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September 14, 2024 17 mins

In episode 67 of Amerisogyny, I take listeners on a journey to explore stories of two modern day heroes from two diverse cultures who are providing much needed resources within their communities. We'll also discuss the importance of fact checking and debunking claims that promote misinformation.

 

Join me as we explore these powerful stories of giving back, advocacy, and the impact of community-driven initiatives. Don't forget to follow Amerisogyny on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Samsung, iHeartRadio, YouTube Music, and more!

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music. Welcome back to Amerisogyny! I'm your host, Hannah Blue.

(00:16):
You're listening to episode 67, The True Meaning of Giving Back.
Listeners, did you miss me? I sure missed you.
I've been working hard on a wonderful project that I'm so proud of.
I've been working on a series of science fiction novellas that I'm going to release next year.

(00:39):
That's what's been keeping me so busy. And it's why I haven't had the time to
talk to you. But that doesn't mean I forgot about you. Not by a long shot.
And apparently you haven't forgotten about me because we have still collected
countries like infinity rings.
So let me take a quick moment to give a quick shout out and a thank you to all

(01:04):
the new countries who joined us. And you know, it's funny, when I don't drop new
episodes, we still get countries. That is amazing.
It means you like the content that I give you, so we're going to keep going.
A warm hello and welcome to the following countries.
Belgium, New Zealand, Netherlands, Iran, Morocco, and Ireland.

(01:32):
Thank you so much for tuning in to us. We are so grateful for your support,
and I promise I'm going to keep this show rolling.
Now, as for my new sci-fi series, don't worry.
I'm going to talk about it so much, you're probably going to get sick of me
because I want you to buy it.
It's going to be bomb, just like the show.

(01:54):
And speaking of the show, let's get episode 67 rolling.
We're on our way to our first stop, Nigeria.
Adekunle Gold is 37 years old, and he went viral when his debut album,
Gold, reached number seven on the Billboard World Charts.

(02:14):
He has hundreds of millions of streams worldwide.
Gold has decided to give back and advocate for a cause that he's been living
with behind closed closed doors. It is sickle cell.
Sickle cell is a genetic disorder and it leads to abnormally shaped red blood cells.

(02:34):
Symptoms are anemia, severe pain, and some complications are life threatening.
Sickle cell affects kids who inherit two copies of the gene from each parent.
According to the World Health Organization, Africa represents 66% of cases worldwide.
Sickle cell is most prevalent in Nigeria, where up to 150,000 babies are born

(03:01):
with sickle cell every year.
Nigeria has the highest number of any country.
In 2022, Gold wrote a song called Five Star, addressing his concerns with sickle cell.
Now he's diving further into advocacy and has announced establishing the Adekunle Gold Foundation.

(03:22):
And this will focus on addressing the needs of children who battle sickle cell disease in Africa.
Gold said writing Five Star gave him the courage to speak out about sickle cell.
He said after he wrote the song, he thought maybe it was time to learn his voice.
He also said people are dying.

(03:43):
People are going through it. People can't afford basic things that they need
to sustain their health.
And if the international organizations are not doing anything about it,
it's time to force their hands to do it.
He says there's a lot of ignorance about sickle cell, especially on social media.
Why doesn't that surprise me? He said, just speaking up about it on social,

(04:05):
I realized that a lot of people are ignorant about it.
This is something that I inherited and you're trolling me for it.
So you realize people don't even know these things.
I just need more people to be aware.
He recently addressed the barriers
people have to receiving proper care in Africa, especially in Nigeria.

(04:26):
He said, listen, people don't have money, bro.
The last outreach I did, people came to Lagos to take drugs,
to check their blood pressure.
He said some people came and brought their children who live 300 kilometers
away from Lagos. and he thought that was insane.
He says, we don't have facilities where you can just be in your place.

(04:48):
Other countries, like the UK and Canada, have policies for sickle cell.
Where it affects us the most, we don't have accessible care.
People can't afford to buy folic acid, and folic acid is the smallest of things
that you should be able to get.
He says his goal is for everyone to be aware of it and know how to treat people who have it.

(05:12):
He also wants people to understand that it is important to check their genotypes. types.
Gold says, I started the foundation so you know it's real.
It's game time from now on. So I am constantly learning my voice,
constantly doing outreach, and constantly fighting for it.
I want the international community to pay attention just like they do to other diseases.

(05:36):
Sickle cell is a big one. It affects my people the most, and I want the world
to do something think about it.
Now I feel him. I understand him completely.
Sickle cell hits close to home for me as well. I have a friend who lost her young daughter.
She was in her 20s. And when I tell you her death broke both of our hearts, it did.

(05:58):
I remember when she was a little girl and her mother is one of the strongest people I know.
I am a sickle cell carrier, but it doesn't affect me to the point where I get sick.
But for others, it literally means life or death. So I fully respect what Mr. Gold is doing.
I have no doubt he'll be successful in his advocacy.

(06:21):
And I'm telling you people, that's how you have to do it. If it's not fierce
and in your face, it's not advocacy.
Now, this next story addresses a different kind of giving back.
Sometimes when you poke a bear, it's going to respond.
And that's exactly what idiotic Donald Trump did during his debate with Vice

(06:43):
President Kamala Harris.
Now, Trump has said some idiotic things in the past, but when he said Haitians
are eating dogs and cats, most of our mouths dropped.
And let me say right here on this podcast, that is not true.
But his followers or his cult, I should say, will believe anything that comes out of his mouth.

(07:07):
And although it was funny when he said it, it's really not funny at all because
these are the people who want to run America.
Can you imagine people who really believe a culture of people are eating cats and dogs?
The sheer idiocy. what kind of depraved mind accuses people of doing something

(07:34):
like that and in the same breath.
Wants to be the president of the United States of America?
It should scare you to death that there is a group of people in this country
who honestly believe people are eating pets.
And let me tell you, one of his followers posted on social media that Steubenville,

(07:57):
Ohio had 20,000 dogs and cats in custody.
20,000. and she really believed what she was saying.
That is just crazy to me. How she came up with that figure, I don't know.
But I'll tell you this, and I've said it before on this podcast,
we cannot let this idiot get back

(08:19):
into the White House because he's absolutely crazy and so is his cult.
Well, he ticked off people in our next stop, Germany.
And oh, honey, Germany responded.
During the debate, he said, You believe in things like we're not going to frack,
we're not going to take fossil fuel, we're not going to do things that are going

(08:43):
to be strong, whether you like it or not.
Germany tried that, and within one year, they were back to building normal energy plants. Hmm.
Well, Germany's Federal Foreign Office said,
Not today, Satan. Germany clapped back and gave it right back to him.

(09:05):
Germany's federal foreign office said, "Like it or not, Germany's energy system
is fully operational with more than 50% renewables.
And we are shutting down, not building coal and nuclear plants.
Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest. P.S.

(09:28):
Wait a minute because this is too funny p.s we
also don't eat cats and wait a
minute i gotta get through this p.s we also don't eat cats and dogs" oh my god
now you know you are an idiot if people in foreign countries know you're an
idiot trump claimed haitian migrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

(09:53):
People, this has been debunked as absolutely not true.
German State Minister Anna Lerman said, contradiction with facts and humor.
That is the right way to answer disinformation.
As Democrats, we can no longer allow ourselves to leave false statements uncommented.

(10:14):
And she's absolutely right. So I guess Trump put his foot in his mouth once again on that one.
And for his sake, he best leave Germany alone.
Shout out to our listeners in Germany. I thank you for all of your support.
Let's keep this show rolling, people. And it's going to be a short one because
I'm running out of places for us to visit.

(10:36):
But it's so nice to be back. You guys know I love sitting and talking with you.
We're coming to our last stop. And and that's my country, the USA, to Sacaton, Arizona.
Elisia Manuel is a real-life Wonder Woman.
Mrs. Manuel is Apache and Mexican, and she says life changed for her in 2012.

(11:00):
According to her, a case manager called in 2012 and said there was a baby who
desperately needed care.
She said, the case manager said to her, you have 48 hours, and we need this car seat back.
Mrs. Manuel said, that's where I knew we needed to make a change.
We needed to figure out our resources.

(11:20):
She was a foster parent and adopted kids of her own.
And this inspired her to start a nonprofit called Three Precious Miracles.
Her organization supports Native American children and their families who might
otherwise fall through the cracks in society.
In Arizona, there is an abundance of Native American children who are in the

(11:43):
foster care system and not enough Native American foster parents.
Manuel said, within six months, I became a mom to four children that were all
under the age of two. She tells people she was blessed.
She started collecting clothes, diapers, and toys for disadvantaged families.
According to Manuel, if it's a mom that can't provide diapers,

(12:07):
or if there's a young person that has a need for shoes, then we want to try
to help support that need.
If we have the stuff, we'll give it to you.
Not everybody should have the mindset of this lady.
There are a lot of selfish people in this world. And the only person they look out for is themselves.
But if we all came together and looked out for each other, imagine how much

(12:31):
better this world would be.
I think one of the impacts of having children in foster care is the disconnect
they may have with their culture.
I don't care where you are in the world. Culture is vital to identity.
Manuel admits she knew very little about her Apache side.
She didn't begin finding out information until her late 20s.

(12:53):
But when she did, it was a beautiful experience.
She said, They welcomed me with open arms and blessed me.
They did a special ceremony at my house and named me Beautiful Sunflower.
I felt like they were holding me up. That's how I want these kids to feel.
In May, Three Precious Miracles held its second powwow. and this is a cultural

(13:16):
ceremony of blessings songs dancing and drumming where native people from all
tribes can come together.
When we first moved to North Carolina, about 11 years ago, we went to see a powwow.
The tribe was the Haliwa Saponi. And let me tell you, when the male dancers
came out, it was a beautiful sight.

(13:37):
We enjoyed the food and the jewelry.
Now, we're not Native American, but I was excited to go and see the powwow.
There's nothing wrong with learning from other cultures.
We have more in common than we have differences.
I wish everyone had the same mindset as Mrs. Manuel.
Maybe we wouldn't be so quick to believe that people actually eat dogs and cats in America.

(14:01):
Yeah. The powwow organized by Mrs. Manuel's organization had the biggest impact
on kids, as it should have.
A young man named Jacob was adopted into a non-native home when he was seven. He is now 17.
According to him, There are a lot of kids that are like me. They are struggling to find themselves.

(14:21):
It helps them. That inspires me to find out as much about who I am as a person
and do what I can for my community.
You see how it's a domino effect? When one person helps another,
then that person is inspired to help another and another and another. That's how it should be.
Three Precious Miracles provides provides programming and cultural events for

(14:43):
more than 800 Native American children and their families every year. That is amazing.
She says her work is about building safe, positive, and culturally sensitive
homes for all Native American children, no matter who is caring for them.
Mrs. Manuel said, There are thousands of Native children that are in care.

(15:04):
I want kids to come and feel like their sense of identity and culture is right
there. I really want all these kids to know that they'll always be accepted,
they'll be loved, and know where they come from.
Shout out to Three Precious Miracles and Alicia Manuel.
You're definitely a hero in my book, and thank you for showing the world how you give back.

(15:28):
And one more thing, unless you're an early voter, make sure you get to the polls
on November 5th so that we can vote in our first female president in the United States.
I cannot tell you how important this election is.
And for every woman who believes the government has no right to tell us what

(15:49):
to do with our bodies, you have no excuse not to get to those polls.
Stay tuned for more info on my brand new science fiction series.
Pre-orders will be set up on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and more.
People, I'd love to sit here and bring you more stories, but I'm out of time.

(16:11):
If you learned anything from this episode, feel free to follow me.
By Now You Know Where, Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Samsung,
iHeartRadio, YouTube Music, and more.
I'm seeing that our following list is growing, and I thank everyone who hit that follow button.

(16:33):
I see you, and I am humbled and honored by your support.
The weekend is here, you guys, so I want you to be good to yourselves.
Be easy, take care, and I will be back with more stories.
But until then, have the best weekend ever, and as always.

(16:57):
God...bless! Music.
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