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Black History Month is not just one month.
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It's year-round.
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Black history is also American history.
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And I think that's so that's lost on a lot of people.
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I hear people also say, man, why is Black History Month on the shortest month?
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It actually started off as one week.
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Yes.
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Shout out to my Omega Sci-Fi incorporated brother, Carter G.
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Woodson, who's the father of Black History Month and created it around, you know, achievements, spotlighting the incredible things and the resilience of Black people and Black history.
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So I'm excited.
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I mean, this is I'm excited about this episode.
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Me too.
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I cannot wait to dive in.
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And so when we talk about Black History Month, I'm glad you gave a little bit more context because we do hear that often of why it's why is it the shortest month?
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And so the fact that we went from a week to a month is significant for us.
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And so again, Black History Month is not just about the past, it's context for the present and the future.
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So, no, it's not just about slavery, which is what we hear a lot about, especially what's being taught in schools, but it's about innovation.
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It's about leadership.
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I mean, when we're gonna we're gonna let y'all in on some of the inventions that I don't know if you know that black people have been the forefront of innovation for a very, very, very long time.
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And I love that we're gonna talk about this too, because I think so often, and it's unfortunate, but when we talk about media, you can see so many negative stereotypes, negative imagery.
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And I'm just gonna give an example.
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I love Denzel Washington, right?
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But the the movie that he won the greatest award for was Training Day, where he played a corrupt police officer compared to Glory or Remember the Titans, or there's so many incredible films, right?
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Great debaters.
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There's so many great films that were empowering and were stories of black resilience, black excellence, all of these things, but yet those didn't quite win the award.
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Right.
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Right.
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And so I just use that as an example of the same way that people will think back and think about slavery and think about injustice or the civil rights movement, and you see those imagery, we need to also show during those exact same moments we were innovating, we were creating, absolutely, we were leading from military science, and and also people see sports, but I really love that we're gonna talk more about the science, the innovation, the things beyond, because people even see the the athletes aware more than an athlete.
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Yes.
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And then when people say, Well, just you know, shut up and dribble, or just you know, those types of things, it's bigger than that because it's not just about sports, there's so many other things.
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Absolutely.
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Absolutely.
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And I don't know if people are aware, but 13% of the US population is black as well.
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And I think that's something where when we talk about history, we don't want our history to be erased, to be minimized, to be distorted.
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Because what we have to realize, like you mentioned earlier, black history is American history.
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The more that we can speak about how we've been able to move entire generations forward based off of our innovation, our leadership, going to the Black Panthers.
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I mean, Black Panthers, and if you want to talk a little bit more about Huey, right?
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Was he a part of Omega Sci-Fi?
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No.
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No, okay.
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Yeah, but as we think about the the major movements and the leadership and what's happening.
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I mean, in these movements, yes, the it was start, it was led by incredible black leaders, but what you see that was so often that I love the spotlight when we talk about the Martin Luther King Jr., we talk about the Carter G.
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Woodsons, the Huey P.
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Newtons, they're also trying to help equality for other people as well.
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So it's not just voting rights for black people or civil rights just for no, the women are included, making sure that they have equal rights, that there's bridging the pay gap and all of these other areas.
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So I just think looking at it from that scope, that it's not just singular, but you mentioned the 13% and us being a minority, but we're also a part of other minority groups when we think about people that are either disenfranchised or aren't making up the majority that are making the decisions and in power in a lot of cases.
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Absolutely.
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So let's jump into some black history facts and innovations.
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I know we're very excited about this.
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And transparently, there are some history facts that we're still learning.
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Absolutely.
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I you just learned about one today, I believe, when it came to the microchips.
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Yes, the microchips, that was a great one.
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Um, knowing that that was created as far as microchips and thinking about the microchips, the like the forefather of AI in every microchip this year.
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David Blackwell, confirm for me, but David Blackwell being the forefather of AI national medal for science, I believe.
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But now every chip has Blackwell on it.
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Yes, which this is a black man.
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So we think about AI and the billions of dollars, really trillions of dollars that are now being invested into automation and artificial intelligence, knowing that the forefather of AI was a black man is just a reminder that the history and the innovation that's not always talked about.
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Correct.
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And now, from sure for a lot of people, this is the first time they heard that.
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Correct.
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And again, we always mention there are things in black history that we're also learning as well.
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Again, at the more knowledge, the more exposure that we are also getting, we're seeing that we as Black people are showing up in such an incredible way, and we're showing up in ways that are not being always celebrated, are being diminished, are being minimized, and outright giving credit to potentially a white man or a white woman, where we're just seeing that we have to also, as Black people, continue to speak about our history, teach generationally what we also know, which is also why I love when I talk to, when I talk to my grandparents and talk to your grandparents and just learning more about their history and their lived experiences.
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It's just incredible.
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And I highly, highly recommend, um, especially if you are black in America, to talk more to your grandparents, talk more to the people that have lived those lived experiences when you talk about the civil rights movement, when we talk about voting rights and the acts that had to be in protest transparently, in protest so that we can be able to get the rights that we deserve.
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And something that comes to my mind as I think about what we've overcome in the history, and that was a takeaway of conversations I had with my grandfather, which he's talking about being in the deep south in Mississippi and his experiences as a kid and growing up.
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And it reminds me of that quote that we've been doing so much with so little for so long.
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We can almost do anything with nothing because of the fact that you're starting off.
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I mean, he talked, my grandfather talked to me about being in school and being a student and performing well, but losing interest in school because you go in and there's pages missing in your books.
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You're getting hand-me-down books from the white school once they were done with them.
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So pages are ripped out, uh, there's chapters missing, but yet you're still supposed to complete the assignment.
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And this is what you're you know left with as far as the materials and the resources.
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And so that was really, you know, eye-opening for me, and to think about what he's been able to accomplish.
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And I we always talk about it, but truly standing on the shoulders of giants.
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Absolutely.
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And that's why the responsibility is so great to one be able to use our voice and use our platform for the right reasons, but to be able to share and make sure that there's awareness about these positive things, because so often, again, you're not hearing about the innovation, you're not hearing about the excellence.
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Again, it's excellence on any scale, it just happens to be black excellence, but you're not always hearing about that because it's more of the music, of the sport, of the negative narrative, and this kind of just sits on the back burner until we bring it to the forefront.
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And Black History Month is just one opportunity to spotlight these incredible and transformative stories and examples.
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Yes, it reminds me of the quote that we heard when we were at the MenXL Summit in Orlando, Florida, where excellence is the standard, exceptional is the goal.
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And that's so critical uh when we're talking about black history because we are I I love what you mentioned.
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That was, you know, John Hope Bryant that that said that, and it's so true from so many levels.
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But even when you were just talking about your grandfather's story, again, the hand-me-downs, the the leftovers, the second thought.
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It's you know, there's been so many times where we as Black Americans have not been the first thought and always have been the second or third thought.
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And now we're seeing when we talk about our history and when we talk more about being able to shed light on the innovation, the leadership that has happened throughout Black history, the empowerment that comes from that, the true pride of being Black in America is incredible.
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And, you know, I'm sure that there's gonna be some people that if you're watching us on YouTube or even our shorter clips, you may even be looking at me and saying, you know, I'm not, I'm not exactly sure.
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She looks, you know, a little ambiguous.
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I'm not, I'm not exactly sure, right?
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I often get sometimes too, depending on on my winter coat or not, you know, is she black?
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And so there's a, I have a different perspective because I am biracial and being um a part of the oppressed and the oppressor, there's a lot of interesting history, but then also feelings that can come from that as well.
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And I was telling you earlier today, just for me growing up uh and from middle school and on, being in a rural, uh, predominantly white neighborhood, Black History Month was not talked about.
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So it definitely wasn't celebrated.
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So I remember for me, I always took every opportunity that I could.
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I'll never forget there was an assignment we had to do in history, and it was just saying, hey, you need to choose a country and you have to tell us, you know, a little bit more about the exports, the imports, right?
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A little bit more about the country.
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And I was always trying to come back to my Black history because that's where I self-identify and where I feel the most comfortable and confident.
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And so um, it's interesting because I have been in that school where they're taking out Black history, they're taking out our books, they're taking out things that are relative to us to be able to still feel empowered and still be able to move forward on the innovation, the leadership, and understanding more of history about us.
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And so uh going back to the inventions, because that's originally how he started, uh, traffic lights, Garrett Morgan.
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That I mean, that's something we see every single day if you're driving.
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It's so powerful.
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Uh home security system, Marie Van.
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I was just saying, I can't I feel like I can't do anything without my ring.
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Now that you have a ring camera and a home security, it's like what do you do without it?
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Home security systems, uh, blood plasma storage and blood banks, Dr.
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Charles Drew, Omega Sci-Fi.
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Omega Sci-Fi.
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So again, when we talk about how many people rely on blood banks, how many people need that in order to live?
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Um we also have touch screen technology.
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Who's using their phone right now?
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Who's using their phone right now?
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That's Dr.
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Shirley Jackson.
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Um, the, and then you talked about David Blackwell.
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But this is just, we're literally just scratching the the tip of the surface.
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And what I also love is when you look at Black history, a lot of our inventions came from a problem that needed to be solved because we were secondhand, because we were also in spaces where we not only were not celebrated, but you're given, you're not even giving the tools to succeed.
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So therefore, I'll create the tool in order to succeed.
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So when we think about the ironing board, that was by a black woman, Madam CJ Walker, when we talk about hair care products.
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Uh, there's been so many instances where something has been, and I believe the iron too was created by a black woman as well.
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So when we start really thinking about those were going back to tasks that we had to be completed during a certain period in time.
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And so I think it's just, again, so interesting how, again, we've always been able to problem solve.
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And if we don't have it, we'll create it, we'll make it.
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And I also feel like that plays into our culture now that we see play out on social media, right?
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And yes, sure, it's it's based a little bit around dancing.
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But when we even talk about Air Force Ones, you have a pair of Air Force ones on right now.
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When other cultures or people start taking it over, we start almost losing a little bit of the cultural significance of what it means to us because it's being, you know, sometimes it can feel like it's being a little bit diluted because some of these other people and cultures are trying to steal, take.
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And I think a lot of people love, you know, I I always I hear the saying, you know, people love our rhythm, but not our blues.
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And where does that signify from?
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Is man, the vibe, the energy, that's great.
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Yes.
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But I don't want to tap in on the history of where that was rooted in.
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Man, I love the soul food.
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It's delicious, but where did the soul food originate?
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Wait, you guys were doing this with the scraps, with the leftovers, leftovers, with the things that everybody else didn't want, and you turn this into something that was magnificent.
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And those are just the examples of doing so much more with so little.
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Um, and and I think it's so important because you talked about it too, the schools pulling out the history.
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If you're one, not even learning about the innovations, the pioneers, the root, how did Black History Month get started, right?
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Some people have never heard of Carter G.
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Woodson.
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So when we think about that, that's the first piece.
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But then you also see that the pulling out of uh historical facts about slavery and oppression and things that have happened in museums and in monuments that are things that are essentially they're pulling away from what also has led to where we are today.
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Because obviously you have to look back to see how did we get here and move forward and move forward.
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And that's so critical.
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And I just think the more that we ask our elders about the history, read about the history, learn about it, but then make sure we share those positive, uplifting stories, absolutely, not just the negative ones.
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And to your point, I think it's so critical too when we are looking at outlets that are made for us, right?
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When you talk about Black Enterprise, if you grew up with Jet magazine in your house, if you grew up with some of these incredible resources, be hey, uh black entertainment television, right?
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When you're growing up and you're seeing yourself, the representation, right?
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I can't be what I can't see.
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And so how critical that is, and how we're also seeing that your black experience is different for everybody, but our history is still the same and where we come from is still the same.
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And so I think it's so critical to your point to continue to talk about it, to be truthful about it, to continue to put ourselves out there and make sure that our history is getting out there because we have people that are in power and that are trying to minimize, diminish, and outright take away our books in schools.
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And, you know, I just am thinking about here in Arizona, I love the grassroots bookstore.
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It's black owned and there's nothing but black books in there as well, which I absolutely love and appreciate too.
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Again, of just what are the resources that if if in this one area we are being minimized and diminished, where are we being celebrated?
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And making sure that we're moving more towards where we're being celebrated is a major key.
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Yeah, I think to the point on the books, I think that's a great way to be an ally and to be able to support because I think there's a lot of people more and more.
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And I think I'm just thinking back to we were at such a pivotal point with the the murder of George Floyd and the fact that more people saw because the cameras on it, you got multiple angles and you're seeing what's happening.
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Now it's it's a wake-up call for equality.
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It's a wake-up call.
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But then people have the question, and a lot of times I know there's people listening that are struggling trying to figure out how do I support.
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I may not be black, but I know that I want to be able to help move in a direction where it's supportive and it's towards progress.
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You can be an ally.
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And I'm excited to talk about what an ally looks like, right?
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And being that ally, because one, just listening, sharing, yes, positive and the right content.
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Yes, advocating, advocating, challenging the narrative that people may put out there that you know you need to shut up and dribble, or that it's just about music and entertainment, not about the science, the innovation, the business.
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There are incredible black leaders that are doing all you name it.
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There are examples and there are things to spotlight, but those are just not being talked about.
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And that's not the narrative that you typically see.
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But we can't be what we don't see.
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And what I love too is that we're seeing the younger generation taking innovation truly into their own hands.
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And I know that there was um uh a young boy who has now created a soap that can cure skin cancer.
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But also, here's the other thing, too, that I want to talk about.
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How many firsts are we still having in this day and age where we are seeing that it's taken this long in order for us to be in a position where we are using our voice in the right position and in the right room.
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Does that make sense?
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It does.
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And and just to give an example of that, it's tough, right, at times because you always want your opportunity.
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But a lot of times, you know, we talk about some of these black innovators, leaders, and pioneers, they're doing so much, the incredible and the exceptional with nothing, because their entry to get into the door was because things were sometimes red lobster.
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Correct.
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They were close to bankruptcy.
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And now you have a black CEO that's 35 years old, that's bringing a new perspective, that's literally transforming the company's approach.
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But again, he did it when they were at the very bottom.
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I want to be able to see more of those opportunities coming in where they're at the top and he's taking it to the next level versus taking it from zero, saving the day, and having to prove that he's in the right spot because he saved the day.
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Correct.
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Right?
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He's already earned that that right by working his way up, doing everything, the due diligence, the schooling.
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So I just I'm really excited to see more of those voices get spotlighted and for us to talk about that more because it makes a huge difference.
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I mean, yeah, I was just thinking HBCUs.
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I thought I was just gonna get into if you want to speak about your experience being at an HBCU historically black college and universities, that would be ideal.
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I also feel like for because you also shed a lot of light for me.
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I wanted to go to an HBCU, and so hearing your viewpoint and also going back to Howard as well in DC, I've how many times was I telling him, I was like, I've never experienced anything like this.
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This is absolutely it not only is it incredible, but it was, you know, potentially a moment of regret for me, not really taking that that step and going to an HBCU, but I'd love to hear more about your experience, and then also the that exceptionalism that you were talking about, what that looked like on campus.
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It's a great call out.
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Um, so first I just want to preface by saying I've had the experience of going to a PWI, which is a predominantly white institution, and then an HBCU, for those that don't know, that's a historically black college and university.
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Um, and and so being able to go to Howard uh N DC was really an incredible experience for me.
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Um, and then I you know, being a student athlete as well, but the standard was it was very high, you know, just from a the basics of like when I was at a Washington, for example, is very casual.
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:51.599
You're coming to class and most days in sweatpants, it's a little rainy, but you're wearing sweatpants, you're wearing a beanie, you're wearing jeans, you know, people have on rain boots and crocs, right?
00:19:52.000 --> 00:20:10.559
But like in how at Howard N DC and the standard, like we have professors and teachers that yes, are also you know, lawyers in, you know, you know, at the Capitol and they're coming and they're teaching, but like you're wearing on normal, like it's not uncommon to see people with blazers on, dress shoes, slacks, like fully ready to go.
00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:16.160
Like you would think, oh man, they're headed to an interview, and that's just how they're going to class and like setting the stage.
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:18.480
They presentation in their second hour.
00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:21.839
Literally, presentation in the second hour, and they're wearing that suit all day.
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:30.079
And then you're hearing about different things that that you may not have heard before, but being able to put a phrase and a name on it, like what's code switching?
00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:31.039
Code switching.
00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.559
What's that experience like?
00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:48.880
And for those that don't know, you know, code switching, it's almost like the equivalent of you act one way in front of, you know, maybe grandma, and you know, you're not gonna maybe listen to the same music as you're taking grandma to, you know, dropping her off at home as you would with your friends in the car, and you know, you're getting ready to go to a basketball or football game.
00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:50.720
That's there was a code switch.
00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:56.559
You had you were one, you know, way or you uh act one way with grandma versus differently amongst friends.
00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:15.680
And that was something that we we also learned from our professor hearing from a black professor and executive of like, hey, how you may talk to grandma and them, and and also having a lot of people from all over the world, some people had heavy accents, some people talk with more slang, some people, you know, uh have more ebonics, different things.
00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:44.720
And it was like, hey, that doesn't necessarily translate when again we are 13% of the overall pie of the majority, majority of people don't necessarily resonate with that, or they don't connect, or you are kind of making yourself an outlier, or really making other people feel uncomfortable, which it's not always on you to make people feel comfortable, but if you're looking for employment, if you're trying to fit into another environment that's not predominantly black, you've got to know how to be able to operate in both of those environments.
00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:52.000
So it was really valuable in addition to all of the history and the experiences of the things you get a chance to see as well.
00:21:52.240 --> 00:22:05.599
Yeah, I mean, I love stepping onto Howard's campus and on the yard, that was an incredible just experience, even though they were Weren't that many people, and you were telling me about Howard Homecoming and how just impactful that is.
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:12.480
It I just loved hearing about it and being on campus, experiencing it, and the feeling that you feel when you're there too.
00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:14.400
So that was really um really incredible.
00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:17.440
So uh did you want to talk about allyship a little bit?
00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:19.519
Yeah, and I would just say, you know, something else that I've got to do.
00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:21.680
We did too with the advocacy and absolutely.
00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:28.079
And I was just gonna say other thing with with you know with Howard as well, is that the level of excellence and expectation.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:38.160
I mean, my classmates, my friends, and I've got some great friends that are doing awesome things from you know, where I went to undergrad at a PWI or grad school, but like my classmates from Howard, oh my gosh.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:46.400
I mean, when I talk about people that are excelling and achieving, whether it's Apple, it's fanatics, it's in education, it's law, it's business.
00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:50.240
Like, I mean, I'm I'm I'm super proud to be an alumni.
00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:58.160
I'm grateful, you know, and that's also where you know Alpha Chapter, where Omega Psi Five Attorney Incorporated was, you know, was was started, was right there on the campus of how it's gonna be.
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.119
So you can feel that energy as well.
00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:03.440
Yeah, absolutely incredible.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:28.000
Um when we talk about current realities, you know, we we've talked about black history being removed from schools and how uh our impact is is being erased or given the credit to somebody else, uh, then also receiving would you say that people are receiving an incomplete education if they're not getting the full picture of black history is American history?
00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:28.640
100%.
00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:34.640
And it's unfortunate, but the the history or the perception that a lot of people have is what they see on TV.
00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:35.119
I know.
00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:38.960
And it's unfortunately it's the perception of what we talked about with Denzel and media.
00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:44.480
It's the corrupt police officer versus the head coach in Remember the Titans.
00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:44.880
Yes.
00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:52.880
It's the you know, Halle Berry and Monsters Ball versus Halle Berry in another film that is positive and it's leading in a different way.
00:23:53.039 --> 00:24:05.440
And so it's not to say that those aren't good movies or good narratives, but when we think about the example that's the, you know, that's the shining star, that's the award winning, we want to be able to see black people in that positive light.
00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:11.519
And we want to spotlight those inventions, those uh those transformative leaders, all of the things.
00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:22.000
And there's so many people that are that were doing the work, that have are doing the work now, correct, that are continuing to pave the way and be trailblazers for the next, you know, for the future.
00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:22.880
Absolutely.
00:24:23.119 --> 00:25:00.000
And I would say too, is uh, especially for somebody that's trying to be an ally, is make sure that you are educating yourself and educating yourself properly because that's gonna be a major, you're gonna have more of an idea of when you are seeing somebody, for example, that is black and they're the only black person on a call or in these meetings, you can have a little bit more of an understanding of the feelings, the thoughts, the uh anxiety as well, of just simple interactions sometimes of being in predominantly white spaces.
00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:11.039
And so uh we're gonna have to definitely do a part two for sure, because I'd love to get even more into the innovations and leadership that we know and that we want to share.
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:17.759
Because I was even looking, you know, George Washington Carver, people know him as a peanut guy, but he created outright irrigation systems.
00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:21.759
He went to Tuskegee Institute at the time, which is now Tuskegee University.
00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:27.279
And so just I want to dive a little bit more into uh our history in that way.
00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.480
So we'll do a part two.
00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:29.279
I love that.
00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:29.920
Yes.
00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:34.240
Thank you so much, Coupley Fit fam, for listening to another episode.
00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:35.759
We appreciate you so much.
00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:38.640
If you're watching us on YouTube, please like and subscribe.
00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:44.960
If you are following us on social media, it's at Couply Fit, C O U P L E Y F I T.
00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:49.519
As always, keep growing, glowing, and feeling better together.
00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:50.400
Bye.
