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Only One Mic Podcast
Carl Jerard, Brooklyn Dre, and JRob welcome you to The Only One Mic Podcast. We are joined each week by authors, activists, advocates, community leaders, and professionals from several walks of life who would like to offer their experience, expertise, or commentary on the various topics you will be interested in learning.
Only One Mic Podcast
The Legacy of Assata Shakur & Ghana’s Call for Justice
Assata Shakur, who passed at 78 in Havana after decades in exile, remains one of the most polarizing figures in history—a terrorist to some, a freedom fighter to others. We explore her legacy of resilience through imprisonment, exile, and sacrifice, and how her story forces us to question who controls history.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s president delivers a bold call at the UN, declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the greatest crime against humanity” and reigniting conversations on reparations, restitution, and accountability. Will acknowledgment alone ever be enough?
The important thing is to be able to remember them, not to be disassociated from them, not to be common from them.
SPEAKER_06:Alright, y'all. Uh, today we're gonna discuss two intersecting um you know stories that we have here. First, Gunnar's bold push at the United Nations to have the transatlantic slave trade formally recognized as one of the greatest crimes against humanity, and the passing of Asada Shakur, the revolutionary exile and symbol of resistance. Brothers, how y'all doing?
SPEAKER_04:Wonderful.
SPEAKER_06:All right, man. Everything's amazing. Everything's amazing. All right, so of course, we got those two topics on the table. First, I played that clip for y'all from Asada Shakur, um, who passed away on uh September 25th in Havana, Cuba at the age of 78. And so um they the Cuban uh foreign ministry cited the cause of her passing as uh health and age at 78, you know. What is y'all, you know, your fellas' uh thoughts on the side of Shakur? You know, I've read a book. Actually, one of her book is one of my favorite books, to be honest with you. And you know, we know her association with the the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army, uh originally her name was she was born as Joanne Deborah Bryan in 1947 and was later known as Joanne Chesamard and slash Ashana Secure. Um in 1973, just a little history, y'all. She was involved in a new a shootout with a New Jersey state trooper and was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges. In 1979, she escaped prison and in 84 was granted political asylum in Cuba. And in 2013, she was the first woman placed on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list. And to some she was just a criminal figure, to others, a martyr and a symbol of state injustice. So, what is you know, what do you brothers think about um Asada Shakur?
SPEAKER_04:I think Asada was cool, man. She's a good person, man. I mean, as as far as I, you know, knowing history, um, every time I saw her, I looked, I liked her, you know, forget about you know all the political stuff. I mean, I liked her demeanor, you know, I mean, it never really like got goofy. Like, you know, a lot of times when you see some of these um what you call it, like ex-civil rights activists and uh political people of that time, when you start speaking, when you hear her start hearing her speak, they get weird, like they get like Nicki Giovanni-ish, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Where it's like I love Nikki Giovanni. I don't, you know, but go ahead.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, but you know, you know what I mean? Like, you know, like I I always thought like when you listen to a side of Chicago, it's like listening to your aunt. You know what I mean? Like, not not really like you getting like you know, like a textbook or encyclopedia smack down your throat or something like that, you know what I mean? If you got the information, it was so simple that you know you could you could take it, you know what I mean? Sometimes I think when I'm listening to like, you know, like the uh Nicki Giovanni's the uh My Angelou, certain people like that, like I'm like it gets a little weird for me, you know what I mean? It's my personal opinion. My personal opinion.
SPEAKER_03:For me, I think uh Asada is the symbol of overc overcoming the overcoming the obstacles that America presents in front of you. You gotta remember uh what the media is gonna claim is that they were they they killed some police officers. They don't tell you that those police officers came to kill them.
SPEAKER_07:Right.
SPEAKER_03:She took she took two bullets, yeah. You know what I'm saying? So it's a it's a it's a I have an overwhelming over a overwhelming like uh hurt for that woman because it's like, yo, like, you really, you really, you really stood up for the fight. You really was in it. You know what I'm saying? Nothing but respect for her, nothing but respect for all the BLM, as well as a lot of the Black Panthers. Um we we I would love to see that type of dedication in today's society for the rights and for the um and injustices that we actually suffer as black people and brown people.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I'm gonna circle back to that. I also say, too, um, is that when you read a when you read a story or look at her interviews or biographies or however you're gonna gather information on her, there was a lot of stuff that happened in between that shooting and her escaping, and then ultimately the end that happened right now. So when you look back at her being placed in an all-male prison, you know, um being served up by the by police officers in that prison, you know, being served up while she was shot up in a hospital. They were still treating her bad, you know what I mean? Still beating on her and things. It was a German nurse that actually helped her out, um, that got her up out of there, you know. If not, she would have died in that male prison. Actually, having your child, you know, being pregnant while being in prison, and then the separation of her and her daughter for several years. You know what I mean? So it was like a lot of things that that you know went along with that struggle, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:Even with everything you just said, man, and then it brings it even back to what I was saying earlier, man, her demeanor, man. Like after all that you just said, man, her demeanor was always like, you know, every time I seen the interview with Asada Shakur and anything like that, she was very calm, like the presence about it, you know, like most people that go through that kind of thing, man, you know, they have like um aggression, you know what I mean? Like they'll, you know, constantly, you know, if they're talking about America, she will be talking, you know, you know, really negative and stuff like that. But every time you seen it, like she was just such a lady, man. That's the word well, that's the best word to say it. You know, she was a classy lady, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, most definitely. She also, in that in that book, kind of cracked open the thing on the Black Panther party, where it was like a lot of I put it to you like just like the higher ups. Yeah, the hustle of it, yeah. The higher ups of it were living pretty good, like the Huey Newtons and all, they live pretty good. But the people that was on the the baseline of that struggle was like, you know, we struggle in these apartments and things like that. But they, you know, like Huey, I think, had like several apartments in different cities and things like that, like plush spots and kind of made her question some things, you know what I mean, in terms of like the like the authenticity of the high ups in this thing, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:And nobody got nobody got in the pocket of that situation, like Angela Davis, man. Angela Davis used to get in Huey about that stuff, man. Yeah, I mean, so I didn't hear too much of a status record going on them, but I know Angela Davis used to uh you know check them uh about you know the higher living and you know I think they were taking advantage of the system, you know, taking advantage of the you know the struggle.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I ain't I ain't I ain't gonna lie. Anytime a uh a light skin nigga is the the head of a black movement, it's always gonna be your jump right off the fence, right?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jump right off the fence.
SPEAKER_03:That's crazy, man.
SPEAKER_05:Hey, man, you're speaking your truth, man. Nothing wrong with that.
SPEAKER_06:So let me ask y'all a question. Like, the how how you who you think should control this story? Uh you know, like her story. You know what I mean? Should it be far more on Cuba or the United States?
SPEAKER_04:What do you mean? Like a movie? What do you mean?
SPEAKER_06:No, I mean like who's like memorializing, if you can use such a term.
SPEAKER_04:I would love to bring her back to America and put her ashes right in the back of uh Chris Christie's backyard.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, yeah, because he was fighting to get her back. Yeah, that was that's what one of the things he was running on at one point.
SPEAKER_04:If you want a back take it like this, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:You know what, man? I I don't I don't I don't think just in honoring the ancestor, I don't think that her her her remains should ever touch American soil again.
SPEAKER_04:But that's what I'm saying. I think that would be the, you know, not that she's dead to me. I mean she gone. But I'm saying just for the the disrespect of it, like now you can have her. You know what I mean? That would be that's how I would like it, you know what I mean? And bring her back and give her a nice big plot somewhere, put the put the bells and whistles all around, you know what I mean? Just so it would just take off people here, you know, because it's a lot of people that still wanted her, you know, incarcerated up until her last days. Chris Christie pretty much ran on, you know, that was a part of like his his political run. You know, he wanted to put her in jail and stuff. Because I think at one time another Obama was trying to make some sort of deal with Cuba. Well, Obama had another deal going on working with Cuba, I think as far as trading is concerned. But then he wanted Chris Christie wanted that to be a part of that deal.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, she would have to come back.
SPEAKER_04:That goofy marshmallow eating, funky fat, disgusting. Chris Christie.
unknown:You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:All the stuff going on in New Jersey, New Jersey, man. He worried about uh expediting the side of Shakur back to New Jersey.
SPEAKER_06:He was very adamant about that, too.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, ain't that when he got mad and uh and closed the tunnel or whatever and made the tunnel well over? Yeah, turn pipe closing goofy.
SPEAKER_06:So I mean, it kind of makes the next question a moot point.
SPEAKER_03:You you know what would be real irony if they send their ashes back and put it next to Charlie.
SPEAKER_06:All right, now hold on for a second. Now hold on, hold on, because again, we I didn't want to make this the car the Charlie Kirk our nightmare. You know what I mean? But and and Jay, from the look on your face, you know where I'm about to go with this, right?
SPEAKER_04:Good.
SPEAKER_06:How can he get it? And she can't.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, she's free speech all day.
SPEAKER_06:All day. The symbol of you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_05:And she and she went through the struggle. Charlie Kirk.
SPEAKER_03:That's why the hypocrisy of these uh let's just say the government, it's just it's just wild to me because they destroyed all of our peaceful organizations who were speaking truth and speaking power to us, claiming it, claiming uh, claiming it was hate. Jayakka Hoover said there would never be another black messiah. Every one of those black lead leaders were were enemies of the state because they were speaking truth. Yeah, but you have these Caucasians come out and they can speak all this hate rhetoric, and it's cool. Freedom of speech. I hate niggas, I hate Jews, I I hate, I hate uh gays, I hate, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. And and what happens is that knowing that, like, she can't, I don't think they would like exonerate her posthumously, you know what I mean? And then have her come back. I again I think all that's gonna take place in Cuba. Um, of course, you're gonna have the activists and everyone that's here do what they do for it, just like they do for any of our um, you know.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, the celebration shouldn't be about her. I mean, I well, I guess you can say, you know, again, I believe that is there, you know, it's over for her. That's it.
SPEAKER_06:But if you want to say remember, remember what she did.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, if you want to remember what she did, man. Her family, man, should have the right to carry her body through the streets of Jersey, man. You know what I mean? And you know how that would take off the people who've been trying to get her locked up for years? That would be beautiful, man.
SPEAKER_03:I think the New Jersey troopers, state troopers, yeah, should be, should be, you know. It would be a massacre on a on a on a turnpike if they try to bring her asses back to New Jersey.
SPEAKER_04:No, I don't think they I don't think they can't do that. Some state troopers will go crazy.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it is what it is, man. Bring her back in here and put it, you know, if you if you just do a barbecue.
SPEAKER_06:But that's what it is. So I mean, you see the whole thing, you see the whole thing with the with you know, October 14th. I want to keep mentioning this guy's name, but October 14th, his day of remembrance. It's up to us. It's up to us at this point.
SPEAKER_04:Like, I have a Asada day.
SPEAKER_06:Listen, as Chuck D once said, most of our heroes don't appear on no stamps, y'all. So you're gonna have to do it's up to the black community, I guess, to just say, look, man, we're gonna give these people their day of remembrance or whatever day you want to designate it. You know what I mean? So, like the Malcolms, the Asada's, whoever, you know, I think that that's where it has to go at this point because you're not gonna get a national holiday. You know, how long if you're not gonna be able to do it, yeah. Yeah, nothing in the national holiday. Yeah, the King holiday was pretty much, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:Hey, look at what they had to do to get King's holiday.
SPEAKER_06:Exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_04:King died in 1968. I remember when Charles Barkley got picked up in Phoenix. I think that was one of his things where he was like, uh something about he wasn't leaving Phoenix until they changed Martin Luther King Day to a national holiday or something like that. You know, I'll I'll I'll say this.
SPEAKER_03:I remember the reason why they did it. It's so they can get the Super Bowl. Because the NFI would not allow them to have the Super Bowl until they honored Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and they passing all kinds of bills immediately to get this goofball, some sort of uh statue and that you national day of remembrance, all kind of crazy.
SPEAKER_03:It's disrespectful. It is a person that actually stood for something should should receive that type of notoriety. She should be she should be praised in that manner because she actually stood for something.
SPEAKER_06:Gave her life to the cause, if that's what you know. I could say such a thing, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:And this is this is why they need um, again, you know, I I don't count on the education system in America to educate us completely right on African American history. However, I still think they still need some African, I still think they need African American history in school. And I think this is the reason why, you know, some people, you know, this is the reason why women like that should be, you know, studied and stuff like that. So, you know, a little girl, maybe in Jersey or something like that, who's, you know, get to hear Side of Shakur's story, get to hear so journey truth, um, some of these great women of the past, man, and it and it inspired it'll inspire them, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah, yeah. And I think but but you used you say that, but right now, as we speak, they are taking African American history out of the books. But that's why I'm saying it never happened. That's why I'm saying it. That's why I'm saying that that's important that it's true. I think when it when it comes down to the movies, they're changing the characters that may have done these things into white people. And he and and they tell a story like these people were right.
SPEAKER_06:Or, you know, if you go like how they did with the uh Harriet Tubman movie where they put aspects in it that wasn't a part of history. You know what I mean? Like, you know, I think they had like the the bounty hunter or something like that, was like the antagonist and all, you know, stuff like that that didn't but they they do that. It's historical fiction at this point. You know what I mean? But um that's why I said it goes back to it goes back to what do you do as a community, you know what I mean? Like, in order to keep this education going because the systems that set up, you as you said at your point, Dre, it's not designed for them to do that for us. You know what I mean? It's not gonna, it's not gonna happen. In fact, they try to take it out more than anything, you know what I mean? It's ridiculous.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I mean, but again, even in us telling our history, man. I mean, like, we've been making all these movies over the years, a lot of these uh hood flicks and all kinds of the stuff. There's a lot of great women, a lot of great people. You remember at one time or another, it seemed like we was having back to back the exes and you know, those kind of movies and documentaries about things in the past, you know, the Panthers and stuff like that. It seemed like now we don't really get too many of those movies.
SPEAKER_06:Because they don't sell.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and if we get, I well, I just think they're not the ones that I've seen as of late weren't good movies. You know what I mean? The Fred Hampton one was real good.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, Fred Hampton, I dug that. You know what I mean? I dug that. And also, like, if you want to just use that as a rabbit hole, because you know they're all this stuff. I don't care what movie they make, it's never really historically accurate. You know what I mean? They got a website that's called um what's it uh I think it's like fiction versus fantasy or something like that, where it's like they take the historical movie and then they compare the characters to who actually lived during that time and what they did and how they looked and things like that, and they'll tell you, well, this was correct, that wasn't correct, or this character never existed, you know, during that time. They just put them in there for the movie. So it's an interesting website if you if you go check it out.
SPEAKER_04:But can you can you figure can you um again we when we get these movies that we've had in the past, man, it seems like they constantly keep doing the same movies over and over again. You know, you got like several different movies of Martin Luther King, you got the several different movies of um Harriet Tubman, man, you got people like Fannie Lou Hamer, you know, you got a lot of different people where you if you put their story together, you know, the whole story about Fannie Lou Hamer when she's in the the prison and the police is beating her and all this other stuff like that for her right to vote, and then she how she goes down to the Democratic National Convention and tell her story. You ever if you ever hear her story, her speech about what she went through in order to, you know, earn the you know the right to vote and all other stuff like that, man? Come on, man. These are good stories, man. I mean, that's stories, realities. Realities are in somebody's life.
SPEAKER_03:In the words of Dr. Umar. We are the only listen. Go ahead. I'm gonna listen to you. I'm gonna listen to you. Go ahead, go ahead. Right, that's I agree with that one. Like, that is insane, but we're supposed to have so much compassion for everybody else.
SPEAKER_06:That's insanity. I hear you, I hear you, and I see that Umar blood running through you right now, brother. But I am gonna give him his props for making that particular statement.
SPEAKER_05:I live for the people.
SPEAKER_06:But I gotta also say the same Dr. Umar just charged$500 for Jiggolo now.
SPEAKER_05:But hey, listen, man, you know what's in the let me let me let me ask you a question.
SPEAKER_04:It's the jiggolo.
SPEAKER_03:Well, no, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. If he didn't put a number on it, he was just looking for an offering or donation, would that be fun?
SPEAKER_04:I just think it's weird altogether. I think it's weird altogether that he's he's an activist taking dates for$500, man.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna put a T like this though.
SPEAKER_05:I'm gonna challenge the floor of him to hang out with the doctor.
SPEAKER_03:I'm not I'm I'm I'm not the I'm not the uh don't make me take my shirt off.
SPEAKER_05:You get to hang out with the Prince of Civil Rights.
SPEAKER_03:I'm serious. If he didn't put a number on it and and he was just accepting offerings of donations, would that be cool?
SPEAKER_06:Well, that's all for a donation.
SPEAKER_04:Well, we are talking about Umar. We're talking about a school that ain't been up. And I was riding with him in the beginning.
SPEAKER_03:Remember, I was riding with him. Did you see have you seen the school?
SPEAKER_06:I listen, the school exists. The building exists. Yes, I knew the building, the building exists. Yeah, I yeah, I've seen it. Yeah, the building exists.
SPEAKER_04:Well, he doesn't have it anymore. From what I understand, I thought that's a part of his lawsuit or something like that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I heard he was trying to settle it, but uh, you know, I don't I don't really know how how that all works, but I know if he if he wasn't trying to if he was trying to teach uh uh a European um educational system, it wouldn't have been no issues.
SPEAKER_04:No, I think his problem isn't, I think we talked about this many times before. His problem is, again, if he had did what his initial plan was, I think he would have a school. I think once he let his real views be known and he's coming out with like a very racist view. But you and even if you feel it's not racist, if you feel it's not racist, or the people that don't, he still got to get. The definition of racism says it's not racist. No, but I'm saying here's the point. He's still trying to get white funding for that school. He can't he can't keep it up off of black funding. Or, or, you know, the problem is he got two issues. Even if he took money from black people, a lot of those black people that would give him money are scared that they'll the the white people that are they're making money with is not gonna continue to back them if they're backing somebody like him. So that's his problem. So he can't get black money because of that reason, and they ain't gonna give him white money because he's talking something that they consider to be racist. That's what I'm saying. That's the problem.
SPEAKER_06:That's the only problem with Dr. LeMar Johnson. That's another thing. That's not that wasn't gonna fly in Delaware. This is the wrong place to do that. Yeah, I think he could have pulled this off any other place outside of Delaware to be honest. I don't think he could have pulled it off, no.
SPEAKER_03:But the overwhelming issue truly is the fact that black people have to rely on white people in order to fund their businesses. That's a fact. That's the real issue. Yeah, that's that's the bottom. That's in anything.
SPEAKER_06:So, what what is what's the what's the real solution to that one though? You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Separation.
SPEAKER_06:Listen, we already had this conversation.
SPEAKER_05:Can't put us all in one spot. It's not gonna work.
SPEAKER_03:Well, no, you're talking about there there is a group of now you're talking about school or you talking about in general? In general, there's a group of black people, might have been about 50 of them or so. They pulled all their resources together and they bought about 5,000 acres. And they're and they're living in they're living in uh harmony. They're they're creating they're creating the new Black Wall Street. Let's see how long it takes before that gets bombed. I mean, you might be completely right.
SPEAKER_04:I'm not going down. I'm just saying the point that I'm making is that he's trying to uh start a school in a in America, you know what I mean, in Delaware. Not not Philly, not Harlem.
SPEAKER_05:It was someplace.
SPEAKER_06:I honestly believe it was someplace.
SPEAKER_04:You know what I mean? He would have a rough time in those places too, because again, like you just said, at the end of the day, perfect example. I'm Jay-Z. I want to give him some money, all right, to start the school because I'm really behind him. But then I got to give him this money, but on the back end, you got these people at Rock Nation, like, yo, listen, what are you giving him money for? He's a racist. You know what I mean? So then that's the whole social media break them down kind of thing. That this is the reason why they don't give that kind of, they wouldn't give him that kind of money.
SPEAKER_03:So how come how come nobody in our community says, why does the KKK still exist? What's wrong with you, white people? How come you're not fighting for it? Are you racist?
SPEAKER_04:Well, again, I think that goes back to what I'm saying. No, nobody supports them, but on the same token, it's like the back end of that is that we don't know exactly what, like, we don't know who's getting money from them. You know what I mean? If they're getting money from this, that's not like it just comes up like that. But again, I I I'll just say it at the at the end of the day, man. I just think he had a bad idea. He should have just combed his whatever he was thinking until he got the school over.
SPEAKER_03:So so you're telling me that the KK can the KKK can exist anonymous, but people can't contribute to Dr. Umar's school anonymously? I didn't say they can exist anonymously.
SPEAKER_06:A lot of people probably have.
SPEAKER_04:They probably do, but I'm saying, yeah, a lot of people contributed to his school. I'm saying that in in reg after he let what his mind or his idea of the school to be known, that funding went out the window, man. People, people who anybody that could give them some major brides stopped. That's just the bottom line.
SPEAKER_03:Because because they're they're they're feel they're fearful of their checks stopping. I'm not I'm not saying niggas ain't supposed to get paid, but that sounds like the sellout, the sellout information and doctrine that was being pumped to us in the 80s about niggas being sellouts.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, yeah. Yeah. One thing you notice now is like even with uh the passional old boy there, that kind of exposed a lot of the injured fingers of our community because we do have a lot of people that sold out that you see in publicly. Really selling out.
SPEAKER_03:Remember, remember, remember Furious on Boys in the Hood, how he was talking about gentrification and how on our we we got liquor stores, gun stores. That's all you see in our community. Remember in the 80s where it wasn't cool to have a liquor commercial? You know what's funny?
SPEAKER_06:I remember that. I remember even Nas. I remember Nas saying one time, he said, No, I wouldn't promote any liquor. I remember him saying that on MTV.
SPEAKER_04:He opened up casinos and he promoting liquor.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:That's what it is, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Double, double thing on all of that. All right, guys. He gave me a little bit more.
SPEAKER_04:Republicans buy sneakers, too. That's Michael Jordan, man.
SPEAKER_03:Wow. Republicans buy sneakers, too. And and and that's why off the court, LeBron will always be a better man. I somewhat agree to that, man. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:All right, y'all. So listen, we're gonna move on.
SPEAKER_04:Not on the court, off the court. Yeah, definitely. Oh, I know exactly what you're talking about. I'd never say on the court.
SPEAKER_06:Can't take that away from so we're gonna move on to the next topic, y'all, which is um Ghana's motion to um deem the slave trade a crime against humanity. So the president of uh Ghana, President, I might be pronouncing his name wrong, y'all. Uh, President Ma Mahawa Mahama. I could be pronouncing it wrong, but he addressed the uh U.S. Assembly and he wanted to deem the slave trade uh a crime against humanity. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go ahead and play a clip of him addressing the UN and then I get your brother's thoughts on it.
SPEAKER_02:Madam President, the slave trade must be recognized as the greatest crime against humanity. As the African champion on reparations, Ghana intends to introduce a motion in this August body to that effect. More than twelve and a half million Africans were forcibly taken against their will and transported to create wealth for the powerful Western nations. We must demand reparations for the enslavement of our people and the colonization of our land that resulted in the theft of our natural resources, as well as the looting of artifacts and other items of cultural heritage that have yet to be retained in total.
SPEAKER_06:So, brothers, what do you want us also to outside of reparations is a reinstitution of cultural artifacts as he spoke of, apologies and accountabilities. And so, um what do you think about that, John?
SPEAKER_03:Alright, for me, one. Um it's 2025. We we we we just trying to recognize the slave trade as being a crime against humanity. That's that's insanity in my eyes. Two.
SPEAKER_04:Um let me let me just say that. I'm just quickly saying, but I think you can go back to what you're saying. I think the reason why that we have to do it actually, and not to say that it ain't we already know what it is, but I think the thing of it is is that America walks around here like they do the own thing. They sit in the UN, they sit in the UN passing judgment on different countries and all kinds of other stuff like that, and they still don't acknowledge that. So, you know, finish what you're saying.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I was I was gonna say the the fact that that's that's still a thing is crazy. Two, I personally don't necessarily believe everything that was taught to us, the the way that it was taught to us. I believe that us as black people, as non ether beans, was already here too. Although the men being been some slaves that they transported over, I can't see how all thousands and thousands of people would still be alive through that trip. In the let's say, you know, 1400s or whatever it was. To make that long of a journey in in those uh boats, most of the people would die. A lot of them did.
SPEAKER_04:A lot of them did. A lot of people killed a lot of people killed themselves. Well, it doesn't I I still believe I mean I mean the proof of the transatlantic slave trade is, you know, all through the Caribbean, all through America. So I mean, it's not like they just a lot of from what I understand, I could be completely wrong, but you know, I thought I learned from school that that it's not like they just came here. I think a lot of times they stopped and docked at different places and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03:So black black people or brown people are the indigenous people of this land. So the they didn't we didn't need to be brought here. We were already here. Oh no, I mean that's obviously. They tried to come over here. They're the immigrants. That's obvious.
SPEAKER_04:The Indians was here, and you know, they're of color, so where did they come from? Obviously. I mean, at the end of the day, you know, me, I I believe in the Bible. We all come from Africa. But uh, you know, the Indians was here when they got here. They're people of color. That's simply it. That's the answer to the question in regards to that.
SPEAKER_06:So let me ask you guys this if the UN does declare it as a um as a crime against humanity, but no reparations are given. They're not given. Does it does it still matter?
SPEAKER_03:I don't even think we'll ever get reparations because black people are giving me a it it doesn't matter because it's it's a it's a basically a uh a smack in the face where all all these other groups are awarded reparations. Jews, Chinese, uh everybody. They all get reparations. Irish, Italians, everybody. Yeah, everybody got. They all get reparations, except for us, the people that had to fight to be human.
SPEAKER_04:But I I think their goal is not, I mean, even though he's probably asking for reparations, I think his goal is kind of like the same as Malcolm X goal when he was went there for human rights. It's like to say, like, y'all gotta stop coming here, like y'all the moral compass of the world. You know what I mean? Like y'all got a lot of dirt on your hands, you know. Y'all killed the Indians, y'all, y'all bought these um African Africans here, you know, against their will. So I think that's the whole point of just exposing that. And and I mean, we all, it's all something that we all know in the background, but I think it's just that they want people to say it and start to acknowledge it. Because that's what Malcolm wanted. I mean, I I'm quite sure if you rose Malcolm up out of the ground right now and you asked him, did he ever think we was gonna get reparations? He'll tell you you're a nut if you think that. You know what I mean? I don't think you're gonna get I would like to get it. I like my 40 acres in the mule, I can use it.
SPEAKER_06:But what if it what if it just comes in like the cultural restoration and you know the education funding, but not actually giving the people the money? Does that still matter? Y'all think it still matters?
SPEAKER_04:I want the money. I want the money. That's what I want. I want my 40, my 40 acres and my mule. I want the m I want the money, the land, whatever came with it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I can I I can I can handle it.
SPEAKER_04:Forget the education. Yeah, forget the education. I don't care about I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you why this forget the education. Because I can real picture proof that you can get the education, they still don't get nothing out of that in America. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Give me the money and the land. But also, though, I I I would like to see all the artifacts that we've read about that we haven't seen. I would love to see those. The ones that they hide in the in the in the in in the bottom of the Vatican, the ones that they hide in the bottom of the Smithsonian, the ones that was appropriated by renowned artists that are there today. Yeah, you're Michelangelo's and all that. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_06:You think that will ever, ever be acknowledged? I know Bill Cosby did that, you know, back in the day, but you think that will ever be acknowledged like historically, this is what happened. Because he had all the facts lined up, but you never heard anybody speak about it after that.
SPEAKER_03:The way that America is going now, they're even better, they're burying that. They already discredited Bill. So the generation, this generation now is never gonna listen to nothing Bill says. We know it. Oh, Bill was that guy, man.
SPEAKER_04:Bill was that guy.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but this this generation, they like they even even when I heard um, I think it was Jay-Z say something about Bill Cosby, I was like, yo, that's real disrespectful. That's real disrespectful coming from you.
SPEAKER_04:Listen, man, I don't know what the man did as far as you know what he did in in the court, if it was right or wrong, but you can't still deny what he's done in in life for black people, man. You know what I mean? So many words, Bill Cosby made um white black people palatable for white people. You know what I mean? And I and I'm not saying that that means anything. I'm just saying that, you know, from my perspective, but it seems like he made it, whereas, you know, I believe in so many ways he kind of opened the road for opportunity for an Obama and stuff like that. Where you made it like, you know, he made like when you looked at Claire Huxtable and them and looked at, you know, him as the father, it changed the idea, ideology of how people look at black people, I believe.
SPEAKER_03:Because we because because they were well off, but they was a doctor and a lawyer. Right. And they didn't they didn't handle themselves like we rich, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, it was they they was financially secure. But you never heard any time in in the hospitals be like, yo, we rich.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yeah, no.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, in fact, they taught the kids, they taught the kids to actually try to preserve money or go to less expensive route for different things, you know what I mean? Absolutely. You know what I mean? Man, the had a shirt, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And they did it all with being black people, you know what I mean? Like they didn't call come on there, you know, talking now like how they were, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:It wasn't no coonin' and buffooning on on a on the Cosby show. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So make like that that stark contrast to like how even you know, during that time of the 70s and whatnot, when you had the good times and all that stuff like that, even when they made appearances on other shows, like the Evans family made appearances on other shows, it was always like a struggle talk. You know what I mean? Or James didn't have which you know, and don't get me wrong, man. I'm not saying nothing against James Evans, man. That was the guy, but it was always presented like, well, you know, dad dropped out of you know, elementary school or something like that. You know what I mean? Like, and he just had to work all the time, and he can impart some wisdom, but you know, Michael was always somewhat smarter than Pop. You know what I mean? So it's like that type of thing. And then when you kind of fast forward another 10, 15, 20 years and you get the Cosby's, you know what I mean? And then after that, you get a different world, and then everything after that, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:Well, well, them shows, them shows did a lot.
SPEAKER_06:They did a lot, they did a lot in terms of uh black culture. Like you was giving me a fact earlier when you're talking about black culture, Ravy. You're talking about like uh the influence that black people have.
SPEAKER_04:Um yeah, they was I was saying something uh earlier, they were saying like some poll there pulled and was talking about how um what cultures like the top five cultures that kind of like um influential influential in the world, and they like had I think China, Mexico, uh oh, it was uh Japan, and the top one was um the African Americans. They were saying that we our culture just runs the earth, you know what I mean? I was like, wow, you know what I mean? That's kind of amazing. Like we're probably the most hated, but we're the most adored in some ways.
SPEAKER_03:We're the most copied. Check this out. I'm uh and I hope y'all remember this because we all watch the cosmic show. Do you remember the episode when Theo and Cockroach was rapping Shakespeare? So they could understand it, yeah. Right, right. That's Hamilton.
SPEAKER_06:I'm serious. Well, I mean Hamilton was more historical, but I get what you're saying. The concept. The concept. Well, I never thought about that.
SPEAKER_03:What they be doing now, that's Hamilton.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Bill Cosby showed that too and put that idea in our brain.
SPEAKER_06:And I'm gonna go deeper. I'm gonna go deeper with you on that one. The educational system adapted that too, because they said that kids learn better in song. So you did see like a lot of teachers, uh Ron Clark, the uh Ron Clark, the started Ron Clark Academy, started like that. So it's like making these rap songs or whatever the case is for kids to learn certain subjects. You know what I mean? Hmm.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, because they're able they're able, it's it's it basically translated into something that they understand.
SPEAKER_06:Shoutoff to you, brother. That's what it's about. All right, so let's look at this. Now, I don't I want to see if this matches with what you have there, right? So this is the top five, according to chat, GPT. It says the Western culture, the European, American culture is number one, Chinese culture is number two, Indian culture is number three, Islamic or Arabic culture is number four, and African cultures, West African and diasporic is number five because of music, jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, spirituality, storytelling, dance, resilience, despite colonialism.
SPEAKER_04:You said it's number five overall.
SPEAKER_06:They were saying it was number five. They were saying it was number three.
SPEAKER_04:Because there is no such thing as well.
SPEAKER_05:Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, all the everything that comes out of here, you know, you know, unless you like, if you're looking at European culture, like maybe is that like is that like Rome?
SPEAKER_05:Let me get Italy, or you know, different spots like that, or I don't know.
SPEAKER_04:But I'm saying, I know in regards to here, like, you know, everything that's in the United States in some way, shape, or form, soul food, jazz, um, rock and roll.
SPEAKER_03:Um they had break dancing in the Olympics, and it wasn't no niggas.
SPEAKER_05:You know what I'm saying? What was the what was the girl at that everybody's going crazy over Sting Stingray or something like that?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, here's the funny part about that. And when they went to different countries, there was no brothers in it, man. Different countries, man. You know what I mean? It's funny because we we were probably, you know, the United States is so bugged out. We can have a Chinese playing, you know, in any sport here in the United States and call them a Chinese, you know, call them an American or whatever like that. They ain't no brothers in Australia or nothing like that.
SPEAKER_06:I've seen I think the the new wave out in Japan, you know, like the the Asian brothers are getting afrows now.
SPEAKER_03:It's crazy. Hey, they have a way to kink their hair up.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, they're getting afros now, man. It's wild.
SPEAKER_03:They use them basically like a uh uh uh like it's it's like a uh a lapstock type of needle and thread type of thing, and it kinks their hair up. Yeah, or they crochet in their joint. Yeah, they crochet their things like that.
SPEAKER_06:You know, the the Asian sisters have the braids. K-pop ain't nothing but uh, you know, uh uh what was Belleville DeVoe and all the back in the day.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean? That's all that is, man.
SPEAKER_04:That's wild, man. Yeah, I mean I I mean, I'm not, you know, God knows I ain't gotta, like I always say, man, I had a racist born in my body, man, but I don't even know what European culture is.
SPEAKER_06:Well, let's say, okay, let's this is what it says. It says uh the roots of it, they're saying the shaping the world. I I read fresh.
SPEAKER_04:What did they say for European culture? What is it?
SPEAKER_06:It says uh Western European American culture is the roots of Greco-Roman enlightenment, renaissance, and Christianity. The influence is democracy, capitalism, science, technology, Hollywood, social media, global brands.
SPEAKER_03:That's all us.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Now, these are all the things that we influence, right? So, like, say, I see what you're saying because we influence all of these things that's on this, you know, Western American culture list. Now, for our list, they say our roots.
SPEAKER_04:Just to say, just to say this, man. Everything that's in that patent office, you know, uh, in regards to, you know, we're talking about science, you know, um, inventions, all that other stuff like that, is basically ideas that are stolen from um, you know, Americans and Latinos, man.
SPEAKER_06:So let's do the let's do the compare and contrast. So I'm gonna go over the way.
SPEAKER_04:I'm not saying that they haven't contributed anything, but I'm just saying a lot of the contributed writing laws after they steal stuff.
SPEAKER_06:All right, so let's go, let's go over it again, y'all.
SPEAKER_03:They can write some laws so they can.
SPEAKER_06:So again, so Western Europe, they said the the Greco, the Greco-Roman, Enlightenment, Renaissance, Christianity is the roots. The influence is democracy, capitalism, science, technology, Hollywood, social media, global brands.
SPEAKER_04:They got Hollywood.
SPEAKER_06:Global brands, and English as global lingua franca. Now, that's just the roots that they have here, the influence and roots for Western. Now, if you compare it to what we have here, our roots they say is ancient kingdoms, Mali, Sangali, Um, Egypt, and Ethiopia. The influence is music, jazz, the music, musical influence. Let me slow down. It's jazz, blues, reggae, hip-hop, afro beats, oral traditions, spirituality, art, and the diaspora, African American and Afro-Caribbean influence on global culture, is fashion, activism, and politics. However, if you compare the two, everything that we do influences the first thing. Yeah. So it's like, yeah, so that's we pretty much do. You know, we pretty much do.
SPEAKER_04:And I mean, and it all makes sense, especially because if you look at European culture, I mean, I mean, really, when you talk about European culture, you talk about white people in America. I'm assuming that's what you're saying.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:You know what I mean? If you talk about that, then that's it go hand in hand because we was on the boat when they got here. We were here when they got here, you know what I mean? So it's all go hand in hand. So that's the way it is. But um, yeah, man, that's that's kind of crazy, man.
SPEAKER_06:There's people in the jungle that know things. And then they gave more than it's like.
SPEAKER_04:They gave them Christianity. They gave them Christianity. I mean, we all know if if you don't believe in nothing, at least you know that all, you know, um, the beginning of most most religions start, you know, somewhere in uh Africa, you know what I mean? So I mean, and you know, I'm a Christian, so I believe in the Bible. Whoever else you don't believe in, whatever you're gonna believe in, but I believe in the Bible. I believe that it started in Africa. So I mean, I know we didn't, I know we know it didn't start in America, and it definitely didn't start in Europe. You know what I mean? So that's that they give them Christianity, man. I can't believe that, man.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, man. But I mean, it's it's it's it's wild. So the other stuff, you know, um, I just look at it.
SPEAKER_04:This kind of reminds me of uh Dave Schipellin when they had the uh the racial draft and something like that.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, man. I was like, but everything that doesn't give them that Greco-Roman wrestling.
SPEAKER_03:They got that.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, they can have that one.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but but but if you if you think about it, that that don't that don't look uh look real masculine. I never liked it, man. Two men should be doing that.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I never liked it, man. Yeah, I like you know, just regular fisticuffs. Yeah, so that's so like yeah, hugging on you and all that.
SPEAKER_03:We're not gonna be rumbling on each other. We're gonna rumble.
SPEAKER_05:So then how do y'all feel about MMA?
SPEAKER_04:That's different. I like boxing, man.
SPEAKER_03:That's different.
SPEAKER_05:How soldier?
SPEAKER_03:It's different because because that's the ass the wrestling is an aspect of it. It ain't the whole thing. Yeah, like if you get in a street fight nine times out of ten, you're gonna go to the ground. And you gotta learn, you gotta know what to do when you get down there.
SPEAKER_06:But I would think that you want to wear some Olafs or something like that while you're down there, perhaps some.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but but but Reco-Roman wrestling is I'm gonna hold you down and pin you.
SPEAKER_05:Well, yeah, well, yeah, you yeah, you're right, you're right, you're right.
SPEAKER_04:Listen, I I knew I couldn't do the sport when I saw the uniform, man. They could have if they put us in some overalls or something like that, maybe. Uniform is crazy, man.
SPEAKER_06:Uniform is a little bit.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I never liked the uniform.
SPEAKER_06:At least, at least in wrestling, in wrestling, wrestling, you can be a character, man. You don't have to fight in your jeans and wrestling. Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_04:You got some boy, you got somebody uh taco meat all in your face, man.
SPEAKER_06:I'm not taking away nothing from them brothers and sisters, because they are they're actually athletes, man, but it's the uniform.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, they they they super athletes, super. Definitely athletes, man. I don't know if I never I never had a uh a guy who wrestles grab you. Them some strong people, man. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:My nephew is a wrestler now, and he actually uh made face his freshman year, which was last year. Yeah, his first time, you know what I'm saying, doing his thing. So, you know, hopefully he'd be able to get something out of it, but that was never something that I wanted to do. Oh no. Like I I I ain't gonna say it like that, but I was at the at the time when I was a youngster, I didn't really consider that a real sport. I I want to play real sports, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:John J. High School, they brought us downstairs, and uh they told us that they was gonna wrestle during gym class. I didn't even think about it, brother. I grabbed that basketball, went to work. Grabbed that basketball, went to work, man.
SPEAKER_03:Unless you talk about flying up the top rope like Jimmy Smith, you know what I'm saying? Super fly, I don't know nothing about it.
SPEAKER_04:I thought pretty much, you know, all the ballers, you know, we pretty we gonna be over here. You know what I mean? We we already know we physically fit. We're gonna be over here. Every now and then you want us to climb a rope and do some push-ups or something like that, we'll do that for you. And that would be it, man. Pretty much that, man.
SPEAKER_06:All right, Joe. We're gonna get ready to wrap this one up, man. So in closing, man, uh again, we just wanna give a shout out to all the effort and everything that's all that she called putting because you talk about definitely not.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's the problem with me.
SPEAKER_06:Also, um for for Ghana for calling you know the UN the court on this whole you know reparations thing.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, shout out to shout out to them for, you know, obviously, I bring it, I want to stop the ending here, but yeah, man, you know, we need more African people all all around to you know recognize each other.
SPEAKER_06:Well, it really like you, you know, it shouldn't just be a Ghana thing. You know what I mean? It shouldn't be a Ghana thing, it shouldn't have been you know, more more people actually speak up.
SPEAKER_04:I think we I think we hear in the you know, American people, just American, African American people don't gave up on that altogether. You know what I mean? Yeah, that's just the bottom line with that.
SPEAKER_06:Probably probably, but yeah, I think it more should be put on a world stage like that. You know what I mean? So we're gonna definitely keep our ear to the ground on that one to see how it turned out, you know.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, shout out to uh Ibrahim Torrey showing us the way. Ibrahim Tore.
SPEAKER_04:Ibrahim Tore, man. Yeah, I gotta I gotta dig into him uh a lot more, man. But I I heard a lot of good things from him so far.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I know one thing, man. They thought they was going over there getting some old unintelligent dictator or something like that, man. This brother showed him showed him what it's about, man. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:So man, you better get his get his weight up with that military, man.
SPEAKER_06:Trust me, he wouldn't be speaking like that if he didn't. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04:But but he he he's the one that took the country over with the military. Listen, man, I hear you. I I was a young person when uh Mo Mark die. I know I remember waking up one morning, and you probably could find a YouTube video. And I thought, you know, as a kid, you thinking, wow, we about to go to war or something like that. And I just remember seeing Mo Mark Kadafi talking crazy. He was slamming a uh machete on a podium or something like that, talking crazy. And uh this is during Ronald Reagan time. Uh one or two days later, dad blew up his whole family and everything. You know what I mean? They just missed him. They just missed him, man. This United States is crazy, man. You know what I mean? So tell him to tighten up, make his closest friends closest, man, get them military around him as deep as you can. Pray. Pray, because you're gonna need some prayers, boy. You most certainly will.
SPEAKER_06:Yep. So we're going for another one. So look, guys, I um for the audience, what do you think about historical injustices like the transatlantic slave trade? What form of recognition of reparations that you feel is most meaningful to you? Like symbolic financial, cultural. You know, the brothers saying, like, look, man, give us the 48th thing, y'all can keep the rest of it, we figure it out. So we just want to know what you think with that money, alright? What that said, y'all, the only one mite podcast is available on all major platforms that you stream your podcast on. So you can check us out there whenever you get your podcast from. Also, check out our only one mite podcast YouTube channel to catch up on the past and current episodes. Please don't forget to rate this yellow and subscribe. Shout out to all of the new subscribers, all the conversation on these um topics that we cover. We really appreciate it and hope y'all keep the same energy. Also, check us out on Instagram and X at the only one Mike V1, Facebook and LinkedIn at the only one mic podcast. You can also contact us via email at the only one mic zero zero at gmail.com or call us at 302-367-7219 to have your comments and questions played on the show. We thank you once again for your time and encourage you please to speak the truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, because they too have their story to tell. So until next time, please keep in mind most of our heroes don't appear on no stamps. Peace.
SPEAKER_03:Peace, peace, peace, peace, peace.