- 4 weeks ago
SOLUTION SESSIONS BROOKYLN: A Conversation exploring reclaiming our communities through education and ownership.
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00:00Hello AfroPunk fam! I'm Bridget Todd and I'm so excited to be connecting with all of you today.
00:14I'm joining you today from beautiful Washington DC, the United States Capitol, and I want to know
00:19first of all where is everyone tuning in from? You can use the chat to let us know and also
00:24consider turning on your webcam so we can see all of your beautiful faces.
00:29Today we'll be having a live community conversation looking at rebuilding our local communities
00:33through education, building economic power, entrepreneurship, and supporting Black
00:38businesses. We have a wonderful lively panel joining us today, so let's get to know them.
00:43I want to start with my girl, Younique. Younique, go ahead and introduce yourself.
00:49I'm also right outside of Washington DC, the United States Capitol. I'm the founder of Because of
00:55that we can and the creator of a new party game by the name of Austin Pay.
01:03Beautiful. Next up, let's hear from Ash Cash. Go ahead and introduce yourself.
01:07Hey, hey, Ash Cash, AKA the Financial Motivator. I am the author of eight books,
01:15and I teach people how to change their mindset in order to manage their money better.
01:22News we can all use, especially me. Last but not least, Nadia. Hello, please introduce yourself.
01:29Hi, everyone. I am the founder and former principal of Mount Hall Bridges Academy in Brownsville,
01:36Brooklyn. I am also the chief visionary officer of The Lopez Effect, the author of The Bridge to
01:43Brilliance and Teaching in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and so I do all things education and
01:48disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline.
01:50Beautiful. Thank you all for being here today. So, you know, these days, I feel like we all need
01:56to start with a little bit of a temperature check. I want to know, you know, how do you think Black
02:01folks are doing as a community right now? Nadia, let's start with you. How do you think we're doing?
02:05You know, it depends on the day. I think that there's sometimes that we're having good moments.
02:13But overall, there are moments when we are just simply exhausted. We're tired of being mistreated,
02:20disrespected, not honored, you know, not counted. But I think that because of that, we, we, unfortunately,
02:30we use, we're, we are used to that. And we rally around each other as the village. So, the temperature
02:36check for me has to be done every single day, because it can have its high moments, and it can
02:42also have its low moments.
02:45Unique, what do you think? How are we doing as a community right now in this moment?
02:48Unique, what do you think?
02:53It's something that you have to assess on a daily basis. I think that, um, we're definitely
02:58And looking out for one another.
03:28Can you hear me?
03:30Having a little trouble hearing you.
03:31That's much better.
03:32Let's see.
03:34Much better.
03:38All right.
03:39Can you hear me?
03:40Much better.
03:41Beautiful.
03:43Sorry about that.
03:44No worries.
03:45Give us that answer again.
03:46How do you think we're doing as a community?
03:48What's your temperature check for the community?
03:50Yeah, I think as a community, it's something that, like Nadia said, it's something that
03:54we have to assess on a daily basis.
03:56I think that we are definitely coming together more as a community, as a byproduct of what's
04:01happening.
04:02And I think that from an emotional and a mental well-being perspective, it ebbs and it flows
04:08given the day and the news.
04:11Absolutely.
04:12Ash Cash, what do you think?
04:13How are you doing?
04:14Yeah, I'm going to echo what both Nadia and Unique said is that, you know, you definitely
04:19got to assess it day by day.
04:22You know, I believe that the community is definitely tired.
04:26But tired is not a bad thing.
04:27I think that, you know, it looks like we're coming together.
04:32We're tired to the point where we know things have to change, right?
04:36So it's one thing that if we're tired and we're willing to, you know, keep accepting
04:40the same things over and over again.
04:42But from my purview, when I look at the temperature of what's happening in the community, this
04:49level of tiredness is like, all right, you know, enough is enough.
04:52Let's go.
04:53Like, what do we do to move the needle forward?
04:55And so, you know, I'm excited when I look at the community because I know that change
05:01is, you know, what Rihanna and Jay-Z said, victories within the mouth, right?
05:05So like victories within the mouth and I see it, I smell it, I feel it, I know it's about
05:10to go down.
05:12I love it.
05:12Well, that takes me to my next question for you, Ash Cash.
05:15You know, as you think about all the different measures of stability or success for a community,
05:20from education to health to wealth to ownership, oftentimes Black folks are considered to be
05:25at the bottom of the charts, like of all the data, you know.
05:29Do you think we're seeing any forward movement?
05:32Yeah, I do.
05:33I do.
05:34You know, being out in the community, I do see a lot more, you know, entrepreneurs.
05:40And, you know, I think what happens is this, right?
05:44There are four types of people in the world.
05:46You have consumers, producers, investors, and philanthropists with $1.4 trillion was our
05:51spending power, right, in 2019.
05:53And so the reason that we don't have wealth and it seems like we're on the bottom is because
05:59we are only one of the four people.
06:01We're consumers only.
06:02But what we need to start focusing on is not only we have to consume because, you know,
06:07money, there's a cycle of money.
06:09So we have to consume, but we also have to produce.
06:12We also have to invest and we also have to give back.
06:15And so now, you know, is the opportune time.
06:18I call this the great financial reset where everyone's trying to figure it out.
06:23The big corporations, everybody's trying to figure things out.
06:25And so in chaos comes evolution.
06:28And so within this chaos, we have an opportunity to now say, you know what, I'm not just going
06:33to be a consumer.
06:34I'm also going to be a producer.
06:36I'm also going to invest.
06:38And I'm also going to give back.
06:39And once as a community, we start becoming, you know, all four of these types of folks,
06:45then we will see an immediate shift.
06:47Some of that $1.4 trillion will actually stay in our community longer.
06:52Absolutely.
06:53You know, you just talked about how important it is to give back.
06:55That's something that I know Nadia knows quite a bit about.
06:58Nadia, you often say that you opened a school because you wanted to close a prison.
07:02What kind of difficulties did you experience with getting that school opened and keeping
07:06it sustainable?
07:07And how did you find solutions in doing that?
07:10So let me tell you something.
07:11It was the hardest thing.
07:13And there was so many negative things that was happening behind the scenes, from just
07:21convincing parents to enrolling their children in the school, convincing the community that
07:27they deserve something better.
07:29I had to deal with racism, classism, and sexism within the Department of Education itself and
07:37stand on my own two feet and fight for a community that I just felt was brilliant.
07:43But didn't get the respect that it deserved.
07:46And then, you know, the other part of it is just finding adults, teachers who actually
07:50believe in children.
07:51Because everybody wants a job, but they don't want to do the work that is required in order
07:56to inspire and continuously pour into children who for a very long time have been disenfranchised.
08:02And we all know that's intentional, right?
08:04And so in order for me to become sustainable, I'm going to say I definitely had to lean on
08:11my village.
08:11So it started with my director of programs, Monique Achoo, who was always there.
08:16Like, we were there in the school until midnight every night.
08:21She had my back.
08:22You know, you always have to have someone who is your praying partner, but also someone
08:26who you can fall apart and cry and they will lift you up.
08:29But then it meant that I also had to find, eventually find people who understood the value of what
08:37I was creating and understood the vision.
08:39And for those who didn't, they had to leave.
08:42So it took a very, very long time.
08:44I want to say it took almost seven years before I got to a place of it being sustainable.
08:49And when I mean sustainable, that meant that everyone was on board.
08:52Everyone could then teach the next person who was coming into the building.
08:55I could walk out of the building and know that whatever the mindset we had created was
09:01going to continue, which was, for me, most important because you want to build a legacy
09:05that, like now, not being in the school, I know that it's being maintained at the highest
09:11level because, at the end of the day, our children are our young kings and queens, and
09:15we have to make sure that we protect them.
09:18Absolutely.
09:19You know, you just talked about how important it is to sort of depend on and lean on your
09:24community.
09:24Unique, I know that's something that you know quite a bit about.
09:27Your project, Because of Them We Can, really reminds us to look back for inspiration.
09:33And I'm wondering, what are some of the ways that you have seen the importance of the village
09:37or that, you know, community mentality playing out that we should really be reclaiming and
09:42restating today?
09:44Yeah, I think it's really just understanding that if it affects you, it affects me, right?
09:50And I think that we're seeing that come back into the conversation where people are really
09:55starting to be more village-minded.
09:58It's not enough for me to succeed.
09:59It's not enough for me to be wealthy.
10:01It's not enough for me to have food.
10:03It's not enough for my children to go to an amazing school.
10:06It's not enough for my kids to have clothes on their backs if someone else who looks like
10:10me is not in the same predicament or position.
10:13And so I think that what Because of Them We Can has been able to do and what I think the
10:18mission of the village in general holistically is to make sure that the person on my left
10:23and the person on my right is doing well.
10:26And it means each one teach one.
10:29It means giving back.
10:30It means being in a posture where you're always learning and seeing what you need to unlearn
10:36in order to improve the community and to improve yourself.
10:39And I think that it's happening more now because we see that there are so many from outside of
10:45our community who are not just launching like subtle attacks, right?
10:50Like it's very obvious, overt, in your face.
10:55I don't want you here.
10:56I don't want you to succeed.
10:58I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you from growing type of tactics that we see.
11:05And so what other choice do we have than to make sure that from a community perspective,
11:10we have one another's back and we're making sure that if you're okay, I'm okay and vice
11:15versa.
11:16So we see that.
11:16We're seeing that a lot right now.
11:18And I think that it's that sentiment and that responsibility that we should all carry
11:23to be our brother and our sister's keeper will continue to grow.
11:27Definitely.
11:28You know, something about your work, Unique, and your sort of spirit in general is that
11:31you really do show that brands and organizations, like they really want to work with Black folks
11:39because we are the ones who bring the culture.
11:41We're the ones who bring the talent.
11:42You know, and I think we often hear different things about Black bending power.
11:47So this is a question for AshCash.
11:49You know, we often hear people say Black people just don't have enough money.
11:53But then we hear all of these statistics about Black buying power and we see all of these
11:57brands wanting to work with us.
11:59So which is it?
12:01Like, how do you think Black folks are really doing money-wise and capital-wise when it comes
12:05to this kind of stuff?
12:06Yeah, I think that, unfortunately, a lot of the brands know our power more than we know
12:13our power.
12:14You know, I think that if we understood the power of economics, the power of, you know,
12:19owning our own businesses, the power of, you know, keeping our money within the community
12:24and supporting Black businesses, if we did that collectively, then we would have more money
12:30to circulate within our community.
12:32So I'll give you a quick stat, you know, the top employer, you know, of Black people
12:37is the government, right?
12:39But the second highest employer of Black people is Black businesses.
12:44And so if we understood that, you know, you know, specifically that we can't necessarily
12:51only depend on the government, that if the government is not employing us, that the second highest
12:57employee of Black folks are Black people or Black businesses, and if we started to support
13:03Black businesses more, create more Black businesses, that power would shift, right?
13:10Because now, not only are you spending your money with a Black business, but now as you
13:14start to frequent in that Black business and allow that Black business to thrive, they're
13:20going to, in turn, you know, hire more Black individuals.
13:23And then that starts to change the village, and that gives us more power, because once
13:27you have economic power, then you start, you know, it's a different conversation when
13:33you're asking for justice, when you're, you know, asking for a seat at the table, you don't
13:37have to ask for it when you have the economic power, you could actually build it yourself.
13:41Absolutely.
13:42This is a question for everybody, you know, to that end, what are some meaningful ways that
13:47you've seen Black-owned companies or organizations giving back and really strengthening our communities?
13:52Nadia, I want to start with you.
13:54Have you seen any good examples of Black-owned companies really reinvesting in the Black community?
14:00You know, I'll use an example that is connected to Mott Hall.
14:04So you take an organization like Sundial, you know, that's under Unilever, that provides all
14:12the things with Shea Moisture, and they actually partnered with us when we were doing our She
14:16is Me events that then turned into, we hosted our Hair Fest, and they were so invested in
14:25making sure that our young people had the products that they needed, provided us with speakers
14:32to come in, you know, to talk about the different elements and careers that's within the Sundial
14:39family.
14:39So whether it was someone who dealt with branding, if it was someone who was behind
14:43the scenes that was the chemist, if it was someone who dealt with community relations,
14:48which is so, so important because you think of a hair product and you think of beauty and
14:54wellness, but you're not also thinking about who are the individuals who are actually making
14:57it happen, who are actually going into our communities and ensuring that there is a viable
15:02investment happening.
15:03So that's just one example.
15:07I also say Greedy Vegan that's in Brooklyn.
15:11So you take someone like Letitia Daring, who really took time, especially during the pandemic,
15:17to make sure that families were being fed.
15:20You know, she kept her establishment open.
15:22She was providing healthy meals.
15:23And we know that because of COVID, a lot of our community members were most affected,
15:28right?
15:28There are so many who have underlying health issues, but don't have access to fresh food.
15:34And she was making sure that there were families throughout Brooklyn, whether it was East New
15:37York, Flatbush, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, that were getting food that they can actually eat
15:43and make them, you know, a little bit better and a little bit healthier.
15:47There was actually an option out there.
15:48So just in terms of those two individuals that I can say necessarily they impacted the folks
15:55that I am in contact every single day was evident.
15:59But there are so many other individuals who were doing it and they were doing it at a time
16:05that they were actually suffering financially, right?
16:08But they were willing to put their purpose first.
16:11They were willing to put us first because we understand that all we got really is us.
16:17All we got.
16:18All we got.
16:19Unique, what do you think?
16:20Have you seen any good examples of Black businesses giving back and reinvesting in our communities?
16:26Yeah.
16:26So, I mean, I live for stories like that.
16:28And I think that there are more of them than we talk about on large platforms.
16:33But one that I love is Slutty Vegan.
16:36So it's based in Atlanta, owned by a sister named Pinky Cole.
16:42And one, the burgers are amazing.
16:44But outside of that, what she does in the community is so important from hiring young people who might
16:52have been in some sort of trouble and are looking for a way to kind of reset their lives and get on a good path
16:57to making sure that seniors at Clark Atlanta University or the schools that are in the area
17:04that they provide food to, making sure that the seniors aren't held back from graduating
17:09because they have outstanding, you know, debt or dues, running Zoom to the polls types of events
17:17to make sure that our people are informed and educated when it comes to understanding the power
17:22and the importance of our vote.
17:24I've seen them do so many amazing things, not just giving back money, but time is also equally important.
17:31And then there's one other company I want to bring up who's also kind of in the food sector,
17:36which is Gooder, which is owned by a sister by the name of Jasmine Crow.
17:40So she's out of Atlanta, and what her company does is goes around and finds restaurants or establishments
17:49that are going to otherwise throw food away.
17:52And she gets that food, and she goes to redistribute it to people that are in areas that are food insecure
17:57or food deserts.
17:59And just, you know, seeing how they give back to our community is super important.
18:04And that's Jasmine's entire business model.
18:06When it comes to Pinky Cole, it's not really her – it's a part of who she is.
18:10It's a part of her purpose.
18:11But she's selling burgers and using that money to really just give back to the people who need it the most
18:17in various ways.
18:18And so I think there are a lot of examples.
18:20Those are just two really small ones.
18:22There's another brother by the name of Black – that does Black and Bold by the name of Purnell.
18:26I think his last name is Caesar.
18:27It's available at Target.
18:29Black and Bold.
18:29And for every – the money that you spend with his brand, he gives that money back to HBCUs.
18:36And we know that we need funding there.
18:38We need to make sure that we can – our kids can stay in school once they get there.
18:42And so tons of Black-owned brands giving back.
18:46But I think that's, like, that's the prerequisite, right?
18:48We start a business, and we know we have to carve out some sort of space to give back to the community,
18:53whether we talk about it publicly or not.
18:56I have never met, to this day, a Black-owned business that doesn't have some sort of component,
19:03even if it's not something that they're doing every month.
19:05They're doing something around holidays.
19:07They're doing something when it comes to back to school.
19:09It is just ingrained in us to give back in some sort of way.
19:14That's beautiful.
19:15I mean, that's our people, right?
19:17That's what we do.
19:18We give back.
19:19We uplift.
19:20We reinvest in our communities.
19:21That's so important.
19:23Another question I have is, what is one thing that everybody who is joining us today,
19:28no matter where they are, should be doing to create more vitality and more support
19:33and more strength in their family or in their community?
19:36This is really a question for everybody.
19:37Ash Cash, we'll start with you.
19:39What is one thing that anybody joining should be doing?
19:42Yeah, I would say monetize your gift.
19:45You know, I'm a big Jay-Z fan, so I'm going to keep quoting Jay, right?
19:49But you've got to merrily, merrily eat off of streams, right?
19:52And so, you know, I believe that everybody should have multiple streams of income.
19:57If this, you know, if the pandemic and things, you know, the world shutting down wasn't,
20:01you know, an example of that, I think that it's important that we understand that we all
20:05have a gift and we can learn how to monetize that gift.
20:10And so I would say everybody, you know, should be in a position to figure out what is that
20:15thing you're good at?
20:16What is that thing that you love to do?
20:17You know, what is your superpower?
20:19And now figure out from that superpower, how do you solve a problem with your superpower,
20:25right?
20:25Because a business is simply just a solution to a problem.
20:30That's all a business is.
20:31And so if you have a superpower and then that superpower can solve, you know, solve something,
20:36you know, how can you, you know, put that out, create a side hustle?
20:40So that way you're creating multiple streams of income.
20:42Because we're literally at a space where if you only have one source of income, that income
20:47can go away, you know, in a flash, right?
20:51And so now, you know, I would say one thing that we need to do is focus on our superpower
20:55and create, you know, some side hustle or a main hustle or some type of source of income
21:00from that power.
21:02Absolutely.
21:03Nadia, what do you think?
21:04You know, what is one thing that anybody tuning in can be doing to strengthen our communities
21:08and our families?
21:11You know, I wanted to say what Ash has said, but I'm going to say as a mom, I think that
21:18we, especially the parents, have to take a pause.
21:22We are the example for our children and we're going through a lot of stress.
21:26And oftentimes what we do is we fake the funk and we keep working hard and we act like everything
21:34is okay without actually being intentional about taking time for mental health.
21:41You know, I recognize that I have an 18-year-old who's in college and she is following in my
21:46footsteps.
21:47And so when I was in the position of being a principal, I was constantly working, working,
21:51working, working, knowing that I was burnt out, knowing that I was tired, but I would be
21:55the first one to say, you know, I am a functioning burnout, right?
21:59And I would almost say it was five because so many people would be like, at some point
22:03you're going to fall apart.
22:04And I never did.
22:06But at some point I did, like it took nine years before my body finally said, you know,
22:11enough is enough.
22:13And so what I had to see in my daughter's eyes, her fear, the fear in my mother's eyes,
22:19because I'm never that person who's sick.
22:21I never take time off from work.
22:23I literally had to recover, which is the reason why I had to resign from my position.
22:27It took since last year, May 2019, up until July 2020, for me to get to a better place
22:34within my health, right?
22:37And all of it was based off of my mental health, not having self-care, overworking, that led
22:45to autoimmune disease that affected my kidneys.
22:48And stress comes out in different ways.
22:51You don't even know the things that you're manifesting.
22:54But I went to too many funerals, and I've seen too many of my scholars, mothers and fathers
22:59had died because they didn't take care of myself.
23:01So I was just doing the same thing.
23:03And that was, for me, not the best example.
23:07So I think that as a community, while our finances is very important for teaching our
23:14children how to save, how to invest, how to create businesses is as equally important.
23:21But we are nothing if our health and our overall spiritual and mental wellness is not intact.
23:30You know, as a people, we have been taught, unfortunately, that we keep pushing even when
23:34we have nothing left to get spiritually.
23:37But we have to change that because we will not survive.
23:40The world, as we know it, outside of our community is hell-bent on destroying us.
23:45So we have to preserve ourselves.
23:47And that really, truly is an act of revolution.
23:50I have chills.
23:52Absolutely.
23:53You know, all of this is important.
23:54Our communities are so important.
23:56But we cannot support and strengthen our communities if we are not first supporting and strengthening
24:00ourselves.
24:01What you just said is so important.
24:03You know, you don't want to hustle yourself into our early grave.
24:06And keeping in mind your physical, your mental, your spiritual wellness and preservation is
24:11so important.
24:13This is my last question before I throw it to the audience.
24:16Where can everyone keep up with all of the amazing work that you all are doing?
24:20Unique, we'll start with you.
24:22Where can folks keep up with you?
24:23At Unique on Instagram.
24:25Unique JG.
24:26Twitter, I'm Unique.
24:27And then Because of Them or Culture Tags.
24:30But I wanted to just piggyback on what, if I could go to the next, the past questions
24:34just really quickly.
24:35Please.
24:35Plus, plus, absolutely to everything that Nadia said and Ash.
24:39I just wanted to add one other element.
24:41So I think that is something else that everyone can do.
24:45It's so important, yes, to have multiple streams of income.
24:47But we have to do our due diligence as a community and support those businesses.
24:51Right?
24:52We can all have all these different business ideas.
24:54We can launch them.
24:54We can put them into the universe.
24:55But if we, as a community, don't reinvest our dollars into those businesses, into those
25:01enterprises, they won't sustain themselves.
25:04And so we have to be able to do that.
25:05And we have to be able to extend grace to those businesses.
25:09A lot of times, we're so quick to say things like, this is why I don't support Black-owned
25:13businesses.
25:14If a product is a day late or if something is just not necessarily within your liking.
25:20And so I would say extend a little grace, understanding that oftentimes Black-owned businesses or businesses
25:25that are owned by people of color don't benefit from the same level of resources and funding
25:30and capital that allows some of our counterparts to have the big staffs, the robust systems.
25:36And I think that it's important for us to do our part in that perspective as well.
25:41But yeah, you can find me at Unique on Twitter, at Unique JG on Instagram.
25:47And because of them, and culture tags on Instagram as well.
25:51I'm so glad you said that, Unique.
25:53I feel like people will buy something.
25:56Maybe it's just my people, my cousins, my family.
25:58They'll buy something on Amazon.
26:00It'll be a day late.
26:01And it's no big deal.
26:03It happens.
26:04If a Black-owned business sends something a day late.
26:06Game over.
26:08It's making me, how many of us have really gotten our items on time when it's from, you know,
26:15the brand out there that allows people to have a Prime account, right?
26:19Like that whole window is just out of whack right now.
26:23But when, to your point, if you have a Black-owned business and you get something a day late,
26:27I see so many times on social media where people are just reaming at Black-owned businesses.
26:32And it's us.
26:33And I think that sometimes we really need to take a step back and figure out how can we apply
26:40grace and how can I help, right?
26:43If we have that village mentality, it's not always, you know, personal.
26:47It's just like, how can I help?
26:48Is there something, some advice, some feedback that I could give?
26:52Can I pull you to the side?
26:53Can I send you an email?
26:54It doesn't always require the Twitter thread or the Facebook post when you can just slide
27:00on someone's DMs or someone's email account because we need these businesses to be around.
27:04And in order for them to get better, they have to get constructive criticism and feedback
27:08to improve.
27:09Absolutely.
27:10Ash, where can people keep up with all the amazing work you're doing?
27:14You can find me on my website, iamashcash.com.
27:17Follow me on all social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, at Iamashcash.
27:25And a little light flex, I'm also Google-able.
27:28You can Google Ashcash.
27:30Nadia, where can folks keep up with all the amazing stuff you're doing?
27:34I'm going to do the heavy flex.
27:35You can Google me.
27:37But you can follow me at TheLopezEffect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
27:46Beautiful.
27:47So now I want to throw it to audience questions.
27:49Please, if you can, turn on your webcam so we can see your beautiful faces when you ask
27:53questions.
27:54And use the chat to ask our panel whatever it is you want to know.
28:15Don't be shy.
28:16Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:17Don't be shy.
28:18Don't be shy.
28:18Don't be shy.
28:18Don't be shy.
28:18Don't be shy.
28:19Don't be shy.
28:19Don't be shy.
28:20Don't be shy.
28:20Don't be shy.
28:21Don't be shy.
28:21Don't be shy.
28:22Don't be shy.
28:22Don't be shy.
28:23Don't be shy.
28:23Don't be shy.
28:24Don't be shy.
28:24Don't be shy.
28:25Don't be shy.
28:25Don't be shy.
28:26Don't be shy.
28:26Don't be shy.
28:27Don't be shy.
28:27Don't be shy.
28:28Don't be shy.
28:28Alright, we have a question.
28:58We have a question from Ana J. What is your question?
29:10And you can just turn on your mic. You're all unmuted.
29:27So we're going to take a quick break to figure out the questions, but I actually have a question. I'm curious, how did you all get into what you do? Ashkash, there are so few Black financial planners and financial gurus in this space. How did you find yourself in the work that you do?
30:22In our community, no one was really talking to our community. And as somebody who has their PhD, but not my doctorate degree, it's actually my public housing degree.
30:33So I grew up in the St. Nicholas houses in Harlem, New York. I knew that my people needed me.
30:39And so I decided to leave banking and to teach, you know, financial education to the community. So I started out, you know, volunteering at churches, going to Rikers Island and speaking to the inmates there, you know, about financial education.
30:54Because I knew that a lot of our situations stemmed from economics. And then, you know, from there, just started writing books. And, you know, eight books later, four bestsellers and traveling the world, just teaching this message.
31:07You know, I'm happy that I'm doing this work because my intention is to help, you know, change the community at large.
31:16I love it. I love it. And that's so important. We need Black financial advisors, financial planners in our community who are really looking out for us.
31:24Unique. Unique and I work together. So I happen to know a bit about all of the amazing things that you do, which I don't know how you get it all done.
31:33But my favorite thing is your most recent venture, Culture Tags, which I have and love. Tell us about Culture Tags and how it came to be.
31:42Yeah, and which we're going to play in a Blurcon session in a little bit.
31:48But yeah, so Culture Tags is a game where it's pretty much decoding acronyms. So if you've ever been on the Internet, you've seen a long acronym and you've guessed what it is.
31:58That's Culture Tags. That's that's how you play Culture Tags. And so I was online one day, saw this really long acronym and I saw like hundreds of comments where people were like, oh, my gosh, why do I know what this says?
32:09Why do I know what this means? And like I'll just show you like that's one right there. Right.
32:15So like that's a this is a Culture Tag card. And so I saw one that was really long like this and I knew what it meant.
32:23And I also knew that it was a little bit more than just people adding comments. I was like, yo, this is a game like this is a game like this would be so much fun to play at home with family and friends.
32:34And so, yeah, so I don't want to spark the idea. And I just ran like really hard at the end of last year to create a physical product.
32:43And so it's it's thriving. It's available at Target dot com. It's online and it's doing like really, really well.
32:51It's bringing a lot of joy to people during these difficult and challenging times.
32:54You said, what is it like to have my product on the shelf at Target? Is that what you said?
33:09Can you hear me, Bridget?
33:13Hello, can you hear me?
33:17Bridget, I think she might have. Did Bridget freeze or did I freeze?
33:19No, I think she did. Oh, OK, OK. Bridget, I didn't mean.
33:24Yeah, can you hear me? I think I'm through.
33:26Do pros, hit the. Yes.
33:31No, virtual, virtual.
33:33Virtual, virtual.
33:34We should make that a game.
33:36My question.
33:38What is it like to see your product in Target?
33:41So right now we're on Target dot com.
33:43But I will tell you all that in about five weeks, we will be in Target stores.
33:51And so I am super excited to see it on the shelves.
33:56I keep walking in there just waiting for the day where I'll be able to see it alongside some of the other games that we know to be classics.
34:03It'll be pretty much available all over in Target stores.
34:06But it's it's humbling.
34:07But it's also just proof that like, yo, it always starts with an idea.
34:12Yeah. And if you can take your idea serious, the world will take it serious.
34:18And so we're less than a year from launching the game.
34:22It's in Target. Right.
34:23And so I think that for me, it's just proof that my ideas are valid.
34:28They're good.
34:29And they just need to be investigated to make sure that they speak to the people in a way that I know will resonate.
34:35And so for me, it's all about culture and community.
34:38So once you get really clear on what your purpose is and what you're here to do, you can go really deep.
34:42Last year or 18 months ago, if you would have said unique, you're going to be a game maker.
34:47I would have probably I wouldn't have laughed, but I would have said, OK, because I'm always open to the possibilities.
34:52But like just never limit yourself, never, ever limit yourself.
34:56And just know that, like, yo, your ideas are valid.
34:58And so it's super it's mind blowing every day when I get a new update from my distributors about stores we're going to be in next year.
35:06I'm just like, yo, this is crazy.
35:08Oh, yeah.
35:09If you have an idea, man, take it serious.
35:12I love it.
35:13Nadia, I have a question for you.
35:14You know, Unique just talked about really understanding that our ideas are valid.
35:19As an educator, how do you foster that in the students that you see every day?
35:24All of the students that have come through your doors, how do you foster that in them that they know their ideas are valid?
35:31You know, I think the most important thing.
35:33Is that you just have to be intentional about seeing children and listening to them and just being present and it's simple words.
35:47You know, if you think about the family members or people in your life, in your community who made you feel special by that simple, hey, baby, how you doing?
35:56Talk to me.
35:56Talk to me about what you were doing today or something like that.
35:59Just it's simple things.
36:01I think sometimes we complicate it and we think about how hard these young people are and, you know, they are disrespectful.
36:08They don't want to listen.
36:10It's not that.
36:11There's a disconnect because sometimes they just feel that we have so much going on.
36:18And so I had middle schoolers.
36:20So you understand middle school is the hardest age group in education because they had a place where they think they grow, but they also had a place that if you say something to them,
36:31they want to cry to their parents.
36:32So you kind of like, so you want to man up?
36:35Like, what's happening?
36:38But I always left my door open.
36:40I always sat and I always spoke to my scholars and I shared my story.
36:44That's the other thing.
36:45And I will always tell the parents that as well.
36:48Like, it's so important that you tell your story.
36:51For me, middle school was important because when I was in junior high school, that was the time that my parents separated and my dad was my world.
36:59So to lose my dad at that pivotal moment, it was educators who stepped in.
37:06They, you know, they nurtured me.
37:08They allowed me to stay at school for long hours.
37:11Like, I literally would stay with the administrators until eight, nine o'clock at night, watching them plan and think about how black children were going to take over this world and create programs.
37:23So that work ethic, that belief came from them.
37:27So when I became a principal or I even became a teacher, I created a space that was intentional to say, you are special.
37:35You are amazing.
37:36And just even using those words, you know, there are children who wake up every single morning not knowing that they even matter.
37:43There are children who walk into households where they're not even acknowledged, you know.
37:48And it makes a difference when a child walks into a classroom, walks inside of a building that someone says, I am so glad to see you today.
37:59You know, how are you doing?
38:00And actually listen for that answer.
38:02And so when you start to cultivate that, that becomes a relationship.
38:07And so a lot of my scholars who thought, like, when I was, I remember I was an assistant principal and I would tell the young people at the school that I was at about college or talk to them about high schools beyond their immediate area, they would tell me that they weren't going to college because they were from Brownsville.
38:23And they would say with such pride and I had a problem with that because I was like, what does that mean?
38:30Like, do you even know that Brownsville was the place where they had the education strike?
38:35Like, Black educators shut it down in Brownsville and was like, we're not doing any more work until you hire Black people to become administrative.
38:43Because there's more of our children in the system, but it's less of us actually leading them.
38:48That's Brownsville.
38:50That's civil rights.
38:51Y'all come from, like, a legendary group of people who were no-nonsense.
38:55So how do you not think you can't aspire and be something greater than what they're trying to tell you in the media?
39:00And so when you provide that education, you show them those examples, and then you tell them, in your blood, you are already kings and queens.
39:09Education is what helps liberate you, and if you're not getting educated, you need to challenge the people who are standing in your way.
39:16So those things, right?
39:17But that required me to show up.
39:19That required me to be the principal that didn't stay behind in her office all day on the computer and putting the public school system ahead of the children's needs because oftentimes that's what you find.
39:31People are there for titles.
39:33People are there for their pay grade, but they're not there for the purpose.
39:35They love power but don't use the power to change the game.
39:39And so when I walked in there, I was like, I'm a career changer.
39:43I wasn't that person who went into education because, you know, I graduated college and said that's what I was going to do.
39:50I graduated school with a nursing degree.
39:52I worked in the telecom communications industry.
39:55Then I also worked in retail.
39:57Like, I was a jack of all trades.
39:59So when I walked into education, I made a decision that when I came here, I was going to do everything that I can to make sure that our children knew that they were great and they were entitled to more and that they were going to take over this, like, the entire system.
40:15Thank God for educators like you.
40:18Honestly, thank God.
40:20Thank God we have people like you in the system.
40:24So it seems like we should be able to ask some questions of our audience.
40:27You can ask the questions verbally if your cameras are on.
40:31I want to ask Anjanae for your question.
40:34If you can hear us, go ahead and verbally ask your question to our panel.
40:39Hi, guys.
40:40Can you hear me?
40:41Yes.
40:41Yes, Anjanae.
40:42All right.
40:45So I'm going to go back to the question I originally had.
40:48So my question is, what are some ways or resources that you guys have for our, like, mental health?
40:54I know growing up, we always distorted from mental health because it's not, like, it's not an acceptable thing.
41:00But what are some of your resources to, I guess, get back into your mental health and provide for the community?
41:09Yeah, for sure.
41:09Well, I mean, I'll jump and say, you know, if you're on Instagram, you know, follow the People's Therapist.
41:17You know, she is someone who does mental health.
41:21She is a therapist, but she does mental health for our community.
41:25So I would definitely check that out.
41:27You know, I would also say, as far as resources go, you know, I think for me, you know, making sure that I stay balanced, making sure that I'm meditating, making sure that you're writing down your intentions.
41:43And so that, you know, this is not necessarily a resource, but, you know, for me, with everything that's going on with all the chaos, I think that it's easy for us to get into a space of just trying to figure things out.
41:58So anxiety, you know, depression, all these different things.
42:02And sometimes for me, what I realize is that when I quiet my mind, and so I make sure that I meditate, I make sure that I'm writing down how I'm feeling and I'm writing my intentions.
42:13I'm writing down my intentions.
42:16So that way, you know, I'm coming into the world where clear head opposed to, you know, bringing on the day, you know, and adding on the day, you know, day by day.
42:26And so I would say that as a resource to really get to a space of, you know, clarity, you know, meditation is a great, you know, a great tool.
42:36Beautiful.
42:36Others?
42:37Nadia, Unique?
42:39Yeah.
42:39There are some meditation apps I can't think of.
42:42I have one on my phone, but I don't want to scroll through all my apps.
42:46But there are meditation apps that are just have been like huge for me when I was first trying to figure out like, you know, how do you meditate?
42:53I'm the person that would sit and then in like three minutes, I'm thinking about like something else and I've forgotten that I was meditating or that I was just trying to be still.
43:01And I'm still like that.
43:03And so I have to use guides to help me to get into a space where I'm meditating.
43:07And so I would say whatever kind of phone you have, look, do some research, type in meditation apps, and they will guide you for like five minutes, three minutes, ten minutes, however long.
43:17I usually go when I'm in the shower, turn it on.
43:20They, you know, do the, you know, listen to your breathing, you know, breathe in, breathe out, breathe out.
43:25They have the sound effects.
43:27And so I would say those are really helpful.
43:29And hopefully if you do it consistently, it's something that you can guide yourself on without the need of some assistance.
43:36But definitely look at meditation apps too.
43:38And I, um, I actually just go on YouTube and I find like a good video and I do the, um, the guided ones.
43:48There's some good ones that are just 10 minutes because sometimes I only have 10 minutes, right, to just center myself.
43:53Um, but the other thing is that I have a really good therapist and I believe in therapy, um, and she is into, you know, healing through chakras.
44:05And so a lot of that work about energy and the sources of energy and your interactions with people, um, have been really, really helpful because some of that work with meditation, we will give up simply because of what you just said.
44:21It's easy to get distracted.
44:23There's so much going on in your mind.
44:26And I want to tell people who have ever tried it, if you felt like you were failing at it, it's a process.
44:32You don't get good in a day or in a week.
44:35You, you're training your mind because technically your mind is supposed to always be active, right?
44:41That allows you creativity.
44:43It allows you to think, it allows you to make like connect dots.
44:46So for you to ask your mind to slow down, right?
44:50Like you're asking it to pause from this space of what you believe creativity, because even just as a people, we believe that activity means that we're always, you know, like it's productivity.
45:01And so we have to retrain and teach ourselves like, it's okay to take these 10 minutes.
45:08It's okay to take the five minutes and also find that space that makes you comfortable.
45:12Like I used to find that it was easier to meditate in the shower because nobody was going to bother me.
45:18As long as my family knew that I was available, even if I was behind a closed door, somebody would knock on the door, you know, you get distracted by the phone.
45:28But when you go into that shower, the sound of the water, the, just the, the, the, the calmness, you know, that that's your time.
45:35Um, that's, that's often like that place is my joy space, I would say.
45:41So find a comfortable place.
45:43You can find an app like the calm app and things like that.
45:47But if you got YouTube, just put meditation, do guided meditation.
45:52You know, you go through the song because not every, not all the playlist music connects with you.
45:57Some of them, I'm just like, oh, I don't want to listen to this.
46:00But there's some that I'm like, oh, yes, I like this.
46:02This is soothing.
46:02This will work.
46:04Um, so I would say that.
46:05And then also writing your thoughts down is also helpful.
46:07A journal.
46:08That's also good.
46:10These are all such good tips.
46:12You know, I just want to shout out that this Sunday at three, we're going to be having a session about self-care and meditation and how we get centered.
46:20So join us for that if that's something they're interested in.
46:23But these are all such good tips.
46:26We have another question from Sarah, Sarah W.
46:29If you can hear us, go ahead and ask your question.
46:32Okay, can you guys hear me?
46:41We can hear you.
46:42Hey, what's up, Sarah?
46:44Hello.
46:45Um, I'm a student in college and I'm wondering, how do you know when it's time to push yourself and really like work towards things like vigorously?
46:55And how do you know when it's time to, like, take a step back and recharge and reflect?
47:02Oh, I could take that.
47:04So, um, there are three P's that I tell people when you're thinking about, like, business or pursuit that you should always keep top of mind.
47:12You have to know when to push.
47:13You have to know when to pause and you have to know when to pivot.
47:18And it's very likely that you'll be in between one of those P's at any given time.
47:25My advice is, like, your gut is always your guide.
47:29Your gut is your guide.
47:30Your gut will let you know when it's time to push.
47:34Um, when, uh, you feel anxious, like, almost not like you're going to miss out on something because what's for you won't pass you, but you still have to be in tune to know, like, okay, the time feels right.
47:47It feels like I can do this.
47:48Do I feel equipped?
47:50Um, and what's behind the push, right?
47:52Because you can be pushed by fear and you can be pushed by just the confidence in knowing that it's your time.
47:58I think that you also have to be able to do a pause check to see how you're feeling, right?
48:03Nadia, just talk to, I mean, you spoke a word to me when you were talking about taking care of yourself.
48:08I'm like, ooh, let me, let me schedule some rest for this weekend because you have to be able to, to, to go, to, to, to, to go along the path, right?
48:17So, to follow the journey, to do the, to, to do the work.
48:20And so, how are you feeling physically, mentally?
48:23Like, are you stressed?
48:24Are you in a good environment?
48:26Like, what's happening externally and internally to really, um, motivate your decisions?
48:31And so, I feel like you have to know that, um, you're equipped and you have to be, um, prepared and feel like you're, um, equipped for the journey.
48:41And so, if you feel tired, if you feel like, um, exhausted, if you feel stressed out, if you feel like there's anxiety, whatever it is, I think you have to pay attention to those, um, those little, um, those little notes, right?
48:54And you have to know that it's okay to slow down, it's okay to pause, and that anything that's for you, it won't pass you.
49:01And, um, I think that at the end of the day, it always has to go back to how do you feel in your gut?
49:06And your gut will defy, like, what may seem, um, rational and logical to other people, which is why it's all about your gut and not what other people tell you you should be doing.
49:17And it has to come from within, because when the people aren't around you to validate you or to cheer you on or to nod their heads in agreement, you have to have something on the inside that is still driving you towards your goal.
49:29And so, pay attention to your gut and know that it's okay to pause, it's okay to pivot, and when it's time to push, you'll feel it from the inside.
49:38I feel like you're speaking just to me, Younique.
49:42I was like, I needed to hear this today.
49:44So, thank you, Sarah, for asking the question.
49:47Thank you, Younique, for the answer.
49:48And I also want to thank our entire panel for their time and all of their amazing work in our community.
49:54And I want to thank everybody out in the audience for being here with us today.
49:58I hope all of us can really dig in and take what we've learned back to our families and our communities.
50:03And I can't wait to spend more time with you during Planet Afropunk this weekend.
50:07Thank you all so much, and we will see you real soon.
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