 HPC Dodgers Radio Dodgers after dark welcome back to in-depth conversation with young alumni of historically black colleges and universities Pack show tonight really really packed. We got or is the Morganite? Tay and Tay from Hampton because we got a new name Oona from Instagram Also known as HPC Palante Winston get them in the school Line brother Katie and Fred brother Eric. So we got a we got a really packed show tonight a lot of headlines today Some were unexpected. So we may change course in the middle of the show. Let's start former presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg Donates hundred million dollars to HBCU medical schools So this is going to eliminate debt for students at Howard Howard's medical school my Harry medical school Morehouse College of Medicine and Charles Drew Wait, wait, wait, wait, we have to clarify To three three HBCUs and a predominantly one PBI and a predominantly black institution. You are correct, bro Do you guys see That paying off student debt is the new wave for HBCU philanthropy Because this is what two years two times in the last three years where somebody has come forward and said I'm gonna pay off all your debt Is that the new is that the new give to an HBCU wave? Because there was a lot of questions around that with more house. Are they really giving it to the school? Which in turn they did do they did? Funnel the money to more house and in more house which got credit for the gift then paid off folks debt I don't know the particulars of this one if they're gonna give it to each of these schools And then they'll pay off the debt that way, but is this the new wave to say let's eliminate debt What do you guys think? Hey, it has to be for us because we had one of our Situation, you know, he was as a result of that donation He didn't have any debt and he gave and in turn gave some of that money to more house And in turn he's being able to help other young men who want to go to more house as well from our program As a result of that of that gift. So it's definitely conversation I'm like I miss easy to say to a young person look at these institutions where historically that's something that happens So your investment is gonna be even greater on top of what you get From the education and the experience you also have an opportunity to be able to graduate from said institution debt-free Which allows you some freedoms and some abilities to be able to do things you wouldn't normally do so absolutely I think I hope it's a wave I sure hope it's a conversation going forward that folks can say this is a way we can invest in historically black colleges and Universities is to help eliminate debt for these students who are going through there, especially because we know I think there's a There's a I'll just say from my perspective. I don't know about globally, but in conversation You're gonna do an HBC you're gonna be in debt You're gonna have to choose you don't go there too expensive None of them are in Michigan anyway. It costs too much money to go away So just being able to eliminate barriers like that and have real conversation about Opportunities that exist when you make that choice. It absolutely is a valuable Tool and conversation piece and I hope that the way is people folks considering to do that more If they're gonna make that investment. Hey, we can do it this way and here's the benefit of doing it that way One of your shirt says that you have multiple degrees and zero chill. What would it have meant? On your doctorate journey to wake up one day and somebody tells you hey, you know what this doctorate That's on us. What is that? What does that do for your career? What does that do for lifestyle? What is it? What does it change about your your your academic pursuit? She's on mute. I forgot she can't find a button multiple degrees multiple degrees on mute Well, let me while she finds a button, let me see who's not all Katie Most of your stuff was paid for is that true military? No I gotta remember I stopped on the school midway through okay, and then came back So the second half you had a lot of the pay for But I hope this is the way look I hope that you know, somebody gives copy state university to just the nursing program, right? So now you send it all of these working professionals into the field with no debt that gives them the opportunity to travel and buy houses and Invest in the area in which they got the education, which doesn't really happen Right. I just hope it's the way. That's all I got. I mean, it's nothing to be angry at You know any any way for HBCU is a win for me. That's all I got Taylor, what do you think? I Think really talking about the wave I think it's the wave also now because it a part of the larger conversation of student and college debt Across the nation and so I think it's even I think it's the wave as we talk about higher ed in general as we're talking about debt and as we're talking about Just folks in general like how much they are Having especially in med school So as someone who works at a med school and works at one of the more expensive med schools like across the country I see how that impacts medical students. I see how it Conhindered whether folks want to choose to go into certain residencies Deciding if they want to be a black surgeon because a surgery residency is longer than You know other residencies so, you know figuring out when we talk about like when how we Increasing black doctors debt elimination is one too, but even thinking about the process after when they go into Their residencies how we assisting them with that. So I also think a lot about Travel so I am excited at the fact that we're eliminating debt But I also want to then bring it to the conversation about how we support and students Currently I whether in it when I learned how much folks are spending to fly to residency interviews when I learned about how students How much they're paying for lodging? one of my students, I know they paid 12 grand and that was outside of Their tuition and everything that they paid for just for them to interview for residency pocket You know, they like found money extra loans, you know, some of it might have been out of pocket But you know, again, what we're talking about that conversation. Yes, I Going even back to Katie like yes eliminating debt is very important But how we also helping them like not accrued while they're in it. So yes, eliminate the debt Well, now I'm really also thinking about like, okay, so how are we assisting when they're lying to the residencies? What are the partnerships? We're having with hotels that maybe can house Black students for medical programs so they don't have to foot a whole entire bill What are our like programs where it's a houses student program? So so I think a lot about that. So yes, I'm excited Let me make the debt. Well, let's have those other conversations. Let's get back to owner real quick I think she's she's back in let me see this this this multiple degrees and mute button works So how does that how does that change your your your lifestyle or your lifestyle choices doc when when you know that it's paid for I mean, I was I Had the opportunity to get my for free So I took it but I know several others who didn't and they don't and you have that cultural void Right, like who looks like me and can tell me how to get to this place that I'm going to the last time that I saw Somebody that looked like me was when I was at Norfolk State once I got to where I got my doctor from I was like I Had the search for somebody And when you when you have that experience, it's like it's a turn off You don't want to I mean there were several spaces where I was told I wasn't gonna finish And I was you don't know where I come from so I'm gonna finish But what that means is that I they're not going to necessarily assist me with the funding So I have to find somewhere else to get the funding. I have to lean on sorrows. I have to lean on The the network of that that I have with other HBCU graduates Just a lot of things that go into it and there are people who didn't finish it, you know, they're a BD They're all but dissertation and a lot of it came down to money So, yeah, that would definitely make a difference and we need it because we need other people that look like us to assist us Not to say that I'm worried or concerned because I don't want to make it seem like this is a negative But do you think that gifts like this, especially because of the amount when you see a Robert Smith paying off a whole graduating classes student debt when you see Michael Bloomberg paying off a whole graduating classes Extinuating debt that that's a trend that will start and we are in the middle of a trend for giving to HBCUs But do you think that they will go in one direction and we'll forget some of the other areas of need that the students have Is that a do you think that that's a concern or as I'll start with you? I would say it could be I think that a larger issue is that the amount of debt These students have to take on to start with and so in some ways Obviously given to the schools in the front end and I hate to be the boogeyman about this But these schools still get a lot of money and it doesn't decrease the cost of attendance and in many cases Be it be at large schools or small school. I mean John Bloomberg gave Johns Hopkins a billion dollars I know tuition has not gone down correct So I think that is a really important kind of funny buddy of mine who actually went to Morgan it works for Josh Hopkins endowment now he's endowment investment analyst so it's just funny because The way that schools are hoarding money the same way that companies hoard money or split stocks or do a bunch of different things Or buy back stock at the same way the universities operate So I think that paying off debt helps students a bit more, but I don't know there's a lot of dialogue about What are schools doing to reduce the cost of attendance and how are these donations trickling down to the rest of us? Because again paying off one graduating class is dead is nice But how many people in that graduating class are gonna, you know, give all this money back Maybe maybe a lot more than normal but still it's not affecting the thousand students at that school versus if We're able to lower the cost of attendance and I don't think that schools are really trying to do that I think that they're using this money to recruit and market to more students and then obviously to fulfill and satisfy their Endowments to do more capital projects or you know increase faculty pay So what then so long I hate to be the boogeyman about it But I just I just really don't see that we don't see this I don't see the schools doing what I believe that their part is Eric will give you the last word on this So this was to medical schools and we've been having this conversation for the better part of what like three or four months Now about you know these elite HBC use getting these gifts at least today at least today on the Twitter Nobody saying that I think because there's a concentrated effort to say these are medical school support funds Do you think it falls into that category or you know, are we gonna is that gonna surface? I Mean there's two different sides like we didn't dress the conversation the same way I tried to address that last one away that many people that have been on this podcast I tried to address it, which is The schools get discussed to get described as elite because they do elite things like that's just Is what it is right like Reputation of those, you know, three plus one medical schools speaks for themselves, right? I have I have a friend of mine who actually went to Charles Drew, right? And I can speak to it, you know doing what his purpose actually is, right? So I think for the most part it's not necessarily on the Radar like if I was being optimistic it's because oh well people this was like, okay We know what it's a medical school sound really big deal if I was being pessimistic It's because nine times out of ten their school doesn't have a medical school so that could effort that wasn't going to get to their school anyway, but Overall, I mean, I do think that you know to Orson's point There is a wider conversation about how the money has been utilized In decreasing tuition. There's a big thing in higher education about tuition discounting that let most people don't know about But that also impacts that how how much people pay that attempt to go to school there I mean we the elephant in the room is that, you know, most of our schools don't have the endowment to engage in the tuition discounting on the level of many of You know, white private institutions Because the cost that is advertised many of the students are not paying to go there beyond scholarships endowments Another funding. So it's it's just on it's really just on the on the doorstep of a larger issue of The cost of higher education, which you know to everybody's point Causes on going down no matter how much money these schools are getting It's a worthwhile conversation, man And I think that that that part of it is that we're you're in the middle of a public health emergency And so I think that there's a lot of legitimacy in saying, you know, we need more doctors period But it's a good look to have more black doctors because black folks are disproportionately affected by this dangerous virus And when we come back, we're going to take a quick break But when we come back, we're actually going to continue on that subject With a really really heavy topic about two hbc presidents who are actively participating in covid-19 medical vaccine trials that I just had to dark will be right back That is at the dark and we're back Continue with the conversation On the health public health and medical tip We just wrapped up a conversation about michael bloomberg's gift to pay out the student debt for students at several Historically and predominantly black medical schools across the country And we continue that conversation with a big big headline two presidents two hbc presidents uh dealer university president walter kimbrough at zavia university of louisiana C renault verette Revealed today that they are participating the two of them in a coronavirus vaccine trial So they have actively been injected with the vaccine or the the pilot For a vaccine and both have said that they are doing well so far And they took the opportunity to to talk about their experience to encourage other black folks in the campus communities To also participate specifically because of the disproportionate rates by which african-americans are suffering from the virus so Around the horn. What do you guys think about there's two sides to this? What do you think about those two gentlemen specifically doing it as hbc presidents? And what do you think black america's position at this point in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic is to medical trials knowing our history Uh, to ski ski experiment, you know, hila lax at at john's hopkins, which got brought up Uh, and and a lot of atrocities that have been committed against black folks in the name of medical science What do we think about hbc's being at the forefront? Of a potential vaccine That could could help black people who again are disproportionately Suffering from this virus. Taylor. We'll start with you And your shade I don't I didn't have any shade at all. Um I don't have any shade. I'm actually not being shady tree tonight. Um, I think one of the things for me is that I'm always at a crossroads whenever we talk about Um vaccines when we talk about Health of black folks in medicine because as we talk about the historical implications and aspect there I think it's important that when we talk about being at the forefront like we define what forefront means And so forefront doesn't mean that hbcu Stakeholders we all need to be taking a vaccine It can mean that we're at the forefront of how the transparency about this is being Um done We can be at the forefront about how we are communicating and how we're even educating Our hbcu stakeholders our staff student back as member alums of our hbcus About the entire process so that we as black folks can make the best informed decisions for ourselves So when I think about how are we going to be in the forefront? I think about how are we inseminating this information? How are we being transparent? How are we talking about the fears and aspects behind it and also how are we Going to ensure that we do not shame each other to either do it or don't do it because I think my biggest thing is I think we have a responsibility as um folks in the hbcu community and but especially the two presidents To not necessarily shame or to put a guilt space on that we need to be saving ourselves Without recognizing that some folks cannot take it because of like health conditions because of things of that nature And so being at the forefront also I believe that we need to be in the space of how are we providing the best and the most accurate information For us as black folks to make the decision ourselves I don't want you to be a symbolism to like Tell me like oh, I'm your president So now you definitely know that she possibly could should be I'm making you feel like you need to take it No Empower me to make the decision because you've given me the information to decide if This is how I am going to be a part of the forefront of this vaccination and healing our community or is what do you What do you say about that when? The hbc's have a lot of power a lot of cultural resonance To make that call at least to get black folks in the conversation about participating But some like a lot of our citizens and a lot of our community members are nervous and reasonably so about being involved in it Um I would say it's it's probably fair to say that it can work in some areas and not in others They can't go to tuskegee university with the the vaccine trial. It's just not going to work I don't mean to laugh, but I'm just being serious. They can't they can't they can't come to morgan or copping because hemorrhagic lax is like Again, it's very very very close to the campus community. So It's funny. I just walked project power on netflix, which is very like Scary to talk about this right now that both hbc presidents in new orleans are taking this vaccine and we just So i'm i'm just saying like art imitates life in a sense in a sense And so when you think about all these different things, it's just like what I personally want to take it No, but I do know that from what the cdc has said the way they're going to put the vaccine I was going to start with like frontline healthcare professionals and then cycle down I know I went to a school with the pharmacy school. So did taylor and una went to a school with the pharmacy school so Maybe it's good to start with like hampton like famu um like Xavier Where they do have a certain level of I would say community buy-in like i don't know about hampton. I'm not sure I do but but like famu has a big Um presence, especially a farm school in the community. They do a lot of like free hiv checks They do a lot all the Pharmacists who are in the school work with the community with their especially with hiv um a lot with hiv in terms of antiviral medicines and educating the community So they have that type of cultural um um trust there. So maybe start there Is there legitimately anything that that the medical community or the cdc or any kind of organized body could say That would make black and brown people feel like All right, I'll I'll I'll give it a shot No Like period like no because it's it's we there's too much history there Right. Um, I listened to um minister farrakhan when he spoke and he specifically said don't um my paternal cousins are Our members and they they you know, I'm not and they definitely were like, yeah We're not we're not until somebody in our community that we trust Makes the vaccine and then test the vaccine. We are not going to be a part of that and you won't either Okay Um, so yeah, no No, there no It something else has to go there. There needs to be a bridge there And I don't I don't know how to build it, but there's one in berkland that i'm selling So that's an excellent point actually so eric do you do you feel like The cdc and You know the white house or you know the nih should should be more active in saying hey hbc use Be more involved with the clinical trials Uh, I believe the government should take an active role And more specifically the cdc should take a more active role in finding out how they can start to At a higher rate A lot of these stem majors that are coming out of hbc use So that these are the people who are doing the research So that these are people who we actually who actually have some type of connection to the community where they Where they can actually sit here and say This thing that we're doing Is going to be okay for our people. I'm not talking about putting out a token This that that's just a face that you could say that oh this person looks like you and he's talking about things I'm talking about no this person was in the lab. He was running the test. He was doing everything like that We know our schools produce a lot of black doctors. A lot of black researchers black pharmacists We know our schools do these things So my question is now If the cdc or the government came to me alone a lot of saying oh, we need hbc to now get people more active my question is Who do they have on their end that has any insight to the black community on a real consistent basis that they can actually Like convince us that is something safe to do who was involved because they were told out of blackface real fast In not even consider anything black like like prime example Like this will be common knowledge and I can't say this will happen because these are the most intelligent people But if the vaccine has a negative impact on people who have sickle cell disease Did anybody in your lab considered the fact that you're trying to push it to a black community that is more often impacted like impacted by sickle cell Genetically like december's wise, right? It's little small things like that where if you don't have somebody who has any type of Multicultural competence In the research that they're doing then why should we trust them moving forward to do anything? Aries point. Um, yes, they should be building that trust And I would suspect that folks in in cdc and nyh would look back at us and say, okay fine. Take it Don't take it and da You know, I mean like is that is that a trade-off? Like you can you can not participate and and then now look at you You know six months from now like there must be we gotta talk about the elephants in the room We gotta talk about historical issues We gotta talk about why people might be reluctant in this space to address this If there's any positives that can be that can come out of it I think eric's point about real life partnership and representation So like having people at zavier at howard, you know at our institutions who are on the ground level with research and understanding To be able to infuse their knowledge to these communities and have people get a real life understanding and in turn also address Some of the historical issues or concerns that people might have that's a real way as opposed to kind of like Not that there's anything wrong of what they're doing, but I think that may not have been the The best initial way to address the historical issues that exist in this space Especially in the middle of the pandemic how touchy that is what was what we're dealing with and what we've dealt with Historically if you lead it from a perspective of hey, we've been partnered with these institutions You know building mass and doing research and you know talking about all those elements and having them who already have those Real relationships with the communities and with people who look like us to eric's point not just for the sake of tokenism But real life application real life relationships to be like oh these are people I can talk to katie the last word is on you What do you think about what do you think about the politics of this because there's a lot of political discussion around Trump wanting to force the issue on a vaccine before the election What do you think that that comes in because black folks are paying attention to that to that bs2 Do you think that that comes into the the consideration of You know, should we trust this thing or should we not and then politically? What do you think it may mean for the the presidents who are participating? Um, not necessarily from an election or something But just the clout or the lack there over the credibility that they will have with their their students their alumni For openly discussing that hey, we're a part of this I'm fascinating question. Um As far as the politics go on from the federal level Uh I don't know if it has an effect at this point because there's so much distrust in the federal government And I that's I think that's what everyone is speaking to in this particular case No one trusts the federal government right now and that's so unfortunate because we actually need them to lead the way This is a national issue. You want a national response team, but you don't have that right now and um It's just interesting to me Like in this case because I don't know how many people or person is chat besides jared that we draw the line at this vaccine Because uh, I know jared's kids are vaccinated. Right. They're not getting polio right I haven't seen the chickenpox, right, right, you know, like, you know what I mean So I understand the distrust and the discord about vaccines in general, but it's like at some point Black people have to check in this game and understand that it's not a black people issue Like distrust in the medical community is not a black person thing right point of reference back in the 80s and 90s Doctors decided not to involve women In trials for breast cancer research because they felt like men and women were the same except they had a breast Which is just stupid right from a common sense aspect, but that's literally how they thought so um, you know At some point, you know, our folks just need to just all right They're all black doctors out there, right They are leaving the way in these conversations like let them talk like listen to them That is at the dark and we're back. Uh, so another big headline which surfaced earlier this week, uh, a maryland lawmaker has proposed that Uh, three out of maryland's four historically black institutions, which are currently in the university system of maryland Leave the system To in his words have more autonomy and a better chance to lobby for more funds to create uh more competitive programs Uh and to exist without the political pressure Of being in a system that includes the state's flagship The university of maryland college park and other institutions that are growing uh within the system. So, uh, of course going to start with our, uh maryland brothers, uh, who who attended morgan or copping um Whom those of us this directly affects Uh, katie, what do you think about leaving? Uh, since coppin is actually in the system morgan is not Uh, but what do you think about coppin? Buoy, um, yes, and morgan essentially just being state affiliated schools with our own boards part one Copping staff is technically state employees. Right. So now you're stripping state benefits and their retirement packages From not necessarily. So let me let me say this because morgan is state affiliated We're not in the system, but they do they are state employees. So they do They do get to participate in the in the benefit system and be invested in retirement and all that so that Hopefully, hopefully that would stay the same. But it's to your point There could be changes if they say, oh, y'all want to leave. Okay, right Right. So I worry about the staff, right because that's your anchor and then I Why are you trying to avoid paying the stand bill? Like at some point just cut the check and stop playing with us If you just cut the check, we wouldn't have half the problems that we had But it just seems like they're talking around cutting the check and it's always our fault while they won't cut the check You grew towson with no tangible evidence that that would that investment would be worthwhile 20,000 students Um, why can't you do the same for for buoy morgan and um. Yes, and then coppin Why just why why not? I just don't understand it and then if you separate us Then that means we're cut out of the the m-hat conversations. Yep. And so now you're changing state standards without I'll say so. Yep. And then How what does that look like for accreditation? right You know, it it's a lot. It's a slippery slope that i'm just not willing to cross. No, we'll stay If I we stay or is what do you think about it? Because here's the thing. I think a lot of alumni in maryland just For as best as I know they would probably cheer this and say, yeah, let's do it Because they'll think they'll think yeah, that will be way better without the white man telling us what to do The white man's still gonna tell you what to do I have a very unique perspective on this because I went to fame you which is in a state system Which is terrible for the school. Um And then transferring and going to Going to morgan, which is independent You do notice a difference in how the schools are run How the administration speaks and how things get done Because the administration at fam Is very much influenced by the governor correct and by the board versus at morgan where the president Has a bit more autonomy. It seems And there's more of a relationship with the board unlike at fam so Because I went to a male the only male in hbcu that had its own uh board I did notice a difference personally going from from fam you to morgan Though I do believe that it's important that we keep in mind That it might be a good opportunity, you know for schools to really build some some more bridges I think that what would be a smarter thing for the um The state to do is to build maybe a system Um with kind of an oversight and its own board may be in baltimore Um and again, I wouldn't want morgan to be part of that either But it might be better to make towson share resources with Copping and you be it might be better to to have a maryland system and then have a I see me a baltimore system in the maryland system because keep in mind like other states and in other states There are multiple systems, you know Texas has like four huge system Louisiana. Yep, several Louisiana has multiple systems Florida will probably have multiple systems soon So I think that North Carolina definitely needs another system. So I think that when we talk about it, I think in general maryland system is too large And it might be better and again, I don't want to see schools merged But in terms of governance, it might be good to have a baltimore Board that's over copping UB and towson There might be a better way to allocate resources Then have all this other school be independent because it's going to be difficult for you and me, yes Especially and copping especially to garner resources because they're going to have to compete with morgan Which is independent as well And then compete against the system. So it's it's kind of a double-edged sword That's my concern and i'm gonna go to eric on this because as a winston alum He knows what it's like to be in a system where you have Several public hbcs, but you're also competing with several large research one institute pwis so What do you think about the conversation from the the concept of? Fighting for resources everybody's fighting for resources in a public system, right? But then when you think about north carolina There's there's just emerged in the last maybe 10 to 15 years a pecking order where it's like North carolina ant north carolina central everybody else No matter how good faveville. No matter how good winston. No matter how good elizabeth city does The the hierarchy is clear ant central everybody else So what do you think about that in terms of what the possibilities could be for maryland if that actually would have come to fruition So the funny thing about you know, we mentioned that thing and like don't be We we say the pecking order in north carolina just started, but it was planned at night It was planned a long time ago. Exactly. I'm not gonna get and I'm not gonna get to detail with that what I do find interesting is the timing of all of this when The male hbcs were pretty much told to take a sham of a of a settlement, right? So i'm looking at this they said, oh, we're giving them more autonomy and things that said the third everybody else Everybody else brought up a lot of very valid comments, right? We're talking about them being Excluded from conversations that will impact their accreditation We're talking about them being excluded from the decisions that will ultimately affect their institutions because there's still a public institution within the state I can't help but not I can't help but couple this With the fact that the state system already owes the schools more money than they're willing to pay them out Right, we're supposed to think that they're really actually pushing or supporting this from a standpoint of schools getting greater autonomy No, I think what ultimately happens is is that there's more that means there's a higher cut to spread around The schools are within the system that far supporting resources And at the same time you turn around and you put the school put the schools that are already struggling Based upon them being disenfranchised for decades at this point in the position to have to close down Because what I ultimately see is that you have more than one will be fine Blue will probably be fine. Copping is vulnerable. Yeah, so is you. So is you. Yes. Yep Right. So we can't sit here like oh on time. You just say like, okay. I I I hear you but Salisbury ain't that far from umes And and there's a whole bunch of schools not too far from copping. Yeah, you'll be umbc. Yeah, I don't necessarily I don't My trust in the government is very very Limited especially as a pertain to the state government and when in dealings with the hbc who's in the state of Maryland Taylor y'all went to to private hampton. Um, first, do you give a damn about this? I'm caring about Outside of caring about hbc use I obviously The harris though the harris though advocacy in you so I mean but but from a from a perspective of What does this look like for a community? Because you've seen this with harris though What is it and what that means to st. Louis and that institution? But you've also seen the damage that the state has tried to do to them and to Lincoln Um, what what does it mean if if if the community sees this and says, yeah, let's go. Let's go. Let's go That's a good idea, but it may not be a good administrative or financial or political move That you know because of your exposure to higher education administration Right When I as like an outsider or someone who of course then the team of maryland state hbcu or even is from maryland At all I think one of the things that was a part of the process Even with like harris stowe and even with Lincoln just being vocal about the things that happened is that the ways in which They in especially harris though involve the st. Louis community to also be invested in all of these Um, I think when we talk about some of the maryland state institutions the the air of transparency with the community Um, it's not always there Um, harris stowe was very intentional about how Um at that time when dr. Wormack was there about having these conversations about when they meet with the state um That you know town halls were happening where parents family and even if you didn't even attend harris though But because you are a st. Louis native harris stowe is your hbcu. So for me looking in Um, when we talk about like how is this involved in the community? I'm like does the community even believe and understand All the nuances of this and how has these institutions created the opportunity to understand it and how have they not So that's like how I see it from my lens And in those ways because even for Lincoln and sometimes it's difficult because of the landscape of where they're at They're in you know, jefferson, missouri. That's a totally different community in st. Louis city. And so Even for Lincoln, it's a little bit difficult in how they're trying to get the community invested in Helping them understand the decisions that they may be making or how the state may be impacting them because jefferson city missouri Showing the hell ain't st. Louis missouri because remember st. Louis is actually st. Louis st. Louis usa like we actually are not You know a part of missouri, so we don't need to operate About black folks talking about i'm not from Maryland. I'm from Baltimore. I don't I don't you know, it's the end But now that these the dnb specifically not necessarily we're St. Louis usa so like I mean, I mean don't get it don't get it twisted because no folks the same way I don't that whole that whole area down there. Like it's like, oh, they're not part of no counties every single city's It's almost ain't a long city. Yeah. Yeah, that whole region whole region like that. I'm from nor jr. We're like, you know, like Virginia has like my 400 independent cities. Like it's a weird it's a weird place. It's a weird commonwealth Come together on a collective We try this the same way you from Detroit. You're not from michigan. It's completely different. You know what's funny I'm interested in winstons take on this because you're in a situation where Just does does michigan have multiple systems Because I will tell you this it seems like michigan state university of michigan central michigan eastern michigan all that They fight they fight like everybody else and they program, you know to to syphon students away Even Wayne state and university of detroit So how could explain explain michigan's higher education landscape because there may be some lessons To take from that because of how competitive Even those schools are those pwis are with themselves to try to attract resources or take away from somebody else Yeah, no really i'll be quite candidly It's it's university of michigan and michigan state and everybody else like everybody else is trying to scrape for what they Can get as you see Wayne state trying to create new initiatives to keep students In the city of detroit and and change wording and put things around so it's like looking like, you know You can get a sweet deal if you come if you just stay on home and come with us, you know, they're Trying to do it largely their mindset is wrapped around You haven't missed your state if you don't get in one of your priority is one of those two And if you don't get in one of those two then you start to funnel in other options that are that are in the state that Okay, well, maybe I'll go to western or central or eastern or uo d or Wayne state, you know But those are not even it's up and then if you're a private institution In michigan people don't even talk about private schools and you're they have their own system of private schools That exist and say, you know, Kalamazoo college Aquinas, um, some of those other institutions that are not even really in the congress Ain't your home girl bestie divorce or advocate for station? You know, only only university s no, yeah, you know, like those things are like after thoughts You know, and then and then it's everything else So it's they're always and no schools are always trying to find the directional schools in michigan The oakland's the uo d's Wayne states They're always trying to find a way to Like a hinge to get some students to be like, hey, we over here too. Like, you know, this is an option Like, you know, if we didn't work on maybe we can give you this or you could commute You don't have to live in the dorm You can go to oakland and you can drive home or you can go to Wayne state and you can drive home You don't have to pay for room aboard like everybody's trying to find a niche You know to allow you to be like that third option if you can't give it in one of the big two In the state of michigan, so I think maryland will be, you know, I think based again About that like about everybody having to fight for their own little nugget Like does that really make sense? And it just kind of seems like y'all like you said y'all want to pay out like you don't want to cut the check So that's why we're here, right? And and and the one thing that I've noticed as a as a maryland state resident somebody who's voted in the state for the past 12 13 years or something like that Hogan for the past six years has been trying to undermine HBC use at every step of the way everybody here points has put the target on our back for whatever reason That's that's just what I gather from it for whatever reason He does not want us to stand on our own or stand with the state You know what's so funny about that is he is so out of step with the g.o.p And with donald trump in doing it because trump couldn't stop saying HBC use during the convention G.o.p. Has has put money on a state level into hbc use because of trump's lead on this About saying one of the ways you can convince black folks that i'm quote-unquote for them help hbc use And hogan is so off that path and it doesn't it doesn't make political sense Particularly the state where you got four of them Why are you so far away from your party on this like i'm making them a tunnel Because he makes sense He went exactly at the end of the day at the end of the day the only places in maryland He doesn't win our pg and baltimore and baltimore city No, baltimore. No, you have baltimore city Central mireland in general He went mcgurray county. He lives mcgurray county in baltimore He lives in mcgurray county in prish georgias and uh, he won but he he he was like 50 50 in mcgurray county in In 2018 well, he's not he has nothing else to run for in mireland So he's not getting the senate seat. So the question is does he want to run for president in 2020? He didn't want to do that. Well, he's been by this time Merrill will tank him so fast. It's just so weird. No, he would not win maryland But it's just it's just so weird that It's so weird that his party Even the most racist elements of the party Claim hbc use and he's just no it's different It makes perfect. It makes perfect sense though The one thing that you can say about the tea party is that they're low-key the love child of strong thermon They might love hbc use so much to keep black folks away to keep black folks away right and like and use that look at it for Whatever it is right now Hogan is old republican. He cared about business and money For him it doesn't necessarily benefit the state from a financial standpoint to support multiple hbc use So defund them they're not serving what he believes is important It makes perfect political sense for him as a republican to do so. Do I agree with it? Absolutely not But it literally is the dumbest play he could run, but okay This is i was playing but he wins because He he's more sane than the rest of his party. Well, he wins also because black folks don't get up and make a bunch of noise about it here in maryland Oh, but there's another there's another reason as to why he always wins. We gotta stop having our Black people that look like us wanting for county executive mayor mayor positions in central maryland and using get to Get on pockets and then get caught up Still and we go and we go cut we go cut at that. Um, we're gonna go to A really special segment that I think we've needed to get to for a while Uh, and and I think taylor is gonna lead this conversation Um with everything that's going on with hbc using outside of it There has to be a time where where alumni students faculty staff everybody Has to invest in some some self-care and some attention to your mental well-being So we're going to talk about strategies for for self-care for black folks when we come back dodgers after dark Dodgers after dark and we're back. We're going to finish up before the smoke detector Beeps a little bit more Somebody's crib. You won't name no names Taylor you're going to lead us in a conversation about self-care In the middle of all kinds of black crises Yeah, so when we talk about self-care one of the things that I've been like working with our faculty staff and students In the sectors of self-care is one. How are we? um Decentering whiteness when we talk about self-care And so often when we talk about self-care, we're trying to talk about the ways in which, you know, how are we trying to heal ourselves From the aspect of like racism a white harm that has been inflicted on us But how do we start having the conversation about self-care for the well-being of ourselves? Because what I try to get us to get out of the way of when we only think about self-care when we have it Like harm inflicted on us by those of white supremacy and racism How do we then ensure that self-care is a part of our daily lives? So self-care should move away from being triage But to be an active thing in our lives. And so how do we? Yeah So how do we move from self-care being a triage and a response to high levels of stress High levels of trauma. How do we embed that into our everyday lives as black folks and also Decenter it from seeing self-care only from the lens of harm Um, it's like when we have the conversation of moving away from very therapy and being more of well-being and not just because of severe crisis Like yes, you can have therapy for crisis, but how do we talk about having self-care outside of that? So there are like several things that I have like people talk about Um, you know always creating like what is your toolkit of self-care? So each and every last one of y'all like what's your toolkit like Eric? What do you do for your self-care? Like you just be like It's hitting the finger or it's not hitting the fan. What do you do besides having you know washing pots and pans and beeping? What is your self-care? Eric wishes self-care for it honestly, uh It's actually it's kind of been lacking, right? Especially during COVID. I was a lot better before um, my thing was typically going to the gym Because it's you can't you can't lift effectively while you're mad. You just don't work well out. It don't work out for you well um And I didn't guess I didn't recognize how much that was actually an integral piece to my Like health routine or just like mental health routine because I would go and like I would go work out at like midnight Work up a two hours Go home take a shower go to sleep and have like the best to be able to like just get through the week So now I'm just kind of struggling Because you can't go right as you can't go and so then it's like how do you we think your self-care when You have forced notions removed for me. So we can't go to necessarily gyms I mean some of y'all can depending on where you want to go. Taylor is not going to any public space is because Here and because cuz cuz cuz it's a pandemic. It's a goddamn pandemic every day um But you know thinking about the ways in which if your self-care has been centered around Capitalism if your self-care has been centered around like you wanting to pay for things having access to things How do you then create it outside of that? So it's a few apps So there's an app that I always recommend for black folks black and indigenous people called liberate um Yes, liberate like liberate yourself All be free Recommend that um the great thing about the liberate app is that it only has black folks and indigenous people Who are facilitating conversations to help you heal? Whether it is around race, whether it's around gender and sexuality But it provides medications and also think about it like as like Ted talks too So there's a free version that I highly recommend and then there is a paid version if you do That want to like opt into paying but the free version works just as well um But the thing about it is that it only has um those who are qualified And so you can't just be a random person that will go on the liberate app and like i'm a creative session for people to listen to They're qualified and they're vetted folks and then they're black and indigenous people So i've actually started participating more on social media just for like funny stuff So her timeline is is uh crazy When I saw that that algreen picture on that wall greens. I nearly died um Like that that that So looking at social media for for funny things Uh has become a pastime of mine Yeah, and that's definitely with the social media aspect Such because like a lot of our information and the way we find out about black death And black harm comes through social media. So like people like folks like on your instagram You can go in your settings and control control if videos will autoplay or not You can do the same on your twitter on twitter You can actually go in your settings settings and change um from video autoplay to turn it off So that you know oftentimes like when you're scrolling the video automatically plays You can do that to ensure like just kind of stop the triggers and stressors of that Um, I recommend for folks who are sharing like for you to always have a trigger warning If you are on um instagram to always do that this is sensitive Um content to like so that people can curate their social media to at least have The least amount of harm from like those experiences show up But like self-care also is about like protecting yourself mute words. Let me tell you my mute list longest hill it is Long as long Can you make can you make more more content show up like twerking? Reddit is a good On Instagram save your hashtag for um, so for me funny enough, um This little composition book right here Um, I write down everything that I need to do for the day or the week Right just so that I'm not worried about it. And if ever I need some direction I'm like man with the hell am I doing let me jump in my book real quick That tells me what I need to focus on and then like I say, um six feet to my right is my rogue fitness Right, so I've been lifting pretty much this entire quarantine since I can't go to the uh gym because I just refuse Absolutely refuse to visit a gym and then I still use my old pastimes. I've been gaming for 30 years So just having that having more time to play the game Huh, it's been a blessing for me this year. Um, you know, and then again, I talked to my good my people When I need to that's always been that's always been helpful Sure, let's not just listen and just to make sure I'm not the only one that's going through what we go through Is is good enough for me. You know what I mean? tell you Um, I pay attention to physiological changes. Um What how do I feel when when certain things happen? How do I um How do I respond? When I hear something when I see something so a lot of people ask me How did I go to the the protests early in the game and see what I saw? Um, because it was it was real reckless. Um, I felt like I needed to be there to record If anybody, you know It comes up later that somebody needs a recording of what occurred. I was there. I did what I could It didn't affect me the There is trauma there, but that's not how trauma affects me And acknowledging how trauma affects you because people will like to tell you. Oh, no, this is going to do this this and this to you I ain't that person and you have to recognize who you are and that takes some time You know I'm saying like people You know the simplest of things or why you want social media so much because I'm curating my social media. I know what I can if I start reading somebody's post and it says Something that I don't want to hear about I keep scrolling real simple. Um It's playing double dutch. I mean you you ain't got to be on top of each other play double dutch Double dutch swings. Yeah, so yeah, your top mind does have a lot of playground activity. That's true. Right. I mean Yeah, I need that. I need that get mommy outside. We play double dutch. Um, and Having acknowledging my circle my tribe making sure that if I shoot them a text like I do well this wednesday I'll text people and be like hey Wellness wednesday was going on with you and see what I can pour out of me And they pour in and out of me and then they pour into me as well because they're inclined to ask what I got going on And we may not have I may not be able to fix their problem But I may have given them something to think about Quarantine was interesting for me because I've been working remote since 2017 So I'm very used to sitting in the house by myself all day um Then I went on furlough Which kind of took away my time. Um, but no, I I try to filter what I take in constant wise. I don't watch a lot of news Um, I work out a lot as well. I think just a big thing for me is is just I just try to get myself the space to go through whatever I have to go through and then Um move forward. I think sometimes we have this mind. So we talk a lot about chat with bozeman Not everyone's built to work through whatever they have going on And sometimes that's more detrimental than others and he found a way to do it and that was his passion what drove him I know for me like i'm not productive when something's going on in my mind. So Try to get myself space and time and funny enough I also like because again, I was on furlough and it's funny because I have my job back now, which is wow how that kind of came back, but I really tried to not stress out about things around on my control Um, and I think it it got me through to a uh, it's a better place Hmm So it's interesting for me because my kind of um, self-care things didn't quarantine in effect. So for me, I'm all like reading Um, I'm and wire podcast deep now. I'm way down in the hole with jamele hill and you know watching that stuff Um, that was stuff I would do anyway So like to like towards the point like it didn't really affect me like as far Going through quarantine and doing those things but those are like my big things reading and Watching podcasts take my line off of the day and even the onus point like kind of pointing to the young people like checking in on them and making sure they're good and kind of Being a resource and kind of helping them and just so that they know the ears there That kind of that makes me feel good too and in turn also kind of helping them get stuff off of their off of their chest So um that kind of helps out a lot and then I've been doing just prison workout stuff push-up setups You know Take them to the yard take them to the you know, you know on youtube Cast these boys man. These boys be doing the crazy. I've been I've been trying to get the pull-up to pull up crazy bars in like jaded kiss Yeah, so that's you know, just the easy little prison workout Don't take much space to get done and that kind of stuff just really uh, that's kind of how I've been able to Decompress at the end of every day and kind of just you know clear my head a little bit I think the biggest takeaway is extending yourself grace Um and recognizing that even through this time that we're in we've never been in this time collectively together So even how you may have thought yourself care was before it may not work now And that's fine. That's perfectly okay doesn't mean that's something wrong with you um, it also means let's say extending yourself grace also means that productive for you looks like going to sleep And and and being okay with that. Um, I think learning how to extend ourselves grace during this time For it and even the community the communities we operate in and so how are we going to learn to extend ourselves grace and move away from The blind that we may have placed on ourselves that we always have to do um, because grace will allow us to actually Live and grow and be even better without being bad Wonderful show. I appreciate it. Um, stay tuned on IGTV. We're about to talk about the ratchet things we're going to do since Homecoming is going to be on quarantine as usual. Thank you guys for listening For tuning in on hbcu digest dot substack dot com and also on serious 140 serious xm 142 hbc radio Pride of harrow university. We'll see you next time. Peace