research that book, and she found
out so much about subjucation, discriminations and basically in the

(01:19:40):
military since the Revolutionary War, since the beginning, we were
in it. We were there, we were there when they
were retreating from Concord, and that history you'll find and
know other books. So I wanted her to just, uh,
if I could get doctor Seldon to just flush that
out a little bit. It depends on who's recording it.

(01:20:01):
And I'm not trying to be prejudice or racist, you know,
just you know, a political Why does that matter who's
writing it down? I guess the.

Speaker 13 (01:20:14):
Excellent question, and I will do the best that I
can to answer that. We have to think about power
and how.

Speaker 1 (01:20:20):
Power And again, James, this is doctor Tyres seldom Okay.

Speaker 13 (01:20:25):
We have to think about power and how power permeates
all of our infrastructures. We're in ecosystems, and in those ecosystems,
they are oftentimes hierarchies. And so you have to think
in terms of who benefits from a story being articulated
in a particular kind of way. If stories truly were
told from the perspective of people who were not necessarily

(01:20:48):
the heroes or the main characters, how would that change
the dynamic of the story. So, for example, most of
us have read Huckleberry Finn right, and Jim wasn't ancillary character. Well,
there's a book out where Jimp is the protagonist, and
guess what, it doesn't look like the same story. And
so part of it is recognizing that there are people

(01:21:10):
publishing companies, universities, political infrastructures who have benefited from certain
people being the minor characters or being the antagonist. What
happens when we co optor you serve that narrative and say,
wait a minute, we were the protagonists, We were the
main characters. Our stories are viable, our stories are worth telling.
And so I think there is this tension right now,

(01:21:33):
even in twenty twenty six, between this kind of meta
narrative that pertains to what we think things should be
and then those other stories that we recognize like, wait
a minute, this is a truth too, And so often
we want to make a truth with the capital T,
but what about those lowercase truths? And so to James's point,
I think that's where we have to do due diligence,

(01:21:53):
do the research, talk to your people, go through.

Speaker 1 (01:22:00):
Saying like this, this more so.

Speaker 13 (01:22:01):
Now for like I will literally say this. I'll be
fifty three next week, and thank you. I appreciate you.
I honestly did not think I would see some of
the stuff we're seeing in my lifetime. You know, I
studied nineteenth century African American women, and when I tell
you there are mirrors between things they were saying in
the eighteen hundreds and twenty you it would blow your mind.

(01:22:22):
I literally was reading my dissertation the other day and
there are some arguments these women were making that parallel
arguments we're making in twenty twenty six, never imagine. So
part of what I feel James had mentioned earlier, Yes,
this is part of my ministry. You know, I whole
hardly believe God gave me the vision, and he's giving
me some amazing people, amazing people to help to make

(01:22:44):
sure that vision comes to fruition. So I believe that
part of it is making sure that we're telling our stories,
our stories are being heard, and that there's a recognition
that you know, the pen is incredibly powerful.

Speaker 1 (01:22:57):
Indeed three zero teen ten three one seven four eight
zero thirteen ten. We have an amazing panel here with us,
our host, the Reverend doctor Clyde Posley, Junior Senior Pastor
at the Anao Fountain of Grace Church. Uh and coming
up a week from Saturday, there's going to be this
very panel. Will there be anybody else?

Speaker 2 (01:23:19):
Great?

Speaker 1 (01:23:19):
Just okay, we got think we got the A team
James and Eric. We got Eric. By all means, if
you want to weigh in on this at all, please
please feel free to ask any questions.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
Just taking it all in. That's really good.

Speaker 7 (01:23:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:23:31):
Yeah, it's called writing about faith.

Speaker 8 (01:23:34):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:23:34):
And I you know, I wanted to get to what
it's going to look like a week from Saturday, and
how people can participate and be a part of it.
And why you felt so strongly. I think you said it,
but we can have you repeat it. Why you felt
so strongly, doctor Poseley to bring it to your house,
so to speak, and to host it.

Speaker 2 (01:23:53):
Well, I am very serious about fighting oppression wherever I
find it, and in America among the myriad of tools
of oppression or or victims of oppression, or black women
and what they have to say.

Speaker 3 (01:24:13):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:24:13):
That the most profound presence in my life was my mother.
She she taught me to read, told me I would
be an author one day. At my mother not a
school teacher. My mother taught me to read.

Speaker 7 (01:24:25):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:24:26):
She told me I'd be an author one day.

Speaker 3 (01:24:28):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:24:29):
And and and the best, the best authors, uh read
and write well, she said that. And so this, this
is a perpetuation of the fundamental, fundamental beliefs about helping
people with who don't.

Speaker 1 (01:24:43):
Have access to gain it and talk about access and.

Speaker 2 (01:24:48):
And and what it cost. And then I know it's valuable.
Doctor Seldon brought up in her her dissertation, and within
my dissertation, I relied heavily on the works of Ida
be Wales and she died and her wife was about
her fighting to have the audacity to cast narratives based
on truth as a black woman. And so what these

(01:25:11):
what these ladies, what these scholars represent to me are
the offsprings of Ida b Wells and that spirit.

Speaker 1 (01:25:20):
Ms. Murray, you you had your finger up a few minutes.
I think there was a point you wanted to make.

Speaker 5 (01:25:24):
You go ahead.

Speaker 2 (01:25:24):
I'm done. I'm not going to all talk to these women.
I came to bring for them to talk.

Speaker 1 (01:25:31):
I brought him here for the actual panel and again
again Alicia Murray, Carla Castro Martin, and doctor Tyrus Selden.
That is the actual panel that will be in attendance
of the event and in attendance and the event coming
up on the sixteenth ring.

Speaker 2 (01:25:46):
Yeah. Yes, on the from eleven to one at the
Anti I found to the Grace seven O forty thirty
second Street.

Speaker 1 (01:25:53):
Okay, eleven to oneister, you have to register, is there
a cost or nope?

Speaker 2 (01:25:58):
Walk in?

Speaker 1 (01:25:59):
Don't we go on that on community connection.

Speaker 2 (01:26:05):
Hospitality is a part of being a good a good
shepherd to me, it's my opinion, and so we we
would not dare have these ladies there, their family, their
constituents without feeding them. It's important, uh that that we
host them well because they want their special And the
only way you really know your special is when someone

(01:26:26):
treats you special.

Speaker 1 (01:26:28):
My mother is to see that all the time. Her father, No,
her father was a pastor, and she said if they
if she learned nothing else, it was drilled into her.
You are always hospitable because people don't have to come.
You treat them the way I mean she she drilled
that into.

Speaker 2 (01:26:41):
Doctor Troy lad drill he was my pastor.

Speaker 1 (01:26:44):
Yeah, yeah, hospitality and make sure they always have something
good to eat. Absolutely, it might be why I like
to cook anyway.

Speaker 5 (01:26:51):
If nothing else, I want people.

Speaker 11 (01:26:53):
And I keep going back to what James asked, how
do you help somebody whose faith is it? You know
it is not as wrong. Well, I'm still pondering on
that question. But don't be afraid to tell your story.
As doctor Selden said, your story is your story, so
you never know. And I felt like in our case,

(01:27:14):
we kept going through so many health challenges, and then
you're to the point where my husband and I we
wouldn't say it, but we would look at each other
and say, Okay, who's next, what's next?

Speaker 5 (01:27:26):
And so then twenty twenty hit and a few months.

Speaker 11 (01:27:30):
After COVID, I had a breast cancer diagnosis, and it's like, oh, okay,
wait a minute.

Speaker 5 (01:27:35):
So I was like, okay, Lord, I'm gonna be obedient.

Speaker 11 (01:27:38):
I'm tired of playing around with this because I knew
that he wanted me to get this, to start sharing
our story.

Speaker 5 (01:27:43):
So what make the two? I was sure, but I
was like, Okay, maybe if I's done, he'll give us
a break. But then I realized it's not about that.

Speaker 11 (01:27:53):
It's about showing people because people would often ask you,
and I'm sure these guys are probably how do you
manage that?

Speaker 3 (01:27:59):
How did you?

Speaker 5 (01:27:59):
How do you get it? You can't buffle and fold?
And again I keep thinking.

Speaker 11 (01:28:03):
About the times when his track records the Lord has
brought me and my entire family through so many situations.

Speaker 1 (01:28:10):
So this was right after COVID, you say, or was
it during COVID.

Speaker 5 (01:28:14):
Literally COVID my husband was diagnosed.

Speaker 11 (01:28:16):
He was in the hospital with pneumonia March twenty third
through twenty now March twenty fourth through twenty seven very
early with me so fast, Let's go back just for
a second. Friday, March thirteenth of twenty twenty, the first
day kids went out of school, my middle daughter broke
up with a fever. The next day, my husband's like, yeah,
I think whatever CD has I have. So she ended

(01:28:37):
up with this unknown respiratory thing. I had to take
her to the arm They weren't testing. They were like, well,
we don't I said, do you think she has this coronavirus?
But we don't know, but we're not testing for it.
So my husband battled the fever at home for literally
eleven days. At the time, he did not have health insurance,
but did a telehealth appointment. They put him on two
different antibotics. We don't know if it's flu, we don't

(01:28:58):
know if it's something else. After four days of a
z pak was not better. I made him go to
the hospital, said, I know you're afraid by this. By
this time, we're two weeks into shut down, and he
was admitted with double pneumonia. The day he got out
of the hospital, my father in law went into the
hospital with double duemonia from COVID. I spent four days

(01:29:18):
in there, so by then this this is April. Fast
forward to September, the same week my father lost diagnosed
with stage four lung cancer, bone cancer, pancreatic cancer.

Speaker 5 (01:29:29):
I've diagnosed with breast cancer the same week. But God,
but the Lord told me.

Speaker 11 (01:29:36):
The night of my biopsy, I was awakened four o'clock
in the morning, and I'm like, Okay, Lourd, what's going
on here?

Speaker 5 (01:29:43):
What we're doing here?

Speaker 11 (01:29:45):
And playing this day like I'm speaking to you. He said,
I'm going to use you to show others what faith
looks like. In that moment, I knew that I was
going to get a positive diagnosis. I had been told, oh,
this is Tuesday, was a biopsy, and you will find
out o brain next.

Speaker 5 (01:30:00):
They on Wednesday. Less than twenty four hours later, I
got the phone.

Speaker 11 (01:30:03):
So anyway, fast forward. We've been through multiple other situations,
but in every case it's like, Okay, Lourd, what next?
And so right now, as I mentioned my husband, we've
been going back and forth to Mayo Clinic.

Speaker 5 (01:30:16):
With some serious health issues with him. But I know,
just like he has brought us through so many other things.
He's going to continue to do the same.

Speaker 11 (01:30:23):
So I tell people don't be afraid to share because
I know that even before we released our book, people
reached out to us and they just admired us from befar.
This is the life we didn't choose, but it's the
life that we have, and we're choosing to live to
glorify God.

Speaker 1 (01:30:39):
You are all motivational speakers, you are all authors, You
are all phenomenal in terms.

Speaker 6 (01:30:45):
Of what you do.

Speaker 2 (01:30:46):
Go it.

Speaker 14 (01:30:47):
Yeah, Placia, thank you so much for being self transparent.
So as you were sharing that, I just kept thinking,
God will nudge you. He will continue to nudge you
over the lifetime that He gives us right to write
that story because our stories are not for us to

(01:31:08):
hold on to. Therefore other people, as a tier talked
about it earlier, you know, for them to get something.

Speaker 5 (01:31:16):
Out of it. We never know.

Speaker 14 (01:31:17):
And even in the book that you write, there are
stories within that that other books.

Speaker 5 (01:31:22):
Will come about.

Speaker 14 (01:31:25):
Right, So our stories are not for us to hold onto,
for us to share with others.

Speaker 1 (01:31:30):
You know, and I recently read a book. She's been
a guest on the show as well. You may know
or may not she's former City County councilor I MPD
And she wrote a book Cancer during COVID because right
at the start of COVID, she was diagnosed with breast
cancer and she did not set out to write a book.
She journaled because she was so isolated, you know, the

(01:31:53):
isolation that she described in the journal, the uncertainty, the
medication effects, all kinds of things. And she I read
that book and it's like she said, the cancer was
not as difficult to navigate as the COVID and the
isolation and the inability to even to be able to

(01:32:16):
reach out and touch or you know, like her birthday,
she said, the entire you know, the department came and
they all stood outside and waved. But but you know,
it's just phenomenal. What you know, it's almost like you
and her. I'll have to give you, let you know,
give you her name, because it's like you're telling exactly
the same story. And she too, of course, is a

(01:32:36):
person of faith, but she didn't have to necessarily say it.
You could see it. You see what I'm saying. You
could see it and you just would know. So this
workshop is going to be phenomenal.

Speaker 2 (01:32:47):
And I'm kind of piggybacking off what Mary said, and
this has come from the pastor you don't have to
be a Christian to be a good writer. You don't
have to be a good Christian to be a creative
and talented writer. I want everybody to be a Christian,

(01:33:07):
of course I do. But James's question was what makes
a good writer? Someone who believes they have something that
the universe would help, the universe would help the country,
would help someone in a similar position. And so we
don't absolutely this is a faith move in my mind,
we've had this conversation. It's a ministry, but we don't

(01:33:29):
want to deter anyone who is not a Christian from
coming to this event.

Speaker 1 (01:33:33):
Yeah, I was going to say this event, use.

Speaker 2 (01:33:35):
Your gifts and talents and let these authors help you
home those gifts and talents.

Speaker 1 (01:33:41):
And I'm going to ask each of you. We're going
to go. We have a caller that has a question,
But who are you specifically speaking to in terms of
inviting them to join you at this at this workshop
and luncheon a week from Saturday. So, but we have
a caller that has a question three one, seven, four, zero,
thirteen ten. Josephine go ahead. How are you?

Speaker 7 (01:34:01):
Hey? Everybody? How I'm fine. How's everybody doing?

Speaker 1 (01:34:04):
Everybody's good?

Speaker 9 (01:34:06):
I have a I have a I don't have a question.

Speaker 3 (01:34:08):
I have a comment. I'm not trying to blow my
own horn, but to go ahead.

Speaker 1 (01:34:16):
Sometimes we don't do that enough.

Speaker 5 (01:34:17):
But go ahead.

Speaker 7 (01:34:18):
My granddaddy was one of the first black lawyers here
in Indiana back in the seventies and fort You had
four sons, three e the one went to college. They
went to Butler, and I never thought about this till
you brought it up. Two of them graduated from Butler,
and their grant my granddad told him go to New

(01:34:41):
York and work for the government, because I told them
where you're going to get a good job, a decent
pay job.

Speaker 9 (01:34:47):
My I'm just thinking, I'm just dwelling on my.

Speaker 7 (01:34:50):
Own personal my my family tree. My grandmother on my
mother's side, she went to school to be a secretary,
and because she was black, she couldn't get anything but
made jobs.

Speaker 3 (01:35:04):
And ironing and stuff like that.

Speaker 7 (01:35:05):
Okay, so she was very disenfranchised. Fast forward is really amazing.
I became a legal secretary, so I mean I wrote
an article, two articles in the Recorder back in the nineties.

Speaker 16 (01:35:18):
One was called Diversity of Beauty and it was about,
uh so a little boy had my little boy, but
a young, a young guy went into a McDonald's and
he was a big thing with Michael Jackson.

Speaker 7 (01:35:31):
And all that what he did because what I don't
know if he had that disease and what have you.

Speaker 3 (01:35:36):
But he was fewing down.

Speaker 9 (01:35:38):
He said, I'm ugly.

Speaker 3 (01:35:38):
I said, why do you think you're uther?

Speaker 7 (01:35:40):
He said, because I don't look like Michael Jackson.

Speaker 3 (01:35:43):
And I said, what do you mean you like?

Speaker 7 (01:35:44):
He said, because I'm not that colored. So that made
me so angry that I went home and was put
in the International's Recorder called Diversity of Beauty, and the
bottom of the last four sentences, I think is God
made black for his own reason, that made us beautiful
for his own good. So I mean the idea that

(01:36:06):
we think that we don't have a history to tell.
I'm really amazed that you're bringing this up because I
never thought of it in the way you're saying it.

Speaker 1 (01:36:17):
Well, yeah, and Josephine, I wasn't being flipped when I said, yes,
toot your own horn, you know, because you're right. Sometimes
we you know, we're so humble, or maybe just not
even aware of the richness that we hold within our families,
within our our ancestry. You know, we just don't always know.
We just sometimes we take it for granted, not realizing

(01:36:38):
you know, how rich it is.

Speaker 10 (01:36:40):
So thank you for.

Speaker 1 (01:36:41):
Sharing that, Josephine, that's that's great.

Speaker 3 (01:36:43):
That one more to go to too.

Speaker 1 (01:36:46):
The next horn thet I.

Speaker 7 (01:36:48):
Wrote off what the book is well, I wrote a book,
little article in that quarter said why why not? I'm
amortive for those.

Speaker 3 (01:36:57):
Who are forced in this swavery. I wrote that back
in the.

Speaker 7 (01:37:00):
Nineties, and I had a booze at the Black x
for at that time, or.

Speaker 3 (01:37:05):
Petition to petition the federal government.

Speaker 7 (01:37:10):
To give us the land so we could build a
memorial facing the east coast of on the east coast
to face the west coast of Africa.

Speaker 1 (01:37:21):
Yeah, wrote that.

Speaker 7 (01:37:22):
Yeah, And I had a petition and everybody said, people, who,
this is a great idea. Why do y'all have away
in the back of the Black ex Foe building. I said, well,
this is where they put me. He said, this is
a great idea. I love it, and everybody signed it.
So I mean fast forward now, I think from what
I understand is a memorial for that on the East Coast.

(01:37:46):
And I like to think that maybe something I said
or maybe somebody saw that, uh, that article on that
that that uh story that I put in the recorder
inspired someone to do that. I'm not saying it was.

Speaker 1 (01:38:00):
I'm just I'm just say and you know, you can
trust and believe something, you know, believe that that indeed
was the case, because she's so humble, she's being so
so very humble. Thank you, Josephine. I appreciate it. But
and I'm sure Josephine would be one of the many
people that you so, you know, let's start with you,
miss Martin. Who would you like to Who are you

(01:38:20):
speaking to in terms of inviting the public.

Speaker 14 (01:38:23):
To the to the event, Anyone who, like I said earlier,
who has a story that they're just burning to tell.

Speaker 1 (01:38:30):
And not just not just that person who's burning to
tell it, but.

Speaker 14 (01:38:35):
If you have something that will benefit someone else, you know,
something that will help them to progress, to get well,
to get better, that's the person that I want you to.
Don't be shy about your story. As you're you're talking
to the lady about tooting her arm. There are things
that we have strengths in We all have strengths and weaknesses,

(01:38:57):
but God has given us those strengths for.

Speaker 5 (01:39:00):
A reason, and so we need to embrace that.

Speaker 14 (01:39:03):
So I would say the person, if you know that
you're sitting on something that could help another person, you
have to be there.

Speaker 1 (01:39:11):
Yeah, indeed you smart.

Speaker 11 (01:39:13):
I would like one just to be an encouragement to anyone,
just as she said, write your story, but encourage others.
I just saw a shirt on a T shirt right
before I got here, and it says God is still
writing your story.

Speaker 5 (01:39:26):
Stop trying to take the pens.

Speaker 1 (01:39:28):
Woo whoa. I was a sermon as a sermon.

Speaker 5 (01:39:33):
But God has given us pins.

Speaker 11 (01:39:36):
Yes, to write the story and if nothing else, As
you mentioned, you don't have to be a Christian to
be at this worship. My hope is that in reading
what I have written, I might win somebody's christ I'm
trying to win some souls over come on and join
the side with us.

Speaker 5 (01:39:53):
That is my desire, just to be an encouragement, Doctor Seldon.
I actually would love for young people to come out.

Speaker 1 (01:40:01):
Young people.

Speaker 13 (01:40:02):
Yes, I feel like with social media and technology and digitization,
we're losing the craft the writing with young people. So
if you're listening and you have a child or a grandchild,
or you're young and young, we're gonna put in quotation
marks because you decide what that means. Come to this workshop,
because we have to carry on the tradition of writing.

(01:40:23):
And if we're not passing that craft down to the
next generation, who's going to tell the story? And so
I would like to encourage young people to come out
and for our elders to bring young people with them.

Speaker 1 (01:40:34):
That's beautiful. And they do write in a way because
they're recording, and they're telling stories online, and they're using
social and posting. They're using social media in ways that
we probably never thought of using. So in a lot
of ways they you know, in a lot of ways
they already have that. They just have to learn how
to put it a pen to paper, so to speak.

Speaker 13 (01:40:55):
They're storytellers, So how do we help them translate storytelling
to the craft of writing.

Speaker 1 (01:41:02):
Yeah, yeah, they're great at putting pictures with words. Yeah yeah.
And so doctor Posley, who would you like to personally?

Speaker 2 (01:41:09):
I count I'm here. I'm here to make sure, but
I want to figgureback off something that doctor SAIDA said
I don't. I don't want to call this person's name,
but she saw a Facebook post and uh it kind
of echoed, uh what she was saying, can you share
that I can.

Speaker 13 (01:41:25):
So I saw a Facebook post of this young lady.
And so one of the things to be mindful of
is I'm still in the classroom, I still teach, so
I'm very cognizant of how we bring people into the fold.
And so this young lady had this Facebook post and
I thought, my goodness, other young people need to hear this.

(01:41:45):
So my first inclination was she needs to write a book. Right,
I default to that she needs to write a book.
And so I think for young people, our bloggers are
you know bloggers as they say, those who are you know,
consistently sharing. If you've ever seen people's posts have like
a paragraphs, I'm like, you know what archive that save
it develops more additional chapters and write a book. And so,

(01:42:08):
you know, continue to use your voice.

Speaker 5 (01:42:09):
I think that's the piece. Use your voice.

Speaker 13 (01:42:11):
But there are multiple pathways for using your voice, and
in particular, how do we get more people to use
their pathways to write books?

Speaker 1 (01:42:18):
And some of them have books on their Facebook page. Yes,
they do they have, Yes, they do books on there.

Speaker 10 (01:42:22):
They do.

Speaker 1 (01:42:23):
So once again, the event and the invitation is May.

Speaker 2 (01:42:27):
The sixteenth, from eleven am to one pm at seven
o four East thirty second Street here in Indianapolis, either
in the corner of another way of saying this, thirty
second College or thirty second in Fall Creek. There's plenty
of parking space for you there. And also we're going
to have a light combination continental lunching kind of thing,

(01:42:50):
and we want to make sure that everyone is there's
going to be well decorated. We want to treat these
ladies well because we want people to understand that is
the work of writing is not painful. It's it's liberating.
It's liberating. I learned that writing myself. It's liberating. There's
some things you cannot even share with people in words

(01:43:12):
that you can put down and it becomes even a
blessing to you and you.

Speaker 6 (01:43:17):
Actually wrote it.

Speaker 2 (01:43:18):
So I'm excited about this. I can't wait for it
to have. My church family is excited, my family, My
daughter will be there who's thinking about writing. Uh, she's
a minister. And so I'm I'm excited about this whole thing.
And I'm just I'm humble that they chose me.

Speaker 1 (01:43:32):
Wonderful, wonderful, Thank you so much, and everyone is invited,
no charge, lunch, just be there.

Speaker 3 (01:43:43):
Je James, Eric, you know, yes, before you go, I
know where you're not out of here. There's people out
there like me who would want to pray for your husband.
What's today?

Speaker 2 (01:43:55):
So James, go ahead, go ahead, past well, James said,
there's people like him who want to pray for your husband.
What's his name? If he asked, if you would give
his map?

Speaker 5 (01:44:05):
Jeene Murray?

Speaker 1 (01:44:06):
All right, thank you, all right, anything and that that's
certainly in all of our prayers. Thank you all, Doctor Seldon,
it's Martin, It's Murray. All the best, and I know
it's going to be a fantastic event. Thank you, Thank
you all for coming. You gotta come back sometime.

Speaker 5 (01:44:19):
I enjoyed.

Speaker 1 (01:44:22):
All right, that's all the time we have for right now. Eric,
you're playing the music, which means we gotta go, So James,
we'll see you later. Everybody, please enjoy the rest of
your day and we'll be back tomorrow. For everyone here,
I'm Tina Cosby in this this community connection,

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Community Connection - Mat 6 2026 - Tina Cosby with James Patterson, Rev. Clyde Posley Jr, Alicia Murray, Carlo Castro Martin and Dr Tyra Seldon

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Community Connection - Mat 6 2026 - Tina Cosby with James Patterson, Rev. Clyde Posley Jr, Alicia Murray, Carlo Castro Martin and Dr Tyra Seldon