As the vibrant heartbeats of our communities, the stories of Black Generations are rich with triumph, resilience, and innovation. Alongside my co-host Shennelle, who brings her passion and insight into our conversation, we peel back layers of history to share a narrative that resonates beyond a single month. This episode is a journey through the struggles, the victories, and the unyielding spirit of a people whose contributions have shaped our nation, yet often remain unsung. As we commemorate Black History Month, we underscore the imperative of weaving these narratives into the educational tapestry all year round, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of a heritage that is a cornerstone of American culture.
We stand on the shoulders of giants like Marcus Garvey., whose dreams have paved avenues of equality and respect that we continue to traverse today. In our dialogue, we not only spotlight the icons of civil rights but also embrace the personal victories and everyday grace that define the Black experience. It's about stoking that inner flame of pride and ensuring that the legacy of Black people is not relegated to the sidelines but celebrated as part of the continuous story we all share. So, tune in for an episode filled with heart, soul, and an unwavering commitment to the truth of our past, as we strive for a brighter, more inclusive future. Much love, and let's remember to always treat one another with the honor that is rightfully ours.
As the vibrant heartbeats of our communities, the stories of Black Generations are rich with triumph, resilience, and innovation. Alongside my co-host Shennelle, who brings her passion and insight into our conversation, we peel back layers of history to share a narrative that resonates beyond a single month. This episode is a journey through the struggles, the victories, and the unyielding spirit of a people whose contributions have shaped our nation, yet often remain unsung. As we commemorate Black History Month, we underscore the imperative of weaving these narratives into the educational tapestry all year round, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of a heritage that is a cornerstone of American culture.
We stand on the shoulders of giants like Marcus Garvey., whose dreams have paved avenues of equality and respect that we continue to traverse today. In our dialogue, we not only spotlight the icons of civil rights but also embrace the personal victories and everyday grace that define the Black experience. It's about stoking that inner flame of pride and ensuring that the legacy of Black people is not relegated to the sidelines but celebrated as part of the continuous story we all share. So, tune in for an episode filled with heart, soul, and an unwavering commitment to the truth of our past, as we strive for a brighter, more inclusive future. Much love, and let's remember to always treat one another with the honor that is rightfully ours.
Hello everybody and welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to Be Real with Love, with Love and Chanel. I'm Love your host, and here we have Chanel, your co-host, that's joined us today. Hi everyone, hope everybody's doing well. Well, we're gonna jump right into it. So, what month are we in? We're in what February? Right, february.
Speaker 1:
So it's Black History Month, that we're celebrating for the month of February, you know, and we just thought you know, it's so important when we talk about Black History, that is something that really, really needs to be taught to who don't understand or know or whatever, right? So we're just gonna jump right into it, guys, just to talk a little bit about us as Black people. And you know, really, the importance of our experience of being Black. And you know, in a society that you know that's filled with a lot of peer pressure, racism, you know, dislike, you know what I mean. So a lot of culture shock, right? So, yeah, so it's celebrating our Blackness. So what does you know? You know how we're celebrating the Black History Month. It should be celebrated all the time, all the time, you know. Shouldn't you have to wait for a particular time to celebrate, to recognize? It should be recognized all the time, especially in the schools, especially in the schools, which I strongly believe that they should have courses and classes. Yeah, I think they're gonna have something like that, but it's mandatory though. Yeah, it'll be mandatory to take them. I think that's very good, yeah, because they, they have committed history for what? For so many decades? Yeah, and you have to take it. They have to be one of the subjects that you have to have.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, right, when I was in high school, right, and you know it was there was no Black history to learn. Nothing. We're doing, like in the war, the war of 1812. And I would say, what the flip? This is boring. What do you mean? The war of 1812.? Yeah, you know, there was no substance, like it wasn't something that you were so interested in Sometimes. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:
So it's really important that we are learned about, we are understood. It's very important that other cultures learn about ours as well, right, and especially people who are going to be going into, like social work or anything in the health department of learning about other people. You got to learn about other cultures as well, right, because these are people that are going to be working with in the public. Yeah, that's true, right, and you don't want to be going into a job where there's racism everywhere, but you still going to understand where these are people are coming from. Yeah, right, but it's so difficult, you know.
Speaker 1:
I just think it's a little behavior when you know we as Black people. You know it's in the workforce, you know what I mean. It's in the grocery store, yeah, it's in the banks, it's everywhere. You know what I mean and it is very how should I say it? It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Yeah, because there's a lot of we as black people.
Speaker 1:
We the our problem and a lot of black people probably don't want to hear this, or don't I talk about, but we need to respect each other more. Yes, that is true, because we're so good, we're concerned about how we are treated. You know it's not about all, about, okay, black history. You know who invented this, who invented that? You know we want that to be recognized as well. You know, in the schools. You know I think the hole in a hole, right, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:
But at the same time, we as black people, we need to look at ourselves, yeah, you know, and look at how we treat each other's black people. We're coming from the same kind of pain the racism you know, being alienated, right Undermine, oppressed we're coming where we all go through that pain, yeah, but at the same time there is a breakdown, like there is a missing link with like we don't respect each other, and that is disturbing. That's the issue. Yeah, that is the issue. And other people look at us like, well, they don't respect it, they don't respect each other. So I should we respect them? See, I say that's the issue, right there.
Speaker 1:
And you know, black history is so important to celebrate. It's so important to learn, just to know what our answers just went through, for the younger generation to learn what their answers Just went through. Right, it's so important to learn all the different leaders, you know, people who have invented certain things in this world. Oh, of course, why we're using them till this day? Yeah, right, but they don't talk about it, they don't. So hopefully this mandatory course for this is for our Canadian, toronto, ontario residents. Hopefully they can get more in, be more in-depth of Teaching the younger generation.
Speaker 1:
But you know, when I was in school, I mean, yeah, we heard about our black, you know our ancestors, forefathers and everything right, but we never Like how it's coming more to light of who invented this. It was a black man who invented this. Is a black man who invented that. I always used to wonder why is that majority? It's always white people to invent these things. Yeah, we're. Where's our black people? Yeah, there must be. Yeah, and there is black people.
Speaker 1:
When I was in middle school I used to wonder there must be black people that invented stuff. Yeah, but when you come here, you know, when you come here and you're in school, right, the Canadian school system, they don't. It's almost as if they, they want to be. It's a superior. So if they can Put it on in our brains that the majority of people who invented the soap, electricity, electricity, you name it the first radio or whatever, they're all white, then we're gonna look at it to say, oh, they're the leaders. Yeah, right, there are the leaders. Yeah, cuz I don't see anything that you know. Yeah, our black people have done such great things and there, and there's a lot of you, yeah, when it was all alive, all these. That's why that knowledge bookstore is a good store. It is to buy a book like, if you want your child to read up about their, their black history as well. Book Knowledge bookstore in Brampton yes, yeah, you know, that's where I got those first two books and you guys were growing right, but it's, it's. I think it's very important to you.
Speaker 1:
What is, what does it mean when you, you know, as a black woman Coming up in, you know, in society, what does being black, what does that represent to you? Being black means being strong, being resilient, never backing down, chasing your dreams, loving yourself, accepting yourself. Right, knowing that being black, you are gonna make mistakes, no matter what. And there's times where you, when you're black, some more times you're not gonna be forgiven, you're not gonna be taken seriously. But for me, being black is being strong. I'm standing up, firm, being resilient, staying true to who I am, but loud. So, but what about? So that's that? Those are the strength, right? So what about the downside, the dark side? What about that side of being a black person? You know that unfortunate side, or experience, or reality.
Speaker 1:
We get labeled, we get, I would say from my experience, you get criticized and you get put into a category. Right, being black, you're not taken seriously. The jobs that you qualify for, you don't get them. The positions that you want, you don't get them right, especially health system. More times they don't take you seriously. They don't investigate the reasons why you're really at the hospital. They just see what you're to say, brush it underneath the rug. Right, education wise too. There's things that we are supposed to get, like grants. We might get a one-two grant, but they don't tell us what other stuff we're going to apply for scholarships that were entitled to. They don't do that with my. This is my experience. I can you speak for myself? This is my experience. That's the downside of it.
Speaker 1:
When I see, I see, for black history, I think it needs to be when it comes around this time a year, bigger things need to happen, more like you see on the news, all you know some, a few like successful black people. You know they're having some gala or whatever and stuff like that. But I, for me, in my opinion, I think more needs to happen. Yeah, I really think more needs to happen. Yeah, right, you know, with other cultures, like when it comes to black history, when I look at other culture, when they're celebrating, it's huge, right, and when we're celebrating black history, yes, you'll see certain things and stuff like that and all, and you know they talk about Bob Marley, you know, and you know, like just different little things, but I just think that more should be happening. It should be more togetherness, right. There should be more recognition in terms of even if you're not a black wealthy person, but you've tried, you've achieved, you know just us, being black, we've overcome certain things and we're still fighting.
Speaker 1:
Yes, you know, black history is not only. You know. We had some amazing inventors, right, that has passed on. You know our ancestors. They were great, you know, in their time, right, where they can pass on, and we can carry on. So I just think that there should be. We're celebrating back black history where we're gonna be history, leave you guys behind, right? I mean, it's that's just how it is and I just think that celebrating our blackness, us as black people, when I think about black history and being a black woman in society, I think about fight, yeah.
Speaker 1:
I think about perseverance, I think about mental health, you know. I think about alienation. I think about oppression, right, because that's what we face every day, yeah, every day, yeah, because if you could, you can be in a good job, right, and you're doing great things and that other person, where that's not black, is doing putting out less effort, and they are recognized as if. And then, with you being a black person. Nothing much is said. Yes, you know, I agree, right, because black people, we in a whole, we work hard. You, we work very hard. We do work, right, we were all right. Yes, and we have. We have that thing called that respect. Yes, I think you know.
Speaker 1:
Yes, so there's so much. There's so much our ancestors and our inventors back. You know they went through a lot. They went through a lot. You know there's Harriet Tubman, you know right, yeah, martin Luther King, malcolm X, marcus Garvey yeah, you know all of them and all the other inventors, you know that stood up for something. So it's not only you know, it's now.
Speaker 1:
We're living in this era. You know, new generation, different mentality. You know what's disturbing to our children does not? I don't think they don't even think about black history like that. They don't take it serious, they don't take it personal, mm-hmm. Right. So black history, yes, but we have a lot more work to do. That is true. A lot more work to do.
Speaker 1:
You know, being a black woman, it's not easy being black. I was watching this thing three black guys and they were talking about black history. They were talking about black history. They were talking about the racism and stuff like that, and what our forefathers answered, what they went through. The person that was interviewing asked one of the questions that what would you want? What do you wish as a black person? I wish I was white, to know what it's like to be black. That's deep, that's strong, that's very deep, right, that's strong.
Speaker 1:
So you know, we have a lot of work to do, and so celebrating us, I think, is a beautiful thing. It is Black is beautiful. Yeah, we are beautiful people. We went through a lot. We went through a lot. We're still getting through it. We're still getting through it and we're still going through it. We're still trying. Yep, right, you know this is a diverse country and this and that, okay, but there's so much issues, so much problems among our race, you know. And so to celebrate is one thing, but when the Black History Month is over, we're still going back to. You know what, we know how to do best, and that's just being our best. That's it Right.
Speaker 1:
So what do you think is some like for celebrating Black History? Do you agree that there need to be like more? Like more work, of course, like it should be bigger, much more bigger, especially in the classes, especially in the workforce, right, knowing how to speak to people. You know when you're talking and you're sometimes okay. For example, some people that like to make jokes about different people's cultures. They like to make offensive remarks about a person's race and think it's funny, it's not. Those are all trigger points. Yeah, that's their sensitivity too, right. And even sometimes, when you're talking we're talking about Black History Sometimes you're not interested, you don't want to hear nothing.
Speaker 1:
Yes, yes, you know what it's really important to get to the new generation Go into schools, talk about it, even have a race talk, a race talk session, right. Or quiz In the jobs in the education system. Yeah, yeah, it is important. It's very important, especially for individuals who are coming from you know our town or come from a place where they don't see a lot of minorities, right, they need to know how to talk to individuals. They need to learn understand different cultures, different races. All of that, yeah, it's very important. It is, you know, because if you're going to be in the social services career or if you're into the medical field, you need to know how to talk to individuals. You need to know how to approach them, understand them, right, you need to know.
Speaker 1:
I think that's really important. It is, it is, it truly is, and that's why I do believe that you know we need to do. More needs to happen. Yeah, you know more needs to happen, but that is the world. This is the world that we live in, and you know they say the greatest gift of all is love, and it is so important to recognize and to remember.
Speaker 1:
You know who was passed on, who fought. You know to try to get our equal rights, for us as black people, right, and for us to respect and to show love to each other right, as Martin Luther King said. You know he has a dream. You know what I mean and you know they all play their role in trying to have for us black people to have equal rights. You know freedom, respect and respect. You know. So, yes, so that's all, guys. Thank you again. Thank you again for joining us here on Be Real with Lab Podcast. We hope you enjoyed this episode and we look forward to speaking with you again for next Tuesday at 5 am. Be good to yourself, be true to yourself and love yourself. Take care everyone, much love. Take care, guys. Have a great week.
