HERe ME

Episode 11, finds co-hosts Lanier and Lessie in an engaging discussion of the strategic, systematic erosion of civil liberties and civil rights for Black America's and those who would support our just and righteous cause, through criminalizing Constitutionally protected liberties of freedom of speech and protest. With America's democracy in what can only be described as tatters, will the U.S. Supreme Court rule Tennessee's law in contradiction with the United States' Constitution's Bill of Rights or can citizens of Tennessee and other states kiss those liberties good-bye. Our audience call to action is Our call to action with this episode is self-care! If necessary, seek help from a professional who can and will validate the realness of what you're feeling and experiencing, even if not directly on the front lines but vicariously! A lot is being thrown at Black folk to the point it can have the effect of desensitizing us. To the protestors who are on the front lines, we are grateful. Thank you. To those of us not out in the protests, please use your gifts, talents and abilities for the collective good and uplift of Blacks as we press on for justice, equality and equity in all areas of political and socioeconomic spheres! Co-host Book Suggestions Leviathan Or the Matter Form and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil by Thomas Hobbes Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones, and the New Protest #Journalism by Allissa V. Richardson Additional links NY times article: BLM may be the largest movement in the US History https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests- crowd-size.html Link from Clip played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH33NX29b4I Legislatures crack down on protestors: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/12/tennessee-passes-law-targeting-protesters-makes-capitol-camping-felony/3354879001/ constitution act: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/#:~:text=Congress%20shall%20make%20no%20law,for%20a%20redress%20of%20grievances https://blavity.com/why-19-black-families-purchased-9671-acres-of-land-in-the-midst-of-protests-and-a-pandemic?category1=opinion&category2=news Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 10, Lanier and Lessie are discussing VP nominee Kamala Harris (pronounced Comma-la). The Co-hosts discuss the importance of Black voters not falling so in love with the “vision” of a Black woman Vice President of the United States the same way they did with the vision of a Black man as President during Obama's presidency. They touch on Kamala's presidential run, the importance of holding Biden/Harris accountable to their agenda and promises should they win and ponder Harris' position on various criminal justice issues. Our audience call to action is Focus on getting to know both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Pay attention to the debates. Make a list of things that are important to you. Listen to determine if they're speaking on the issues that are important to you and what their plans are to address those issues. Let's not get lost in the identity -- her Blackness, her gender, or her Greek life affiliation! Co-host Book Suggestions Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy by Tiffany Cross Forbes Article Why Black Women Are Better Leaders https://www.forbes.com/sites/paologaudiano/2019/12/02/why-black-women-are-better-leaders/#32d9377d259b Fortune 500 Women CEO Index https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/04/business/fortune-500-women-ceos/index.html Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

Episode 9 finds co-hosts Lanier and Lessie talking about lynchings in 21st Century America. A form of domestic terrorism, lynching was a method to dominate and subjugate Blacks during antebellum and civil rights eras as a way to maintain “law and order.” It appears to be attempting a comeback. Our audience call to action is >Statistically in percentages and actual numbers, Blacks are outnumbered. There is literally nothing to stop such terrorism from happening again, especially given our present circumstances. We need allies sure enough. >Get back to building community. Kinship is important, get to know your neighbors and know the parents of your children's friends. We need to be accountable to one another and accountable for one another. No Black man, woman, boy or girl, gets left behind. Co-host Book Suggestions Lynching in America: A History in Documents 1st Ed. Edition, by Christopher Waldrep (Editor) A Brief History of Slavery and the Origins of American Policing Written by Victor E. Kappeler, Ph.D. https://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/brief-history-slavery-and-origins-american-policing Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 8 Lanier and Lessie discuss America's response to the economic downturn in light of COVID-19 and racial unrest. The co-hosts critique federal government leadership, why it is so difficult for America to be charitable to its own citizens and what people are spending their stimulus checks on! Lanier and Lessie provide information on how to determine if you've been issued a stimulus check and when you can expect it to arrive. Our audience call to action is >Register to vote, get 15-20 other people to vote. Fill out the census. In New York state we miss out on close to $2700 per person/per year times ten years for federally funded programs by folk not being counted. >Research where your stimulus check is. The IRS website can help you track where your check is and when you'll receive it. Co-host Book Suggestions More of an article suggestion, this episode. https://nypost.com/2017/07/10/why-ordinary-americans-hold-politicians-and-media-in-contempt-all-in-one-hamptons-party/ Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 6, Lanier and Lessie aim to help our listeners to understand how intricately woven politics and the economy are. We also want to help Black communities identify an area they would like to participate in as it relates to restructuring their communities by way of politics and economics. Our Audience call to action >find out who your community leaders are and learn where their offices are and what their position is on issues that are important to you and when meetings are held >take free classes online short courses or watch TED talks that break down topics on politics and economics >register to vote; know your community zone and/or district number and officials and how to contact them >follow community leaders on social media; identify the “players” and “conversators” and get to know them Co-hosts Book Suggestions: The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 7 Lanier and Lessie discuss COVID-19's impact as correlated to race and why Black folk are the most impacted by this disease. The co-hosts aim to advance the idea that universal healthcare is a time whose idea has come for America. They also admonish people to know their rights as it relates to healthcare and vaccines and wrap up with finding doctors who will actually hear you when you bring your health concerns to them and not act with implicit bias or dismiss your health concerns out of hand. Our audience call to action is >Watch Implicit Bias -- How it Effects Us and How We Push Through | Melanie Funchess | TEDxFlourCity Co-host Book Suggestions Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) by Institute of Medicine (Author), Board on Health Sciences Policy (Author), Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care (Author), Alan R. Nelson (Editor), Adrienne Y. Stith (Editor), Brian D. Smedley (Editor) Just Medicine; A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care written by Dayna Bowen Matthew Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 5, “Blackenomics” Kanye Legacy Building and the New Black Wealth, everyone's favorite Co-hosts Lanier and Lessie discuss wealth, how it is acquired and the difference between wealth and income and offer different ways to think about wealth. We invite our audience into this discussion and ask our listeners to consider why representation matters and what is the allure of the Forbes billionaire list. Why do people mainly think of wealth as an output or a goal and not an input that gives one agency? After all, wealth begets wealth! Our Audience call to action is find simple ways to "sock" away money for seed capital to purchase wealth building assets, like sous sous. Know about the free and readily available resources in your city, county and state. Google your nearest job center. Engage with local libraries, SCORE organizations and develop professional relationships with their volunteer staff, many who are retired CEOs and CFOs. They are a "wealth" of information. Co-hosts Book Suggestions: Lessie: Being Black, Living in the Red: Race, Wealth, and Social Policy in America by Dalton Conley Lanier: financialstarterkit.com, capitalSB.com and marcusgram.com - these are websites that provide information on managing finances and creating passive income. Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 4, Joe Biden Black women in politics. Black women in Politics, we show up to the polls so where are more Black Woman candidates? Your favorite Co-hosts, Lanier and Lessie engage in discussions that touch on why the relatively constitutionally mundane position of VP is so important, the importance of Biden's pick for VP., and which woman will he pick as his running mate. Our audience call to action, over the summer learn about who your local and state level candidates are and what their values are to see if what they stand for resonates with you. One resource is https://www.vote411.org/. Learn how policies are created and what organizations support to have these policies created. Co-host Book Suggestions: Lessie: Optimism At All Costs: Black Attitudes, Activism, and Advancement in Obama's America and This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President Lanier: Youtube interview w/ black Leaders discussion feat, Angela Davis, Kwame Ture & Fannie Lou Hamer (1973) Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Episode 3, Ahmaud, Breonna, George...Here we go again! Co-hosts Lanier and Lessie discuss the continued brutalization of Black bodies through the lens of the recent murders of Ahmaud, Breonna and George at the hands of law enforcement. Why does the law consistently fail to protect Black people and is there anywhere in America where Black people can live without fear of being killed by law enforcement? The Cohosts delve into political and other forms of power and their use to effect positive change for Black people. We invite our audience into this discussion and ask our listeners to consider ways in which they can civically engage to advance the cause for racial and economic justice for Blacks. Our call to action for this episode is to find out what are police compliance rules for your city and how to get unjust rules changed. Co-host Book Suggestions: Lessie: Black Trials Citizenship from the Beginnings of Slavery to the End of Caste - Mark S. Weiner Lanier: The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States by Ward Churchhill and Jim Vander Wall Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Who is Co-host, Lanier Logan, HERe ME: Black Women Defying the Narratives that Shape Us, Cohost Dr. Lessie Branch, interviews Cohost, Lanier Logan, the Executive Startup Strategist. In this “getting to know her moment,” Lessie and Lanier take their listeners on a journey into who Lanier is and what inspires her goal to “help 100,000 Black Women to increase their earning potential.” We'll also explore what compels Lanier to exceed and excel, and the defining moments in her life that have converged to define who Lanier is today and what narratives she has defied while operating as a change agent. For more information on Lanier Logan www.lanierlogan.com You can also connect with Lanier on social media Twitter & Instagram: @mrsyoungmogul Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe ME Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe ME Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message

In Who is Co-host, Lessie Branch, HERe ME: Black Women Defying the Narratives that Shape Us, Cohost Lanier Logan, the Executive Startup Strategist interviews Cohost, Dr. Lessie Branch. In this “getting to know her moment,” Lanier and Lessie take their listeners on a journey into Lessie's “beginnings,” exploring what shapes, and motivates her, what are some of Lessie's fears and what narratives she has defied while pursuing her goals, as well as why this podcast at this moment! For more information on Dr. Lessie Branch www.lessiebranch.com You can also connect with Dr Branch on social media Twitter & Instagram: @lessiebbranch Thanks also to David L Branch II a/k/a Lil Sourstraw for the beat “Toronto.” Connect with HERe ME Podcast: HERe Me Podcast Twitter handle @HEReMEPodcast1 HERe Me Podcast IG handle @heremepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/here-me/message