April 25, 2025 • 27 mins
BIN News Anchors Teri McCready and Kevin Brown join Ramses Ja and Q Ward on today's podcast to review the major news stories of the week.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been another busy news week and we like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
Black Information Network. Today, we are joined by Black Information
Network news anchors Terry McCready and Kevin Brown to discuss
this week's major stories. This is the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast. I'm your host ramses.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Jah and i am your host Qward.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
All right, Terry and Kevin, welcome back to the show.
I know we've had to jump through a few hoops
to get to where we are today, but hopefully we're
all in good spirits. We'll spare you all the details.
Let's get right to the news. First up, the Trump
administration's budgetary policies continue to be front page news, and
now it appears that black maternal health is being impacted
(00:42):
in a negative way by this latest round of budget cuts. Terry,
we're going to start the show off with you share
with our listeners more about this story than Kevin and Q.
We'll get your thoughts after.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
So we're talking about a budget resolution that includes a
proposal that's about a trillion dollars or eight hundred and
eighty billion in medicaid reductions for a decade. And so
that's really a flash point in the maternal mortality crisis,
with lawmakers saying that it's diligence and ensuring that they're
weeding out these people who should not be receiving any benefits.
(01:13):
But the critical impact is women of color, specifically Black women,
being disproportionately affected, particularly when we already know that over
sixty percent of babies delivered by black mothers are covered
under Medicaid, and when you look at it from the outside,
it feels like, wow, this is a third world world
(01:33):
problem in a first world country. In the US, black
women represent about fifty deaths per one hundred thousand live births,
and by the way, in Africa the number is about
five times that amount. So this actually is an issue
that begs for our attention. Global federal funding cuts in
places like USAID, that's another toxic scenario that we should
(01:56):
also be addressing.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Kevin, clearly, three times more likely to have some negative
outcomes in maternal wards is unacceptable. But there is a well,
I don't want to say it's a silver lining, but
there are some places pockets across the country where the
(02:22):
DULA programs are taking off. DULA programs address specifically the
issue of black women and medical care and birth before, during,
and after. And if you have a bun in the
oven right now and are listening to the program, see
(02:43):
if you have in your community a DULA program which
you can access. And in many instances these are not
associated with a federal government program. Not always the case,
but there are plenty of DULA programs popping up all
over the place because of this obvious source of discrepancy
(03:09):
in terms of outcomes.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
It's a really interesting thing happening with all of this
administration's policy. Now we know who the beneficiaries are, but
they're not even disguising the policies as being beneficial to anyone.
It's like every executive order and every piece of legislation
that they roll out targets some group that already doesn't
have enough and they're taking from them. And unfortunately, even
(03:38):
those negatively impacted by most of the decisions that they
make continue to support them. And it's a very strange
thing to watch. It's like we're living in an alternate
reality than half of our countrymen and women. So it's again,
they're not even playing the game of look who we're
helping everything, even the languages we're taking from something. All
(04:01):
in the name of saving money is what they want
us to believe. But we all know that money is
just being funneled or redirected upward to someone who always
who already, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Has more than enough up next.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Byron Donald's had a town hall this week that got
heated when the Black Republicans shared his views on DEI
and Elon Musk. Kevin, We'll start with you this time.
Tell us a little bit more about the story and
Terry and Ramses. Please, I definitely want to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Oh this should have been called Don't Believe your Lying
Eyes because Byron Donald tried to smooth over everything that
is going wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It was contentious.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
And Byron is an expert at denying and engaging in falsehoods.
He also had his hat hand slapped with Sarah who
I used to work with in San Francisco What's CNN
(05:03):
when he tried to what about isms about everything that
is going wrong. Byron Donald's job, clearly in terms of
dealing with the administration is to deny, deny, deny, and
just gloss over the inequities that have existed in this
(05:24):
society forever. There's a reason that DEI was implemented in
the first place, but not according to Byron Donald's, everything
has always been fined that as far as Elon Musk
is concerned. There were people during that town hall who
just walked out because they did not buy what mister
(05:44):
Byron was selling.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
And that's pretty said Terry.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Well, you know one thing about Byron Donald's that is
that you know, he can be relied upon to stick
to the script he's going to. We're not asking for conviction,
just lean into that message. And as a black man
in the lions Den known as a spirited town hall,
that is a pretty heavy lift. And so right now
(06:10):
he is a man with goals. He wants to become
Florida's next governor. And so on the subject of DEEI,
he's sounding very pedantic with his argument about how policies
are extolling a false premise, particularly you know, coming from
a red state like Florida, where African American education and
(06:30):
we're talking book bends and critical race theory all sacrificed
just to feed some sort of bizarre, twisted political ideology.
And you know, I looked at this and I thought,
this is like that Greek mythology Scilla and cariidthis choosing
the lesser of two options. You know, he's enjoying this
(06:51):
lofty political year as a black star in a monolithic
political arena. Or you can choose another lane, how about
self respect like Adam Kinsinger or Liz Cheney, even Ran
Paul and Johnny Come Lately, Mitch McConnell. They've all broken
ranks with MAGA at some point already, and so the
(07:15):
tide was high. So now we are still stuck with
Donald's and John James and Wesley Hunt and Tim Scott.
They're the ones who are handy, very convenient people when
it comes to offering absolution on racial inequities.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well, I'm yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to share at
first that you know, Q and I talked about this
in the Midweek demo, and one of the things that
you know, stood out to us when we when we
first discussed it was that, you know, in his conversation,
he said he tried to impress upon the crowd that
(07:54):
there's no level playing field in life. His direct quote
was that it doesn't exist, right, And he said that
d I was based on like a false premise, and
you know, it created the idea that minority kids couldn't
get ahead without some sort of external factor, but he
(08:20):
ignores the other side of the equation, which is that
minority kids wouldn't be behind if not for some external factor, right,
And that's dishonest and disingenuous, and like Q would call
it intellectually dishonest. And I love the way the way
that sounds because I think it really captures not just
(08:42):
his thinking, but a lot of the thinking associated with diversity,
equity and inclusion programs, affirmative action programs, systemic reform programs
that seek to write historical injustices using systems formatted to
address those specific ailments, and to ignore one side of
(09:08):
it but stand on the other side of it is
it's it's, it's it's it's straight from the Republican playbook,
and really all politicians playbook. I'll be fair. But the
reason why this is particularly upsetting is because later in
the same conversation, he says that the people in the
(09:32):
room are trying to marginalize him, and he states, you know,
I'm a black man on this stage with a microphone,
like I like, so as to imply like I made
it as a black man, I made it, right, because
there's no reason to say that you're black unless you're
(09:53):
acknowledging that it's harder for black people.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
So, in the same conversation, he applies that he overcame
obstacles unique to black people. He's like, I made it here,
and I'm a black man, right. So, in the same conversation,
he's implying that but also suggesting that there should be
no form of restorative justice, while also ignoring the fact
(10:20):
that there was historical harm perpetuated or enacted on black communities.
And so it's this weird loop where he's like kind
of dodging and darting around, and I find that to be.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Repulsive.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Black Information Network news anchors Terry McCready and Kevin Brown
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
Next up, we're going to Delaware for a story which
reportedly involves a local fire department and a possible hate crime. Terry,
we're going to go back to you give us more
details on this story, and than Kevin and Q we're
going to come to you to bring us home que
(11:00):
and I'm waiting on what.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
You guys say. So, so, yeah, Darry, what's up? Okay?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
So it's the Millville Volunteer Fire Company involving these two
twenty something meter firefighters. They chased their black colleague with
a noose while hurling racial slurs. Now are both facing
charges including hate crimes, harassment, and conspiracy. And then some
were grumbling that this just took too long. Why did
(11:25):
it take so long? So Delaware police basically said, well,
you know, called for an internal investigation, then sufficient evidence
had to be noted. So it is a lengthy process
that was punctuated by the termination of these two men,
including these criminal charges. And so since that happened, the
Delaware House Speaker, Majority Whip, and Majority Leader have all
(11:48):
come out forcefully issuing a statement that no lynching is
not a joke. And so you know, ultimately that is
the job of our elected officials to denounce these acts.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Fire departments around the country are notoriously racial hotbeds or
people of color because they are almost eighty to ninety
percent staff by non minorities and women, so it is
(12:23):
actually not surprising that they would be pushedback. And the
gentleman who was the victim in this case did not
report it for an entire year because he was reluctant
to get everyone involved. And the twenty seven and twenty
(12:45):
three year olds firemen who were part of this harassment,
not only were they charged, but they also denied it
and tried to water it down and said it was
a fireman's knot and a news that they were chasing
their black colleague around the firehouse with to try and
(13:08):
take some steam out of this. This entire case hate crime, yes,
a conspiracy and harassment yes. And these are also some
of the tools that the current administration is trying to
disable so that incidents like this can go on without
(13:31):
there being a justice or people held accountable.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
Que you said the magic word accountable, And what we
know is that white supremacy does not like holding white
supremacy accountable for anything. So in a recent you know,
interaction that I had with a stranger, I had some
very very aggressive racist common hurled at me a dozen
(14:01):
times in front of a large group of people, and
the police showed up and made it clear to me
that there was nothing that they could do to the gentleman.
So I'm sure this guy didn't report it for so
long because he probably asked someone for advice.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
First.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
He probably talked to someone from HR or someone in
law enforcement or someone in the legal field who told
them that there wasn't much they could do, and finally
someone hurt him out and realized that they could. That
accountability thing is a very very difficult mindset for a
lot of people in this country, and you pointed it
(14:34):
out with the bullseye. This administration the idea of holding
anyone white accountable for doing things that are anti minority,
anti woman, anti LGBTQ. They're trying to get rid of
all things that would hold people accountable for oppressing, committing
(14:55):
crimes against people based on those things. Unfortunately, this is
where we are, and I am looking forward to this
light at the end of the tunnel that's supposed to
show up at some point, because some days it feels
completely helpless.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
It's coming, It'll come, Ramless. I appreciate your hope, sir.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Finally, in Minneapolis hospital where George Floyd was pronounced dead,
has come under scrutiny this week for its usage of
an unusual employee training video. Kevin, let's hear more about
this story from you, and then Terry and ramses, you
guys can close us out.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
This sounded like an Saturday night live skit at the
Hennepin County Medical Center where someone came up with the
idea of some kind of language training and they ended
up with a slide. This went to seven thousand employees
(15:58):
and one of the slides included the terms can I
say the N word? And it had three boxes, white,
person of color, and black, and the arrow said if
you were white, no, you cannot say the N word.
(16:21):
The person of color box said if you're a person
of color but you're not black, no, However, if you
are black, you're free to use the N word. According
to the Hennepen County Medical Center. How about just eliminating
slurs as opposed to exposing seven thousand employees. That's why
(16:49):
I said it sounded like a Saturday Night Live skit
in which some people could use slurs and others could not. Clearly,
this was a major mistake and a lot of people
are embarrassed about this entire situation.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Terry, what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yes, I agree it is an exercise in humiliation. You know,
when I saw this, I thought, Wow, just what we need?
A video qualifying the N word? And I had to
wonder if this was focus grouped in any way, and
if it was, why why did you even think of this?
And you know, as Kevin just mentioned, I chuckled as
well when I got to the part where it said,
(17:31):
what if it is a song, my co rap song
that uses the N word? Is that okay? And I'm
a white person, No, you still can't use it. So
I just thought, you know, you know, at the end
of the day, I think somebody was it was one
of the pundits on television actually said well, what is
it about the N word that white people want to
(17:52):
say it so badly? Why do you want to say
it so badly? That's a question you need, you know,
to be asking yourself. And so there's this medical watchdog
Do No Harm that said that this video was just,
you know, highly unorthodox, it was inappropriate, it was misguided.
And then I thought, well, you know, this is where
we are. There has to be a better way. There's
(18:13):
nowhere to go but up. If we're looking to elevate
cultural relativity, racial sensitivity, and awareness, this is not it, Terry.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
I hope you're right. I hope there is nowhere to
go but up. Ramses, what are your thoughts, sir?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Right?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
You ready?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Well, It's interesting that I get, you know, the last
little bit of you know, time on this because I
have some thoughts. First thing I'll say is that I
appreciate both both of you guys's thoughts, you know, Terry
and Kevin. I don't use the N word. I don't say.
(18:57):
You can't find anybody that has ever heard me say it.
With that said, I don't use any profanity ever, no
matter how angry you make me. It's not in my heart,
doesn't come out of my mouth, just not made that way.
So maybe this is a little easier for me. But
(19:19):
I live in a world where I hear it a
lot from people that I love, okay, And I know
that there are cultural boundaries that are not because of us.
They were imposed on us.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
This word originally was used so that we could be subjugated,
and we started to refer to ourselves as that, and
then at some point along the way, we kind of
reclaimed it, made it our own, and as the larger
society evolved beyond its racist use in closed doors and
(19:58):
our own homes, we used it as a way to
kind of make fun, poke fun, or as a term
of endearment. Ultimately, but it didn't have the same I'm
better than you type of a feel to it as
it did coming from the mouth of a white person. Now,
(20:19):
fast forward even more, you end up with hip hop
music really bl exploitation at first those films in the
seventies and whatnot, and then you know, hip hop being
such a global phenomenon exporting that word back into popular culture,
and then white folks started looking around like, well, wait
a minute, hold on, this word is cool now, it's
(20:41):
not racist anymore, is it?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Nope, nope, nope. We still we still our babies die,
we still get in prison more, we still have unfair
access to housing, employment opportunities, educational opportunity. Nope, nope, nope.
We got a lot more healing to do. But for us,
we have kind of incorporated this into our lives as
(21:05):
a way as a term of endearment, as a way
of saying friend or brother or whatever. That's how we
use it now. And for you, off of your lips,
it's still very hurtful or reminiscent of a time that's
very hurtful. And this is kind of objectively true because
I wasn't alive this whole time. This is just kind
of my and our collective general understanding of how the
(21:26):
word has evolved, right, And unfortunately, not everybody knows that
the way that we do. There are people who are
born and they lived eighteen years and they had a
couple of black friends here and there, and those folks
didn't make a big deal out of it, and they
(21:46):
thought they were cool, and they thought they were down.
And then they enter into the workforce and then they
find what they think is their tribe. They grew up
white or some other, you know, non black group, and
they find, you know, their tribe at the work and
they think they can lean into that tribe and say whatever,
and they don't look like that tribe. I've had this
happen to me because i work in hip hop radio,
(22:08):
so I've had all kinds of different color people come
up to being like, start talking and push their tongue
out and then that word flies and I'll be like,
who wha, wha, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, hold on,
I already know how you grew up. I know you
mean well, I know you're trying to relate, but that
that stops here. And I'm the right one to tell
you not to do it because the wrong one will
(22:28):
tell you, and they'll tell you physically, and you don't
need that problem. So so listen, it's all love. I
get what you're trying to do. I'm no offense taken,
but let's let's tone that down. And I think that's
what the hospital was doing. I don't think it was
a bad idea for them to draw that line. They're
not taking anything away from black people, so they don't
(22:48):
they dealt with it upfront. Listen, Black people, if they
say this, it is not based in hate. It is
a slur coming from these people. It is not a
slur from these people to themselves. Right, It's just not
used that way. It's not received that way generally speaking. Now,
(23:10):
a hospital taking a step to teach their seven thousand employees, hey,
these are the values that we understand to be morally
just in the society in which we live, and we
expect our employees to adhere to these values. Is exactly
what we ask for in twenty twenty. For us to
(23:30):
go back and then pick them apart or doing that,
I think is kind of splitting hairs. Right, nobody gets
everything perfect, and nobody's always going to be right all
the time, and I suspect that this article and the
subsequent articles were framed by far right media. Indeed, the
one that I read came from the New York Post,
which isn't I guess it's not far right, but it's
you know, right leaning media, and so they would be like, oh, well, well,
(23:55):
shouldn't everybody be banned from saying it? Yeah, I agree
with you, I agree with you, but I'll take it
a step further. Nobody should have said it in the
first place, and so now we're here, so what else
would you like to take? That's how I feel about
it now. I do want to say that the follow
up slide kind of brings this point home for me
(24:16):
that this hospital is they're doing their best. Everybody's doing there,
anybody trying to do something. I'll take that, especially now,
especially now. I'm not going to knock people who are
trying to do something and trying to do right by
black people. I'm not going to police that.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Not now.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Okay, if Kamala had won, maybe, but now it just
doesn't feel fair like we can't have everything that we
want all at once, and we know that, so people
that's try and let's let them do what they can.
Do we help in using kind words? You know, we
don't want to scare people off who would be allies.
So this next slide says the in word a historical overview.
(24:53):
The word rooted in colonial America is a violent racial
slur used for centuries to dehumanize black people, justify discrimination,
and inflicts psychological and physical harm. You, me, and all
four of us know that our ancestors, a lot of them,
(25:14):
that this word with the er at the end of
it was probably the last word they heard in their
life as they hung from a tree, or as they
were beaten to death or pulled apart by dogs, or
whatever it is that happened to them. Okay, we know
that this is a word that our ancestors heard when
they were raped before or after, or baby both. Okay,
(25:39):
So for other people to say it to us, we
know full well what that means, what that feels like.
And we also grew up in black houses in black culture,
so we know what it feels like when we say
it too. And if you're anything like me, it has
never felt like someone is lording over me and kind
of trying to overpower me, especially if they look like me.
(26:01):
It just doesn't feel that way, so my thoughts and
you know, of course I could be wrong, but leave
it right there. Thank you all very much for your
time and your insight, and of course, if you're listening,
feel free to disagree with me. You know, me and
Q have to field all these comments in the and
we you know hear you on the red microphone talkback beature,
(26:21):
so you know, do what you can, but for now
I'll let everyone else off the hook. Thank you so
much Terry and Kevin for your time and your insight.
And hopefully they don't beat me up too bad out there.
All right. This has been a production of the Black
Information Network. Today's show was produced by Chris Thompson. Have
(26:43):
some thoughts you'd like to share? Use the red microphone
talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be
sure to hit subscribe and download all of our episodes.
I'm your host Ramsey's Jaw on all social media.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I am Q Warren on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Sipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes, and
podcast info, Checkciviccipher dot com and join us Monday as
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
right here on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
It's been another busy news week and we like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
Black Information Network. Today, we are joined by Black Information
Network news anchors Terry McCready and Kevin Brown to discuss
this week's major stories. This is the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast. I'm your host ramses.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Jah and i am your host Qward.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
All right, Terry and Kevin, welcome back to the show.
I know we've had to jump through a few hoops
to get to where we are today, but hopefully we're
all in good spirits. We'll spare you all the details.
Let's get right to the news. First up, the Trump
administration's budgetary policies continue to be front page news, and
now it appears that black maternal health is being impacted
(00:42):
in a negative way by this latest round of budget cuts. Terry,
we're going to start the show off with you share
with our listeners more about this story than Kevin and Q.
We'll get your thoughts after.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
So we're talking about a budget resolution that includes a
proposal that's about a trillion dollars or eight hundred and
eighty billion in medicaid reductions for a decade. And so
that's really a flash point in the maternal mortality crisis,
with lawmakers saying that it's diligence and ensuring that they're
weeding out these people who should not be receiving any benefits.
(01:13):
But the critical impact is women of color, specifically Black women,
being disproportionately affected, particularly when we already know that over
sixty percent of babies delivered by black mothers are covered
under Medicaid, and when you look at it from the outside,
it feels like, wow, this is a third world world
(01:33):
problem in a first world country. In the US, black
women represent about fifty deaths per one hundred thousand live births,
and by the way, in Africa the number is about
five times that amount. So this actually is an issue
that begs for our attention. Global federal funding cuts in
places like USAID, that's another toxic scenario that we should
(01:56):
also be addressing.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Kevin, clearly, three times more likely to have some negative
outcomes in maternal wards is unacceptable. But there is a well,
I don't want to say it's a silver lining, but
there are some places pockets across the country where the
(02:22):
DULA programs are taking off. DULA programs address specifically the
issue of black women and medical care and birth before, during,
and after. And if you have a bun in the
oven right now and are listening to the program, see
(02:43):
if you have in your community a DULA program which
you can access. And in many instances these are not
associated with a federal government program. Not always the case,
but there are plenty of DULA programs popping up all
over the place because of this obvious source of discrepancy
(03:09):
in terms of outcomes.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
It's a really interesting thing happening with all of this
administration's policy. Now we know who the beneficiaries are, but
they're not even disguising the policies as being beneficial to anyone.
It's like every executive order and every piece of legislation
that they roll out targets some group that already doesn't
have enough and they're taking from them. And unfortunately, even
(03:38):
those negatively impacted by most of the decisions that they
make continue to support them. And it's a very strange
thing to watch. It's like we're living in an alternate
reality than half of our countrymen and women. So it's again,
they're not even playing the game of look who we're
helping everything, even the languages we're taking from something. All
(04:01):
in the name of saving money is what they want
us to believe. But we all know that money is
just being funneled or redirected upward to someone who always
who already, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Has more than enough up next.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Byron Donald's had a town hall this week that got
heated when the Black Republicans shared his views on DEI
and Elon Musk. Kevin, We'll start with you this time.
Tell us a little bit more about the story and
Terry and Ramses. Please, I definitely want to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Oh this should have been called Don't Believe your Lying
Eyes because Byron Donald tried to smooth over everything that
is going wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It was contentious.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
And Byron is an expert at denying and engaging in falsehoods.
He also had his hat hand slapped with Sarah who
I used to work with in San Francisco What's CNN
(05:03):
when he tried to what about isms about everything that
is going wrong. Byron Donald's job, clearly in terms of
dealing with the administration is to deny, deny, deny, and
just gloss over the inequities that have existed in this
(05:24):
society forever. There's a reason that DEI was implemented in
the first place, but not according to Byron Donald's, everything
has always been fined that as far as Elon Musk
is concerned. There were people during that town hall who
just walked out because they did not buy what mister
(05:44):
Byron was selling.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
And that's pretty said Terry.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Well, you know one thing about Byron Donald's that is
that you know, he can be relied upon to stick
to the script he's going to. We're not asking for conviction,
just lean into that message. And as a black man
in the lions Den known as a spirited town hall,
that is a pretty heavy lift. And so right now
(06:10):
he is a man with goals. He wants to become
Florida's next governor. And so on the subject of DEEI,
he's sounding very pedantic with his argument about how policies
are extolling a false premise, particularly you know, coming from
a red state like Florida, where African American education and
(06:30):
we're talking book bends and critical race theory all sacrificed
just to feed some sort of bizarre, twisted political ideology.
And you know, I looked at this and I thought,
this is like that Greek mythology Scilla and cariidthis choosing
the lesser of two options. You know, he's enjoying this
(06:51):
lofty political year as a black star in a monolithic
political arena. Or you can choose another lane, how about
self respect like Adam Kinsinger or Liz Cheney, even Ran
Paul and Johnny Come Lately, Mitch McConnell. They've all broken
ranks with MAGA at some point already, and so the
(07:15):
tide was high. So now we are still stuck with
Donald's and John James and Wesley Hunt and Tim Scott.
They're the ones who are handy, very convenient people when
it comes to offering absolution on racial inequities.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well, I'm yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to share at
first that you know, Q and I talked about this
in the Midweek demo, and one of the things that
you know, stood out to us when we when we
first discussed it was that, you know, in his conversation,
he said he tried to impress upon the crowd that
(07:54):
there's no level playing field in life. His direct quote
was that it doesn't exist, right, And he said that
d I was based on like a false premise, and
you know, it created the idea that minority kids couldn't
get ahead without some sort of external factor, but he
(08:20):
ignores the other side of the equation, which is that
minority kids wouldn't be behind if not for some external factor, right,
And that's dishonest and disingenuous, and like Q would call
it intellectually dishonest. And I love the way the way
that sounds because I think it really captures not just
(08:42):
his thinking, but a lot of the thinking associated with diversity,
equity and inclusion programs, affirmative action programs, systemic reform programs
that seek to write historical injustices using systems formatted to
address those specific ailments, and to ignore one side of
(09:08):
it but stand on the other side of it is
it's it's, it's it's it's straight from the Republican playbook,
and really all politicians playbook. I'll be fair. But the
reason why this is particularly upsetting is because later in
the same conversation, he says that the people in the
(09:32):
room are trying to marginalize him, and he states, you know,
I'm a black man on this stage with a microphone,
like I like, so as to imply like I made
it as a black man, I made it, right, because
there's no reason to say that you're black unless you're
(09:53):
acknowledging that it's harder for black people.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
So, in the same conversation, he applies that he overcame
obstacles unique to black people. He's like, I made it here,
and I'm a black man, right. So, in the same conversation,
he's implying that but also suggesting that there should be
no form of restorative justice, while also ignoring the fact
(10:20):
that there was historical harm perpetuated or enacted on black communities.
And so it's this weird loop where he's like kind
of dodging and darting around, and I find that to be.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Repulsive.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Black Information Network news anchors Terry McCready and Kevin Brown
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
Next up, we're going to Delaware for a story which
reportedly involves a local fire department and a possible hate crime. Terry,
we're going to go back to you give us more
details on this story, and than Kevin and Q we're
going to come to you to bring us home que
(11:00):
and I'm waiting on what.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
You guys say. So, so, yeah, Darry, what's up? Okay?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
So it's the Millville Volunteer Fire Company involving these two
twenty something meter firefighters. They chased their black colleague with
a noose while hurling racial slurs. Now are both facing
charges including hate crimes, harassment, and conspiracy. And then some
were grumbling that this just took too long. Why did
(11:25):
it take so long? So Delaware police basically said, well,
you know, called for an internal investigation, then sufficient evidence
had to be noted. So it is a lengthy process
that was punctuated by the termination of these two men,
including these criminal charges. And so since that happened, the
Delaware House Speaker, Majority Whip, and Majority Leader have all
(11:48):
come out forcefully issuing a statement that no lynching is
not a joke. And so you know, ultimately that is
the job of our elected officials to denounce these acts.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Fire departments around the country are notoriously racial hotbeds or
people of color because they are almost eighty to ninety
percent staff by non minorities and women, so it is
(12:23):
actually not surprising that they would be pushedback. And the
gentleman who was the victim in this case did not
report it for an entire year because he was reluctant
to get everyone involved. And the twenty seven and twenty
(12:45):
three year olds firemen who were part of this harassment,
not only were they charged, but they also denied it
and tried to water it down and said it was
a fireman's knot and a news that they were chasing
their black colleague around the firehouse with to try and
(13:08):
take some steam out of this. This entire case hate crime, yes,
a conspiracy and harassment yes. And these are also some
of the tools that the current administration is trying to
disable so that incidents like this can go on without
(13:31):
there being a justice or people held accountable.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
Que you said the magic word accountable, And what we
know is that white supremacy does not like holding white
supremacy accountable for anything. So in a recent you know,
interaction that I had with a stranger, I had some
very very aggressive racist common hurled at me a dozen
(14:01):
times in front of a large group of people, and
the police showed up and made it clear to me
that there was nothing that they could do to the gentleman.
So I'm sure this guy didn't report it for so
long because he probably asked someone for advice.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
First.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
He probably talked to someone from HR or someone in
law enforcement or someone in the legal field who told
them that there wasn't much they could do, and finally
someone hurt him out and realized that they could. That
accountability thing is a very very difficult mindset for a
lot of people in this country, and you pointed it
(14:34):
out with the bullseye. This administration the idea of holding
anyone white accountable for doing things that are anti minority,
anti woman, anti LGBTQ. They're trying to get rid of
all things that would hold people accountable for oppressing, committing
(14:55):
crimes against people based on those things. Unfortunately, this is
where we are, and I am looking forward to this
light at the end of the tunnel that's supposed to
show up at some point, because some days it feels
completely helpless.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
It's coming, It'll come, Ramless. I appreciate your hope, sir.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Finally, in Minneapolis hospital where George Floyd was pronounced dead,
has come under scrutiny this week for its usage of
an unusual employee training video. Kevin, let's hear more about
this story from you, and then Terry and ramses, you
guys can close us out.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
This sounded like an Saturday night live skit at the
Hennepin County Medical Center where someone came up with the
idea of some kind of language training and they ended
up with a slide. This went to seven thousand employees
(15:58):
and one of the slides included the terms can I
say the N word? And it had three boxes, white,
person of color, and black, and the arrow said if
you were white, no, you cannot say the N word.
(16:21):
The person of color box said if you're a person
of color but you're not black, no, However, if you
are black, you're free to use the N word. According
to the Hennepen County Medical Center. How about just eliminating
slurs as opposed to exposing seven thousand employees. That's why
(16:49):
I said it sounded like a Saturday Night Live skit
in which some people could use slurs and others could not. Clearly,
this was a major mistake and a lot of people
are embarrassed about this entire situation.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Terry, what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yes, I agree it is an exercise in humiliation. You know,
when I saw this, I thought, Wow, just what we need?
A video qualifying the N word? And I had to
wonder if this was focus grouped in any way, and
if it was, why why did you even think of this?
And you know, as Kevin just mentioned, I chuckled as
well when I got to the part where it said,
(17:31):
what if it is a song, my co rap song
that uses the N word? Is that okay? And I'm
a white person, No, you still can't use it. So
I just thought, you know, you know, at the end
of the day, I think somebody was it was one
of the pundits on television actually said well, what is
it about the N word that white people want to
(17:52):
say it so badly? Why do you want to say
it so badly? That's a question you need, you know,
to be asking yourself. And so there's this medical watchdog
Do No Harm that said that this video was just,
you know, highly unorthodox, it was inappropriate, it was misguided.
And then I thought, well, you know, this is where
we are. There has to be a better way. There's
(18:13):
nowhere to go but up. If we're looking to elevate
cultural relativity, racial sensitivity, and awareness, this is not it, Terry.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
I hope you're right. I hope there is nowhere to
go but up. Ramses, what are your thoughts, sir?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Right?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
You ready?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Well, It's interesting that I get, you know, the last
little bit of you know, time on this because I
have some thoughts. First thing I'll say is that I
appreciate both both of you guys's thoughts, you know, Terry
and Kevin. I don't use the N word. I don't say.
(18:57):
You can't find anybody that has ever heard me say it.
With that said, I don't use any profanity ever, no
matter how angry you make me. It's not in my heart,
doesn't come out of my mouth, just not made that way.
So maybe this is a little easier for me. But
(19:19):
I live in a world where I hear it a
lot from people that I love, okay, And I know
that there are cultural boundaries that are not because of us.
They were imposed on us.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
This word originally was used so that we could be subjugated,
and we started to refer to ourselves as that, and
then at some point along the way, we kind of
reclaimed it, made it our own, and as the larger
society evolved beyond its racist use in closed doors and
(19:58):
our own homes, we used it as a way to
kind of make fun, poke fun, or as a term
of endearment. Ultimately, but it didn't have the same I'm
better than you type of a feel to it as
it did coming from the mouth of a white person. Now,
(20:19):
fast forward even more, you end up with hip hop
music really bl exploitation at first those films in the
seventies and whatnot, and then you know, hip hop being
such a global phenomenon exporting that word back into popular culture,
and then white folks started looking around like, well, wait
a minute, hold on, this word is cool now, it's
(20:41):
not racist anymore, is it?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Nope, nope, nope. We still we still our babies die,
we still get in prison more, we still have unfair
access to housing, employment opportunities, educational opportunity. Nope, nope, nope.
We got a lot more healing to do. But for us,
we have kind of incorporated this into our lives as
(21:05):
a way as a term of endearment, as a way
of saying friend or brother or whatever. That's how we
use it now. And for you, off of your lips,
it's still very hurtful or reminiscent of a time that's
very hurtful. And this is kind of objectively true because
I wasn't alive this whole time. This is just kind
of my and our collective general understanding of how the
(21:26):
word has evolved, right, And unfortunately, not everybody knows that
the way that we do. There are people who are
born and they lived eighteen years and they had a
couple of black friends here and there, and those folks
didn't make a big deal out of it, and they
(21:46):
thought they were cool, and they thought they were down.
And then they enter into the workforce and then they
find what they think is their tribe. They grew up
white or some other, you know, non black group, and
they find, you know, their tribe at the work and
they think they can lean into that tribe and say whatever,
and they don't look like that tribe. I've had this
happen to me because i work in hip hop radio,
(22:08):
so I've had all kinds of different color people come
up to being like, start talking and push their tongue
out and then that word flies and I'll be like,
who wha, wha, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, hold on,
I already know how you grew up. I know you
mean well, I know you're trying to relate, but that
that stops here. And I'm the right one to tell
you not to do it because the wrong one will
(22:28):
tell you, and they'll tell you physically, and you don't
need that problem. So so listen, it's all love. I
get what you're trying to do. I'm no offense taken,
but let's let's tone that down. And I think that's
what the hospital was doing. I don't think it was
a bad idea for them to draw that line. They're
not taking anything away from black people, so they don't
(22:48):
they dealt with it upfront. Listen, Black people, if they
say this, it is not based in hate. It is
a slur coming from these people. It is not a
slur from these people to themselves. Right, It's just not
used that way. It's not received that way generally speaking. Now,
(23:10):
a hospital taking a step to teach their seven thousand employees, hey,
these are the values that we understand to be morally
just in the society in which we live, and we
expect our employees to adhere to these values. Is exactly
what we ask for in twenty twenty. For us to
(23:30):
go back and then pick them apart or doing that,
I think is kind of splitting hairs. Right, nobody gets
everything perfect, and nobody's always going to be right all
the time, and I suspect that this article and the
subsequent articles were framed by far right media. Indeed, the
one that I read came from the New York Post,
which isn't I guess it's not far right, but it's
you know, right leaning media, and so they would be like, oh, well, well,
(23:55):
shouldn't everybody be banned from saying it? Yeah, I agree
with you, I agree with you, but I'll take it
a step further. Nobody should have said it in the
first place, and so now we're here, so what else
would you like to take? That's how I feel about
it now. I do want to say that the follow
up slide kind of brings this point home for me
(24:16):
that this hospital is they're doing their best. Everybody's doing there,
anybody trying to do something. I'll take that, especially now,
especially now. I'm not going to knock people who are
trying to do something and trying to do right by
black people. I'm not going to police that.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Not now.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Okay, if Kamala had won, maybe, but now it just
doesn't feel fair like we can't have everything that we
want all at once, and we know that, so people
that's try and let's let them do what they can.
Do we help in using kind words? You know, we
don't want to scare people off who would be allies.
So this next slide says the in word a historical overview.
(24:53):
The word rooted in colonial America is a violent racial
slur used for centuries to dehumanize black people, justify discrimination,
and inflicts psychological and physical harm. You, me, and all
four of us know that our ancestors, a lot of them,
(25:14):
that this word with the er at the end of
it was probably the last word they heard in their
life as they hung from a tree, or as they
were beaten to death or pulled apart by dogs, or
whatever it is that happened to them. Okay, we know
that this is a word that our ancestors heard when
they were raped before or after, or baby both. Okay,
(25:39):
So for other people to say it to us, we
know full well what that means, what that feels like.
And we also grew up in black houses in black culture,
so we know what it feels like when we say
it too. And if you're anything like me, it has
never felt like someone is lording over me and kind
of trying to overpower me, especially if they look like me.
(26:01):
It just doesn't feel that way, so my thoughts and
you know, of course I could be wrong, but leave
it right there. Thank you all very much for your
time and your insight, and of course, if you're listening,
feel free to disagree with me. You know, me and
Q have to field all these comments in the and
we you know hear you on the red microphone talkback beature,
(26:21):
so you know, do what you can, but for now
I'll let everyone else off the hook. Thank you so
much Terry and Kevin for your time and your insight.
And hopefully they don't beat me up too bad out there.
All right. This has been a production of the Black
Information Network. Today's show was produced by Chris Thompson. Have
(26:43):
some thoughts you'd like to share? Use the red microphone
talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be
sure to hit subscribe and download all of our episodes.
I'm your host Ramsey's Jaw on all social media.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I am Q Warren on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Sipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes, and
podcast info, Checkciviccipher dot com and join us Monday as
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
right here on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
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