 Black History Month. Never stop showing up. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievement by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Our nation can learn from the past and celebrate the many contributions African Americans have made to this country. Queens, welcome to Sister Power. Aloha. Aloha. Aloha Barbara. Aloha. I'm so busy listening again. Okay, so we have Barbara who's in Atlanta, Georgia, Sequoia, and Deborah are right here in Honolulu. So happy, so happy, so happy to have you here. You know, this is just such a wonderful time in our life and we definitely want to pay homage to the late great Cicely Tyson. I mean, there's so much to say about her and there's a book just as I am. Deborah, you had a chance, you have the book in the video, am I correct? Yes, I have the audio and the heart cover and her long and extraordinary career. Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she shaped the course of history and she wrote this book just as I am and she entitled it after Mahalo Jackson's song that is entitled Just as I Am because she says this is my truth. So this is me, I love it. The book is a good read, you must get one or the audio if you don't have one already. I will. You know, I grew up with listening to Mahalo Jackson, my father was a minister, my mother a school teacher and later a principal. So we grew up with Just as I Am. That song was just so memorable. Tell me, Sequoia, you know, your thoughts very quickly about Cicely Tyson, the late great actress, iconic actress, Cicely Tyson. I recognized her talent as a young girl in the 70s and she was so powerful, her presence and the way she would articulate and be so strong and for me it felt like she was trying to show that we are not a trope in the way that she would present herself and I mean she's most known I think in contemporary terms of groups but we know her from she's been around for a very, very long time. I even remember her days when she was with Miles Davis but I just remember she just projected this this regalness about her and intellect and just cry that really made compel me to want to watch her and I felt, I kind of felt that she was trying to tell us through her work to be who you are, be strong as who you are regardless of what these oppressive systems are doing to us. You are beautiful, you are significant, you are important, be who you are, be that strong Black woman. I love it. Your thoughts Barbara on the late great Cicely Tyson. I was just always so impressed with her because she was one of those people that you see and you want to put your shoulders back. She just represented the essence of being Black and she was so good in the various roles that she played to portray what you know her heart was and I just I mean I am I'm just so amazed that she was able to really live up to what she talked about being that she kept going right up until I'm thinking a couple of days before her death that is amazing at 94. That is amazing and then we have you know I am still feeling just that wonderful feeling about Madam Vice President Harris and there's Cicely Tyson right there hot elegant I mean this lady is just exudes class but moving on to that day on January the 20th when our Madam Vice President Harris is now the first woman of color so give me your thoughts on that Deborah. Well first she's the first of many and first of all before I want to further I just want to say how delighted I am to be a part of your panel for Black History Month and to pay tribute to the contributions of our ancestors and I'm very proud to have Kamala Harris as our VP and looking forward to the great things that I know she's going to do. Yeah well you and I were we had wear your pearls on Inauguration Day out at Roy's and we had so much fun just fun fun fun fun fun fun it was just diamond necklace that I love. So memorable very very memorable and so Sequoia your day wear your pearls on Inauguration Day tell us about that very quickly. I was full of such pride and joy I couldn't be at the event but I had a prior appointment but at that appointment I was in my pearls and it was the historic day and as Deborah said it was first but not will not be our last and she has a lot ahead of her to do a lot of work to do and I know she's the one that can do it and I know she will not allow you know particular demographics to try to shut her down as happens when we Black women speak truth to power and I think she's just the right person to put some right back get them off of her and put a right back in their place. Oh I love that and you know Barbara Amanda Gorman oh my we cannot forget hers and I love what she said I'm learning that I am not lightning that strikes once I am the hurricane that comes every single day every single year she shows up what's your thoughts about Amanda Gorman she just I am just so um oh gosh I can't even come up with the words I just I am so amazed and so appreciative of her and I believe it is our time and what she is old for her age in that you know what she already understands what she is up against and she is just ready to go for it and I'm just I'm just so pleased because starting at that age there's no limit as to where she could go and of course with us and many people supporting her because the bad people will be there they're always there you know trying to change your change your direction but I believe that you know she is destined like Michelle Obama and like Miss Harris and I just I just think it's our time to shine because in spite of all of the insanity that was going on we still managed to be in the front seat for like of a better word yeah I'd love it you know if you're just joining us a viewer sister prior celebrate frack history month and never stop showing up and this is what this is all about and I appreciate your queens being here to celebrate black history month and we're going to just talk about Deborah our goals and we're going to talk about often the ox goes are so severe we begin to second guess ourselves so let's talk about that lead us into that conversation Deborah well first um black history month which is what we're celebrating it gives us an opportunity to acknowledge and recognize those people who have made a difference doesn't take much to make a difference all you need are ears to hear and the voices of others a heart that is willing to serve and a voice is willing to speak up for what you believe in and awareness of black history is informative today to all people because it shares the contributions of many unsung heroes and heroes who made their mark in america but still remains unnoticed so thank you for this panel that you have for black history month sequoia you know i'm going to jump around a bit because i'd love the fact that you um shared some information about um kimberley crenshaw say her name and that just is just um very interesting that take the say her name she's from brianna taylor do our experiences of black women overlap with other forms of oppression pretty much so uh kimberley crenshaw she uh her work involves the around the concept of intersectionality so we as black women we have to deal with oppression on one level it's like racism but also as women so you have sexism and then if there's any other overlapping uh ways of identity like maybe your lgbpq you know so you black day female so those are three different things that you have to navigate through an oppressive system so kimberley crenshaw cited these elements and then even if you're in your own looking your own community like say black women you know we had to deal with up against black male patriarchy you know we're all trying to strive to be for equality and justice but when you're in different environments say you're all a white environment you're looked at as a black woman black female or even black amongst white women and they in feminists in particular white feminists they don't want to see your blackness you just have to be a woman but they don't realize that there is very nuances many layers to navigating through american oppressive social system so she excited that we have to look at the issue on a whole intersectional level and that is a way to progress and find a way to fight this and to find solutions to move forward as a society and she's very active with the say say her name project where we are calling out the oppression and the abuse of our exploitation of our black females who aren't noted as often as others in this system and we need to get together on that and recognize our women that we are a threat to this society and I think a lot of it has to do with the rebrounding of the planet of our nation and that black women make beautiful brown melanin babies like brown babies and white supremacy cannot stand if they don't have the numbers so we are a threat to them so we have to be more united and vigilant in our cause and um you know live in strife and keep on showing up never stop showing up you know Barbara Cicely Tyson in one of her interviews she was talking about this ladder and she said at the top of the ladder is the white man and then it's a white woman and then there's a black man and the black woman is at the bottom and she's constantly climbing through this ladder let's reflect on the goals that you've set as some of the obstacles that you have encountered as being a black woman in business as being an entrepreneur well as an entrepreneur I decided I wanted to be in an industry where there were not many black people period so I decided to venture into the oil business but one of my questions had been with with all of the different areas and the places where you can really earn money why aren't there more black people there and it's not because you cannot do it and I think I set out to prove that you could do it and I really did prove it however I did realize the fight to keep you from those particular industries and even to this day many of your your top your your investment banking your oil a lot of places where there is a lot of money you still do not have a lot of black people and it's not because you cannot do it many times they will open the door because they figure a well they'll fail and you know then you don't have to pure races which is just not true but you do encounter a lot of of of of course Michelle and Amanda was saying you think all you have to do is to work hard and do a good job but that is not it sometimes the harder you work and the better the better job you do you create more enemies because they just the idea of you being there for some reason seemed to them to think well if you can do it it makes them less of a person there's this saying well if a black person can do it anybody can do it and we know that from Obama after he became president you had all kinds of strange people thinking they could be president and of course somebody actually wow this is so true you were well Deborah who are you as a black woman well after reading Sicily Tyson's book and how she defined herself I came to the realization that even though I was born in a small town in Alabama called Whistler better known as Whist town I cannot be defined by where I'm from because I've been to so many places and I came to the realization that the prettiest of my smiles has the most deepest secrets the prettiest of my eyes have quite the most tears and the kindness of my heart have felt the most pain so being all of what I am being all that I have done and all that I will do none of that will define me my past hasn't defined me it hasn't destroyed me nor deterred me nor defeated me it has only strengthened me I learned from my history but I don't live in it I'm a spiritual being as a black female with 64 degree of Native American blood but that does not define me I'm a widow or a mother and a grandmother but that doesn't define me I'm a godmother mama D to many a cousin or sister friend but none of that defines me I'm a retired school teacher with many degrees but none of that defines me I'm a retired boxer soccer coach a minister motivational speaker Zeta Phi Beta Eastern Star life coach singer dancer actress model humanitarian journalist and philanthropist none of that defines me all that I am and all that I once were never defined me so I define me by that song that says uh if anybody asks you who I ask you who tells them I'm a child that is what defines me if anybody should ask you who I am tell them I am a child of God I am a child of God when I stand before God at the end of my life I hope that I have not a single bit of talent left and I can say God I use everything you gave me I am just as I am and that's how I define me I love that I love that I'm a child of God absolutely Sequoia that's a man yeah I tell you she took us to church and back I'm loving it I love it I'm telling you of Sequoia are there any programs projects available to connect empower and encourage our women oh yes there are a plethora of them but what comes to mind and where I am right now is that as we know historically right we have all these great strides in our history as black women and black history in general so we know that with our progress comes great backlash right once that's forward 50 years back there's a pattern of things so I where I am right now is all about wellness self-care and working within our own communities on a level economic level in terms of boycotting corporations that participate in our complicit and and you know oppression and racism buying black buying locally so there are programs like buy our companies like buy black.com official black wall street.com if you have a business and those two particular ones that I mentioned you can register your business with them it's kind of like a yellow pages for our businesses to kind of keep it internal strengthen ourselves colorofchange.org are very very good about challenging and contending with corporations that are complicit so you might see them on the surface right now they're all jumping on the black lives matter thing and oh we're we're going to you know divest from all these different programs or different legislators that we might have backed in the past but at the same time they still have dark money on the other hand so I am for you to look these people up officialblackwallstreet.com we back we buy black.com and colorofchange.org that was just a start and of course say her name for the causes of black women and yeah all and sourcewatch.org sourcewatch will give you a listing of all the corporations that are part of this whole umbrella this cabal if you will of legislators and corporations fusing together to work against our causes yeah well definitely if you can email that I would love to share that with sister power network and sisters in power and kavaii network we definitely need to you know buy black and support each other Barbara what is your truth I have to say that I am a person who honestly never gives up on something that I really want I will just keep going and keep going and even though I will feel discouraged sometimes I found that being spiritually in tune sometimes when I will say you know what god I just don't know what else to do and it's almost immediate that I'll get some answer either I'll a phone call or something will occur to me and that if I could pass anything you know on I would say that to anyone because it's amazing it's amazing how that happens when you are open to to god into listening there's just there's always there's always a way you know and and you sometimes you do have to get to that point where it's like I just don't know what else to do and that seems to be when something else will come about and you just keep on going is just you just can't stop never stop showing up that's that is the theme of this show I love the quote from Shirley Chisholm if they don't give you a seat at the table bring a folding chair I love that I love that I love the fact that uh going back to madam vice president Harris the color of her outfit she was paying respect to Shirley Chisholm the first African-american woman to run for president so Deborah what is your truth well um being that it's black history month I want to share a little bit about where it came from how it got started and where it's going because a lot of people don't know the year was 1926 when Negro history week was established by historian named Carter G. Woodson who's better known as the father of black history month now Woodson along with the prominent minister Jesse Morland founded the association for the study of Negro life and history and according to history this organization was designed and dedicated to researching and celebrating the achievements of black Americans and other of African descent but a lot of people get confused because they they think the month of February had was chosen as black history month because it's the shortest month of the year which is it is the shortest month of the year but that's not the reason it was chosen so contrary to popular belief the original Negro history week in the United States fell on the second week in February and this specific week was set to pay homage to Frederick Douglass because his birthday is February the 14th and Abraham Lincoln's birthday was on February the 12th two men contributed to helping with the end of slavery which was abolished on January 31st and 1865 in the United States wow you know that's so important to educate people really we need it should be black history year inventions and inventors I mean people take for granted it's stopping at the stop light a black man invented the stop light it takes for granted about the ironing board a black woman I think Sarah Boone invented the ironing board I mean we can go on and on and on and Sequoia you wanted to add something to that and then Barbara I've already said everything but what defines me I I draw my strength you know me I'm a little bit of a rebel so Queen Mazinga I'm taking it way back Queen Mazinga I am going honey all right and uh this you know her she was so strategic a warrior queen and strategic and manipulate and maneuvering the Spaniards and all um and uh just making her stand you know that you can't just walk all over us and disrespect you know her or her people by using her width right and trying to get her people are united and to recognize the threat that was coming into the interior of our motherland so I want to that draw from that I draw from you know our the journey truth I draw from Harriet Cousman and you know on and on and on all up to Miss Connolly Harris so you know stand on the shoulders of great ancestors and I cannot I cannot express I will try to express the gratitude I have for where we are today as the people we can do better we can be more united and I think now is the time to come together as the people through our economic strength to show this system that we're not going to take your stuff anymore we're done well I have to say I draw from so many and every time I'm feeling lazy I think about what ancestors went through it's like you're out you're not in the cotton field you've got a car what's your problem you know so I draw from all of that that they went through and still managed to survive and that helps me to really get going a lot of times oh I love that you know I love this picture we can because they did because there is no excuse at all it's just absolutely no excuse for us and and ladies queen this has been powerful it's been empowering it's been motivating you are inspiring the next generation thank you for spending time with sister power I'm Sharon Thomas Yarbrough Aloha Aloha thank you ladies