Chicago Speaks May 17th 2026

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
V one O three presents Chicago Speaks with your host,
Darryl Dennard. This program is designed to address issues that
affect you. Your opinions matter, toll free at eight three
three five nine one V one O three. The view
as and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the station,
it's management, sponsors, or.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
iHeartMedia Ink.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Hello, and welcome to Chicago Speaks, your communications conduit for
speaking to the issues impacting our community. I'm your host,
Darryl Dennard. It is Sunday, May seventeenth, twenty twenty six.
This is a special edition of Chicago's Speak, so we're
not taking calls this morning. We're going to weight your
literary appetite. We'll devote most of this morning's programming to

(00:40):
books by authors of different genres. We'll talk fitness with
doctor Ian Smith. From there, we'll venture into historical fiction
with Clay Caine, author of Burned Down Master's House, and
we'll venture into nonfiction with politician Keisha Lance Bottoms with
her memoir of growing up on the rough side of
the Mountain. And we'll close out our discussions learning about

(01:02):
the must attend Chicago Urban Leagues town Hall and Leadership Forum.
So as is the case every Sunday morning, there is
a lot to speak to and we begin with they
Taste the impact on the power of music, Pleasure to
have a and R Executive. Joe McEwan decided to take
those particular encounters and turn them into a book. And

(01:25):
that book is Tasty Cakes, Soul Songs and Shining Stars.
And it is a Joe, you have an extraordinary resume
from not only being a print journalist to an ar person.
But what was the genesis for you deciding to write
this book, Tasty Cakes, Soul Songs and Shining Stars.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Well, before I was a what I was was a
journalist before I got into the music business, and I
wrote for two papers in Boston, the Boston Phoenix and
the Real Paper, and then Rolling Stone, the Village Voice
and others. Anyway, I did a bunch of profiles of

(02:03):
people from Michael Jackson, Mavis and Pop Staples, George Clinton,
Alan Toussaint, and a bunch of other people, and I
just felt, you know, having was reading through them, and
a thought bubble went into my head about Soul music

(02:23):
Saved My Life was the original title. I grew up
in Philadelphia and outside Philadelphia, and so I had these
and I wanted to like put them into a book.
And that was really just a thought bubble for a while.
And during COVID then I started to put more thought
into this.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
What is it about soul music that literally changed the
trajectory of your life.

Speaker 5 (02:48):
That's a good question.

Speaker 4 (02:49):
And you know, I wasn't really a music fan when
I was young, And when the Beatles were on when
I was in seventh grade, I watched it. I had
no interest in it. I was an athlete, I played,
and I didn't care really about pop music at all.
And after this event happened, where you know, all these
kids in school are buzzing around about it and had

(03:11):
an opinion like you like him, I hated him, you know,
blah blah blah. It made no impact on me. But
a few months later I realized, there's this thing bubbling
on around you and you should at least, you know,
be aware of it and look into it, you know.
So I made a conscious decision to listen to the
radio in the first station in Philly, I mean the

(03:35):
big station then for like what was called Top forty,
but it was pretty much I don't know what it
was it was just a great rock and roll, rock,
pop music, soul music, whatever, everything station. Philly was just
a great market and for radio it turned out, so
I turned out.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
In a great birthplace for soul music.

Speaker 5 (03:56):
Yes exactly.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
And a lot of that had to do with just
this the culture of the city.

Speaker 5 (04:03):
The music culture of the city was just.

Speaker 4 (04:05):
So vibrant, which of course I had no clue about
being once I started listening to Wibbage and I'd write
down songs I liked, and then I also kind of
found out about this other station at the end of
the dial, w DAS, which is this big, huge, you know,
really important soul music R and B station, the very

(04:28):
community oriented station as well. So you know, a lot
of the you know, I was playing basketball a certain
point out on a playground in West Philadelphia on the
edge of that, and kids would bring the radio to
the playground sometimes and it's usually was tuned to DAS
and just this Temptations songs that were hits them Beauty

(04:51):
is only skin Deep and got to forget the other
one ain't too proud to bag, I think, and you know,
they just seem to beyond all the time and the
rhythm of that this the urgency, the rhythm of it.
I just I just connected that to basketball in a way.
But the music itself, you know, the voices that the

(05:13):
groove appealed to me, the voice is the urgency. A
lot of times this message of hope or desperation just
I don't know, it started to really take me. And
I just spent more time at the right end of
the dial than you know, in the middle ninety nine
where wibbage was, and really it's just followed a path

(05:34):
that you know, was allowed. It allowed me to build
a foundation that eventually led to me getting a career
of music.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah, And the people that you did reflect on in
terms of your profiles Pops and the Staples singer is
of course including maybe Staples like you mentioned, George Clinton
and Alan Tussant, also Betty Wright, Michael Jackson, who the
world is just raving over right now, fanboying and girling

(06:04):
over right now, and so many more. But the thing
that also piques my interest with you being in Philadelphia
is that basketball and music always had a unique synergy.
And I think about the impact of like Doctor j
and movies back in the seventies, Cornbread Earl and me.

(06:26):
What was that like for you in terms of experiencing
music and then basketball and realizing that there was this
synergy there.

Speaker 4 (06:35):
You know, I definitely conflate them back then, and I
should also add as like a subtitled jazz, because jazz
that become also really important to me, like in that
same way of just kind of creating somehow creating myself.
But you know, it just felt they just felt good together,
especially like you know a lot of the motown songs, Yeah,

(06:58):
just worked like in that context and also jazz in
a way. But just when ball is good, like and
everyone's in a rhythm, you know, there's a synergy on
the chord and you have this other sound off the chord,
and it just feels it feels good man, feels natural.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Well, don't forget when we go into the seventies mode
Philadelphia had tsop, yes, and you know it was an
acronym for the sound of Philadelphia and blended that jazz
and R and B sound all totally in one.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
I was just going to say, Gamble and Hoff were
actually the first people I ever did a profile of
at Philadelphia International and seventy three when they were just
really beginning to draw you know, crescendo into their peak
years and Tom Bell happened to be there, and yeah,
and I wasn't really prepared, I think as a writer

(07:56):
or a person. I was just a kid out of
college at that point and reading it, you know, it
doesn't really capture everything that happened during the two days
that I was there, but it was incredible experience.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
Do you think they get the accolades that they'd deserving
of when we talk about Gamble and Hook, because people
in terms of the soundtrack of the seventies and eighties, man,
they were reshaping everybody's listening habits.

Speaker 5 (08:22):
Yeah. No, I don't actually think they do.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
And I think in England Philadelphia, soul itself was really
big deal. And here the hits were big deals. The
records were big deals. They were you know, like The
Love I Lost became a real early disco classic.

Speaker 5 (08:42):
You know.

Speaker 4 (08:42):
In terms of your question, I don't think they have
actually really somehow quite gotten like how special those records were.
You have to remember that was a rock and roll
time and those records were produced, you know, and they
had strings on them and they were just chest beautiful. Yeah,
and Tom Bell's orchestrations.

Speaker 3 (09:04):
And how about mother, father, sister, brother. You know, they
could go on and on. But the thing that I
like is that you've been able to capture this time.
And what do you hope that readers of this book
will receive?

Speaker 4 (09:18):
Well, I just hope they can feel some of the
passion that I felt about the music and the artists.
They also want them to feel like how these artists
felt like reading just these profile things just to get
the feeling of how people talked and and you know
who they were, because it was really was always a

(09:39):
mystery in me, like how do how do how do
these people create this? Where does it come from? Where's
the you know, it's like magic, you know, and how
do you find that magic?

Speaker 5 (09:49):
And so that's that would be my hope.

Speaker 6 (09:51):
You know, I love the title in terms of tasty
cakes and soul songs and shining stars. Who do you
believe to be the shining stars and today's particularly R
and B and jazz music scenes.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
I'm not sure I can really give you an answer
on that one, man, I mean, Kumasi Washington and jazz.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
Okay, hey, how about you know we got it throw
Robert Glassbar.

Speaker 4 (10:14):
Robert Glassbar and z So Actually, Bill Charlotte the piano player. Yes,
so anyway, i'd be more I'm a little more versed
in contemporary jazz than contemporary you know, R and B
music at this point.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Well, you just gave Kumasi Washington Robert Glassbar. You couldn't
ask what to better representatives than those two.

Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yes, you know, happily they've done quite well for themselves.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Well, hopefully we'll hear your pinings opining on them in
a literary sense, if not social media.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Well, I don't know. I think my I'm thinking I'm
hanging up my writing shoes, man, I hung up my.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
Stop. Man. The souls haven't worn out on this on
the shoes. As a matter of fact, you can say
sole shoes I've been doing traveling.

Speaker 4 (11:03):
Well, I don't know, Darryl. I'm not young and I'm
not single, but I'd love to mingle with you, Darryl,
So anytime that.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
Sounds good, I have to bring you back just so
that we can reflect on the power of music, particularly
music for the soul. I want to thank you so
much Joe for joining us this morning.

Speaker 5 (11:23):
Thanks Daryl, it was great. Thanks man.

Speaker 1 (11:24):
Coming up next Chicago Speaks with Daryl Dinard. You can
voice your opinion right now, toll free at eight three
three five nine to one v one oh three. Now
back to Chicago Speaks with Daryl Denard, share what's on
your mind, toll free at eight three three five nine
one v one oh three.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
Welcome back. You're listening to a special edition of Chicago's Speaks,
so we're not taking calls. Here's an astonishing fact. Studies
revealed that as many as eighty five percent of people
trying to lose weight hit at least one plateau at
some point, and their weight loss journey well. Here is
doctor Ian Smith. He is one of the world's most

(12:08):
respected health and wellness experts who is also a medical doctor,
joins us this morning to discuss his brand new book,
The Last Fifteen, that provides a rope map on how
to lose those stubborn fifteen pounds in just seven weeks.
A lot of numbers in that title. Ian, how are
you doing.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Hey, Darryl, I'm feeling great. Numbers. Number I'm a numbers guy,
but they're all good numbers. Being able to lose fifteen
pounds or breaking through a plateau, being able to do
it in seven weeks, these are all what I call
positive numbers lucky seven.

Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yeah, so let's talk about the year of the horse,
the number twenty twenty six. Your whole mission in life
is all about health and wellness. What message do you
have for us with the beginning of the new year,
particularly vis a v making resolutions or at least goal.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
I would like, first of all, for people to really
abandon the concept of New Year's resolutions. You know, they
tend to be these cliche kind of ephemeral commitments that
go away after three to six weeks, they're gone. Instead,
I'd like people to have a different mindset and talk
about year long commitments. What am I going to change

(13:26):
and do over the course of the entire year to
make sure it becomes part of my regular and sustainable lifestyle.
And so I recommend that people change two to three things.
I think when you try to change too many things
at once, it can become problematic. But if you change
two or three things and really focus on those two

(13:47):
or three things, you're going to see that not only
are you able to make the change, but they're also
be sustainable. And I think for twenty twenty six, I
would encourage people to have that type of mindset and
the second part of it is to be specific. Don't
just say I want to lose weight. For example, say listen,
I'd like to lose twenty pounds. I'd like to lose

(14:08):
it over the course of ten months, which is an
average of two pounds every month for ten months. And
that specificity really helps people plan and adopt the necessary strategies,
but also to be able to monitor what their progress
is like so they can see what's working, what's not working,

(14:29):
and what kind of adjustments they they may need to
make on their fitness or wellness journey.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
I wouldn't fulfill my journalist code here if I didn't ask,
what are those three top issues that we need to consider?

Speaker 2 (14:42):
Well, it's different for every individual, right, I mean, it
depends on what it is for you. If someone is
suffering from high blood pressure, then lower your blood pressure
could be an issue. Someone with high sugar levels, stabilizing
your blood sugar levels, weight issues, whatever, three issues. And
by the way, it doesn't always have to be something
that is that has biometrics attached to it. It could

(15:04):
be I want to sleep more this year. I want
to make sure I'm getting more RESTful sleep. I want
to make sure that I'm taking more time for myself,
that every day I'm going to commit an hour of
doing something that I want to do that brings me
pleasure and it has nothing to do with trying to
please someone else. It could be you know, a non
you know health, you know, specific health kind of situation

(15:26):
that people want to work on. It could be lifestyle.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it's hard to believe, but we've been talking over
the last several years that this is your twenty ninth book.
You're known for your nonfiction books but also for your
fiction books. What was the inspiration for the last fifteen.

Speaker 2 (15:45):
So so for so many years, so many of my
followers have asked me, you know, either I've hit a
plateau I was losing weight, Well, I can't break through
the plateau. What do I do? Or people would say
I've lost a really large amount of weight, but I'm
down to the last ten to fifteen pounds and I
can't get the scale to move. What do I do?

(16:06):
And so there's been such a demand for people trying
to understand how this works, And so I wanted to
write a program that was simple, where the food was
affordable and by the way, it's not a diet in
the traditional sense where you're throwing everything away and you're
overly restricting yourself. This is more like a customized meal

(16:26):
plan and eating strategy to help you do different things
that will enhance your weight loss and help you either
break through that plateau or to help you lose those
last ten to fifteen pounds. And so the idea is simple, healthy, affordable,
tasty food that's not just what you eat, but how
you eat it, when you eat it, also some type

(16:50):
of physical activity, whether it's working out in gym, working
out at home, walking around. But the one two punch
of food, nutrition, and also size that is what the
studies show will be the strategy that will get the
weight off fastest and keep it off the longest.

Speaker 3 (17:09):
Talk to us about how this is presented in the book.
Is it a journal type of thing where you go
to this book every day or is it set out
in terms of a daily or weekly type of program.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
Well, I purposely wrote this book in a very simplified way.
There are only two chapters where there's reading, and the
rest of it is the meal plan, so there's not
a lot to read, but the meal plans are laid
out week by week. Seven weeks. Each week has a
particular focus. Week one is called metabolic reset, and the

(17:41):
idea is, how do you reset your metabolism, stabilize your
blood sugar levels and prime your body so that it's
getting ready to start burning fat. Week two is protein power.
Not enough people are eating enough protein. Protein is essential
for sustainable weight loss. Why because protein gives us energy,

(18:04):
It supports and boosts our metabolism, It helps prevent food cravings.
And also, by the way, protein from a digestive standpoint
uses more calories to be burned off or digested, so
you burn more calories digesting protein than you do any
other of the macronutrients. And so every week, third week

(18:24):
is carb cycling. Every week there's a goal of what
you're doing, and the meals of that week and the
strategy that week are towards that particular goal. And by
the way, here's the beauty of it. For every meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner,
and snacks, there are lots of options, ten options. Try
this for breakfast, try this for lunch, try this for dinner.

(18:45):
So if you're a vegan, vegetarian, you're a meat eater,
whatever you are, you can follow the plan because I've
not only included all these different options, but there are
more than fifty five recipes in the back of the
book that you can follow, you know, to help you
lose weight.

Speaker 3 (19:02):
Is it essential that we eat three meals a day?

Speaker 2 (19:05):
You know, that's a really good question. It's three meals essential.
I would not say that it's essential. I would say
three meals kind of has been the customary eating habits
that we've learned. But you can get away with two
meals a day if those two meals are spaced at
the right time, if you're having the proper snacks, and

(19:26):
if your meals are containing the right amount of nutrients.
That's the key. The key is making sure that you
are fulfilling what your nutritional needs are for the day,
whether it's a macronutrient like fat, protein, or carbs, or
whether it's a micronutrient things like vitamins and minerals. And
so most people kind of get away with three meals

(19:46):
a day. Three smaller meals a day with one or
two snacks is typically the standard course. The book gives
you three meals a day sometimes, but you can also
get away with two meals. When you're trying to file
the last bit team plan.

Speaker 3 (20:01):
And the reason I say this is because since I'm
not really a voracious eater, the reality is is that
I may only eat two main meals a day. What
would those be in terms of the most important ones
to consume? Is it breakfast and dinner or lunch and
dinner or well, the.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
Most important thing I think for people to do who
are trying to gain better control of their weight is
to front load your calories. So eating most of your
calories before two or three o'clock in the afternoon is
a great way to do it. And think about it
for a second. If you're consuming a lot of calories
at dinner. Some people consume as much as twelve hundred

(20:41):
calories at dinner, and then you're going to sleep in
the next two to three hours, what's happening to those
twelve hundred calories you just consumed. Calories don't disappear if
you don't burn or use the calories, then your body
then converts them to fat because fat is a storage
form of energy, so in calories or energy. So here

(21:02):
you are eating a big dinner, you have twelve hundred calories.
Let's say you stay up for two more hours and
you burn maybe another two hundred of those twelve hundred calories.
Now you have a thousand calories surplus, what is your
body going to do to it? Well, when you go
to sleep, your body's going to convert it into fat.
That's why it's much better to have larger meals earlier

(21:23):
in the day because you give yourself more time throughout
the back half of the day to burn those calories off.

Speaker 3 (21:30):
You've been always a major advocate in terms of the
connection between weight and wellness. What we have over these
last two to three years is the proliferation of major
medicines like GLP one drugs. How are you addressing that
in terms of the last fifteen because many times I

(21:54):
know for a fact friends of mine that have had
dramatic weight losses, but yet they seriously plateau while on
these GLP one drugs.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, I'm addressing it in a couple of ways. First
of all, I just recorded an almost five minute kind
of talk for people to understand about the cautionary tales
of geo GLP one agonists. That's first of all. I
also put on my Instagram which is at doctor Ian
Smith spelled the doctor out I A and Smith, and

(22:24):
on Facebook doctor Ian K. Smith. But the book really
is about getting you to stabilize your blood sugars, to
reset your metabolism, to try to add protein to every
meal so that you aren't relying on these medications. Let
me say this about these medications. These medications can be
effective in the right situation for the right person under

(22:47):
right supervision. But the idea that these medications are for everyone,
and the idea that people are going to be able
to take these medications and stay on them for the
rest of their lives is absolutely unsustainable. It's just not
going to happen. The other part of it is.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
That financially and physically.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
That's right, But the other part is a lot of
don't want to talk about the side effects. These medications
can have very serious side effects, from gastro intestinal distress
all the way to gall bladder issues. There are all
kinds of problems with these medications that people don't talk about,
and we don't really have long term, credible studies that
have looked at what the long term effects are for

(23:32):
those who are just taking the medications for weight loss. Now,
remember Darryl, these medications have been around for a while,
a lot of them, but they've been used, and they've
been effective at helping people who are trying to lower
their blood sugars. We now have a new category of
people who are trying to do it just for weight loss.
They don't have diabetes or pre diabetes. They're doing it
just for weight loss, and we don't know what it

(23:54):
looks like five ten years down the road. So my
bottom line cautioning it to people is, yes, these medications
can be effective as a jump off point to lose weight. However,
to think that you should stay on these GLF want
agonist for a long period of time, you have to
be very careful, do your research and talk to your
healthcare provider.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
How do we break the wall? How do we end
the cycle of the plateauing in terms of our weight
loss journey?

Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yes, and that is exactly what the Last fifteen is about.
That's exactly why I have a Facebook group that has
over twelve thousand people doing it together. The Facebook group
is called the Last fifteen Group. What we are doing,
what people are experiencing, what people are realizing, is that
when you make minor changes to your food, when you

(24:42):
group your foods differently, when you're getting the right amount
of protein, then that is how you break the plateau.
You can get your engines, your weight loss engines going
again in these seven weeks, because once again it's not
about dieting. It's about strategic eating. Strategic eating, and so
that is what the program is doing. And it's also

(25:03):
about movement. You know, people should be getting about at
least ninety minutes a week of modern intensity cardiovascular activity.
But here's the part people are not getting. You need
at least sixty minutes a week of muscle training, of
strength training. Resistance training, whether it's through bands or bar bells,
you can do, you know, three sessions of twenty minutes,

(25:25):
four sessions of fifteen minutes, but at the bare minimum,
people should be getting sixty minutes of strength training. And
by the way, people who lose the weight the fastest
are those who have more muscle masks, because more muscle
mass means you burn calories faster. So there are all
kinds of reasons why we should be eating more protein
and doing more resistance training. And in the last fifteen

(25:47):
I show people how to do it.

Speaker 3 (25:49):
Yeah, so you have this wonderful Facebook group, but what
do you say to those And we know that there's
a proclivity to do this at fall off the wagon
that three weeks in then all of a sudden they
hit a roadblock.

Speaker 2 (26:02):
What's the on What I say to people is that
join the club. First of all, don't beat yourself up
because you've fallen off the wagon. You had a bad
couple of days, or a bad week, or the scales
not moving like it was, or you wanted to. The
last thing you want to do is stress out. Give
yourself some grace first of all, and think about what
was working and then maybe what you're doing differently that's

(26:24):
stopping what was working from actually working. And so what
I tell people all the time is reset. You know,
when you start getting into an area where it becomes
more challenging, that is the time you got to batten
down the hatches and figure out what is working. And
that's why it's a seven week program, Darryl, because there
are certain weeks that are going to probably be more
productive and effective than other weeks. But when you go

(26:46):
through the seven weeks, you say to yourself, wow, week one,
in week five and week four, those are my best weeks.
I lost the most weight. So now you can tailor
in the future which weeks work well for your body,
and which which weeks were not working so well, and
now you structure kind of how you can eat and
maintain the weight loss or at least get it going again.

Speaker 3 (27:08):
Yeah, for a lifetime. And I have to say this
because the reality is this here it is. You're a physician,
You're an incredible shape. I call you one of the
most type a personality individuals that I know. And no,
you're you know, you're a father, a husband, TV personality,

(27:29):
you do a lot, you write novels in terms of
your wonderful, wonderful thriller series that you know. I'll call
you on another date to talk about. But the reality
is this, Not everybody is like that. And many times,
far too many times, when it comes to black men's health,
particularly longevity as far as life and wellness and fitness,

(27:55):
it's something that we tend to ignore and then suffer
the repercussions of morbidity as well as health challenges. What
advice do you have for black men that are listening
right now, because I'm gonna telling you you look great man.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
Thank you. I appreciate that. And I work hard. It's
about work. You've got to put the work in period
there's no easy, simple formula to get it done. It's work.
You can't be afraid to work. But I want to
say this, when you look at the health disparities of
all the different types of health conditions, whether it's prostate cancer,
lung cancer, colon cancer, whatever, African American men tend to

(28:34):
be the highest in those particular categories for all kinds
of reasons. And some reasons, by the way, not due
to us. Some reasons are systemic racism and lack of
access to healthcare are so there are other.

Speaker 3 (28:46):
Issues social determination of health, of course.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
That's right, but there are things in our control, and
that's what we have to focus on as African Americans,
particularly African American men. We have to focus on what
we can control. We can control what we eat, we
can control how we move our bodies. If we have healthcare,
we can control going to see our physicians. Okay, we
can control getting supplements if we're deficient in certain minerals

(29:11):
or vitamins. These are the things that we have to
focus on. And so my word to African American men
in particular is that as we continue to age, look
at it not as a resignation that you are going
to have health problems and that you're going to gain weight. Instead,
change the perspective, flip it. I want you to think
about aging as an opportunity, as a chance to grow

(29:33):
mentally and physically. Get into the gym or buy some
dumbbells or bands and do fifteen to twenty minutes every
other day at home.

Speaker 7 (29:42):
But you could do it while you're sitting down watching
a football game. It's not like one hundred second you
know you have to be in the gym to do
some type of cardiovascular or weight training.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
That is absolutely correct. And what my mission is this
year is to help as many people as possibile, which
is why I'm doing this Facebook group to help people
for free at the Last fifteen group, and I have
a YouTube channel at doctor Ian Smith Official at YouTube
to try to help people be able to do these
simple exercises, whether it's a six minute exercise, whether it's

(30:16):
a fifteen minute exercise. The idea is that people have
to understand you just got to put some time in.
It doesn't have to be an hour, though some people
can do an hour, but put some in. And I'll
lastly say this, it's the three s's. It's challenged gott
to challenge yourself. You have to be consistent and you
have to commit. Those are the three seeds for change

(30:37):
and for a healthier life.

Speaker 3 (30:39):
Quickly, in terms of how we can find you on
all of your social media handles.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
Yes, on Instagram it's at doctor ian Smith Spell, the
doctor out Iaan Smith, my website saying doctor Iansmith dot com.
And my social media on YouTube is at doctor Ian
Smith Official, dr Ian Smith Official, and theas fifteen group
on Facebook.

Speaker 3 (31:03):
Sounds so very good, much love to you. Coming up next,
we'll venture into historical fiction with the author of Burned
Down Master's House, Clay Caane. Please stay with us.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
Chicago Speaks with Daryl Dinard. You can voice your opinion
right now toll free at eight three three five nine
one v one oh three V one O three presents
Chicago Speaks with your host, Darryl Denard. This program is
designed to address issues that affect you. Your opinions matter,
toll free at eight three three five nine one v

(31:35):
one oh three. The views and opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the station, it's management, sponsors, or iHeartMedia.

Speaker 3 (31:41):
Ink and Welcome back. It is Sunday May seventeenth, and
you're listening to a special edition of Chicago's Speak, so
we're not taking calls. He is an accomplished political commentator, author,
and radio host of the Clay Caine Radio Show. He
brings his vast communication skills to the written page, with
numerous books that he participated in either as a contributor

(32:04):
or co writer, as well as authoring. And now it
is a pleasure to talk to him about his latest novel,
Burned Down Master's House. It is a pleasure to be
joined by Clay Kane. Clay, how are you doing.

Speaker 8 (32:18):
It's an honor to be here. Thank you so much.
I just really really appreciate it. It's an honor.

Speaker 3 (32:24):
Listen. It is an honor because when I see younger
people taking the mantle and actually advancing it, it encourages
me seeing people have the audacity to be truth tellers
in these kind of difficult times that don't always require truth.
What exactly was the inspiration in terms of this novel,

(32:46):
burned Down Master's House?

Speaker 8 (32:48):
Well, I wrote it many many years ago when I
was in college. I wrote versions of it when I
was in college at Rutgers University in Newark, and I
was triggered when I was reading a lot of historical fiction,
Margaret Walker, Jubilee, Arna Bontam's Black Thunder, Richard Write Uncle
Tom's Children, and I said, Wow, this would be a

(33:09):
dream to write a historical fiction novel, because, to be
honest with you, when I first began at Rutgers University, Newark,
I really wasn't into history. I didn't really understand it
because I didn't really learn my history. And so college
and so reading historical fiction helped me learn even before
the actual textbooks.

Speaker 9 (33:27):
The nonfiction books, if you will.

Speaker 8 (33:30):
And so my hope was, Wow, one day I can
write a historical fiction novel and inspire and teach people
the way historical fiction taught me. So I had read
a couple of lines in a book called Taboo about
homosexuality and Black communities, and it was about these two
men named Luke and Henry, and they talked about sexuality,

(33:54):
but the record of that experience disappeared. So I said, wow,
I just want to explore that what that would look like.
Then I found other stories of rebellion of folks like
Josephine and you know and so on, that we were
always fighting back. We were always fighting back. So I
had shaped this story and I pitched it many many

(34:17):
years ago.

Speaker 9 (34:17):
Everybody turned it down.

Speaker 8 (34:19):
And then my last book, The Griff, The Downward Spiral,
or Black Republicans From the Party of Lincoln to the
Cult of Trump came out. That was a New York
Times bestseller and it did really well, and I was
on the view and that gave me the autonomy to
do what I wanted to do next. So my agent
didn't want me to do historical fiction. He goes, you know, Clay,

(34:40):
you can't go from nonfiction to fiction. That doesn't really work.
But when I heard Kanye West say slavery was a choice,
the governor of Florida co signed a curriculum that there
are personal benefits to slavery, when the former governor of
South Carolina could not say the Civil War was about slavery,
I said, I got to burn down these lives. I

(35:03):
got to burn down this misinformation. I got to burn
down this disinformation. And so that's what inspired me. And
a lot of folks said it's not the right timing,
and I knew in my soul, you know, you can't
argue with your soul. I knew of my soul that
it was. So this book is over two decades in
the making, and I am so grateful and thankful the

(35:25):
response that I've gotten thus far and names that have
been buried. You know, it is fiction, but it's historical
fiction have now been resurrected in many ways. And so
all the main characters are based on real people, some
folks I had more details to work with than others.
But all the secondary characters are named after my ancestors

(35:48):
in Gooshlin, Virginia. So this is there is ancestry in here,
There is history in here, and there is history that
rhymes and burns down Master's House.

Speaker 3 (36:01):
Now speak specifically about the role of black womanhood and
burned down the Master's house.

Speaker 8 (36:09):
Yeah, you know, it's funny when we think of rebellions,
if you will, we don't talk enough about black women.

Speaker 9 (36:17):
I mean, we love Nat Turner, we love Denmark vs.

Speaker 8 (36:19):
Right like we love that they're amazing, But the role
of black women have just been kind of minimized. And
so in this what I found is for black women
who worked in the house.

Speaker 9 (36:30):
If you will, they were fighting back every day.

Speaker 8 (36:33):
I mean, there are news reports of the amount of
poisonings that was happening I mean poisoning entire families, fighting back.

Speaker 9 (36:43):
Using the tools that they have.

Speaker 8 (36:45):
And I have one character Josephine in the book. She's
a combination of two Josephines, one in Maryland and one
in Mississippi, who poisoned their quote unquote masters two women
actually have. I have a quote from them from a
news article from the Baltimore.

Speaker 9 (37:03):
Sun in eighteen fifty seven.

Speaker 8 (37:05):
So we are always fighting back, and I wanted to
highlight women fighting And that's the great thing about the
folks in this book is that this is the way
that I hope it will imprint itself on other people.
What is your superpower? How can you fight back? You
fight back every day on these air waves every weekend, right,
you know, how do we find our tools to fight back?

(37:28):
What's the house in your life you've got to burn down?
What are the change in your life you've got to
break from. So centering a black women in the book
and also calling out the complicity of white women in
the book, which I do a lot, I think in
my own special way, I think it helps to revolutionize
these stories around American shadow slavery, because this is not

(37:51):
another slave story. It is a story of rebellion, radical hope,
and radical love, talk.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
About the benefit of you doing your ancestral investigations and
then incorporating that into the book. With regard to the
naming of the secondary characters and things of that nature,
who are actual ancestors of yours, Yeah, Solomon Lark and
Miss Emily that's named after my ancestors.

Speaker 8 (38:20):
It just felt very spiritual, It felt very protective. It
felt like I was covered, It felt like something was
guiding me. And also when I was finishing the book
last year, I was very sick. I had got esophagitis,
which means your esophagus is inflamed. It was some of

(38:43):
the worst pain I've been in my life.

Speaker 3 (38:45):
Hard to have that when you're a radio show.

Speaker 9 (38:48):
Host, exactly. It was terrible.

Speaker 8 (38:51):
And also my best friend was dying of lupus, and
she died May twenty fifth, twenty twenty five. So she
was about to become a name ancestor. And she was
a great writer and great editor, and she would edit
the book in her hospital bed before and after surgeries.
So there was blood and root in this book. And

(39:14):
I was in a particular space in my life. I
would put photos of my grandmother and my grandfather up
to keep me going.

Speaker 9 (39:24):
So it just felt right.

Speaker 8 (39:26):
It felt otherworldly, It felt powerful, It felt like something
was coming out of me, if you will, because I
was I couldn't really leave my house. I was in
a lot of pain. I couldn't really eat. I lost
about twenty pounds.

Speaker 9 (39:44):
So to have to be able to write.

Speaker 8 (39:48):
Sorry about that, be able to write my ancestors' names
over and over and over, it.

Speaker 9 (39:54):
Just meant something. And then even.

Speaker 8 (39:57):
In the book, I in the narration, and I rarely
use the word slaves, I say souls so versus slaves,
working slaves in a plant.

Speaker 9 (40:08):
No, no souls, souls.

Speaker 8 (40:11):
So I am centering the humanity. The black people are centered.
The white people are not centered. So even referring to
these people as souls was in the ancestry for me.
I don't use the N word one time in this book,
not once, because I didn't want to write a book

(40:32):
about slavery with the N word being used constantly and
in some quote unquote slave narratives. I call them freedom narratives.
There were several that I read that the N word
wasn't even in there. So for coming from the perspective
of the enslaved people. There was a certain liberation that
I had to have in the language, and also how

(40:53):
I inserted myself and my own soul, my own path,
my own family, if you will, whose stories I don't know, right,
I don't know their.

Speaker 9 (41:02):
Details of the story of their story.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
Well, let's contact Henry Lewis Gates so he can define that.

Speaker 8 (41:06):
Oh my god, that'll be amazing.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
Yeah, you speak about you speak about the complexities of oppression,
and you even include a blackened slaver in the narrative.
Why was it important for you to do so?

Speaker 9 (41:22):
There? I wanted to make Clarence Thomas happy.

Speaker 8 (41:25):
No, I'm joking, yeah, listen, So it was so One
of the things I break down repeatedly is that it
was very rare to have black enslavers, and the few
black and slavers that we had that were there, they.

Speaker 9 (41:41):
Normally had their family.

Speaker 8 (41:43):
They own their family out of protection because some states
like South Carolina had anti emancipation laws, which is so crazy,
meaning it was pretty much impossible to emancipate somebody. So
if there was a black man who was free, sometimes
he would own his family.

Speaker 9 (41:59):
But there were a.

Speaker 8 (42:01):
Few, just like the folks we see today, who are
getting proximity to power and harming each other and proudly
ending the Voting Rights Act as you were the only
black man in the Supreme Court, or you were in
South Carolina and you vote against the John Lewis Voting
Rights Act and you say woke supremacy is as bad

(42:23):
as white supremacy, or you're in Florida and you say
the black family was together during Jim Crow when there's
no stats of family and marriage rates during Jim Crow,
which is a ridiculous comment. But they've always been there,
even in American chattel slavery, insidious people. And so I

(42:44):
found two black and slavers, one in South Carolina and
one in Maryland. And what the record was shocking because
the one in Maryland, the actual record said his quote
unquote slaves tried to murder him several times.

Speaker 9 (43:03):
So it's fascinating. So there's a lot that I had
to work with.

Speaker 8 (43:08):
So I thought it was an important angle to include,
not in the angle of how some people on the
right say, well even black people ownedly. No no, no, no, no,
these were they were insidious, they were dangerous, and they
thought they were special. They thought, well, you know, if
I if I show I can harm my own people,
like something was guiding me. And also when I was

(43:33):
finishing the book last year, I was very sick. I
had got esophagitis, which means your esophagus is inflamed. It
was some of the worst pain I've been in my life.

Speaker 3 (43:46):
Hard to have that when you're a radio show.

Speaker 9 (43:48):
Host, exactly. It was terrible.

Speaker 8 (43:51):
And also my best friend was dying of lupus, and
she died May twenty fifth, twenty twenty five, so she
was about to become an ancestor. And she was a
great writer and great editor, and she would edit the
book in her hospital bed before and after surgeries. So
there was blood and root in this book. And I

(44:15):
was in a particular space in my life. I would
put photos of my grandmother and my grandfather up to
keep me going.

Speaker 9 (44:24):
So it just felt right, It felt.

Speaker 8 (44:28):
Otherworldly, It felt powerful, It felt like something was coming
out of me, if you will. Because I was I
couldn't really leave my house. I was in a lot
of pain. I couldn't really eat. I lost about twenty pounds.

Speaker 9 (44:44):
So to have to be able to write.

Speaker 8 (44:48):
Sorry about that, be able to write my ancestors' names
over and over and over.

Speaker 9 (44:54):
It just meant something. And then even even.

Speaker 8 (44:58):
In the book, I in the narration, I rarely use
the word slaves. I say souls so versus slaves, working
slaves and a plant. No, no souls, souls. So I am
centering the humanity. The black people are centered. The white
people are not centered. So even referring to these people

(45:22):
as souls was in the ancestry for me. I don't
use the N word one time in this book, not once,
because I didn't want to write a book about slavery
with the N word being used constantly.

Speaker 9 (45:35):
And in some quote unquote slave narratives. I call them
freedom narratives.

Speaker 8 (45:40):
There were several that I read that the N word
wasn't even in there. So for coming from the perspective
of the enslaved people, there was a certain liberation that
I had to have in the language. And also how
I inserted myself and my own soul, my own path,
my own family, if you will, whose stories I don't know, right,

(46:02):
I don't know their details of the story.

Speaker 9 (46:03):
Their story.

Speaker 3 (46:04):
Well, let's contact Henry Lewis Gates so he can define that.

Speaker 8 (46:07):
Oh my god, that'll be amazing.

Speaker 3 (46:11):
Yeah, you speak about you speak about the complexities of oppression,
and you even include a blackened slaver in the narrative.
Why was it important for you to do so there?

Speaker 8 (46:24):
I wanted to make Clarence Thomas happy. No, I'm joking, yeah, listen,
So it was so One of the things I break
down repeatedly is that it was very rare to have
black enslavers, And the few black and slavers that we
had that were there, they.

Speaker 9 (46:41):
Normally had their family.

Speaker 8 (46:43):
They own their family out of protection because some states
like South Carolina had anti emancipation laws, which is so crazy,
meaning it was pretty much impossible to emancipate somebody. So
if there was a black man who was free, sometimes
he would own his fan family. But there were a few,

(47:03):
just like the folks we see today who are getting
proximity to power and harming each other and proudly ending
the Voting Rights Act. As you were the only black
man in the Supreme Court, or you were in South
Carolina and you vote against the John Lewis Voting Rights
Act and you say, woke supremacy is as bad as

(47:24):
white supremacy, or you're in Florida and you say the
black family was together during Jim Crow when there's no
stats of of of family and marriage rates during Jim Crow,
which is a ridiculous comment. But they've always been there,
even in American chattel slavery, insidious people. And so I

(47:44):
found two black and slavers, one in South Carolina and
one in Maryland. And what the record was shocking because
the one in Maryland, the actual record said his quote
unquote tried to murder him several times.

Speaker 9 (48:04):
So it's fascinating. So there's a lot that I had
to work with.

Speaker 8 (48:09):
So I thought it was an important angle to include,
not in the angle of how some people on the
right say, well even black people ownedly. No no, no, no, no,
these were they were insidious, they were dangerous, and they
thought they were special. They thought, well, you know, if
I if I show I can harm my own people,
I'll get a ticket, I'll get a pass.

Speaker 9 (48:31):
And they don't.

Speaker 8 (48:32):
So it's a combination of two characters, and it's just
fascinating to me. And I have a good amount of
historical record in there. And yeah, so yeah, it's interesting.
And again a different way to tell this story and
a different way to look at rebellion, because if you

(48:54):
were upholding white supremacy, black or white, we have.

Speaker 9 (48:58):
To burn that down now.

Speaker 3 (49:01):
The interesting thing is that you opened up your remarks
mentioning your inspiration was several authors that deal with historical
fiction somewhere from the Harlem Renaissance, somewhere from the forties, fifties, sixties,
and seventies. And I'm reminded when you talked about the
narrative of slavery and particularly blackened slavers in terms of

(49:24):
the National Book Award winner Charles Johnson with his fantastic book,
which I don't know why after all these years has
never been made into a movie, because it's a short,
wonderful read. I'm sure you read it in terms of
middle passage.

Speaker 8 (49:42):
Yeah, I know, I I mean iconic book. What had
what was that in the early nineteen hundreds, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, Listen,
it was authors like that and stories like that that
really moved me.

Speaker 9 (50:00):
Have it right. It's about a man.

Speaker 3 (50:03):
He's free, he's freed, Rutherford Calhoun. He's freed in the
eighteen thirties in New Orleans, and he stows away on
a slave ship going in the direction.

Speaker 8 (50:15):
Bound back to bound back to West Africa. Yeah exactly, Yeah,
I mean you know, it's authors like that. Like I
mentioned before, I mean, I was really inspired by the
era of the Harlem Renaissance, the whole New Negros said
Arna Arna Bontems, Oh my god, do you know his work,
Arna Bontam, Yes.

Speaker 9 (50:34):
I do.

Speaker 3 (50:35):
Also Black of the Buried, the Sweet of the Jews, Yes,
Oh my gosh. And there's a wonderful there's a wonderful
paperback book that is an anthology of all these great
short stories.

Speaker 8 (50:47):
Oh yeah, it's it's it's incredible. And like I said,
that's what activated me to want to learn and to
find that you can because you know, so much of
our history is erased. So if you find I'm that
nugget of history. And because my last book was nonfiction,
there was that journalism background in me. To be able

(51:07):
to fictionalize that and tell a story around that really
means a lot to me. And you know, I could
go on and on. There's justsin Redmond Fawcett, There's Anne Petrie.

Speaker 3 (51:21):
There is Just and Petrie, I know, and there there's
I believe she did one short story in terms of
the riots that happened in Harlem in the nineteen forties.
I can't think and people don't realize that. You know,
they thought all of the rioting that happened with regard

(51:41):
to civil rights happened in the nineteen sixties and fifties,
but no, this was happening back in the thirties and forties.

Speaker 8 (51:49):
Yeah, I mean, let's not forget the Red Summer of
nineteen nineteen, right right in Chicago.

Speaker 9 (51:54):
We are right in.

Speaker 8 (51:54):
Chicago, so so many of those I mean, that's what
I really took in in college and just being amazed
by their storytelling. And of course, you know, we know
Richard Ryden's Ronald Hurston gene tumor.

Speaker 9 (52:08):
Of course did Cain.

Speaker 8 (52:10):
So yeah, all of that. You know, my big hope,
my big dream is that maybe one day, who knows
how many years it'll be from now burned down, Master's
House will be in the cannon with those books. Because
I wrote it in that perspective. I wrote it as

(52:32):
a protest novel. I wrote it with an agenda, and
I make no apologies for that. That we are in
a disturbing sick time that in many ways mirrors the
nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties. You know, the economy was
falling apart. This is before FDR. You know, right before
he gets into office, rights are being rolled back. I mean,

(52:54):
it's the horrors of Jim Crow and we're seeing this
neo Confederacy. I just to Mississippi a couple of weeks ago,
and they the governor of Mississippi was celebrating Confederate Heritage Month.
I mean, we're in a very I'm not saying it's
exactly like back then, but the history rhymes who's legal,

(53:15):
who isn't legal.

Speaker 9 (53:17):
That's one of the folks in.

Speaker 8 (53:18):
The book, Charity Butler, where I debunked the the ish,
the talk around Thaddeus Stephens, the famous abolitionist who enslaved
a black family. My hope is that this book will
be in the my ultimate dream will be in the
canon of those other books that really changed people and
made people think differently. And yeah, so all of that,

(53:42):
all that work really really inspired me and Charles Johnson.
Middle Passage is absolutely one of the best.

Speaker 3 (53:50):
Yeah, well, listen, we would encourage everybody to read Bring
Down the Master's House.

Speaker 5 (53:57):
It is wonderful.

Speaker 3 (53:58):
I'm sorry we went down exactly exactly. That's right, fire
next time.

Speaker 5 (54:06):
Exactly.

Speaker 3 (54:07):
We would encourage everyone to purchase Burned Down Master's House
and it is an extraordinary read and one that will
help you understand the complexities of oppression as well as
fighting historical amnesia. Clay Kinge, we thank you so much
for joining us this morning.

Speaker 9 (54:27):
Thank you so much of a great day.

Speaker 3 (54:29):
Coming up next, we'll discuss growing up on the rough
side of the Mountain with Political Powerhouse Keisha Lance Bottoms.
She has a fascinating life story. Please stay with us.

Speaker 1 (54:40):
Chicago Speaks with Daryl Dinard. You can voice your opinion
right now, toll free at eight three three five nine
one V one O three. Now back to Chicago Speaks
with Daryl Dinard, Share what's on your mind, toll free
at eight three three five nine one V one O three.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
A democracy is built on principles and policy. For more
than one hundred years, the Chicago Urban League has been
at the forefront of promoting policies that help the United
States create a more perfect union. Joining me this morning
to discuss a very special event that the Chicago Urban
League is sponsoring to move toward a better democracy is

(55:21):
cul President Karen Freeman Wilson. Karen, always a pleasure to
speak with you. How are you doing, I'm.

Speaker 10 (55:27):
Doing great, Darryl, it's always good to speak with you
as well.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
You know, many times we think of the Urban League,
we think of social services and employment. Yet policy is
a major pillar of the organization. How so and why so? Absolutely, Darryl.

Speaker 10 (55:46):
Policy is the under pinning work of the League. It
is what we build our service on, and that that
is because we understand that policy impacts lives every day,

(56:08):
and very often people really don't understand the impact of
policy on their lives. When you think about the changes
and snap benefits, when you think about the changes in healthcare,
those are a result of policy decisions in Washington.

Speaker 3 (56:32):
When you think.

Speaker 10 (56:33):
About the availability of drug treatment, when you think about
the ability of job training, those are decisions in Washington.
And sometimes it's not just Washington. It can be Springfield,
it can be city Hall. And our point is that

(56:55):
each of us should know what policy impact our lives,
who are the policy makers, and more importantly, how we
can use our voices individually and collectively to impact the
decisions that are made on our behalfs or in some instances,

(57:20):
as we've seen recently, against us.

Speaker 3 (57:24):
And in many ways, it seems as though you're saying
that this is an expansive view of the necessity of
being involved here and that Yeah, the Urban League is
known for employment and social services and things of that nature,
but yet what its focus is when it comes to policy,
policy is something that impacts everyone, no matter what particular

(57:49):
place you hold on the economic ladder, from the top
to the bottom.

Speaker 10 (57:54):
Absolutely, and I say every station at life, because you know,
we don't believe in a bottom, but we also understand
that we are not all situated in the same station.
And so what we want to do is equip inform,

(58:15):
educate people so that they will be able to say,
this is what I want my education to look like.
And that is why I am advocating for the school
board election and making sure that people come out and vote.
This is what I want my employment opportunities to look like.

(58:40):
This is what I want the ordinances at the City Council.

Speaker 9 (58:47):
To look like.

Speaker 10 (58:48):
And that is why I am making comments during council
meetings or sending emails to my orders because I understand
how important the work that they do is.

Speaker 3 (59:04):
So let's discuss this Chicago Urban League twenty twenty six
Policies Summit. I understand it's taking place with the Town
Hall understand that it's taking place on Monday, May eighteenth,
as well as Tuesday May nineteenth.

Speaker 10 (59:18):
Well, here's the great thing, Daryl. We're having a summit
on Tuesday, May nineteenth. It's our traditional summit. It is
really directed at those in the corporate community, those in
the nonprofit community, many of our colleagues who do the

(59:38):
work that we do, those who lead organizations, and it
is again calling them to find their voice in this
critical time. But the event that I'm excited about is
the night before our town hall, are effort that is

(01:00:02):
really directed towards everyday people, if you will, who will
again be challenged, be called to use their voices.

Speaker 9 (01:00:15):
And the way that.

Speaker 10 (01:00:17):
I've described it is that it is one part a
policy event, but it's also one part essence. Fest will
have a DJ, we will have spoken word, will have
a rap artist, will have all of the things that

(01:00:38):
people think about when they think about festival or a
festive occasion. But this festive occasion is directed towards the
empowerment of people, towards the education of our community, towards
the activation of our community around those issues that impact

(01:01:02):
their lives.

Speaker 3 (01:01:04):
Now that's taking place that town hall on Monday, May eighteenth.

Speaker 10 (01:01:08):
Yes, on Monday May eighteenth, from five thirty to seven
point thirty. It's at our Empowerment Center at eighty three
thirty one South Stuart Avenue. And the greatest news is
that it's free. It does not cost a dime, And
that's the beauty of us being able to have something

(01:01:31):
at our own facility.

Speaker 3 (01:01:33):
Yeah, it's an extraordinary opportunity for people to take a
new look at the Chicago Urban League because they're going
to be impressed by the fantastic center that you have
there right off of eighty six Street. And talk specifically
about this Moving Democracy Forum in terms of moving democracy

(01:01:55):
from theory to practice.

Speaker 10 (01:01:57):
Well, the important thing about out the concept of democracy
there is that it can often seem complicated or elusive.
And what we're saying is that it is much more
than voting. It is us being able to use our

(01:02:22):
voices as the people.

Speaker 9 (01:02:26):
You know, you understand the term of.

Speaker 10 (01:02:29):
The people, by the people and for the people, and
we are really questioning whether everyone is acting in the
best interest of the people. And so we're saying to
all people, come out, come join us, Come to Monday evening,

(01:02:52):
come Tuesday morning, and let's make sure that democracy is
working for everyone in attendance and for the people that
we represent who may not be here.

Speaker 3 (01:03:08):
You have an oppressive list of speakers that are going
to be speaking not only at the town hall but
also at the forum. Tell me who they are.

Speaker 10 (01:03:18):
We are excited to have our own National Urban League CEO,
Mark Morial. We're excited to have Attorney General Kwame Raoul,
We're excited to have BOC CEO Keana Barrett, and all

(01:03:39):
of those individuals are leaders in their own right, but
they will be in conversation about the importance of again
being active and using our voice. And maybe you don't
use your voice the same way that I can use mine,

(01:04:00):
but you can do something. And that's the point we
want to make.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
So what do you encourage The thing that we really
want to acknowledge here is that this is for everyone.
What is the best way for people to find out
more information about everything we talked about this morning? And
are you encouraging them to preregister?

Speaker 10 (01:04:21):
We want people to pre register. They can go on
our website chi UL dot org, the Chicago Urban Leagues website.
And you know the thing that really got me to
thinking about how we would do our policy summit this

(01:04:43):
year was that I had a meeting of folks that
Africa Porter brought to the Empowerment Center and one of
the guys said, you know, I'm so happy that I
got a chance to talk to you about the services
that are available. And he was an entrepreneur and he said,

(01:05:06):
because you know, I just never thought that the Urban
League was for me. And I'm like, you know, that
is just incredible to me that someone in the City
of Chicago would not understand that the Urban League is
not for them. That is the very the only reason
that we exist is for the people, and that's what

(01:05:29):
we have to let people in Washington, people in Springfield,
people in city Hall understand, and many of them do locally,
but remind them that or they exist for us. The
only way they are reminded of that on occasion is

(01:05:52):
if we make our voices heard and our desires and
needs known.

Speaker 3 (01:05:59):
It is for everyone, the Chicago Urban League. Karen, we
wish you nothing but success, and I hope to join
you there, not only for the town hall on Monday,
but also the forum taking place on Tuesday, May nineteenth.

Speaker 10 (01:06:12):
We'll look forward to seeing you, Daryl and all of
our friends and we want to make some new friends.
So if you haven't been to the Urban League, this
is the event that is for you.

Speaker 3 (01:06:24):
Karen Freeman Wilson, continue to good work.

Speaker 10 (01:06:27):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 9 (01:06:28):
Dara Well.

Speaker 3 (01:06:29):
That wraps up this edition of Chicago Speaks. As always,
I want to thank my guests, but most importantly you
the listeners to this program. If you seek news on
a twenty four to seven basis, it's always available with
our sister station with the Black Information Network at bin am,
six forty Right now, get ready to get your praise on.
I'm Darryl Denard. We'll see you back here next Sunday

(01:06:49):
morning at six am for another edition of Chicago Speaks.
Please be sure to take care of yourself.