Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
This is what the world needs now: two free-thinking “seasoned” Black women speaking their truth and inspiring others to do the same. Shaped by 45 years of friendship that began at the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School through the Ivy League, medical school, marriages, divorces, triumphs, parenting queer children, life-threatening illness and many many amazing adventures. Each week, besties Leslie Osei-Tutu and Angella Fraser will push against boundaries in love, culture, careers, faith, politics and out-dated assumptions about women of a certain age. Remember, you’re never too old to change your mind…or your hair! (but more on that later :-)All views are our own and do not reflect the views of our institution/company. Information provided is not intended to serve as medical advice.
Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
Stereotypes & Prejudices from a Single Story
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What forms your assumptions about a group of people, a culture, a place? The popular (33M views) TED talk by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stirs The Besties to share their perspectives on how stereotypes and prejudices are formed when a single, often negative, story becomes the dominant narrative. Enjoy another spirited episode, where their opinions don’t always align, but their respect and love shine through.
The Danger of a Single Story - TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Hey Les. Hey Ant. How you doing? No, you're supposed to say, how are you?
SPEAKER_01How are you? You see how she tries to boss my life? How are you?
SPEAKER_03I'm doing good. I always say I'm doing well because that's the grammatical way to say it, but I'm gonna say I'm doing good. I'm doing good. Okay. Very good. You look good. That doesn't even sound right. I take that back. I'm feeling well. Because I'm doing good is not grammatically correct. Here I go. Here I go, here I go.
SPEAKER_01There you go, there you go. What is it? There I go. Pretty baby, you are the soul who saps my control. Such a funny thing, but every time I'm near you, I never can behave. Okay, that's it. You get me a smile, and then I'm wrapped up in your magic.
SPEAKER_03Alright, that was the singing portion of this episode. What episode is this? Hi, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn. Brooklyn! You know, let uh Angela and I just have to do our uh silliness to begin because we're happy to be here and happy to be broadcasting again.
SPEAKER_01Yes, broadcasting again. That sounds so like official informal, yeah. But I guess we're at the end of season two.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Actually, it's what this is an extra episode that we put in because maybe we we knew that we wanted to end the season with just the two of us. And and like you said before, um give the people what they want, give the people what they want, give it, give it to the people. Um, yeah, so we are happy to bring you just the two of us for our final episode of season two. Um, we decided that season three, ooh, is gonna be so juicy.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So juicy. We're gonna go there in season three.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, go there. Season three, we're gonna devote to controversial subjects and topics.
SPEAKER_01Controversial, a little taboo, a little risque, maybe. We're gonna rip the band-aid off.
SPEAKER_00We're gonna rip the band-aid off. We are gonna rip the band-aid off. We may actually have to put it in um in the fans only section because you never know how deep we're gonna go.
SPEAKER_01But that is our plan for season three, and so um, yeah. So, Les, what have you been up to?
SPEAKER_03Well, funny you should ask. Yes. No, I'm happy that the month is almost over. We're recording this episode in April. And as you all know, that April is organ donor month. So, me being an organ donor, I've been doing quite a bit of press about my donation. So I just finished a really um insightful webinar with the New Jersey um legislative black caucus. And um they have a series of webinars, and this was the final one for this um for the month about organ donation and um equity and diversity in donation. So um I, along with um a few of the organizations that I belong to, we sponsored um with sharing network also. So we sponsored this excuse me, this webinar, and um it went really well. So that we did, and then Omari and I were featured on our a network news station. Yay, that was so awesome. You know, the funny thing about it, so the the um cameraman and reporter came to the house, and one of the things that I love, in addition to just sharing information about organ donation in general, is that me being an outgoing uh kind of a type A personality. No, I'm dragging, I'm dragging poor Omari along with me to these. Who is not that kind of personality, you know? So he is getting more used to speaking on camera and speaking in public, and I like that part because he's showing himself that he's able to do it, right? And he seems so cool and so chill, yeah, but he tells me that he says, Mom, the only way you could tell is that I start sweating. So when he starts mopping his brow, so I saw it there when he was on camera, and then um our township actually issued a proclamation to us. So that was another opportunity where Omari and I were supposed to go up to their uh the town council meeting and receive this proclamation. It turns out that I got caught up at work and couldn't get out of the OR. So Omari had to do this by himself. And ahead of time, I convinced him to attend with me by telling him, don't worry, you won't have to say anything. I'll do all the talking. When it turns out that I wasn't gonna be able to attend, I'm frantically texting him. Prepare something to say. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_01He did great. He really, really did great. Yeah. It was so funny because um I love that they played the video. Yes, that um your your um company did. And so people were referring to him by name, like yeah, like Omari said, and like Omari.
SPEAKER_00And and he just it just it was like effortless for him. It was so it was so he he came on, he's like, Well, you know, I'm not a man of many words, but oh my gosh. I was so tickled watching that. Yeah, that was really awesome.
SPEAKER_03So, yeah, so being that the month is over, it's it's kind of cool. I can get to relax and um, you know, slide into the spring, which is my favorite time of year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I'm happy that we are going into May with a little um a lot of openings in our calendar to plan our trip, our getaway, because my um last uh play of the season is over on Sunday the 30th, and it's been amazing. So, you know, I've been working on the color purple at North Carolina Theater with some amazing performers, and that has been just really tremendous. And um, it closes on April 30th, so that is the last of four performances that I've been working on doing um wig design and um wig styling, and um yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I know that the uh crowd has really been receiving you guys really well, so sold-out shows, sold-out shows, and so and you've been doing your thing with the wig designing lady.
SPEAKER_01It's so you guys should see what goes on um backstage, it's so funny and you've also done a little bit of set designing too. Well, um, I don't know, I don't know if I would call it that. I just had a moment where um uh Seely is actually scratching Suge's um scalp, right? She's she she just helped her to bathe, and she's um there was just this tender moment. And um, I asked the director if we could have the actor not be in a wig for that, because you know how I feel about that um intimacy that we have as as black folks um around grooming and um scratching our scalp and greasing our scalp and so on. And I asked him if um we could please do that without a wig on, because I just thought it would be inauthentic for her to have a wig on and kind of pretend. And he said, Well, let's give it a try. And he liked it and it's in the show. And every time I I look at it, it's so touching to me because it just speaks um the truth about how we connect. Because that it was really around that moment that um Shook started to see Seely as someone who was beautiful and the salt of the earth and really connected with her, which is something that I um I believe happens around some of our our hair rituals. And so, yeah, so that was great. So, not set design, but no, no, no, no. I wasn't actually speaking about it. What were you talking about?
SPEAKER_03I was speaking when you said when you saw a piece of fabric that was on the set, and you said, wait a minute, that fabric is a little too modern for the setting, and you actually went and procured a more appropriate fabric. I was referring to that.
SPEAKER_01Oh I'd forgotten about that. I'd forgotten about well, so sometimes I just can't let things go. And so um, so yeah, so there was something that I I I just thought it wasn't appropriate for the the the the the timing, and you know, it was just kind of manufactured this commercial looking um African print. Yeah. And so I did. I I told mentioned in one of our production meetings that I didn't think that um that would really resonate well with our audience. Um, and so I went and got some fabric from a friend of mine who owns a um, she's from Tanzania, and she owns a um a um clothing and accessories shop that was close to the theater. And I went by there and um I'm like, look, I don't have a lot of money. I just need it for the and she actually donated this fabric. Well, it's on loan, it's on loan to the theater, and so I went to pick it up. And as always, whenever I go there, I have to buy something. So I bought a fabulous dress that I wore for opening night. Um, so it worked out really beautifully.
SPEAKER_03Is that the shop where you used to sell your hats?
SPEAKER_01No, no, it's not. Um this one is called Nashona, and um, she has two locations in North Carolina. But look her up, N-A-S-H-O-N-A. Her name is Lillian. She has beautiful fabrics. They're um to me, they're uncommon. They're not kind of the sometimes if you're really into Anchara fabrics, they they start to look the same. It's the same print that's kind of distributed um in different locations, but her um fabrics are from Tanzania, and so they they do look very different to me. And so um I I love I love her her stuff, and whenever I go, I can't help but buy anything. So anyway, um, so yeah, so that was great. So we're going into May with a little breathing room. I'm working on my coaching program, and um and we have a big trip coming up.
SPEAKER_03I know we keep talking about it, but it's still unplanned. So it's happening. We're gonna work on it. It's happening.
SPEAKER_01Okay, it's happening. And I have to give a shout out to my um son Isaiah, he's turning 21 in May. I can't even believe it. My washbelly, that's what Jamaicans say for their last child, washbelly. So Isaiah's turning 21, and um going to um to the West Coast for an internship, and uh going into the senior year of college, and so that's kind of hitting me. Oof. That's hitting me like wow. It's hitting his siblings too, like they can't believe it. Yeah. Um, so anyway, that's what's up. Yeah. So I brought something to you to talk about today, and um thank you for saying yes. Yeah. Um, and it is a TED talk um by you know, I said to myself when I wrote this morning, I did my morning writing. You already did your morning writing already? You woke up early. I was. My dog woke me up, yeah. And I didn't have enough time to go back to sleep in between. So um I want to make sure I say her name properly. So let me say her name properly. Can you go, go, go?
SPEAKER_03It's Chemamanda Ngozi Aditie.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
SPEAKER_03She's a Nigerian author. But as most or all authors are, she's more of a storyteller.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I see her as a storyteller than an author. She's a professor, a writing instructor. But what's interesting about um Ms. Adicier is that she speaks in a way that's so relatable. And I'm glad that you picked up this TED talk of hers. It's not a new one, um, it's pretty common. I looked it up and it's had about 35 million views.
SPEAKER_01Million views.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah. Um, and she did this talk 15 years ago about the danger of a single story. And you all, um, it'll be in our episode notes, so you can listen to it. It's not very long, less than 20 minutes. But um what made me think about when you pointed this out to me as a topic for this episode is that Ange, over the years, you and I have talked about the dangers of a single story without giving it that title. Yeah, but it's something that we talk about all the time.
SPEAKER_00It is.
SPEAKER_03So listening to this and then just thinking about the way that we speak in some of the conversations that we've had, um, I think it's gonna be um bring up a good conversation.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I do too. A lot of things. I um for several reasons, when I listened to it many years ago, it um resonated for me. Um, just for those of you who have not are not of the 35 million people who have seen it, um, just in summary, what she talks about is um is that when you have a single um narrative of a group of people, uh a place, um, a point of view, even, that it can be very dangerous because you are just thinking of people either uh most of the time when it's a single story, it's a negative story, um, not all the time. Um, she also talks about the fact that the stories are told, these single stories are told by whatever group is in power. And so they have the power to define how um millions and millions of people see a group of people, right? And we'll give you some examples as as we talk about this. And so she um she just kind of points out some, I think, really insightful um uh things that I I think all of you will remember for for years to come about how we see others. Um, you know, some of these stories are about how we see, you know, quote unquote Africans, right? Um the dark continent, the the the um, you know, we we think of corruption and starvation.
SPEAKER_03Or I I know the dark continent is a um is something that has Africa's been referred to, but so many people think of Africa as a country.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that too. She brings that too. But you know, so so to have these stories told and restole retold um by whatever group is in power, they start to define these um people. Um, and um so so that's what the talk is about. And um one of the reasons that it really resonated for me, well, there's several reasons, right? One one is um she talked about being from a middle-class Nigerian family. Her father was a professor, her mother was an administrator, and as is typical in that country, you have um helpers, right? Same in Jamaica, when you you know, we had helpers. Um, and people in Jamaica call them maids and so on, but we weren't really we were not allowed to use that language in in my home. They were they were helpers. And so uh she talked about a um houseboy is what um the the term that's used, that she only knew his single story of being poor. That was the story she knew of him, and she couldn't think of him in any other way. And when she um uh they visited his village and she saw what his family was like and what they were doing and so on, it showed her that she had had this single story about people who were um of different uh social class than she was. This single story about who they were, that that it was defined by their poverty and not by their um their their their the craft that they work effort. Exactly, or that they uh had fun, that they um didn't all want to run into the city, or all all the things like that, um that uh so it's not a it's not a kind of um uh you know there are aspects of this that are black and white. Um You mean black and white as in racial? Black and white as in racial because when I talk about the group that is in power it um defines the story, um for the most part across the globe, it's white folks who have the power to of uh to define the story, right? Um because she talks about you know when the story starts, if you start the story of what happened in um uh on on in America, if you start the story with arrows and you don't start the story with um the invasion of the native people and them being um murdered and so on, if you don't start the story there and colonize, if you don't start the story there, if you start the story with them shooting arrows, you get a very different impression of what truth is, right? Um so the group that starts the story is the group that um has the power because they can propagate that story. Oh, these these um barbarians were shooting at us, so we had to blah blah blah, versus we came in and um infected, brought disease and and so on. It's you get a very different story of um of this. So so in that regard, it is um kind of a a dominant um story, a a dominant issue, but when she talks about Fide, who was um the houseboy, um and even when she talked about her going to Mexico and And having this impression, because she had lived in America for a while, of Mexicans being these people who only want to come to America, they want to take our jobs, and having that impression of Mexico and Mexicans, and then going there and having a completely different, but she went there with this point of view about them. And the same thing happened to me, maybe not as drastic as that, but when I went to Mexico for four months to work when I was at JP Morgan, you know, to see these um, I I I I worked and lived in Mexico City. And it was this amazingly beautiful, art-filled, family-focused, um technology-rich. And that's something that we never hear.
SPEAKER_03And this was 20 years ago, you when you were there. Yeah. Or more. Yeah. But it's we never hear about those parts of Mexico.
SPEAKER_01Exactly.
SPEAKER_03Um, exactly. Or what what people call third world um nations.
SPEAKER_01Right, right, right. So, so so anyway, I I just thought that um it was a perspective that was worth talking about and sharing with our audience so they can kind of investigate what perceptions, because stereotypes are not untrue, right?
SPEAKER_03And that's what I was going to add. I was going to say that some of the harm in the single, what with what she actually, uh DTA is referring to as the single story, is that it creates a stereotype that while true, it's an incomplete picture of a people, of a story, of events and things like that. And then we need to step back and think about what harm may be done by seeing a group of people or an issue in just a singular way. Yeah. We are looking at a single close-up view of something that is multi-layered, multifaceted. Um and then you do yourself some harm by not having a complete story.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03What I would like to talk about a little bit, and this is something that you've spoken about, and this is an area of expertise for you, is diversity, because we are talking about diversity and seeing issues and people in diverse ways and not single ways, but diversity in the workplace. And I know when you were at your company for many, many years, you worked in that space, and you one of your missions was to point out the benefits of a diverse workforce versus a single workforce. And in your case, it wasn't necessarily a white um workforce in diversity. Very often it's dominated by um Southeast Asians um in a lot of the technological spaces. So you want to mention, talk about that a little bit?
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, I I think one of the um positions that I was able to bring to um some senior folks that actually heard me was um you know, it's it it comes back to the single story. I just didn't um frame it like that at the time. Um but in thinking that um uh that it's just about numbers, right? You can um you're you're just counting how many of this type of people you have, how many black folks, how many Southeast Asian folks, how many women, you know, how many white males, um, and and doing the count and thinking that you are hitting your diversity um uh markers by the numbers. Um but also you know, the inclusion part came in is in what way you're making these people feel like they belong, right? That this this space sees them, right? And then the other part of that is in what ways do you see them, right? And one example that um I brought up is um this was they had um a program at Cisco at the at the time where they they had uh reverse mentoring, it's called. And so what is that? They had like middle middle level managers um um mentor executives uh around diversity. Right. And so the idea was that it was the person who was in these uh diverse groups who had the expertise and brought though that expertise to um executives at the company. And um one of the things, and so I was I was um mentoring at the time, he's he's long gone, but um he was the head of global sales. And one of the things that I brought to him was that you can't just say, okay, these are black folks, and so um, like me, um I'm a Jamaican, right? I've I've um spent a lot of time in America, sure, but I know that it in some circles there is tension between um Caribbean folks and um African Americans. And so I'm like, you can't just assume that, oh, Angela's black or this person is black, I'm gonna send them into um to to Atlanta and work on accounts there just because they're black. You have to get to know people more deeply than just what they look like on the outside. It's not a big thing. How did you receive that? Um, he was blown away, is is what happened. And um it became something that he talked about in one of the um big global meetings that um were held in sales. Yeah, because you know, sometimes, and let me just say this here's an aside, one of Angelus' asides, and I'll come back. Is that sometimes you are put into situations where you are the expert and you have to step into that, you have to own that role that you have. Um and I I I hate to use this term because uh, but you have to lean in to that position that you have and fully embrace that and not think about because there are times, oh, this guy is you know 50 million levels above me. I have to be careful. Then I'm like, no, I'm mentoring him. And so there are hard truths that I'm responsible for sharing with him because it is my role in this relationship that we have in this program, it's my responsibility. And to hold back would be doing a disservice.
SPEAKER_03That's what I was thinking. Yeah. You might have some fear or some trepidation or some self-doubt of your ability to do this. But what I often think is if I leave this encounter and not step into it, then one, I'll not have done my job.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And two, the other person will not have benefited from the knowledge or the expertise that I bring to the table.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Exactly.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. So it's a missed opportunity. It's a missed opportunity. And then to take it to another level, I believe that our talents are God-given.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And I believe that they're obligatory.
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_03So I don't want to disappoint the God that I believe in. Yeah, if he's given me an ability.
SPEAKER_01Not only the ability, Les, he gave you the ability and he put you in that room. He put you in that place. He placed you there to show up. So when we talk about boldness and it's not about jumping out of airplanes, it's not about you know leaving your job or things like that necessarily. We're talking about things like this. Like you have some God-given gifts that you are responsible for sharing with the world.
SPEAKER_03And you know, it's funny, the way that I look at my work, I believe that I was only supposed to be an anesthesiologist. I was not supposed to be an internist or a pediatrician or any of those things. Um, and how do I know? I encounter on a regular basis how many patients actually can tell you that it is their it was their anesthesiologist that made their operative experience notable or special.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Pew. You know, I can count many instances where people are appropriately nervous. And um, you know, I look them in the eye and let them know I'm here for you. I'm I promise you I'm gonna take care of you to the best of my ability. Right. Well, I tell them that if I wasn't here, I could be taking a nap, I could be eating lunch, and I tell them that. I say, I'm here for you. Right. So I'm gonna, I promise you, I'm gonna take care of you.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And you know, when you look someone in the eye like that and give them your word, because a lot of most of the time people are more afraid of the anesthesia because they feel that when you take away their ability to control the circumstance, you don't Lord knows what's gonna happen. Right. And I do assure them. So I'm just saying that I bring something to my work that's different because I believe that you know, I was gifted this ability, yeah, and it's my obligation to, you know, I tell um mothers that come in with their children that child is my child while I'm in the operating room. And when I get them to the recovery room, I will hand them back to you. Wow. You know, and I often tell people of my experience being a mother of a child who has been ill and had health challenges. So that gives them another piece of assurance that they've handed off their loved one to me, right, and they're in good hands.
SPEAKER_01So, folks, that's an example of bringing your gifts, sharing your gifts. Um because Leslie, I don't think I've ever, ever, not that I've had a lot of opportunities to be um in the company of an anesthesiologist other than you, um, but I know that I have never encountered an anesthesiologist where I knew I I barely heard them speak their name. It's true.
SPEAKER_03When I don't know my kidney, I told you I actually wrote to the uh chair of the department. It was an awful experience. I didn't go in letting them know that I was an anesthesiologist. And the anesthesiologist that came in to me, he was horrible. He said about two sentences to me. He said to me, You're gonna go to sleep and you're gonna wake up. Wow. Like I was a third grader. And I'm like thinking, what the is this? You know, I did only right before I started um going to sleep in the operating room minutes later, right? Did one of the surgeons let them know that I was an anesthesiologist? And I remember hearing him say, like, oh, I didn't know she's an anesthesiologist. But it was an awful, I mean, relatively speaking, it was from what I've heard, the typical experience, you know. Yeah. What is that? Right. How many people donate a kidney? How many people go to the operating room? That's not a typical thing. That's not like going to the bank.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, other I wouldn't otherwise know what's gonna happen. And what if I went in there fearful? I was, I mean, you know, because I'm a patient now. Right, right. So I'm just saying that I want to bring a diversity of experience to the anesthetic community. Exactly. It's not that single story that we put you to sleep and wake you up. There's a whole lot of things uh sauce that goes in there. Exactly. But here's here's something that I just want to uh circle back that I was thinking while while I was listening to that talk is that um Mr. DCA mentioned that people are vulnerable to the single story narrative, especially children.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And I don't necessarily agree that it's specific to children. I mean, I think about the news reports every night. I don't watch the evening news, I don't watch local news for that reason, because in my mind they offer a single narrative of different events, of crime, of who the criminals are, poverty, social situations. There's so many things that in our media we are fed constantly with such a narrow single view of circumstances that um it really takes a sophisticated listener to discern and understand that um of what's really happening, that we're not getting the full picture. You know, I think about my mom listening to the the stories that she hears and and likes to listen to on television. And I said, you know, mom, I just want to let you know that you're not getting the full picture, that a lot of the anxiety that you're feeling and the emotions that you're getting, it's intentional.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And that if just allow yourself to think of a more fuller picture of um who young black men are, are they criminals? You know, very often because she lives in Brooklyn still, um, she says that as an elderly person, she's often afraid to go out of her home. And I'm thinking that um I know it comes from a lot of the images that you hear, but Brooklyn is not a place, it's still a residential borough.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03And I don't believe that you need to be fearful to leave your home.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, but of course, if that's the only story that you hear, I put on um 15 minutes of the local news, and the first 15 minutes are eight different stories of crime and hardship and this and that. It's so depressing. I say, I tell mom that um for me personally, I need to guard my mental health.
SPEAKER_05Right, right.
SPEAKER_03And one of the ways that I do that is by not looking at things like this, you know?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um I totally get that. Um, I'm gonna do a yes and on that, um, on that idea though, of um not consuming the news or things like that for that reason, right? It's i I agree and I do feel an obligation sometimes to listen because I want to be in a in a position to challenge what is being said. And if I don't know what is being said, then I can't challenge it, right? So like I um because I've been so busy, I haven't been able been able to consume a lot of the news. And I feel like I'm at a disadvantage because and even with this podcast, I'm like, there are um some uh injustices that have been going on, and I don't feel knowledgeable enough to talk about them because I haven't been listening to the news. And you know that type of stuff bothers me, right? And you want to be that crusade and I well I wanna I wanna be because I'm in spaces again, like we're talking about, I'm in spaces where I have opportunities to talk about this and to share my opinions and share my perspectives and maybe change people's minds. And when I don't know, or when I don't bring it up, then it's not brought up, right? And and that's a part of I think um what I'm here to do and why I have the diverse friend groups that I have is to be able to bring certain points of view, certain um uh to to shape in a way my friends' opinions about what they're hearing in the news.
SPEAKER_03So you need that exposure.
SPEAKER_01So I need that exposure to say you might have heard that, but if you widen the view, here's what else was going on, or here's why, you know, here's how I am gonna help you to change the single story because here's what else happened, you know, um, that that you might not have been exposed to. And so, but the other thing I'll say is that um even with that sense of responsibility that I have, I do need to guard my mental health because that's just what I was gonna say.
SPEAKER_03Very often I need to back down from that for that reason. Yeah, you know how I remember uh I know in church our pastor would say, you always have to mind your ear gate. Um be careful what you allow into your head, into your spirit. Um, because I can be a very sensitive person, um, some things stay with me and it's hard for me to forget or let go of it, or sometimes I feel I'm too empathetic.
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_03Um, and for that reason, I don't want certain things in my head. You know, so I'll leave the room or you know, close the door, or I don't want to listen to stories about other people's pain sometimes.
SPEAKER_02Right, right, you know, because Lord knows I have enough of my own. I have enough of my own.
SPEAKER_03You know, so it takes a lot of uh strength to be able to be a crusader in that regard sometime. Yeah, you know, and sometimes I just step back and I'm like, Ange got this, Ange got this. Go ahead, sister girl.
SPEAKER_01That's what you do, okay. Yeah, that's all right. That's okay. You go do your thing. I got this over here, but um, but yeah, we're gonna uh wrap up. Um already, it's time anyway. Les listen, let me just tell you, I know we've been really busy, but you um are such an important person, part, um necessity in my life.
SPEAKER_03Oh boy.
SPEAKER_01Listen, I haven't done this in a while, but it's just hitting me now that um you're so important to me, to so many people, but I care about me right now. You're so important to me, and I'm so happy to be doing this with you. I um it brings so much joy, and you know, we talk about going away together, and that's gonna be amazing. But just this this time together where we are um being of service, that is what that is what the podcast adds to our conversations, right? Because we talk about this all the time, folks. This is not new to us. This type of conversation is typical. It's true. Typical at midnight sometimes. Trust, trust, okay. But what is what makes it even more special is that we are being of service to others through this, and doing this with you is uh one of the joys of my life. So I just want to say that out loud. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I started to get a little misty, but oh boy.
SPEAKER_05Mm-mm-mm.
SPEAKER_03You know? Mm-mm-mm. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right. So let's bring it in for a landing.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Thank you for listening to another episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn.
unknownBrooklyn.
SPEAKER_01See you next time in the episode. Um episode in season three. Love you guys. Bye.
