Tiana Ferrell doesn't just carry the blood of a civil rights icon in her veins – she actively extends that legacy through her own unique blend of art, activism, and advocacy. As the great-great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, Tiana shares how family stories about her pioneering ancestor shaped her path toward becoming a social changemaker.
The conversation takes us to the campus of Rust College, where Tiana felt her ancestor's spiritual presence guiding her toward her purpose. It was there she began reading Wells' works and understanding how to channel that pioneering spirit into her own authentic voice. Though admittedly shy by nature, Tiana discovered that courage isn't about fearlessness – it's about moving forward despite fear.
When Tiana uncovered the little-known story of Ida B. Wells' refusal to give up her seat on a train – and her subsequent legal victory – seventy years before Rosa Parks' famous stand, she transformed this buried history into "The Lady's Car," a play that educates, entertains, and empowers. Even a 90-year-old resident of Ida's hometown confessed she'd never known this story, validating Tiana's mission to make history accessible through artistic expression.
As someone born with symbrachydactyly (a limb difference affecting her left hand), Tiana also discusses becoming the representation she never saw growing up. Her disability advocacy extends from personal interactions in grocery stores to creating films featuring characters with limb differences, always seeking to normalize and educate with authenticity and compassion.
Throughout our conversation, Tiana emphasizes that meaningful social change requires "the courage to be disliked." Drawing from her family's legacy of speaking truth to power, she reminds us that "we're not put on this earth to be liked – we all have an assignment," and fulfilling that assignment often means proceeding through discomfort toward greatness.
Whether you're an educator, artist, activist, or someone seeking to make an impact, Tiana's approach to blending creativity with social consciousness offers a powerful template for creating work that resonates across generations.
Learn More about Tiana Ferrell here: www.tianaferrell.com
Tiana's MLK Keynote address: ht
COME SAY Hey!!
Facebook: @JebehCulturalConsulting
Pinterest: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting
LinkedIn: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting
Leave a Review on our Podcast! We value your feedback!
Enroll In Our Mini Courses
Buy My eBook: Empowering Your BIPOC Students
Enroll In My Digital Course: How To Be A Culturally Competent Leader
Buy My K-12 Lesson Plans
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Enjoy the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast? Share the love! Refer a friend to Buzzsprout and both you and your friend will enjoy exclusive benefits. Click the link...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, good afternoon listeners.
Welcome back to the CulturalCurriculum Chat Podcast.
I'm your host, jebba Edmonds,and in the guest chair today we
have Tiana Farrell, and I am soexcited to have her in the guest
chair with us listeners.
This podcast is geared towardseducators and DEI advocates who
(00:25):
want to create positive change,and Tiana is the epitome of
positive change.
I met Tiana working on aproject of my own TED Talk and
she was my speechwriter and wegot to vibing and I learned so
much about her.
And just to give you a couplenew things about Tiana before we
(00:47):
start the interview she is awriter and PR specialist.
She attended a well-knownperforming arts high school.
She has her master's degree inentertainment business.
She has published works soEmotional A Book of Poetry in
the Lady's Car, which performedin the Southeast, including the
(01:10):
HBCU Rust College.
She has multiple works inpublicity and for films such as
Shark Night and Limitless, andshe provides PR public relations
for artists, celebrities,influencers, law firms and
politicians.
So, tiana, I am so excited thatyou're here.
(01:33):
You're going to share with uswhat drives you in being that
social changemaker, and I'm justso honored to have you on our
show today.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Thank you so much.
I am honored to be here and, asyou mentioned, you know, when
we first met, we definitely, youknow, there was an authentic,
very genuine vibe between us,and so I'm just grateful to be
on your podcast and to shareanother space with you today.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Thank you so much.
So, tiana, I did the.
You know timeline of your.
You know your biography.
Tell our listeners a little bitmore about yourself.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
About me.
So I am a descendant of Ida BWells Barnett and the reason
that I leave with that isbecause it explains the
trajectory of my life and youknow what I do.
And so, being the great, greatgranddaughter of Ida B Wells Ida
(02:40):
B Wells was my grandmother'sgrandmother Wells Ida B Wells
was my grandmother's grandmother.
So my grandmother, alfreda,would tell me these wonderful
stories about her grandmother,ida B Wells, when I was a young
child, and she would tell methat she saw that greatness in
me and I have, you know, theirsister.
She would say you have it,tiana, it's you, you're the one
(03:04):
to continue the legacy, becauseevery generation after Ida made
sure that they continued herlegacy.
In a way, ida's youngestdaughter, alfreda, which is my
grandmother's mom her name wasAlfreda as well.
She published Ida's work.
She published her autobiographybecause she was reading her
(03:26):
diary, reading her work, and sheknew like, wow, my mother was
incredible and she saw thesenames that her mom kind of
rolled with, like FrederickDouglass, susan B Anthony, but
she's like when you read theirworks you don't see my mother
anywhere in there.
But she was in history rightalongside these people.
So my grandmother's mompublished her biography, which
(03:49):
is why we are talking about Idatoday.
You know she did that work andthen thereafter, my grandmother
and her brothers created the IdaB Wells Memorial Foundation and
so on and so forth.
And so, like you know, well,tiada, what are you going to do?
And so my grandmother convincedme to go to Rust College, which
(04:12):
was Ida's alma mater.
You know it's in Holly Springs,mississippi, a beautiful,
wonderful small town that'sabout 30 minutes from Memphis,
tennessee, and so I wear that asa badge of honor that no one
else besides Ida B Wells went tothat college.
And it was more than me justgoing, just attending this
(04:32):
wonderful HBCU.
I felt my ancestor on thecampus of that college.
It wasn't everywhere.
There was a particular space onthe yard by a tree that I would
feel her presence, that I couldsit there, eat lunch, and I
(04:56):
felt her put her hands on myshoulders and kind of just pull
me in, like hey, you got this.
And so I'm like, hmm, maybe Ido have something.
So then I started doing the work, reading her works, learning
more about Ida B Will.
Now I'm very, very shy, so itstill took me years after that
(05:19):
to be able to channel the thingsthat she was doing.
But, you know, once I had thatconfidence and the understanding
that she wasn't fearless, butshe did it anyway.
I knew that I could do the same, but I also knew that I would
(05:42):
never be Ida B Wells.
So how do I continue her legacyand support my community in a
way that was meant for me, andthat's how my art and my
activism met.
(06:02):
Activism met because I'vealways been fascinated with
entertainment and always wantedto create content.
But I also knew I had thisresponsibility to my community.
And so, you know, as I was aboard member for the Atlanta
NACP in my early 20s, you knowI'm doing these things.
(06:25):
I worked at the Urban League, Iinterned there when I was in
college.
Like, how do I again make thisintersection?
And so I started creatingstories, such as the Lady's Car,
which was about Ida B Wells'spat with the Chesapeake Ohio
(06:46):
Railroad in Memphis, and it's astory that most people don't
know about, where, 70 yearsbefore Rosa Parks decided to
refuse to give up her seat onthe bus, ida B Wells refused to
give up her seat on the trainand she actually, you know, sued
in the court of law in the late1800s and she won.
(07:09):
You know a Negro woman in thistime, when African Americans
could not read, could not work,had zero rights.
She won, and there's a reasonthat we don't know about that
story.
You know this happened inMemphis, tennessee, and it's in
the in the history books thatyou can go pull this information
(07:31):
.
But they didn't want us to knowthis information because they
don't want Negroes to know thatyou have.
So we made sure that you know,they made sure that they buried
it and so, again, that was sortof my responsibility.
I said, hey, I'm going to writethis play, and I kind of got an
idea I think it was about Idalike, hey, write about me,
because I'm like I'm going towrite a stage play, had no idea
(07:54):
what I wanted to write about.
And Ida said me I'm like, well,how do I do your life justice
on stage, your entire life?
Yes, yeah.
Then I'm like I'm going tofocus on this one story that I
find incredible that no onetalks about, because she's
credited with founding the NAACP, with being a suffrage, with
(08:14):
being a journalist, but we don'ttalk about what happened on
that ladies' car train that shegot kicked off of.
And so doing that, my goal isalways to entertain, to educate
and to empower.
Because how do I reach peoplein this day and age, where we're
distracted by our phones, thatour attention spans are shorter
(08:38):
than it has ever been?
I want to reach people who willnot go do the research and go
look in Shelby County, tennessee, to see what Ida did, people
who may not like to read, peoplewho may not read.
Well, how do I can reach them?
By entertaining them, and thenyou know when they leave Holly
(09:08):
Springs, mississippi, ida'shometown.
One of the residents was 90years old and she said Tiana,
I've lived here my entire life.
We have a museum in Ida B WellsMuseum here.
She said, but I did not knowthat story.
Okay, and so you?
know, I knew that my work waspurpose yes, wow, tiana, I mean
(09:35):
chills.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
And when we first met , you told me about that that
you are the, you know,descendant of Ida B Wells and I
was like oh my gosh, I studiedher like journalists and
activists and I like I'm talkingto her great granddaughter
doing this project and just howyou shared going to her alma
mater, which is your alma mater,and feeling her presence, you
(09:57):
know, and I just had chills whenyou were sharing that about
your story and then writing thatplay about her in a moment in
time where our history bookssuppress that, you know, and you
unearthed it again to show allof us, you know that these
stories have been here and tolook at it and I loved how you
(10:21):
talked about we're here toeducate and entertain, and also
you know and entertain.
And also you know what was theP again Empower, empower, sorry,
educate, entertain and empower.
And I think those three E's arejust so inspiring and important
(10:42):
in this day and age.
Like you said, people are quickon their phones, easily
distracted and I also, as ateacher, former teacher kids and
adults, if they don't feel likethey are at their reading level
, they shy away, they tend tonot want to, you know, read some
particular text because of theshame of not being able to read
(11:04):
and comprehend what they justread.
So I love how you touched on nomatter what your reading level
is, no matter your school, andyou can still learn something
important and viable, you know,to this work.
So kudos to you, tiana.
That is amazing.
So you talked about, which wasreally great.
You know, yourgreat-grandmother, you know
(11:26):
helped inspire and spark thatactivism in yourself.
Can you talk a little bit moreabout your livelihood, on the
disability advocacy piece of it?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yes.
So, again, being related to IdaB Wells learned how to advocate
, learned how to be a championof change, learn how to be a
champion of change.
And my wonderful grandmother,alfreda, again, was someone who
inspired me to take a forefrontof being a disability advocate,
(12:00):
as well as my father, my fatherStephen.
They would always let me knowlike hey, you are different.
So I was born with a limbdifference on sembradactyly, so
I don't have any digits on myleft hand here.
So for some reason the digitsjust did not grow.
And so, you know, because ofthat, I was, you know, ridiculed
(12:24):
, bullied in school, bullied inschool.
Even to this day I'm sometimesbullied in spaces by adults.
If I go to the grocery store, Imay scare the clerk, you know,
when they see my hand.
So, you know, for years when Iwas younger, I like to kind of
(12:49):
just fade into the backgroundbecause I just didn't want
people to notice me, becausethen it becomes a spectacle and
I've always been shy.
I never wanted to be the centerof attention.
But one day, early adulthood, Ijust kind of thought about what
would that six-year-old Tiananeed?
I never saw anybody that lookedlike me until I was about 33.
(13:15):
And you know what my life hadbeen had.
I had seen someone who lookedlike me and so I decided to
become a disability advocate.
I'm like the same way that I dofor, you know, humans' rights,
women's rights.
(13:35):
I said, hey, I'm going to, youknow, put myself out there and
again just be that person that Ineeded when I was a child and
just to take away the stigma ofit, just to normalize it.
You know, sometimes I leave thehouse and I'm my natural self.
Other times I wear a prosthetichand, you know, depending on
(13:55):
what I need.
And you know, like, theprosthetic hand I wear is
because I overuse my right handand so you started getting, you
know, carpal tunnel syndrome andthings like that.
So last year I decided I'm notlike, oh, I'm going to get a
prosthetic hand, and even withthat, I try to take the stigma
(14:15):
out of that.
You know, if I see a child kindof looking in the store, I'll
say, hey, do you want to cometouch it?
You want to give me a half-buck?
You know you want to talk aboutit.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
So, yeah, that is how I get to be a disability.
you know when people see you incommunity spaces and they don't
want, they don't know how toreact or what You're you know,
(14:50):
just turning that, that intoyour power, and that's just
amazing.
Oh, tiana, this is amazing,incredible work that you've done
.
So how do you see theintersection of arts and
activism in creating socialchange?
You gave us a wonderful exampleof the play that you wrote the
Lady's Car and your disabilityadvocacy.
(15:12):
You know how does art play intothat?
Can you give us another exampleor what you've noticed on other
artist scales?
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah, yes, I would say it normalizes it and again,
it makes it more accessible,because how many people can say
they've seen somebody that lookslike me?
You know you may not see it oryou may not notice it if I'm out
in a store because my hand isso small.
But another product that Iworked on on some of my short
(15:43):
films, like Blind Date andNeighborhood Heist, that I did
for the Easter Seals DisabilityFilm Festival, we made sure that
we wrote it around mydisability.
So you know, in Blind Datethere is a gentleman who is he
is interested in another womanbut then in the end he chooses
(16:07):
the woman with the limbdifference.
You know, where else do youever see that?
And so you know, and peopleeven introducing them to the
language, people never heard ofthe term limb difference.
You know, they just maybe wantto call you disabled or you
don't have a hand or things ofthat nature.
So you know we are again, weare educating about that, you
(16:27):
know, with arts and activism.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Love that, love that, and again, with that vocabulary
term, limb difference you knowthat when you're learning about
people of the limb difference,community, that is the
appropriate way to address themCorrect, correct, yes, yes, yes.
And also just gives thatdignity and respect to that.
You know.
(16:50):
Community, that's amazing.
What advice would you give toaspiring creators?
You are creative I meaneverything you touch is creative
with your work in PR andentertainment but what advice
would you give aspiring creatorsaiming to produce socially
impactful content?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
The number one thing I would say is to be authentic,
because it shows we can all tellwhen someone or something is
not authentic.
You know, pick a project and orcause that you genuinely care
about, that you have theknowledge you know about.
(17:33):
If limb difference isn't yourjam, then maybe you shouldn't
write about limb differences youknow about.
If limb difference isn't yourjam, then maybe you shouldn't
write about limb differences youknow something that's authentic
and it's going to show and thenyour passion for that project.
It's going to be easier for youto sell and to get other people
on board because you arepassionate about that project.
So, you know, be authentic.
(17:54):
Also, know who you're talkingto, your target audience.
For instance, like when I wrotethe Lady's Car, I wanted my
audience to be zero to age 99.
So I wanted to be familyfriendly.
So because of that, you know,this happened.
This story happened in the late1800s, early 1900s.
(18:19):
I could have very well used theN-word, you know, in that piece
, but I strategically did not.
I wanted children to be able towatch that production, which
they did.
So because, thinking about thataudience in mind, which is how
I approach the script, and Imade sure that it was family
(18:43):
friendly and I was able to getthe message across with my
unique spin on the language thatI used, so you know be
authentic and know your audience.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Oh, that's so powerful.
Yeah, be authentic and knowyour audience.
That's so powerful.
Yeah, be authentic, know youraudience, because we can see
fake a mile away and if you'renot passionate about a certain
topic, it's like they didn't dotheir homework.
They don't know what they'redoing.
It's just we're just putting itout there to put out their sake
.
And thank you so much forreiterating that, because there
(19:16):
is something that says you wantto amplify and shine a light on
things, especially when it comesto social consciousness and
things that people should knowabout.
But I love how you talked aboutif it's not your authentic
lived experience.
You know, partner with somebodythat it is and give them that
voice, the amplify it instead ofyou, you know, putting a
(19:40):
spotlight on something you don'tknow, the context of Right, and
so, yeah, that's a really very,very good advice.
What initiatives or causes areyou currently focused on?
You know when your activismefforts finish focus on, you
know, in your activism effortCurrently.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Well, I'm getting ready to go march on Bloody
Sunday, you know, coming up inMarch.
So you know, in Alabama.
So that's something I'm lookingforward to.
Other initiatives I serve onthe board of organization that
assist those who have beenaffected with or by HIV and or
AIDS.
And of course, you know theEaster Seals Disability Film
(20:25):
Festival is coming up, so we'llbe working on that this year as
well, in April.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
So you know just things still coming up, so
you're busy.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
I am.
I have a couple of leases aboutto come to an end for Ida B
Wells' China.
Her China is in a couple ofmuseums so trying to determine
you know where else would be agood space for her, a good fit,
so that she can be seen ondifferent parts of the world.
(20:57):
So those are just some thingsthat we're working on.
And, speaking of the china, Ihave been blessed to have that
passed down to me.
So it was Ida's china that sheused to entertain, you know
dignitaries, you knowpoliticians and all these other
freedom fighters with, and shegave it to her daughter, alfreda
(21:18):
, who gave it to her daughterAlfreda, which is my grandmother
, and my grandmother gave it tome.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Wow, I mean just hearing you speak in your joy,
in your energy.
I just I know I'm a veryspiritual person that your
great-grandmother and yourgrandmother, all of those women,
are like, yes, she is here, she.
And when your grandmother,alfreda, told you it's you, you
know you took that assignmentand you took it to heart and you
(21:48):
went with it.
You know there's so many thingswith our elders when they tell
you something, you move indirection you know I'm a proud.
Liberian girl and I remember mygrandma was like no, I even when
I graduated in undergrad, mygrandma Agnes, see, alfreda,
agnes, there's something aboutthose A names you know, and she
(22:09):
told me she, I got mycommunication degree and she
goes you're supposed to movewith the children and I ended up
teaching elementary school for18 years after.
And she goes you're supposed tomove with the children and I
ended up teaching elementaryschool for 18 years after and it
was like she knew theassignment.
She knew that there's, you knowthings.
So when you share that aboutyourself it just reiterated of
when the elders tell you there'ssomething great, you're going
(22:32):
to do something great, theyspeak that life into you, tiana,
and you just said I understandthat assignment, you don't need
to repeat it, you don't need tosay it a different way.
It's like they lock in and theygo no, this is what you are
meant to do and go for it, and Iam just so proud of you.
(22:52):
Listeners, I'm going to put inthe show notes all of Tiana's
works that you can find her.
But Tiana shared with me thisbeautiful speech that she did.
She was a keynote speaker at thehometown of your great
grandmother, you know, inMississippi, and you were the
keynote speaker for MartinLuther King Jr Day for the event
(23:12):
, and I loved how you talkedabout being courageous when
others aren't around you.
That was your overall theme andstanding up and speaking out for
injustices.
And I feel like, in this timethat we're living in, so many of
us are in that, clutching thepearls and what do we do?
And still moving, still beingcourageous.
(23:34):
You don't have to wait forothers to find that courage, you
know, and your great-grandshowed you that, your
grandmother showed you that andin how you're just even sharing
about the story about the lady'scar I didn't know about that
about Ida B Wells.
You know, growing up we hadlittle, I don't want to say like
a highlight reel, but it feltlike that little tidbits of
(23:57):
Black history that were onlygiven to us and fed to us.
And to really be criticalthinkers, as educators and as
students, to find thosefirsthand articles that you just
shared and what gave you thatwork to create that play shared,
and what gave you that work tocreate that play.
You know, it's just amazing howwe, you know, continue to do
(24:19):
that courageous, criticalthinking.
Courageous, you know, movement,you know.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Is there anything else you want to add about that?
Yeah, you're going to have tohave the courage.
No, I love it, thank you.
I, as you, mentioned being aneducator, so I currently am a
special educator for fourth andfifth grade, and so I you know
during my history that gradelevel was my jam.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah, I loved teaching fifth grade.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yes, I share as much as I can with the staff and the
students.
You know about IW Wells because, like you said, it's a little
highlight reel and I gave themsome bookmarks and the educators
came to me and they said I amembarrassed, I'm an educator and
you know, I did not know aboutthis and I didn't know about the
(25:06):
ladies car and all of that, andI said they don't want you to
know.
I said you don't be embarrassed, they don't want you to know.
And a little bit of stuff thatyou do know is because of my
family, is because, you know, wetook that oral history and we
make sure that we put it outthere so that everybody knows.
But you know, it's by design,which is why you have to have
the courage, you know, to bethis like to go against the norm
(25:29):
, because the right thing is notalways the popular thing, you
know.
And so now, as you talk aboutthat speech, I sent that to a
lot of coworkers and so we'dwalk around the hallway and
they're, like you know, to havethe courage.
You know, and that's the statethat's going on with our nation
right now, like you said,flinching pearls, and we got to
have the courage to speak up.
(25:51):
Yes, we got to have the courageto advocate for ourselves, for
our neighbors, for our nation.
You know, because if we don't,you know what's the alternative.
That's it, so you know so whatif someone doesn't like you?
Speaker 1 (26:05):
You know so what and?
Speaker 2 (26:08):
you know.
So you know you're not foreverybody, because even if you
cater to their every need,there's still somebody who's
going to turn around and say Idon't like you.
Yes, yeah, yeah.
So it's okay if you give them areason, because you know, and
everybody's not for you andwe're not put on this earth to
(26:30):
be liked, we all have anassignment and when we are
afraid of that assignment, thatassignment, that project does
not get done and we are nothelping.
You know, we're not helping ournation, we're not helping our
people.
So we got to have the courageto be disliked.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
We got to have the courage To be disliked.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
yes, we got to have the courage because, you know,
again doing the right thing,you're usually going to upset
somebody.
You know, I don't mean be adifficult person and to
terrorize people.
I just mean when you areadvocating for what's right, you
know.
When you are advocating foryour student, you know, for your
school, for your community, youkeep going.
(27:13):
It's okay if people are lookingat you like you know, here they
come, here comes thetroublemaker.
Hey, I'll wear that as a badgeof honor Because as long again
as you are walking in yourpurpose, you are purposeful.
Your heart, your authenticpromise, it will work out.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
And when people see that, then people will follow
you and they will support you,they will support you, and my
mom used to always tell usgrowing up the only thing you
have to fear is if you're doingsomething wrong.
And if you're not doinganything wrong, just keep it
moving, Keep going, Keep sharingand educating love.
This platform that I created,you know, is to have change
(27:54):
makers that are being, you know,courageous in their own right
and in that assignment keeper.
You know.
I love how you said when you'reafraid of that assignment, the
project doesn't get done, youknow, and I needed that
inspiration today because, youknow, there's like a project
that got up my sleeve but I'm alittle scared.
So thank you, Tiana, forreminding me.
(28:15):
Like, if you're scared, it'snot going to get done.
So, Jeb, get to work.
That's right, you got toproceed through the discomfort.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
you know, yeah, greatness is on the other side
of that fear.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yes, so, so true.
Oh, I needed that today.
So where else, tiana, I'm goingto have your information in our
show notes, but where else canour listeners find your great
work that you have?
Speaker 2 (28:39):
My website, tianafarrellcom, or you can find
me on social media.
Just my handle is tianafarrellLove that Love that.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Oh, Tiana, thank you so much for being a guest on our
show.
Thank you, listeners.
This was an awesome, awesomeinterview with Ms Tiana Farrell.
Thanks again and, like I said,folks, please share this episode
with an educator, a changemakerin your community that really
wants to understand, especiallyour community members with limb
(29:11):
difference.
Another wonderfulrepresentation of advocate for
this cause.
Thanks again for watching.
We'll see you next time.
Bye.
All right, good afternoon listeners.
Welcome back to the CulturalCurriculum Chat Podcast.
I'm your host, jebba Edmonds,and in the guest chair today we
have Tiana Farrell, and I am soexcited to have her in the guest
chair with us listeners.
This podcast is geared towardseducators and DEI advocates who
(00:25):
want to create positive change,and Tiana is the epitome of
positive change.
I met Tiana working on aproject of my own TED Talk and
she was my speechwriter and wegot to vibing and I learned so
much about her.
And just to give you a couplenew things about Tiana before we
(00:47):
start the interview she is awriter and PR specialist.
She attended a well-knownperforming arts high school.
She has her master's degree inentertainment business.
She has published works soEmotional A Book of Poetry in
the Lady's Car, which performedin the Southeast, including the
(01:10):
HBCU Rust College.
She has multiple works inpublicity and for films such as
Shark Night and Limitless, andshe provides PR public relations
for artists, celebrities,influencers, law firms and
politicians.
So, tiana, I am so excited thatyou're here.
(01:33):
You're going to share with uswhat drives you in being that
social changemaker, and I'm justso honored to have you on our
show today.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Thank you so much.
I am honored to be here and, asyou mentioned, you know, when
we first met, we definitely, youknow, there was an authentic,
very genuine vibe between us,and so I'm just grateful to be
on your podcast and to shareanother space with you today.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Thank you so much.
So, tiana, I did the.
You know timeline of your.
You know your biography.
Tell our listeners a little bitmore about yourself.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
About me.
So I am a descendant of Ida BWells Barnett and the reason
that I leave with that isbecause it explains the
trajectory of my life and youknow what I do.
And so, being the great, greatgranddaughter of Ida B Wells Ida
(02:40):
B Wells was my grandmother'sgrandmother Wells Ida B Wells
was my grandmother's grandmother.
So my grandmother, alfreda,would tell me these wonderful
stories about her grandmother,ida B Wells, when I was a young
child, and she would tell methat she saw that greatness in
me and I have, you know, theirsister.
She would say you have it,tiana, it's you, you're the one
(03:04):
to continue the legacy, becauseevery generation after Ida made
sure that they continued herlegacy.
In a way, ida's youngestdaughter, alfreda, which is my
grandmother's mom her name wasAlfreda as well.
She published Ida's work.
She published her autobiographybecause she was reading her
(03:26):
diary, reading her work, and sheknew like, wow, my mother was
incredible and she saw thesenames that her mom kind of
rolled with, like FrederickDouglass, susan B Anthony, but
she's like when you read theirworks you don't see my mother
anywhere in there.
But she was in history rightalongside these people.
So my grandmother's mompublished her biography, which
(03:49):
is why we are talking about Idatoday.
You know she did that work andthen thereafter, my grandmother
and her brothers created the IdaB Wells Memorial Foundation and
so on and so forth.
And so, like you know, well,tiada, what are you going to do?
And so my grandmother convincedme to go to Rust College, which
(04:12):
was Ida's alma mater.
You know it's in Holly Springs,mississippi, a beautiful,
wonderful small town that'sabout 30 minutes from Memphis,
tennessee, and so I wear that asa badge of honor that no one
else besides Ida B Wells went tothat college.
And it was more than me justgoing, just attending this
(04:32):
wonderful HBCU.
I felt my ancestor on thecampus of that college.
It wasn't everywhere.
There was a particular space onthe yard by a tree that I would
feel her presence, that I couldsit there, eat lunch, and I
(04:56):
felt her put her hands on myshoulders and kind of just pull
me in, like hey, you got this.
And so I'm like, hmm, maybe Ido have something.
So then I started doing the work, reading her works, learning
more about Ida B Will.
Now I'm very, very shy, so itstill took me years after that
(05:19):
to be able to channel the thingsthat she was doing.
But, you know, once I had thatconfidence and the understanding
that she wasn't fearless, butshe did it anyway.
I knew that I could do the same, but I also knew that I would
(05:42):
never be Ida B Wells.
So how do I continue her legacyand support my community in a
way that was meant for me, andthat's how my art and my
activism met.
(06:02):
Activism met because I'vealways been fascinated with
entertainment and always wantedto create content.
But I also knew I had thisresponsibility to my community.
And so, you know, as I was aboard member for the Atlanta
NACP in my early 20s, you knowI'm doing these things.
(06:25):
I worked at the Urban League, Iinterned there when I was in
college.
Like, how do I again make thisintersection?
And so I started creatingstories, such as the Lady's Car,
which was about Ida B Wells'spat with the Chesapeake Ohio
(06:46):
Railroad in Memphis, and it's astory that most people don't
know about, where, 70 yearsbefore Rosa Parks decided to
refuse to give up her seat onthe bus, ida B Wells refused to
give up her seat on the trainand she actually, you know, sued
in the court of law in the late1800s and she won.
(07:09):
You know a Negro woman in thistime, when African Americans
could not read, could not work,had zero rights.
She won, and there's a reasonthat we don't know about that
story.
You know this happened inMemphis, tennessee, and it's in
the in the history books thatyou can go pull this information
(07:31):
.
But they didn't want us to knowthis information because they
don't want Negroes to know thatyou have.
So we made sure that you know,they made sure that they buried
it and so, again, that was sortof my responsibility.
I said, hey, I'm going to writethis play, and I kind of got an
idea I think it was about Idalike, hey, write about me,
because I'm like I'm going towrite a stage play, had no idea
(07:54):
what I wanted to write about.
And Ida said me I'm like, well,how do I do your life justice
on stage, your entire life?
Yes, yeah.
Then I'm like I'm going tofocus on this one story that I
find incredible that no onetalks about, because she's
credited with founding the NAACP, with being a suffrage, with
(08:14):
being a journalist, but we don'ttalk about what happened on
that ladies' car train that shegot kicked off of.
And so doing that, my goal isalways to entertain, to educate
and to empower.
Because how do I reach peoplein this day and age, where we're
distracted by our phones, thatour attention spans are shorter
(08:38):
than it has ever been?
I want to reach people who willnot go do the research and go
look in Shelby County, tennessee, to see what Ida did, people
who may not like to read, peoplewho may not read.
Well, how do I can reach them?
By entertaining them, and thenyou know when they leave Holly
(09:08):
Springs, mississippi, ida'shometown.
One of the residents was 90years old and she said Tiana,
I've lived here my entire life.
We have a museum in Ida B WellsMuseum here.
She said, but I did not knowthat story.
Okay, and so you?
know, I knew that my work waspurpose yes, wow, tiana, I mean
(09:35):
chills.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
And when we first met , you told me about that that
you are the, you know,descendant of Ida B Wells and I
was like oh my gosh, I studiedher like journalists and
activists and I like I'm talkingto her great granddaughter
doing this project and just howyou shared going to her alma
mater, which is your alma mater,and feeling her presence, you
(09:57):
know, and I just had chills whenyou were sharing that about
your story and then writing thatplay about her in a moment in
time where our history bookssuppress that, you know, and you
unearthed it again to show allof us, you know that these
stories have been here and tolook at it and I loved how you
(10:21):
talked about we're here toeducate and entertain, and also
you know and entertain.
And also you know what was theP again Empower, empower, sorry,
educate, entertain and empower.
And I think those three E's arejust so inspiring and important
(10:42):
in this day and age.
Like you said, people are quickon their phones, easily
distracted and I also, as ateacher, former teacher kids and
adults, if they don't feel likethey are at their reading level
, they shy away, they tend tonot want to, you know, read some
particular text because of theshame of not being able to read
(11:04):
and comprehend what they justread.
So I love how you touched on nomatter what your reading level
is, no matter your school, andyou can still learn something
important and viable, you know,to this work.
So kudos to you, tiana.
That is amazing.
So you talked about, which wasreally great.
You know, yourgreat-grandmother, you know
(11:26):
helped inspire and spark thatactivism in yourself.
Can you talk a little bit moreabout your livelihood, on the
disability advocacy piece of it?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yes.
So, again, being related to IdaB Wells learned how to advocate
, learned how to be a championof change, learn how to be a
champion of change.
And my wonderful grandmother,alfreda, again, was someone who
inspired me to take a forefrontof being a disability advocate,
(12:00):
as well as my father, my fatherStephen.
They would always let me knowlike hey, you are different.
So I was born with a limbdifference on sembradactyly, so
I don't have any digits on myleft hand here.
So for some reason the digitsjust did not grow.
And so, you know, because ofthat, I was, you know, ridiculed
(12:24):
, bullied in school, bullied inschool.
Even to this day I'm sometimesbullied in spaces by adults.
If I go to the grocery store, Imay scare the clerk, you know,
when they see my hand.
So, you know, for years when Iwas younger, I like to kind of
(12:49):
just fade into the backgroundbecause I just didn't want
people to notice me, becausethen it becomes a spectacle and
I've always been shy.
I never wanted to be the centerof attention.
But one day, early adulthood, Ijust kind of thought about what
would that six-year-old Tiananeed?
I never saw anybody that lookedlike me until I was about 33.
(13:15):
And you know what my life hadbeen had.
I had seen someone who lookedlike me and so I decided to
become a disability advocate.
I'm like the same way that I dofor, you know, humans' rights,
women's rights.
(13:35):
I said, hey, I'm going to, youknow, put myself out there and
again just be that person that Ineeded when I was a child and
just to take away the stigma ofit, just to normalize it.
You know, sometimes I leave thehouse and I'm my natural self.
Other times I wear a prosthetichand, you know, depending on
(13:55):
what I need.
And you know, like, theprosthetic hand I wear is
because I overuse my right handand so you started getting, you
know, carpal tunnel syndrome andthings like that.
So last year I decided I'm notlike, oh, I'm going to get a
prosthetic hand, and even withthat, I try to take the stigma
(14:15):
out of that.
You know, if I see a child kindof looking in the store, I'll
say, hey, do you want to cometouch it?
You want to give me a half-buck?
You know you want to talk aboutit.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
So, yeah, that is how I get to be a disability.
you know when people see you incommunity spaces and they don't
want, they don't know how toreact or what You're you know,
(14:50):
just turning that, that intoyour power, and that's just
amazing.
Oh, tiana, this is amazing,incredible work that you've done
.
So how do you see theintersection of arts and
activism in creating socialchange?
You gave us a wonderful exampleof the play that you wrote the
Lady's Car and your disabilityadvocacy.
(15:12):
You know how does art play intothat?
Can you give us another exampleor what you've noticed on other
artist scales?
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah, yes, I would say it normalizes it and again,
it makes it more accessible,because how many people can say
they've seen somebody that lookslike me?
You know you may not see it oryou may not notice it if I'm out
in a store because my hand isso small.
But another product that Iworked on on some of my short
(15:43):
films, like Blind Date andNeighborhood Heist, that I did
for the Easter Seals DisabilityFilm Festival, we made sure that
we wrote it around mydisability.
So you know, in Blind Datethere is a gentleman who is he
is interested in another womanbut then in the end he chooses
(16:07):
the woman with the limbdifference.
You know, where else do youever see that?
And so you know, and peopleeven introducing them to the
language, people never heard ofthe term limb difference.
You know, they just maybe wantto call you disabled or you
don't have a hand or things ofthat nature.
So you know we are again, weare educating about that, you
(16:27):
know, with arts and activism.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Love that, love that, and again, with that vocabulary
term, limb difference you knowthat when you're learning about
people of the limb difference,community, that is the
appropriate way to address themCorrect, correct, yes, yes, yes.
And also just gives thatdignity and respect to that.
You know.
(16:50):
Community, that's amazing.
What advice would you give toaspiring creators?
You are creative I meaneverything you touch is creative
with your work in PR andentertainment but what advice
would you give aspiring creatorsaiming to produce socially
impactful content?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
The number one thing I would say is to be authentic,
because it shows we can all tellwhen someone or something is
not authentic.
You know, pick a project and orcause that you genuinely care
about, that you have theknowledge you know about.
(17:33):
If limb difference isn't yourjam, then maybe you shouldn't
write about limb differences youknow about.
If limb difference isn't yourjam, then maybe you shouldn't
write about limb differences youknow something that's authentic
and it's going to show and thenyour passion for that project.
It's going to be easier for youto sell and to get other people
on board because you arepassionate about that project.
So, you know, be authentic.
(17:54):
Also, know who you're talkingto, your target audience.
For instance, like when I wrotethe Lady's Car, I wanted my
audience to be zero to age 99.
So I wanted to be familyfriendly.
So because of that, you know,this happened.
This story happened in the late1800s, early 1900s.
(18:19):
I could have very well used theN-word, you know, in that piece
, but I strategically did not.
I wanted children to be able towatch that production, which
they did.
So because, thinking about thataudience in mind, which is how
I approach the script, and Imade sure that it was family
(18:43):
friendly and I was able to getthe message across with my
unique spin on the language thatI used, so you know be
authentic and know your audience.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Oh, that's so powerful.
Yeah, be authentic and knowyour audience.
That's so powerful.
Yeah, be authentic, know youraudience, because we can see
fake a mile away and if you'renot passionate about a certain
topic, it's like they didn't dotheir homework.
They don't know what they'redoing.
It's just we're just putting itout there to put out their sake
.
And thank you so much forreiterating that, because there
(19:16):
is something that says you wantto amplify and shine a light on
things, especially when it comesto social consciousness and
things that people should knowabout.
But I love how you talked aboutif it's not your authentic
lived experience.
You know, partner with somebodythat it is and give them that
voice, the amplify it instead ofyou, you know, putting a
(19:40):
spotlight on something you don'tknow, the context of Right, and
so, yeah, that's a really very,very good advice.
What initiatives or causes areyou currently focused on?
You know when your activismefforts finish focus on, you
know, in your activism effortCurrently.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Well, I'm getting ready to go march on Bloody
Sunday, you know, coming up inMarch.
So you know, in Alabama.
So that's something I'm lookingforward to.
Other initiatives I serve onthe board of organization that
assist those who have beenaffected with or by HIV and or
AIDS.
And of course, you know theEaster Seals Disability Film
(20:25):
Festival is coming up, so we'llbe working on that this year as
well, in April.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
So you know just things still coming up, so
you're busy.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
I am.
I have a couple of leases aboutto come to an end for Ida B
Wells' China.
Her China is in a couple ofmuseums so trying to determine
you know where else would be agood space for her, a good fit,
so that she can be seen ondifferent parts of the world.
(20:57):
So those are just some thingsthat we're working on.
And, speaking of the china, Ihave been blessed to have that
passed down to me.
So it was Ida's china that sheused to entertain, you know
dignitaries, you knowpoliticians and all these other
freedom fighters with, and shegave it to her daughter, alfreda
(21:18):
, who gave it to her daughterAlfreda, which is my grandmother
, and my grandmother gave it tome.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Wow, I mean just hearing you speak in your joy,
in your energy.
I just I know I'm a veryspiritual person that your
great-grandmother and yourgrandmother, all of those women,
are like, yes, she is here, she.
And when your grandmother,alfreda, told you it's you, you
know you took that assignmentand you took it to heart and you
(21:48):
went with it.
You know there's so many thingswith our elders when they tell
you something, you move indirection you know I'm a proud.
Liberian girl and I remember mygrandma was like no, I even when
I graduated in undergrad, mygrandma Agnes, see, alfreda,
agnes, there's something aboutthose A names you know, and she
(22:09):
told me she, I got mycommunication degree and she
goes you're supposed to movewith the children and I ended up
teaching elementary school for18 years after.
And she goes you're supposed tomove with the children and I
ended up teaching elementaryschool for 18 years after and it
was like she knew theassignment.
She knew that there's, you knowthings.
So when you share that aboutyourself it just reiterated of
when the elders tell you there'ssomething great, you're going
(22:32):
to do something great, theyspeak that life into you, tiana,
and you just said I understandthat assignment, you don't need
to repeat it, you don't need tosay it a different way.
It's like they lock in and theygo no, this is what you are
meant to do and go for it, and Iam just so proud of you.
(22:52):
Listeners, I'm going to put inthe show notes all of Tiana's
works that you can find her.
But Tiana shared with me thisbeautiful speech that she did.
She was a keynote speaker at thehometown of your great
grandmother, you know, inMississippi, and you were the
keynote speaker for MartinLuther King Jr Day for the event
(23:12):
, and I loved how you talkedabout being courageous when
others aren't around you.
That was your overall theme andstanding up and speaking out for
injustices.
And I feel like, in this timethat we're living in, so many of
us are in that, clutching thepearls and what do we do?
And still moving, still beingcourageous.
(23:34):
You don't have to wait forothers to find that courage, you
know, and your great-grandshowed you that, your
grandmother showed you that andin how you're just even sharing
about the story about the lady'scar I didn't know about that
about Ida B Wells.
You know, growing up we hadlittle, I don't want to say like
a highlight reel, but it feltlike that little tidbits of
(23:57):
Black history that were onlygiven to us and fed to us.
And to really be criticalthinkers, as educators and as
students, to find thosefirsthand articles that you just
shared and what gave you thatwork to create that play shared,
and what gave you that work tocreate that play.
You know, it's just amazing howwe, you know, continue to do
(24:19):
that courageous, criticalthinking.
Courageous, you know, movement,you know.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Is there anything else you want to add about that?
Yeah, you're going to have tohave the courage.
No, I love it, thank you.
I, as you, mentioned being aneducator, so I currently am a
special educator for fourth andfifth grade, and so I you know
during my history that gradelevel was my jam.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah, I loved teaching fifth grade.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yes, I share as much as I can with the staff and the
students.
You know about IW Wells because, like you said, it's a little
highlight reel and I gave themsome bookmarks and the educators
came to me and they said I amembarrassed, I'm an educator and
you know, I did not know aboutthis and I didn't know about the
(25:06):
ladies car and all of that, andI said they don't want you to
know.
I said you don't be embarrassed, they don't want you to know.
And a little bit of stuff thatyou do know is because of my
family, is because, you know, wetook that oral history and we
make sure that we put it outthere so that everybody knows.
But you know, it's by design,which is why you have to have
the courage, you know, to bethis like to go against the norm
(25:29):
, because the right thing is notalways the popular thing, you
know.
And so now, as you talk aboutthat speech, I sent that to a
lot of coworkers and so we'dwalk around the hallway and
they're, like you know, to havethe courage.
You know, and that's the statethat's going on with our nation
right now, like you said,flinching pearls, and we got to
have the courage to speak up.
(25:51):
Yes, we got to have the courageto advocate for ourselves, for
our neighbors, for our nation.
You know, because if we don't,you know what's the alternative.
That's it, so you know so whatif someone doesn't like you?
Speaker 1 (26:05):
You know so what and?
Speaker 2 (26:08):
you know.
So you know you're not foreverybody, because even if you
cater to their every need,there's still somebody who's
going to turn around and say Idon't like you.
Yes, yeah, yeah.
So it's okay if you give them areason, because you know, and
everybody's not for you andwe're not put on this earth to
(26:30):
be liked, we all have anassignment and when we are
afraid of that assignment, thatassignment, that project does
not get done and we are nothelping.
You know, we're not helping ournation, we're not helping our
people.
So we got to have the courageto be disliked.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
We got to have the courage To be disliked.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
yes, we got to have the courage because, you know,
again doing the right thing,you're usually going to upset
somebody.
You know, I don't mean be adifficult person and to
terrorize people.
I just mean when you areadvocating for what's right, you
know.
When you are advocating foryour student, you know, for your
school, for your community, youkeep going.
(27:13):
It's okay if people are lookingat you like you know, here they
come, here comes thetroublemaker.
Hey, I'll wear that as a badgeof honor Because as long again
as you are walking in yourpurpose, you are purposeful.
Your heart, your authenticpromise, it will work out.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
And when people see that, then people will follow
you and they will support you,they will support you, and my
mom used to always tell usgrowing up the only thing you
have to fear is if you're doingsomething wrong.
And if you're not doinganything wrong, just keep it
moving, Keep going, Keep sharingand educating love.
This platform that I created,you know, is to have change
(27:54):
makers that are being, you know,courageous in their own right
and in that assignment keeper.
You know.
I love how you said when you'reafraid of that assignment, the
project doesn't get done, youknow, and I needed that
inspiration today because, youknow, there's like a project
that got up my sleeve but I'm alittle scared.
So thank you, Tiana, forreminding me.
(28:15):
Like, if you're scared, it'snot going to get done.
So, Jeb, get to work.
That's right, you got toproceed through the discomfort.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
you know, yeah, greatness is on the other side
of that fear.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yes, so, so true.
Oh, I needed that today.
So where else, tiana, I'm goingto have your information in our
show notes, but where else canour listeners find your great
work that you have?
Speaker 2 (28:39):
My website, tianafarrellcom, or you can find
me on social media.
Just my handle is tianafarrellLove that Love that.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Oh, Tiana, thank you so much for being a guest on our
show.
Thank you, listeners.
This was an awesome, awesomeinterview with Ms Tiana Farrell.
Thanks again and, like I said,folks, please share this episode
with an educator, a changemakerin your community that really
wants to understand, especiallyour community members with limb
(29:11):
difference.
Another wonderfulrepresentation of advocate for
this cause.
Thanks again for watching.
We'll see you next time.
Bye.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.