Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
Live: The Day After 2024 US Presidential Election
What happens when your country’s political decision leaves you feeling anxious and uncertain? In this episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn Angella and Leslie recount personal feelings of navigating the emotional aftermath of the 2024 US presidential election. Angella describes how she found solace in the power of community, connecting with like-minded women through a chat group, highlighting the importance of vulnerability and honesty in maintaining supportive networks.
Leslie shared that her voting strategy integrated consideration of the welfare of vulnerable populations, revealing how personal needs and preferences do not have to be divorced from what she believed to be her civic responsibility. During this particular time of stress The Besties discuss the transformative healing power of stepping out of comfort zones-to discover how small moments of joy and connection can be a lifeline amidst times and feelings of chaos.
Angella’s son Isaiah's insights on basketball serve as a metaphor for this being an opportunity for readiness and resilience, reminding us of the delicate balance between action and reflection. This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Get Angie’s eBook: We’re Too Old for This Shit! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy
Visit Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn website for behind-the-scenes extras.
Hey folks, angela here. This next episode is taken from a YouTube live that Leslie and I did the morning after the 2024 election in the United States. We did it because we wanted to create space for ourselves, for each other and for our listeners, currently and in the future, to process some of the ways that we were feeling, the fears and perhaps some actions that we were preparing to take as a result of what America decided. We thought it was important to archive this in our podcast, and so that is what this episode is all about. We'd love to hear from you. Thank you.
Speaker 1:One of the first things I did today, after checking in with my family and we have this amazing group of women that were on like a ongoing chat with people who we've known for decades and decades One of them reached out and you know, not doing well, need you guys and we started just admitting being vulnerable about how we were feeling, and I spoke to my youngest son and he gave me a perspective which I'll share with you guys in a minute. Then I got on a live that Stephanie Perry and Rashida Dow were doing on Exodus Summit and, again, just being in a community of like-minded women. These were Black women who were feeling the feels, and I realized that Stephanie and Rashida made space for us, and I felt like Leslie and I should make space, too, for you all, and that's the reason right. We have committed in our podcast and then our YouTube channel, which is an extension of our podcast. We committed to showing up, being authentic, doing hard things.
Speaker 2:Sometimes being vulnerable, but always being candid and honest All the things, all the things, and we agreed to do that.
Speaker 1:And so, after experiencing this community, both in our chat and with Exodus Summit, I felt like, okay, we are feeling the feelings, feeling some fear, feeling some, you know, other emotions, a little anger and a little WTF and we thought that we made a commitment. We made a commitment to show up, and so, and here we are. So for you guys joining us either now or in the future, please leave some comments. We are going to be talking about how we feel about the election and the things that have transpired today, and just just in general. Again, we have stuff that is on our minds, but we're really interested in creating a community space here for you all to share what's on our minds in relation to that. So go ahead, les.
Speaker 2:So I got to tell you. I went to bed last night, I looked at the election results as they were coming in last night and I really felt like anxiety was welling up. Obviously I supported Vice President Harris and one thing that well, it was a little bit too anxiety provoking for me to look at the results. So I turned off the television and turned off any feeds and I said you know, we can deal with this in the morning, you know. But I did wake up early in the morning to look at what the election results were and I got to say that before I did look at it I prayed this morning, not necessarily for a particular outcome, but that his will be done and that we all find a way to be okay with his will. So often I'm not and I got to catch up.
Speaker 2:So when I found out, I wasn't angry, felt before and I really feel this that I am blessed enough to say that I have a bit of flexibility and I have a little bit of resilience in terms of some of the political changes that go on, just by virtue of my current position in life.
Speaker 2:I vote for the masses and I put my vote in for people that are a lot more vulnerable than I am. I put my vote in for people who enjoy less resilience and may be more dependent on the government or may not have the benefit of being of the flexibility with changes that I enjoy, and those are the people that I really grieve and feel for people who are dependent, let's say, on government assistance or on social programs, or who are more impacted by minimum wages and who can't withstand inflation fluctuations and things like that, or people who can't get the heck out of the country if they feel that that's what they need to do. You know, we enjoy a little bit more flexibility than other people, and those are the people who I put my vote in for, and those are the people that I really feel for. So I feel, I feel I don't know. I've been processing this all day because for some reason, I didn't even anticipate a different result. I didn't consider it Right, right.
Speaker 1:So you know, by you saying that. So the idea of, yeah, everybody wants to pay lower taxes, or everybody wants to, nobody wants to, you know, to pay into the social net, it sounds like that's not the case with you. It's not a given.
Speaker 2:It's never been the case for me personally. I don't think it's ever been a case for me, and I wasn't always in the position that I enjoy or I'm in today, but I've always had this more what I call altruistic mindset, that I am just one of many and I really think more about other people than I think about myself as an individual. Right, right, yeah, so if I have to pay more taxes to help people who do not pay more taxes, that's OK. You know, that's.
Speaker 1:OK that people do not pay taxes. Everyone pays taxes. People who have financial means don't like paying into the social net that we have in this country that everybody is trying to. It tries to avoid paying their share of taxes. Right, that that is something to aspire to. That's never been true with us.
Speaker 2:But not only is it not true with us, and I really don't think that that's a pervasive mindset among people with money. I don't think that everybody is trying to take advantage of tax shelters Not everybody, Not everybody. Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1:I think not everybody. Yeah, go ahead. I think most. I think most, most companies, most very rich people are looking for him is because he's been so slick in his businesses to avoid paying taxes.
Speaker 2:So it's like this gaming of the system and I just kind of want to point that out that the very often, people who are able to enjoy the benefit of tax shelters and paying less money than we do and what have you? They are working within a law and a legal system that has been constructed and is in place, so they're not illegally evading taxes. No, but it's two different things. What?
Speaker 1:do you mean? Well, what I mean is that something can be legal but immoral. Something can be legal but immoral, that's true, and so the fact that they can do it and they're not breaking the law, it doesn't mean that not paying your fair share is okay.
Speaker 2:Well, and I think that we can debate about what's fair, but that's not really why we came here to talk about, like, the tax structure and whether or not it's fair and what have you. I think it would be go ahead. What do you think? What do you say?
Speaker 1:Well, how do you know I was thinking something? Well, the reason why we kind of went on that tangent is the idea that you know, I got mine. I'm not worrying about who don't have theirs right, I'm good. Whoever's not good, that's on them.
Speaker 2:They got to figure it out for themselves and I think that's what we collectively push back on, because the people who don't have theirs is it really on them Right? Or who is it on Right? You know, and sometimes it requires that we look down one layer deep to see. You know, it's not these. You know, lazy, oh, you chose not to. Whatever you know, there are systems in place to keep the status quo.
Speaker 1:Exactly and and honestly. The government supports all of us. You know you may think that it's just a okay, it's just kind of welfare recipients. The government supports homeowners because you get a tax credit.
Speaker 2:Exactly, people don't realize. Yes, they support businesses because you get a tax credit. Exactly, people don't realize. Yes, they support businesses because you get a tax break when you have to set aside moderate income, or what do they call it? Market rate prices for lower income for your new high-rise apartment building. That's because you're getting a tax break. You're getting a government handout because you're getting a tax break. You're getting, you're getting a government handout.
Speaker 1:You're getting a handout, a handout, and yeah right, yeah right, so, um. So let me tell you what happened when, um, when I made up my mind to go outside and get in the sun today, because I was like, okay, I'm not going to, it's easy to just stay inside. But as someone.
Speaker 2:It is it seems good to just stay in the bed and curl up and stuff. I was just like, oh, I wanted to stay quiet.
Speaker 1:So I reminded myself that I moved to this more urban area in order to be in community with other people. I moved out of the suburbs for a reason, and so I got my big girl panties on and I got dressed and I went out and you know there's a coffee shop shout out to Coco Cinnamon close to me. So I went there and as I approached, so I went there and as I approached, I recognized someone who I love dearly because her hair is really it's it's. She has iconic hair. Ok, it's, it's this afro, licious, white, gray hair that she almost always wears out, or if it's braided, it's, it's with gray hair. So anyway, so I kind of knew it was her.
Speaker 1:A smile came on my face. She was with a group of women just sitting around holding circle because that's just what she does Shout out to Omishade Birdie Scott, beautiful human being. So as I walked in, our eyes caught, you know, saw each other and I waved and, but she was in the middle of saying something. So I just kind of kept moving and and went and to order my coffee and I was getting my money out and she walked over to me and just hugged me. She just held me and I felt like and I told her this after I felt like you know how the Bible talks about Jesus leaving the 99 to go and find that one? That's what I felt like, Like she left.
Speaker 2:That's some analogy, yeah.
Speaker 1:She left this group of people that she was holding court with to come and embrace me. That's some love, yeah, we need to pour into them. So, you know, I just checked in our her babies. She, she, has two sons and they are well, what is in his 30s? But the younger one is not a baby, he's a teenager, you know. I asked her how her babies are doing and she invited me to join the group. I'm going to stop the story there because, again, this is not something that I expected, right, but you make a move towards the joy, you make a move towards it and you don't know what's there.
Speaker 2:She might have not been there. I'm not there yet, right, I'm not at the point where I can make a move toward the joy. I'm still in the spin a little bit.
Speaker 1:Okay, which is fair, right, and I'm not out of the spin, it's just. But let me tell you what happened. That made me shift my perspective a little bit. So, isaiah, isaiah called me this morning, right, so he's on the East Coast. I didn't think he was up that early, but of course he's in construction, he's. So he's on the West Coast. Okay, mom, West Coast, rather Just checking in.
Speaker 1:You know, I know, I know it's kind of you know. So we're talking. You know he's a really political guy and he's into basketball, used to play basketball, he's into basketball. Used to play basketball, he's into basketball. He said and this is a word right here from a 22-year-old to all of you and to these two 60-something-year-olds he said you know, there's something about being on defense, right, when you're in and I'm paraphrasing here, but this was the message when you're on defense, you're in a position to watch, you're in a position to strategize about your next move, you're in a position to really be in action mode. When you're on defense, when you're on offense and you get a win, you kind of loosen up a little bit. You're kind of like in your. I can see that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what I'm saying yeah, and you're in a position to take action, and that was like the bigger part of of the takeaway for me is I'm in a position to take action, and so my decision to go out was a part of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that, instead of just sitting and kind of curling into yourself and the woe was me, yeah, you know, and but I also think that there's time for that. You know there's some time for reflection and you know there was so much press and emails and media coming through that I decided not to look at it. Yeah, because people are really in that what Isaiah was saying, and that I decided not to look at it because people are really in that what Isaiah was saying, in that I'm in defense now. So what are we going to do now? It's time for strategy. I'm not there yet, but I understand that.
Speaker 1:I understand that, yes, and situation right, I'm not there. I took, I took some deliberate action. I took some deliberate action. I ate.
Speaker 2:And I did it. Hey, my action was I ate and all else fails. Open the refrigerator, and I've eaten chocolate too.
Speaker 1:You've eaten chocolate, yeah, well, fortunately I had a couple bags of plantain chips, so I made a bowl of that. I ate that. I've really not eaten anything other than coffee and plantain chips today, which is so sad, but it's almost like you know me, we do the opposite. You go towards food because food is something that is a part of like, something that you enjoy. I'm not talking about the eating of it, necessarily. You enjoy. Food is community for you, right? You love to cook, you love to kind of make people happy through food. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's just not something that I think about a lot, yeah, and I guess what I'm saying is that it's not an all or nothing. I'm not like in this joy place now, and you know the world. I have not other than this I have not gone on to YouTube, I have not turned on the TV, I've not turned on the radio, not even in the car. I haven't engaged in anything that is going on outside, except the text messages that have come through. I haven't, and there's a lot coming through.
Speaker 2:I kind of had to put the phone down and stuff. Yeah, but there is a time for engagement, there is a time, and there is a time that we will have to decide on how we're going to engage and what the next move is going to be. Right, right, you know, I think there needs to be a next move, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know what I did before I left. I grabbed my, my statement, my social security statement, because for months and months and months, literal security blanket, literal security blanket. For months and months and months and months, I'm like, okay, I'll be okay, listen, that is a part of my exit strategy. So I'm like today, today is the day I'm going to take that action. I'm moving towards, I'm moving towards my move abroad, right, and so I need to do that. And so I was determined, so I shoved it in my, in my, my, my notebook.
Speaker 2:You can look at it and like my to-do list, oh.
Speaker 1:I, not only I, not only looked at it, I actually applied today. This is a part of like listen, action is the antidote for anxiety. It really is. For me, eating is Well, that's action.
Speaker 2:Action and eating. All right, I should stop joking, but I'm feeling a little better just laughing about it, because I wasn't laughing earlier.
Speaker 1:Good, good. Yeah, it's like and I know there's a conversation that we had which I do want to talk about Let me just see if anyone is leaving any comments. Hold on a second, okay, nothing coming. I know there are some people in the live, so leave comments, guys, we will obviously respond. I'm going back and forth and I want to shout us out for getting our first. This is our first live We've been live before.
Speaker 2:We've been live together, but we didn't eliminate our technical difficulties starting. Yeah, but the difference is.
Speaker 1:Les, but we've been live when we were together. We've never been live in two different places Never.
Speaker 2:But we're always live together, oh Lord.
Speaker 1:So, okay, I'm going to let you oh Lord, I want you to talk about the conversation we had earlier today, and obviously you know you're not going to call names or anything like that. You can talk about it generally too. It doesn't matter, because the point is some people are going to benefit from the person who won the election and some people are going to lose.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, and it's always subjective because it depends on what benefit means to you. For example, I woke up this morning and had a conversation and my partner says to me take a look at what the stock, what the market is doing. And we looked and the market was like. So then, you know, we both started looking at our portfolios and all. And at that time I reached out to a close friend of mine and I'm like you know, congratulations on your win. You know, or he might've reached out to me first, I'm sorry, whatever, but I said hey, did you see what the market is doing? And he's like yeah, yeah, and this was this morning. He told me that he made 100 grand in the last hour with the market or whatever, and my portfolio was also up.
Speaker 2:And of course, some people are going to say, wow, ok, so it looks already like the economy is going to be improving and what have you? People don't realize that the economy was really doing well under Biden's administration and inflation was going down. But in this case, with the election, obviously, you know, the market is adjusting and whatever. Of course some people say that's a benefit, is adjusting and whatever. Of course some people say that's a benefit and I'm not saying that it's not but then I have to look at the bigger picture again.
Speaker 2:What were the masses and many, many, many of the people that I care about don't care about? Their portfolios or their portfolio advances are not the leading concerns that they have in their life? I'll put it that way and again do you have childbearing women in your life? Do you have families that may need some more social stability, or looking to buy a home or whatever some of these issues are? Do you have any young black men in your family? You know we have black sons and loved ones and spouses and partners and whatever that. We have to be concerned about their safety. There are so many reasons that I have to be fearful, tangibly fearful, of what this administration is going to look like.
Speaker 2:Look at Project 2025 and its 900 plus pages, which I have saved and I've looked through, and it is like anybody in public education, my granddaughter's in public school. You know the whole system could be changing. Any civil service workers, civil servants that whole structure is supposed to be changed. You know what happens with the promised dictatorship on day one, you know. So what difference does a portfolio increase have on those? On those things, right.
Speaker 1:Right. So I was thinking of something as I was sitting at the coffee shop and thinking about you know, I kind of felt like I was that, like I was being hard on you. I kind of felt like I was that, like I was being hard on you because maybe less so what I said to you, but how I was feeling about you. Are the friend of the friendless I know what you're going to say are the friend of the friendless, my allyship and sometimes it's like what the fuck Les?
Speaker 1:Like it's not okay. Like the way that you can create containers for people and I really they're good at this, they're great this way and not this way, and so I'm going to keep them and I'm like it's the same person. If there's somebody who doesn't care about the health of my children and they're just okay with making money, I'm not into them. They ain't my friend. I can work with you and I can be civil with you, but you're not my friend, you're not in my cohort, it's just so. I have these very because to me it's kind of like. It's kind of like and I and I said this to you and this is where I was like okay, this is not the time. Timing is important. This is not the time to go in, but we're going to bring it up here Cause we're going to talk about it, cause now you're going to go in on me and my associates.
Speaker 1:You've had time, is that you know how you react when someone says to you I don't see you as being a black woman, I just see you as being a woman, and you always, that always offends you and it's like what the hell? Then you are not seeing me? Hell, then you are not seeing Exactly, then you're not seeing me. So I mean, that is analogous to me with people who support Trump in your life. When they're cool with you, it's because you're a physician, it's because they think that you're OK, because you're one physician. It's because you're you, they think that you're okay because you're one of them.
Speaker 1:You're not this black person who I don't care about, the social systems that affect black and brown, low income people, and there's a reason why low income people are. Many of them are black and brown, but I'll say low income people, right, I'm not, I don't really care about them and I don't see you as one of them, and so you can be my friend, you're in, but it's because of your, your, your income, your current status, right, and so to me it's the same thing. It's the same thing. I only care about you as a friend, because I'm going to vote this way, because these things matter. These things benefit high income earners, and you're one of us and not seeing you as this person, who, who? Do you understand what I'm saying To me? It's analogous, but tell me if you get that way.
Speaker 2:I think I get the gist of what you're talking about, because we've spoken about this a few times before, I think. What's coming up for me, though, is that I can easily give grace to people like the person that you're speaking about specifically, and people who think like he does, and what I mean is that I think that certain people have certain capacities for empathy or sympathy. They can relate to some things and very often there are things that they can't relate to and if and when, perhaps, they make an effort to understand. You know, I appreciate that. You know, I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't think that I think in as many, you know, in an absolute way as you do. I think that I see this more on a continuum because of I know this person, and I've known him for almost two decades now, so I kind of understand, in the absence of his being a Trumpster Well, and it's not even only that, it's his views Well, just the views that allow him to align with those things and not turn his back and reject the things about Trump that I reject, right, but I think we all have our list of priorities, yeah, or the things that are important to us, but, and therefore, what it's like we all have our list of priorities.
Speaker 2:Why am I aligning myself with these ilk? It's what you're saying.
Speaker 1:Almost like he gets permission to. He gets permission to have access to you and he doesn't deserve it. I don't think that's kind of the way I think about it. Right, You're giving him permission, him, other people, whatever.
Speaker 2:No, it's not just him.
Speaker 1:Sure Right, we're kind of extrapolating from this particular thing. Yeah, I think we give people, I think it's a think, it's a kind of enabling type of thing.
Speaker 2:And it's interesting that you say that, because and now I'll speak in extreme cases and also in the biblical sense, where I know that the book tells us that we should not associate with certain people. You know that we should not, and now I'm supporting what you're saying we should not put in our space, in our midst, money exchangers and tax collectors, and you know Well who says that no. But what I'm saying is that I don't know. It's difficult. I guess I am able to compartmentalize folk Right, right? You know, yeah, and I think I also have a little bit of an understanding.
Speaker 2:Remember, I said to you about the same person that I understand why he votes for Trump. I think it's abhorrent, but I understood it and you were like what the heck? What do you mean? You understand it and stuff, Because I know who he is, I know who his concerns are and the people who support Trump. I mean, you know, I work in a community where I work among many Trump supporters and I get to talk to them and I understand why they think that's important. What I don't understand is why the things that I believe that are unconscionable about him as a person, why that's not more meaningful and important to them. You know, I don't understand how people can overlook those things and say, well, I'm going to settle on this.
Speaker 1:Right, right, you know. Yeah, I don't have to ask this or guess about this, or I don't have any kind of humility in asserting this, but I have a lot of grace. I'm really wired for grace, for kind of seeing different perspectives, and at the same time there's certain things that interrupt my peace and that I will not allow in. I'm not going to wish you harm, but you don't get access to me because you love what I hate and so for my own kind of wholeness, you know, you don't get access to me because you know it's not, and I get that.
Speaker 2:We all have that. You know we all have have our lines in the sand. Obviously, mine and yours are different, right, you know, but everybody has that. Well, I don't know, you know, I think my tolerance for those things are just different from yours.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's like it's another way that we're different, another way that we're different, and you know, it's like I can be in a room or I can have debates, or I can have empathy for experiences that make people think differently than me. This is not about you have to think like I think, but where I kind of it's like if you're OK with hurting who, I love that. That that's a line. And again, we can, we can chat, but you ain't in my circle.
Speaker 2:But see, but that's just what I was going to say.
Speaker 1:And again, I've told the story many times about a person who is very close to me and a dear friend, a former co-worker.
Speaker 2:But we've gotten closer over the years and I remember when the first election where he was elected election where he was elected and when I went to express my fear about Trump and who I know him to be, she couldn't understand, she could not relate to my fear, she couldn't empathize with me Right, and as a result it really fractured and changed my relationship with her, regrettably, because I missed the old relationship. But I could not have this level of connection to her that I had before, knowing that I guess what you said and I'm making sure not to mention his name. I almost did, but with this person I he's in an appropriate place, you know, I wouldn't say he's in my inner circle.
Speaker 1:Right, right, but you know I'm to me if you can't vote in my best interest, if you can't even see my interests or if you dismiss my need and suffering because groceries are high Reminds me of the popular James Baldwin quote. Hopefully they will add that quote. Just stepping into the chat, ladies, for the first time, 37 years old black male enjoying you. Thank you so much, ob32. Thank you Appreciate that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we are just creating space for the dialogue and I had my train of thought just got disrupted when I was reading those comments came to me that I think, unless it really is harmful to your emotional state, I think there's some utility and perhaps some good that can come from maintaining a diversity of people around you. Or I just think that being with people and exchanging ideas respectfully can offer different perspectives and learning opportunities. Absolutely, you know, we all know people that will never learn, never change or whatever, but I certainly expect that by just interacting with me he gains some understanding of me, my issues and why someone that presents the way that I do would think the way that I do, and likewise that person who I talked about previously, I think that she is better for my interaction.
Speaker 1:I actually think that's what happens, because I know that you bring the issues to them. Well, you know, I bring my whole self.
Speaker 2:I know, I know that I know Leslie being Leslie Right.
Speaker 1:So one of the things I remember I'm remembering now what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to see what you thought about this. So we are, we're stewards of the blessings that we get right, financially or otherwise right, we're stewards of this blessings. And so I was thinking so there are people like you and I'm not, this is not to you but there are people like you who are benefiting from this, what I'll call this darkness that has come into power. Right, and I'm not talking about the person, I'm talking about this whole setup.
Speaker 2:Because this is bigger than that man. It's absolutely. This is bigger than that, man.
Speaker 1:I don't even think most of them like him. I think he's just kind of oh no.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's a figurehead for an agenda that's been cooking up for a long time. Right, cooking up for a long time.
Speaker 1:Right. So there's this darkness, this white Christian nationalist movement that is the majority of America. If anyone was wondering about that, if anyone was wondering about that, there is proof. When you look at that map over the last few hours, there's proof. There's some blue spots and, despite the fact that you know the numbers I was up watching a lot of it on Alan Lichtman and his son were doing a live and just looking at the numbers and going deep and having commentary and you know, that's the kind of stuff I, I, I like the numbers because I was, um, anyway, I like that stuff more than just talking heads, that that I was like, no, I'm, I'm not into that. So anyway, um, so there's this financial benefit from this darkness. That has come right and I was thinking wouldn't it be amazing, the people like you who are benefiting from this darkness financially? Okay, now these people have an opportunity to use that money to help the causes that are suffering from this darkness. Sure, right, it ain't just yours.
Speaker 1:In other words it's almost like God is telling you, right, god is telling you yeah, I'm giving this to you and I'm asking you to make decisions. Christian to make decisions, good people to to make the decisions. God's kingdom on earth to be the ones you don't like, where the government may be putting the money or not putting the money now it's yours.
Speaker 2:So what are you gonna do with the? What you're gonna do?
Speaker 1:put your money where your mouth is. Yeah, and that to me would be like a um, an approach that you're not stuck. That is action that you can take. You don't. You're not. You know you didn't vote to get this money, but here you are, you have it. Yeah, what, what are you going to do with it? To be the?
Speaker 1:change you want to see, or further the causes that are important to you, to advance the effort Right, right, and I'm going to be honest, I'm benefiting from it too, you know, financially right, and so this is something that I'm saying to myself what are you just going to squirrel it away and run, because you know there are individual actions that one can take around? It's almost like I'll say it this way, but I don't really really.
Speaker 2:It's like an ill-gotten gain. I was, I was. I was thinking about that too. But also, but there are ways to mitigate some of the pain of what's going on right now. Mitigate some of the pain of what's going on right now and it doesn't necessarily financial is an example of one way that you know might be helpful, but there are many ways. Like Isaiah said, in terms of defense, this may be. This is a really prime time for like-minded folks to put their heads together in ways that we haven't before. Right To, like Joe Madison says, what are you going to do about it? You know, even as we have the benefit of leaving the country and living abroad, there still are people and people that we care about and our loved ones, and, in general, if you're a humanist like I am, you know I care about the least of these who are here, whether I know them or not. So there are certainly things that we can do when we have power from here know we are.
Speaker 1:Many of us in the United States are in the top 1% of you know access to to things financially and otherwise.
Speaker 2:Relationship currency, financial currency, right, right, because I don't want folks to just think that it's a financial thing, because it doesn't have to be. It can be an intellectual currency and, like you said, relationship currency, people know, people you know, and it's groups that can be really helpful.
Speaker 1:Yep, I'm going to read a few more comments from Deneen Rogers. I'm constantly sad about this. Praying to get through this Feel you Absolutely and we're going to. I want to talk about that a little bit, about ways that you know, how are we finding ways of healing perspectives that help us to move through? Because this is, I tell you, one of the first things I thought when I got up is I'm so glad I have a therapist and there's so many people who don't have therapists, who don't have a vehicle to process this, so we can talk about that a little bit. Denise Rod, deneen Rogers, do you think we're repeating like World War Two? Oh my gosh, what do you think, les?
Speaker 2:It's like well, I don't. I don't think that we can necessarily repeat the wars of the past, because warfare and conflict look different right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I mean it's almost like is this World War II against us as Americans? You know I mean, what does war look like? You know I mean the conventional things that war. I'm a physician, mentally unstable, or certainly his behaviors don't reflect mental soundness, right Right, and as a result, anything could happen. But what I wanted to speak about, in terms of the despair and the sadness that I'm hearing about, is that we are not powerless. Yeah, you know, we have intellect. We are brown, black Americans are 13 percent of the country, but we can form coalitions and groups and numbers. We have, and have exhibited, spending power.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's phenomenal. I mean, if we want to get our hair done, you know the black beauty industry and the music industry and what have you so we can move money if we need to, but not just that the collective family and connections that we have. So we're not powerless. We may be sad, but I think this is also a time for action. It's not a time for let's spend a day or two wringing our hands, but after that it's like come on, get up, what are we going to do?
Speaker 1:Right, right, or you know a few hours of the next month, like you know like take care of yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's a time for being emotional. Like I resolve I'm going to get a massage and a facial. You know, I'm going to have like a beauty day, but just so that my physical body can feel better. But yeah, it's time to get to work.
Speaker 2:Because here's another thing that I thought of you know how some folk they don't hear the whisper, so then he has to shout, and then some people don't hear the shout, so then he has to hit your ass over the head and then, if you don't hear this, you get the real the. You know, like what happened to Job. So what I'm saying is maybe now is the time that people like, okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, Okay, All right, Enough is enough. This man has and I'm not going to you know, I'm not even going to go into the things that the president-elect has said and done or whatever, because it's bigger than that and I just really don't want to think about him personally too much but this might be the time when people you know, everybody got to reach their breaking point. Maybe this is going to push more of us toward our breaking point just brown people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, yeah, yeah, to get off the sidelines and be more participatory. Yeah, not even necessarily in kind of citizenry, but what are the things that you need in your life that you've been putting off? Right, you're waiting until you get this thing in order to do this thing. What are you putting off? You know me and my joy thing. It's like what are you putting off that brings you joy? Like what, like what.
Speaker 2:And remember whoever is in government, we need to demand what it is that we need from whomever. Yes, you know. So that's not going to change. Maybe the way that our demand looks might change, but I don't think that we should stop making our presence known and our desires heard.
Speaker 1:Right, all right, I'm going to read some more. Here's a quote. Thank you, it's me. Edits James Baldwin quote we can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist. Boom, I'm going to read that again. Read it again. We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's the lens. And right to exist, maybe that's the lens.
Speaker 1:Unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that might be a nice little lens to filter my friendships right. Jennifer Provost.
Speaker 1:Hey, Jennifer. Also, if anyone gets a chance, please listen to VP Harris's concession speech given earlier today. Howard, it did offer some solace and reminded me that she's a class act. Yeah, I.
Speaker 2:Jennifer.
Speaker 1:I've got to say too, it was'm not ready to jump in. That's right. We have intellect, criticality, skills, resources and ingenuity. Resilience and joy Reminds me of Goldie Muhammad 5 Pursuit Ooh, talk to us about that. Ob32 says why do you, ladies, feel so many Black men were for Trump this year? I think Blacks are becoming less monolithic because our finances are improving. Oh, that's what do you think?
Speaker 2:about that. Well, I don't think that we were ever monolithic, that's one thing. And I really think that the reports of so many black men going toward Trump, I think, was out of proportion and I don't believe it Before or after the election, because now we have evidence.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't know what numbers I haven't seen. Again, I haven't looked at the breakdown of people, but I think finances first of all. I think the numbers were overblown. The amount of support that he had from that was reported that he had from Black men in particular. But again, I do think that people went toward Trump because of the economy and what they perceived to, and people across all demographics because of what they perceived to, and people across all demographics because of what they perceived to be economic problems.
Speaker 2:What I really think that we should spend the next four years doing is learning. I almost said, I almost cursed. We really need to learn civics because population has no idea how the government works and when they think that the executive office is in charge of the economical, the economy do or Trump did or did not do was not in the purview of the executive office at all, and all of these things that people are finding responsible, that the president is responsible for, it's really acts of Congress. Four, it's really acts of Congress. And unless and until people actually learn who does what, who makes laws and who can change things, everybody in their ignorance will say it's the president that does this or does not do this, and I think't have the data to do a check, but I do know that there is evidence that Trump gained.
Speaker 1:It's it's black men also. He gained, yeah, because they compared it to. They compared it to 2020. So I don't know what the numbers are. So how do you think, to what extent do you think, her gender and race had to do with it? Because I haven't really been thinking about that a lot, but I actually think Are you kidding?
Speaker 2:That has a lot to do with it, because I haven't really been thinking about that a lot, but I actually think that has a lot to do with it. I think it had almost everything to do with it. I think it almost had everything to do with it, and I think that it was veiled in the fact that I think it was pretty clever of the opposition to keep saying that Kamala did this, or Kamala didn't do this, or the vice president did this. And I'm wondering what is the job of the vice president? What things are they responsible for? What policies do they initiate while they're in office? I don't know the answer to that, but I don't think that she was as responsible as a VP as the president was A VP, it's just the president's bidding.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like Number one, number two. She was a VP as she was running, so she can't talk about her boss.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, you know she's running. Yeah, it was. She was in a tough situation, you know, to begin with. But I think sexism and racism Listen, this country was built on that. Why wouldn't that have an say? You know, that's who we are, and until we've stopped lying about who the hell we are, yes, I think that Not America this is not America.
Speaker 2:This is not America. This is not america. This is every. This is, yes, exactly america, this is exactly america, you know. I mean, let's be honest, yeah, you know, and, and, and. If we can be when we can be honest, we'll not be. Well, we won't be as surprised exactly at the things that America does, when they forgive somebody with felony convictions, when they don't care about the things that people say in public and the way that they, you know, denigrate others, and I mean, this is who we are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really is and and and. This one thing that I am really concerned about, too, is how, right now and you know I'm looking to move abroad right now the American passport has a lot of value in terms of it has a lot of credibility Right In terms of, you know, a lot of countries not requiring visas for, um, this is what I'm saying, and you wonder how long. This is what I'm saying. It's like, how long is this going to? And I just got my passport renewed.
Speaker 2:You better use it now. Use it now Like when we went to Cuba. It's like get in now, you won't be going back again.
Speaker 1:You know Exactly, I mean serious, serious stuff. It's almost like this is again. It's getting us to live life out of the sidelines. You know what I mean. It's funny in Jamaica. It's like when there is election, everybody knows the politics, everybody. There's no Jamaican who is not into politics, at least not when I was growing up, right, everybody. Because the politics affected you. Like next day it affected you. Do you know what I mean? It's not like here, where you could kind of you know you can kind of bob and weave around things or you could move quickly if you don't like it and there's red states, blue state, you can find safety elsewhere.
Speaker 2:But, ange, that's the problem. I believe that people really don't know how much politics affects their day to day. Everybody looks at the president and the president. That's not where you're going to get the bulk of your impact from politics. It's all local and people don't even think about their local. They don't know about their local government, their townships and things. They have no idea the things that are affecting them every day.
Speaker 2:Are you paying taxes? I told you. You know that I was paying 21 grand a year in property taxes. Who is um Biden? And Trump didn't make up those things. He had nothing to do with the fact that I had to pay nearly two grand a month in property taxes, you know. So I'm just saying it's like, who is it that are making the rules and the laws that affect you on a day to day? Who is putting these state judges and the federal and the Supreme Court together? You know it's like we don't think about those things and, again, it's a failure in civic education. You know that's something that you could spend time doing instead of watching videos on TikTok. You know it's like learn some civics, for goodness sake she homeschools right, or she used to homeschool.
Speaker 1:Her children are older now and she said you know, she had to do a lot of learning in order to train her children right, and so the more that she delved into all the things history, civics and so on, she said I've realized that my country has a toxic relationship with me. At first she used to say I have a toxic relationship with my country, but she was like I don't do anything. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I just is.
Speaker 1:My country has a toxic relationship with me. It's trying to kill me. She's a black woman. It's trying to kill me. I hear you. I'm looking at my watch because we've been trying to leave. How are we? At time, we've been going on and running at the end. All right, wait, let's see. Let's see. We got some comments. Thanks for the feedback. Black Beamer Besties. Thank you, ob32. I agree, jennifer. I agree with Leslie's take on the numbers in her statement. Rebranches of government spot on Gender and race had everything to do with it. I agree, jennifer. Especially gender. Trump beat, if there's any.
Speaker 1:I feel like there's something else that I wanted to say. It'll come to me, but I did want to say this. God is still sovereign. We all have experiences. Life comes at us.
Speaker 1:There is a posture of learning that we can take that, in my experience, has been one of the best ways that I have been gifted in changing myself and becoming a better person is through the difficulties and taking a posture of okay, lord, what is it that you want me to learn in this experience? What is it? And being really like in that? When I say posture, like, like stepping into that? This is something that I need to learn from. There's something that I need to do. There's some way that I need to rethink that. You know some change in perspective that I need to have Off the fences Exactly, and not kind of oh, the waves are hard, it's like how, what is the way to ride this wave so you can come out the other side as a better version of yourself. That is that has served me and kept me from going under God's honest truth. That has kept me from going under and drowning in the things that I've had to experience in life Drowning and so I did want to say that.
Speaker 2:I feel that Ange, when you say that, yeah, I know what you mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you do. When you say that, yeah, I know what you mean. Yeah, you do, and it is. You know we can't control what happens. You know what is put in front of us, that we have to experience, but more and more and this is something that I used to resist with every ounce of my being like what do you mean? What do you mean it's how you experience the thing. It's not what comes at you, it's how you, what are. It's not what comes at you, it's how you. What are you talking about? That's bullshit. That's toxic positivity crap. What are you talking about? I can listen, I, you know. I've stepped into my elder, my elderhood. I've stepped into that. This is like.
Speaker 2:But then, too, I think that there's a certain amount of comfort or wisdom in knowing that if it's his will, then he will also make a way for you to get through it, and a learning opportunity. Yeah, so, lord, open my heart, and what is it that you want me to get from this?
Speaker 1:What is it that you want me to? How do you want me to move through this thing? Yeah, how do you want me to get from this? What is it that you want me to? How do you? How do you want me to move through this thing? Yeah, how do you want me to move? It has to be really, really, really intentional Cause. When that, when those triggers come and it's like okay, you know what I mean, what is it? I'm feeling these feelings.
Speaker 2:What? And you know me, I'm going to step out in my humanness first and I'll be like, and then it's like wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we had to step back from that. Anyway, thank you so much. Hey, Nat, absolutely, Thank you for leaving a comment and for joining us here again. Leslie and I have benefited from being in communities of incredible, incredible people incredible people We've just born into, loved into, pulled energetically into these amazing groups of people, and it's part of why I wanted to start the podcast, because it's like we've been truly blessed, Les.
Speaker 2:There are things that we have lived through and overcome, and overcome and many did not come out.
Speaker 1:I get by, with a little help from my friends, I get by, I'm gonna. From my friends, I get by, I'm going to what is it? I'm going to something. I don't know the words. You know. We have gotten by with the help of our friends, over and over, and, over and over again, and this continues to be a platform where we you know, those who know better, do better. And we just thought, even in the grief, there is a responsibility that we had to create space for this to come in and yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So we thank you all for engaging and if you're not part of our regular community, I'd love you to like and subscribe to our channel. We typically will have a new podcast, uh, every tuesday, but if you click notifications, you will find out and be alerted to when we drop new content, and we'd love it if you did.
Speaker 1:And and that's how you hear about our lives too, because we do drop podcasts consistently every tuesday, but in between, if something is hot, if les Leslie is like on fire, you might like one of my hot flashes, or not.
Speaker 2:That kind of hot. It's a wonder I kept my shirt on during this thing, because you know how I get. I'm like I got to take my shirt off. Okay, I put my shirt back on because now I'm cold, all right, but I digress.
Speaker 1:Right, like the episode that we dropped Today's Wednesday, yesterday. Yeah, we dropped uh today's wednesday, yesterday. Yeah, we dropped it yesterday. That was leslie having a like and did you see like? Did you see that? All right, we gotta so uh. Yeah, if you hit the notification, you'll um hear more about us and you know, we just want to put the voices of um intellectually curious uh black women, older black women, um out here and have it be a part of all of the data that is being collected and disseminated in this world. So thanks for joining us and closing closing.
Speaker 2:This has been a live episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn.
Speaker 1:See you guys.
