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<v Speaker 1>So it's Black History Month, and for many of us

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<v Speaker 1>over fifty, because it's fifty plus my showifty plus from

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<v Speaker 1>James Lodd Junior. I know there's always been a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of mixed feelings about it in our own community, for

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<v Speaker 1>us who are older, and I know it now. It's

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<v Speaker 1>also coincigning with people who are younger, and of course

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<v Speaker 1>with our society these days. It's a lot going on kids,

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<v Speaker 1>and so people would ask me my thoughts on this subject,

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<v Speaker 1>and my thoughts are varied, and I'm gonna share some

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<v Speaker 1>of them with you, of course, because we got what

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<v Speaker 1>we do on the show. We share thoughts. All thoughts

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<v Speaker 1>are my own, of course, and it's just things that

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<v Speaker 1>I feel and think on some level. I I was

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<v Speaker 1>born during the Civil Rights movement. I first went to

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<v Speaker 1>school during desegregation and bussing. I was inside, was in

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<v Speaker 1>school when they were it was gang ridden, and I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't get myself out of there. I entered a workforce

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<v Speaker 1>where there were jobs. I did not get approaches on

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<v Speaker 1>that get because I was black. Then I raised children

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<v Speaker 1>at some point and got to see the world do

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<v Speaker 1>that situation as a parent, as a black parent, and

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<v Speaker 1>as a black parent to mix children, and I'm an

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<v Speaker 1>older man watching got to see a president be black,

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't mean Clinton a little joke there. And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm an older man seeing a lot of stuff go

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<v Speaker 1>down and in politics in America and the world. So

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<v Speaker 1>my thoughts are always going to be very varied because

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<v Speaker 1>I went through all the different experiences and many of

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<v Speaker 1>you have to do you right there, right there with me.

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<v Speaker 1>I always found it funny that Black History Month was

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<v Speaker 1>in February, which we all always did, because that's like,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that's a short month of the year, right.

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<v Speaker 1>I always a joke about that, but I always thought, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>so it's during a winter time, and I was like, well,

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<v Speaker 1>at black is like the party, like the party, so

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<v Speaker 1>it should be during the summertime. Where I said a

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<v Speaker 1>tongue in cheek, of course, but I always we always

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<v Speaker 1>made jokes about that, But I get why at one

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<v Speaker 1>point we had to have a Black History most so

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<v Speaker 1>to speak, just to kind of remind people that black

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<v Speaker 1>that Black history is American history. That's completely why I

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<v Speaker 1>always say that all the time, Black history is American history.

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<v Speaker 1>And I always wanted to believe that the the purpose

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<v Speaker 1>was to accent those Black Americans who did stuff for

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<v Speaker 1>America that was very positive going to school for me

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<v Speaker 1>in the seventies and eighties, there were a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>textbooks left a lot of these folks out. There were

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of there were a lot of teaching that

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<v Speaker 1>didn't happen in the classroom about other peoples of color

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<v Speaker 1>that did a lot of you know, a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>building of America. Most of that back then was independent study.

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<v Speaker 1>For me, I didn't go look for it, or somebody

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<v Speaker 1>would tell me about it, and I didn't look for it.

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<v Speaker 1>Nowadays a little different. You can well google, we'll tell

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<v Speaker 1>you everything, but like it's a little more different. When

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<v Speaker 1>I was a kid and I was a teenager and

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<v Speaker 1>young adult, I had to search for it. So Black

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<v Speaker 1>Astrey Month would say, I'll go, oh, I never knew

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<v Speaker 1>that that. I never knew that either, And it gave

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<v Speaker 1>me a sense of pride being a black man, to

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<v Speaker 1>see somebody looks like me accomplished things. And that's that's

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<v Speaker 1>the thing I think about Black Astry Month even today.

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<v Speaker 1>The thing about Black Astrey Month or Latin American Heritage Months,

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<v Speaker 1>or Pride Months, or at least these special months. I

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<v Speaker 1>know that folks who are not any of those groups.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's ridiculous. There's a Portgan Pride parade in

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<v Speaker 1>New York, there's an Italian right Irish, you know, say

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<v Speaker 1>Patrick's Day. Basically everything you happen, there's all these different things.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think one side may say is it's separatists,

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<v Speaker 1>Like you say, you're still separating yourselves. You're separating yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>Why do we have to celebrate that, your blackness or whatever?

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<v Speaker 1>And I just I don't know, I guess I just

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<v Speaker 1>I don't see it that way. I just see it.

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<v Speaker 1>I see it as who cares? We have a month

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<v Speaker 1>that's black history? Well, why does it bother you so much?

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<v Speaker 1>Especially if you're part of a group where you're always celebrated.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, there's all it's just it's always celebrated. And yes,

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<v Speaker 1>we all want the utopia of post racial life and

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<v Speaker 1>that everybody's treated equally and everybody's and everybody's presented equally.

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<v Speaker 1>It just is not happening. It's happening in some areas

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<v Speaker 1>here and there, but not really. You know, there's hardly

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<v Speaker 1>any black folks playing in baseball. There's hard any black

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<v Speaker 1>coaches in football, Like there's there's a few, there's not

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<v Speaker 1>a black person, uh leading a soap opera, Like we're

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<v Speaker 1>like just all these things are just not that just

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<v Speaker 1>aren't happening, that have not happened and had not I

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<v Speaker 1>just I and we want them to happen. I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I look at I look at black casts. As I

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<v Speaker 1>get older. It's not necessarily a thing that I go

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<v Speaker 1>hard on. But I've seen my friends really now, especially today,

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<v Speaker 1>are really posting all this stuff and I'm learning. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>still learning in my fifties, I still learning stuff like

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<v Speaker 1>that person did what. I don't know everything. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know everything, so still I kind of appreciate it. But

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<v Speaker 1>as I look back and as I look at my

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<v Speaker 1>age and everything, I think the whole thing of seeing

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<v Speaker 1>people who look like me or my relatives and seeing

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<v Speaker 1>that they had successful roles in this country is motivation

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<v Speaker 1>black because you could be a motivational tool because in

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<v Speaker 1>some black pers are great. We can't be victims, we

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<v Speaker 1>should be victims. We shouldn't be in a victim mentality.

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<v Speaker 1>I totally agree with that. But if you never see

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<v Speaker 1>anybody who looks like you doing anything, he doesn't say that, well,

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<v Speaker 1>people don't understand. I was trying to explain this to you.

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<v Speaker 1>A friend of mine who's white, I said, I know

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<v Speaker 1>for a fact we walk the world differently. We just

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<v Speaker 1>you can't tell me we don't. We do. We have

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<v Speaker 1>some things to intersect that are color in common. But

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<v Speaker 1>for the most part, because you walk it differently, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>gonna see it differently than you do. You will seething

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<v Speaker 1>like just just every it's not even enough for debate

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<v Speaker 1>or argument. That just that just is. Somebody goes to

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<v Speaker 1>New York and somebody goes up in La go see

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<v Speaker 1>things differently. Just going to somebody who's sixty five, we

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<v Speaker 1>see this. Somebody who's fifty five, somebody who's Asian will

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<v Speaker 1>see things this, somebody who's Massic. It's just just just there.

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<v Speaker 1>There's no problem having difference. That's what makes the world go.

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<v Speaker 1>We're all different. Now. The point is talking about the differences,

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<v Speaker 1>listening to them, you know, being there for each other.

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<v Speaker 1>The differences. That's what needs to happen. Not this. We

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<v Speaker 1>don't talk about it, don't situate it, don't anything. We're

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<v Speaker 1>all the same. We're all the human race. That's it.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like, well, that sounds great, but why not talk

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<v Speaker 1>about history. History is love history. I love hearing about

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<v Speaker 1>some other people have done. Love my ancestors, but seriously,

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<v Speaker 1>why can't we use it as motivation and motivational tools

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<v Speaker 1>for the younger generation to say, see they did it,

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<v Speaker 1>you can do it too. And not just athletes, musicians

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<v Speaker 1>all that stuff, but just like people who are in

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<v Speaker 1>the sciences. And you know that some of the industries

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<v Speaker 1>that are dying out because they can't get people to

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<v Speaker 1>do them. You know, let's let's lesserate those people. And

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<v Speaker 1>you know if they're in the or Latino or black

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<v Speaker 1>and so folks who go, I see that, Wow, I

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<v Speaker 1>have an interest in that to you kind of but

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<v Speaker 1>now I know I can go and do this. There

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<v Speaker 1>are people that I looked up to that I what

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<v Speaker 1>I saw them do. They're like, okay, they can do it.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's no one saying you can't look up to

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<v Speaker 1>somebody of a different race and have them also as

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<v Speaker 1>a mentor or as an idol, or as somebody you

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<v Speaker 1>want to emulate. For me, it was James the Different

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<v Speaker 1>Extra Studio. It's Casey Casem on the radio, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>as Larry King as a host. Like, I mean, they're

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<v Speaker 1>not black, and I TOI looked up to them. But

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<v Speaker 1>then when I hear people voices like James Earl Jones,

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<v Speaker 1>Isaac Hayes, Barry White, that's one of my voice idols,

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<v Speaker 1>and they're black. I love it something you can have

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<v Speaker 1>all of that, but I don't understand the problem with

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<v Speaker 1>having Why not have it used as something motivational As

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<v Speaker 1>I get older, that's more because I think everything is

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<v Speaker 1>teaching moments, and so I'm more I'm more apt for

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<v Speaker 1>that else. And that's why I said this one. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to talk about like history was in my own ways.

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<v Speaker 1>I do every year because in America right now, they're

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<v Speaker 1>cutting their the words woke DEI, all these these words

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<v Speaker 1>are being weaponized, back immigration, all of this stuff's being weaponized.

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<v Speaker 1>And in my opinion, again, in my own opinions, I

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<v Speaker 1>feel it's all color based. You can't. You can't convince

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<v Speaker 1>me otherwise. I don't. The optics are too strong, and

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<v Speaker 1>I just don't. And I'm like, it's just not, it's

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<v Speaker 1>just you won't. You can't convince me otherwise. But I'm

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<v Speaker 1>a discussion with you about it. We can talk about it.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not I've never closed discussions. I'm always close to them,

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<v Speaker 1>and my friends and I who are a different, different

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<v Speaker 1>thing differently, they appreciate the fact that I will talk.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the key to everything, and maybe I know

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<v Speaker 1>reason why Black History Month was started was to get

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<v Speaker 1>conversations going. I don't sell a quanta. I'm like quanta person,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll say, but I appreciate it's different folks. You do.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about it. Why is it there? Why is

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<v Speaker 1>it you know? What does it mean? What are some

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<v Speaker 1>of the tenants like? That's I have no problem with

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<v Speaker 1>any of that stuff. Conversation. That's why I do this

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<v Speaker 1>talking talking. Anybody says off, you get something out of it,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's audio only. But if you get something out

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<v Speaker 1>of this or agree or disagree, I have no problem

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<v Speaker 1>with that. But that's the beauty of living in a

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<v Speaker 1>country where you're supposed to have free speech. We be

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<v Speaker 1>able to talk and free thought. There are some countries

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<v Speaker 1>around the world you can't even do that. So I

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate that. And I'm an American. I am an older American,

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<v Speaker 1>and I know I'm heading towards my time out, so

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<v Speaker 1>I'm looking out for my kids, grandkids, and if I

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<v Speaker 1>have great grandkids one day, what the world will be

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<v Speaker 1>like for them. That's where I'm at. I'm James Lott Junior.

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<v Speaker 1>This is fifty plus. We're out all audio streets, doing

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<v Speaker 1>service platforms. Todju aim